Snowbone. “I'll bring my gang. We'll face them together.”
And when Figgis looked in her granite-gray eyes and saw that she meant it, he felt weak with relief.
“I'll be back,” said Snowbone. And with that, she stormed out of the house.
Chapter 19
nowbone ran through the forest back to Black Sand Bay. Her mind was awash with thoughts, but one loomed larger than all the others. “Why did I insist on seeing Figgis on my own?” she asked herself over and over again. “If Blackeye was with me, he could fetch the others and I could stand guard.” Because of her pigheadedness, Figgis was alone. “There's no need,” she muttered angrily. “No need at all.”
Snowbone arrived back at camp to find a flurry of activity. Two Teeth had led a successful hunting expedition; now he was skinning a deer. Blackeye and Fudge were building a tree house. Tigermane and Mouse were weaving rush mats. Everywhere Snowbone looked, someone seemed to be mending or building, cleaning or digging. It seemed a shame to leave it all behind. But this day was always going to come. It had just come sooner than any of them had imagined.
Snowbone strode to the meeting circle, picked up the horn and blew it.
“Gather your belongings!” she cried as the tiddlins camerunning. “We're leaving. I want everything packed and ready to go within the hour.”
“Leaving?” said Mouse. “Why? Where are we going?”
“South,” said Snowbone. “There's another storm coming.”
Mouse sniffed the air. “I can't smell anything.”
“It's not that kind of storm,” said Snowbone. “Fudge, bring the weapons. Tigermane, food. Blackeye, water. Two Teeth, ropes.”
The captains ran to obey.
“If there is a storm coming,” persisted Mouse, “why are we striking camp? Surely it's better to bed down here? We survived the last one.”
“And we shall survive this.”
“But—”
“If you don't want to come, stay here.”
“No!” said Mouse in a sudden panic. “I was just saying—”
“Well, don't,” said Snowbone. “Just
do.”
Mouse's eyes filled with tears. She bit her lip to stop them falling and hurried away.
Snowbone turned to Manu, who was sitting on one of the meeting stones, looking lost.
“Don't just sit there,” she said, prodding him hard. “Do something. Pack the tarpaulins.”
Manu stared at her. “Am I coming with you?”
“Of course you are,” said Snowbone. “You're one of us.”
Manu beamed at her and sprinted away.
Snowbone walked to the tide line and gazed out to sea. She took a deep breath of salty air … held it … sighed it away. This was where she belonged. Black Sand Bay was the only life she had known. The great bowl of the sky above, the bluebelow. The wind on her face, the taste of salt on her tongue. She had absorbed the ocean into her body. The salt had seeped into her wooden limbs. The grain on her skin was the swirling of sand. Her eyes were the gray of gull wings. Her hair was the silvery spinning of foam. Her heart was a pirate ship, set to plunder.
She loved this place. She didn't want to leave it. But she had no choice. “I shall return,” she promised, and the wind snatched her words and tossed them into the waves.
Chapter 20
ithin the hour, the camp was dismantled, packed and shouldered. With a nod from Snowbone, suddenly they were off, with their bundles on their backs, like a trail of snails. South into the forest, with Snowbone explaining about Figgis, Ancestors and the slavers as they went.
By late afternoon, the light was already failing and, though no one could feel it except Manu, the temperature was dropping. Winter was definitely on its way.
“I can smell smoke,” said Mouse suddenly.
Snowbone stopped and sniffed. Nothing.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” said Mouse.
Snowbone didn't doubt her.
“Close?”
“No,” said Mouse. “It's faint. Half an hour away. Maybe more.”
Snowbone frowned and they marched on, faster now.
Pfoooow.
A gunshot. Sharp, clear,
And when Figgis looked in her granite-gray eyes and saw that she meant it, he felt weak with relief.
“I'll be back,” said Snowbone. And with that, she stormed out of the house.
Chapter 19
nowbone ran through the forest back to Black Sand Bay. Her mind was awash with thoughts, but one loomed larger than all the others. “Why did I insist on seeing Figgis on my own?” she asked herself over and over again. “If Blackeye was with me, he could fetch the others and I could stand guard.” Because of her pigheadedness, Figgis was alone. “There's no need,” she muttered angrily. “No need at all.”
Snowbone arrived back at camp to find a flurry of activity. Two Teeth had led a successful hunting expedition; now he was skinning a deer. Blackeye and Fudge were building a tree house. Tigermane and Mouse were weaving rush mats. Everywhere Snowbone looked, someone seemed to be mending or building, cleaning or digging. It seemed a shame to leave it all behind. But this day was always going to come. It had just come sooner than any of them had imagined.
Snowbone strode to the meeting circle, picked up the horn and blew it.
“Gather your belongings!” she cried as the tiddlins camerunning. “We're leaving. I want everything packed and ready to go within the hour.”
“Leaving?” said Mouse. “Why? Where are we going?”
“South,” said Snowbone. “There's another storm coming.”
Mouse sniffed the air. “I can't smell anything.”
“It's not that kind of storm,” said Snowbone. “Fudge, bring the weapons. Tigermane, food. Blackeye, water. Two Teeth, ropes.”
The captains ran to obey.
“If there is a storm coming,” persisted Mouse, “why are we striking camp? Surely it's better to bed down here? We survived the last one.”
“And we shall survive this.”
“But—”
“If you don't want to come, stay here.”
“No!” said Mouse in a sudden panic. “I was just saying—”
“Well, don't,” said Snowbone. “Just
do.”
Mouse's eyes filled with tears. She bit her lip to stop them falling and hurried away.
Snowbone turned to Manu, who was sitting on one of the meeting stones, looking lost.
“Don't just sit there,” she said, prodding him hard. “Do something. Pack the tarpaulins.”
Manu stared at her. “Am I coming with you?”
“Of course you are,” said Snowbone. “You're one of us.”
Manu beamed at her and sprinted away.
Snowbone walked to the tide line and gazed out to sea. She took a deep breath of salty air … held it … sighed it away. This was where she belonged. Black Sand Bay was the only life she had known. The great bowl of the sky above, the bluebelow. The wind on her face, the taste of salt on her tongue. She had absorbed the ocean into her body. The salt had seeped into her wooden limbs. The grain on her skin was the swirling of sand. Her eyes were the gray of gull wings. Her hair was the silvery spinning of foam. Her heart was a pirate ship, set to plunder.
She loved this place. She didn't want to leave it. But she had no choice. “I shall return,” she promised, and the wind snatched her words and tossed them into the waves.
Chapter 20
ithin the hour, the camp was dismantled, packed and shouldered. With a nod from Snowbone, suddenly they were off, with their bundles on their backs, like a trail of snails. South into the forest, with Snowbone explaining about Figgis, Ancestors and the slavers as they went.
By late afternoon, the light was already failing and, though no one could feel it except Manu, the temperature was dropping. Winter was definitely on its way.
“I can smell smoke,” said Mouse suddenly.
Snowbone stopped and sniffed. Nothing.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” said Mouse.
Snowbone didn't doubt her.
“Close?”
“No,” said Mouse. “It's faint. Half an hour away. Maybe more.”
Snowbone frowned and they marched on, faster now.
Pfoooow.
A gunshot. Sharp, clear,
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