her. Without warning, an arm swung over her shoulder, smashing a teapot against the side of her face. Hot tea sprayed in her eyes and she shrieked. Her elbow caught Groach under the chin, lifting him off his feet and sending him sprawling across the road. Two soldiers rushed him and, several kicks later, he was unconscious.
Taya could not see what was going on. She was squatting inside a henhouse, watching the cottage where the man named Shessil was staying, but there were a couple of soldiers right outside, so she couldn’t stick her head up without being spotted. There had just been some kind of struggle and she was desperate to find out what had happened. She took out her tools, including a small mirror, and slunched the muscles that acted as a skull in Myunans, letting them relax so the flesh of her head became soft and pliable. She hurriedly sculpted some crude feathers over her scalp and worked a rough chicken’s head up out of her forehead, which she then crefted, tensing it so that it kept its shape. With a moment of concentration, she changed the colours of the disguise to match the plumage of the hens around her.
The soldiers standing next to the henhouse paid no attention when a scruffy hen appeared at the raised door. Tayapeered out and her heart sank as she saw two armoured figures lifting Shessil’s inert form into the back of a gaol wagon. Some red-headed girl, who was barely conscious herself, was hauled to her feet and pushed in after him. The troops then rounded up the other men they had taken captive and they, too, were locked in the confinement of the wood and iron cage. Soon they were getting ready to leave.
Lorkrin appeared around the wall of the henhouse, trying to look nonchalant in that stupid mad dog disguise. Ducking behind the fence, he slunched back into his normal shape, then crept in beside her. He regarded her chicken-shaped head with a straight face.
‘I preferred your hair the way it was,’ he breathed. ‘What’s going on out there? I couldn’t get a good look.’
‘That Shessil fellow has just been chucked into a gaol wagon. They’re taking him away.’
‘Aw, bowels,’ whispered Lorkrin.
‘Shh!’ Taya was trying to listen to the talk of the soldiers. A few moments later, she put her hands to her face and slumped back against a shelf of nests. ‘They’re taking them to Hortenz. Wonder why he cut off his beard and hair like that …’
Shape-shifters were not easily fooled by a change in appearance.
‘Well isn’t that just the icing on the cake,’ her brother hissed. ‘Arrested by soldiers … we’ll never get that bloody quill back now.’ He paused. ‘Here, you don’t think they arrested him for wrecking the sewer, do you?’
‘You mean, you think this is our fault too?’ Taya’s eyes widened beneath their camouflage of fake feathers.
‘No. No chance.’
‘We’ll have to go after them.’
‘Have you popped your cork? What do we do then? Let’s go back to Uncle Emos and tell him what happened. He’ll be annoyed all right … well, he’ll probably be out of his mind … but he’s not about to actually kill us. Those are Noranian soldiers . Getting a chase off them is one thing, walking right up to one of their wagons under their very noses and messing with one of their prisoners is another thing altogether.’
‘Are you saying you’re scared?’
‘No.’
‘Sounds like you’re scared to me.’
‘I’m not scared. But I’m not stupid either.’
Taya regarded the departing troops thoughtfully. She wondered when she and her brother would ever be able to go home. They certainly couldn’t go back without returning their uncle’s quill, but their tribe would be moving into the forest in the autumn, and all the girls would change their body colours for the new season. She couldn’t bear to miss that. Turning to her brother, she sat down and let her head slunch out of its chicken shape.
‘Ma made me promise not to tell you this, but I
Taya could not see what was going on. She was squatting inside a henhouse, watching the cottage where the man named Shessil was staying, but there were a couple of soldiers right outside, so she couldn’t stick her head up without being spotted. There had just been some kind of struggle and she was desperate to find out what had happened. She took out her tools, including a small mirror, and slunched the muscles that acted as a skull in Myunans, letting them relax so the flesh of her head became soft and pliable. She hurriedly sculpted some crude feathers over her scalp and worked a rough chicken’s head up out of her forehead, which she then crefted, tensing it so that it kept its shape. With a moment of concentration, she changed the colours of the disguise to match the plumage of the hens around her.
The soldiers standing next to the henhouse paid no attention when a scruffy hen appeared at the raised door. Tayapeered out and her heart sank as she saw two armoured figures lifting Shessil’s inert form into the back of a gaol wagon. Some red-headed girl, who was barely conscious herself, was hauled to her feet and pushed in after him. The troops then rounded up the other men they had taken captive and they, too, were locked in the confinement of the wood and iron cage. Soon they were getting ready to leave.
Lorkrin appeared around the wall of the henhouse, trying to look nonchalant in that stupid mad dog disguise. Ducking behind the fence, he slunched back into his normal shape, then crept in beside her. He regarded her chicken-shaped head with a straight face.
‘I preferred your hair the way it was,’ he breathed. ‘What’s going on out there? I couldn’t get a good look.’
‘That Shessil fellow has just been chucked into a gaol wagon. They’re taking him away.’
‘Aw, bowels,’ whispered Lorkrin.
‘Shh!’ Taya was trying to listen to the talk of the soldiers. A few moments later, she put her hands to her face and slumped back against a shelf of nests. ‘They’re taking them to Hortenz. Wonder why he cut off his beard and hair like that …’
Shape-shifters were not easily fooled by a change in appearance.
‘Well isn’t that just the icing on the cake,’ her brother hissed. ‘Arrested by soldiers … we’ll never get that bloody quill back now.’ He paused. ‘Here, you don’t think they arrested him for wrecking the sewer, do you?’
‘You mean, you think this is our fault too?’ Taya’s eyes widened beneath their camouflage of fake feathers.
‘No. No chance.’
‘We’ll have to go after them.’
‘Have you popped your cork? What do we do then? Let’s go back to Uncle Emos and tell him what happened. He’ll be annoyed all right … well, he’ll probably be out of his mind … but he’s not about to actually kill us. Those are Noranian soldiers . Getting a chase off them is one thing, walking right up to one of their wagons under their very noses and messing with one of their prisoners is another thing altogether.’
‘Are you saying you’re scared?’
‘No.’
‘Sounds like you’re scared to me.’
‘I’m not scared. But I’m not stupid either.’
Taya regarded the departing troops thoughtfully. She wondered when she and her brother would ever be able to go home. They certainly couldn’t go back without returning their uncle’s quill, but their tribe would be moving into the forest in the autumn, and all the girls would change their body colours for the new season. She couldn’t bear to miss that. Turning to her brother, she sat down and let her head slunch out of its chicken shape.
‘Ma made me promise not to tell you this, but I
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