Shadows Beyond

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Emtani awoke to the smell of breakfast. Nye’s regular breathing came to her from a nearby hammock and she snuggled down, contentedly clinging to the few precious moments of warmth before getting up and starting the fire. Her brow furrowed. The fire was already lit because she could smell breakfast. Had she overslept?

As she opened her eyes, reality crushed her. Nye was dead, her sister taken for a slave and she was not in her hammock at home. Instead, she was in Tagg Esterhausil’s brother’s cave on the rocky plain. Wondering how she could have slept with their shadows on the loose, she peered over the edge of her wolf skin blankets at someone she took to be Tagg who was cooking breakfast over the fire. Someone else groaned himself awake in the corner of the cave. Looking across, she saw Tagg scrunched up under his jacket. He must be frozen.

‘Morning,’ he said groggily.

Her eyes darted to the fire. Of course, it was TagShad making breakfast.

‘Sleep well?’ Tagg asked, rubbing his eyes.

She did not reply and moved, expecting her injured legs to hurt, but they did not. Swinging them over the hammock, she studied them carefully.

‘Good stuff, that targrease,’ Tagg said.

She did not agree, finding it impossible to show gratitude to someone who had stolen her best headlet, even if he had saved her life.

‘Breakfast?’ he asked.

This, she could not ignore and, slipping to the ground, accepted from TagShad something that looked like fried plains-snake. If it tasted as good as it smelt, she would not complain.

Zeff walked in. ‘Not a Rooter in sight,’ he said with satisfaction, sitting cross-legged near the fire and taking some plains-snake. ‘I think you might have got away with beating one of them up, little brother.’

Tagg grinned.

‘All the same, I think we should leave sharpish.’ Zeff said, licking his lips. ‘That shadow of yours is a better cook than you are.’ He looked at Emtani. ‘What do you think?’

‘It be good,’ she said, wondering why she had never eaten plains-snake before.

‘I’m talking about the plan.’

‘What plan?’

Zeff threw Tagg a peevish look.

‘She’s only just woken up,’ Tagg said defensively.

‘You were supposed to wake her,’ Zeff said, adding crossly, ‘You fell asleep again, didn’t you?’

Tagg took another huge mouthful of breakfast.

With an irritated shake of the head, Zeff looked back at Emtani. ‘Tagg says you plan to rescue your sister?’

She nodded. ‘In the City. Rooters sell children there for slaves. I be finding her there and bringing her home.’

‘Have you any idea how dangerous that would be?

‘She be all I have,’ Emtani said, feeling that was explanation enough.

‘Well,’ Zeff said, ‘Tagg and I are also going to the City.’

Emtani looked at him through narrowed eyes. She did not trust him.

‘You can come with us if you like,’ he said sounding falsely bright.

‘What be in it for you?’

‘Slit-a-pig!’ Zeff exclaimed.

She was insulted by his use of bad language. Decent men did not swear in front of girls. Perhaps he did not consider a country girl worthy of such consideration.