food?”
He unslung his backpack and held it up. “Yes.”
“I brought something, too. It’s not much, but it’s wrong for friends not to share with each other. Follow me, we’ll go get it.”
Her blue skirt swished back and forth as she walked through the Hungerleaf Grove. One of the branches caught on her shoulder, and he had to duck to avoid it. Galen had been wrong, he noticed; there wasn’t going to be much of a harvest. Many of the lower leaves had been taken already. It was possible that Rick had managed to get a run in recently, but it probably meant that the villagers were stealing from them.
They’re so hungry in Harpsborough, I doubt Galen will even be mad.
She knelt down by a stump where she must have been waiting for him and picked up a satchel. It was definitely old world, and had a white kitten with a pink bow as decoration.
“What’s in it?” he asked.
She opened the satchel a bit, and he leaned forward. She shut it suddenly. “You’ll see.”
“No! What is it?”
“Come on, where do you want to eat?”
He made a grab for the satchel, but she turned around and held it over her head.
“I was thinking here,” he said. “Maybe we could go swimming.”
He stopped suddenly, hearing something in the mist. Making sure to keep his body in front of Alice’s, he drew his gun and looked out over the Kingsriver. A figure was standing at the far bank, looking at them from across the water. He couldn’t make out the details of the thing, but it was almost too still to be a human.
“Declare yourself!” Arturus shouted.
No response.
“I’ll get it,” Alice said, stepping up beside him and drawing her pistol.
“Declare yourself!” Arturus tried again.
“It’s dead, Turi.”
Arturus gauged the distance. “That’s a long shot for a pistol.”
She took careful aim, and fired two rounds. Both hit, and the figure toppled back into the fog.
“Nice shooting,” he said.
She nodded in satisfaction. “Well, maybe we shouldn’t eat here. How about the Bordonelles?”
Arturus looked across the river, waiting to see if the corpse would get back up. “But the hunters won’t go there.
Isn’t it dangerous?”
“No! You’re so young.”
Arturus was crushed. “Am not.”
“Maybe. Did your parents ever tell you not to go there?”
Arturus thought about this, eyeing her satchel in hopes of getting a clue as to what it contained. “No.”
“That’s because it’s not dangerous a t all. It’s just a superstition from after your father killed the Icanitzu there. Martin’s got them all afraid. Thinks he’s seen a banshee.”
“A banshee?”
“If Martin saw a banshee, he’d be dead.”
He nodded. That was pretty good logic, actually. And besides, she had already said he seemed young. He didn’t want to make that any worse. “Alright, let’s go.”
She flashed him a half-smile. “Follow me.”
The Bordonelles were series of hollow cylindrical chambers which were connected to each other by narrow crawlways. Galen had shown him how to get to the Bordonelles, once, from the rustrock road. Alice led him in from a chamber off of the Kingsriver. He hadn’t realized how close this part of the Kingsriver got to the road until now.
The crawlway she took him to was about three and a half feet tall.
“This way,” she said, bending down and getting on her hands and knees.
Arturus did his best not to watch the effect this motion had on her skirt and followed after. “Do we need any light?”
“No, trust me.”
She led him down a set of crawlways which he made sure to memorize. He didn’t think that they would have any problems getting out, but it helped to make sure. The right side of the passage gave way to one of the cylindrical rooms, but she kept on moving, leading them farther into the darkness. After a quick turn, Arturus could no longer see.
“Almost there.”
They entered into a room whose walls had collapsed. Light was streaming down from an opening near
He unslung his backpack and held it up. “Yes.”
“I brought something, too. It’s not much, but it’s wrong for friends not to share with each other. Follow me, we’ll go get it.”
Her blue skirt swished back and forth as she walked through the Hungerleaf Grove. One of the branches caught on her shoulder, and he had to duck to avoid it. Galen had been wrong, he noticed; there wasn’t going to be much of a harvest. Many of the lower leaves had been taken already. It was possible that Rick had managed to get a run in recently, but it probably meant that the villagers were stealing from them.
They’re so hungry in Harpsborough, I doubt Galen will even be mad.
She knelt down by a stump where she must have been waiting for him and picked up a satchel. It was definitely old world, and had a white kitten with a pink bow as decoration.
“What’s in it?” he asked.
She opened the satchel a bit, and he leaned forward. She shut it suddenly. “You’ll see.”
“No! What is it?”
“Come on, where do you want to eat?”
He made a grab for the satchel, but she turned around and held it over her head.
“I was thinking here,” he said. “Maybe we could go swimming.”
He stopped suddenly, hearing something in the mist. Making sure to keep his body in front of Alice’s, he drew his gun and looked out over the Kingsriver. A figure was standing at the far bank, looking at them from across the water. He couldn’t make out the details of the thing, but it was almost too still to be a human.
“Declare yourself!” Arturus shouted.
No response.
“I’ll get it,” Alice said, stepping up beside him and drawing her pistol.
“Declare yourself!” Arturus tried again.
“It’s dead, Turi.”
Arturus gauged the distance. “That’s a long shot for a pistol.”
She took careful aim, and fired two rounds. Both hit, and the figure toppled back into the fog.
“Nice shooting,” he said.
She nodded in satisfaction. “Well, maybe we shouldn’t eat here. How about the Bordonelles?”
Arturus looked across the river, waiting to see if the corpse would get back up. “But the hunters won’t go there.
Isn’t it dangerous?”
“No! You’re so young.”
Arturus was crushed. “Am not.”
“Maybe. Did your parents ever tell you not to go there?”
Arturus thought about this, eyeing her satchel in hopes of getting a clue as to what it contained. “No.”
“That’s because it’s not dangerous a t all. It’s just a superstition from after your father killed the Icanitzu there. Martin’s got them all afraid. Thinks he’s seen a banshee.”
“A banshee?”
“If Martin saw a banshee, he’d be dead.”
He nodded. That was pretty good logic, actually. And besides, she had already said he seemed young. He didn’t want to make that any worse. “Alright, let’s go.”
She flashed him a half-smile. “Follow me.”
The Bordonelles were series of hollow cylindrical chambers which were connected to each other by narrow crawlways. Galen had shown him how to get to the Bordonelles, once, from the rustrock road. Alice led him in from a chamber off of the Kingsriver. He hadn’t realized how close this part of the Kingsriver got to the road until now.
The crawlway she took him to was about three and a half feet tall.
“This way,” she said, bending down and getting on her hands and knees.
Arturus did his best not to watch the effect this motion had on her skirt and followed after. “Do we need any light?”
“No, trust me.”
She led him down a set of crawlways which he made sure to memorize. He didn’t think that they would have any problems getting out, but it helped to make sure. The right side of the passage gave way to one of the cylindrical rooms, but she kept on moving, leading them farther into the darkness. After a quick turn, Arturus could no longer see.
“Almost there.”
They entered into a room whose walls had collapsed. Light was streaming down from an opening near
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