Shine Light (4 page)

His sense of elation and comfort was quickly replaced by anguish. He had already killed two of his own. He could not . . .
would not
. . . harm Naif.

‘Lenoir?’

He turned his attention to his second-in-command, Test, who waited for him at the entrance to the outer cave. She watched him with suspicious eyes, her face gaunt from worry.

‘What is it?’ he asked.

‘The uthers have brought our food. One of them would speak with you.’

Lenoir drew his focus more intently back to his surroundings.

Their present hideout was a cave system close to Vank and the uthers’ dam. He’d taken his followers there, knowing that Brand expected them to stay high up on the crater where the caves went deeper. These shallow caves weren’t easy to secure but at least the uthers could bring food to them with less likelihood of Brand knowing.

Since Naif had told him that the rebel Riper had betrayed him to the Elders, he’d begun to plan. Brand had spun her own deal with the Elders, which meant the time for hiding had almost passed. He must make a move or be taken.

The scarred Riper still stayed in the cavern underneath Syn, keeping Varonessa and her loyalists close. Lenoir had to find a way to woo Varonessa to him. She held the balance of power, both by the number of followers she retained and her position among them as mediator. Whichever side Varonessa came down on would prevail.

‘Yes. Allow the uther to come,’ he said.

Test retreated down the rough rock corridor and disappeared into the shadowy outer cave. As he waited for the uther to be brought in, Lenoir allowed himself a moment to dwell on the recent past.

It had taken some time to quell their brothers’ agitation outside Danskoi. The Cursed League had antagonised them, and Naif’s presence there had only worsened their agitation. They held her responsible for Leyste’s death.

Leyste had influenced them. It was the way, when one among a group had stronger abilities. Sometimes a Creature began transformation spontaneously, without the necessary nutrients. When that happened, it almost always failed and the Creature slowly starved. Though Leyste had not fully undergone transformation, he’d developed rudimentary language and his appearance had become unstable; one moment beast, the next something else. Modai had wanted to take Leyste to Danskoi to try to complete the transformation.

Lenoir had refused. Though he still carried a knot of regret about having killed Leyste to protect Naif, he knew the creature would not have lived anyway.

Modai would never forgive him and now sided with Brand. The pair continued to ignite both Varonessa’s and the Creatures’ mistrust of him. It had become unsafe to stay at Syn; his numbers had been too few.

Lenoir turned to seal his empty sleep sac and stood among the other swaying globules, waiting. The silence of their sleeping chamber soothed his troubled thoughts.

The uther’s arrival was so subtle he almost missed it; the merest distortion of the air and the sense of another presence. At first, he saw nothing, and then gradually the creature’s outline took shape.

‘Unam?’

The uther came closer. Lenoir could see its paws trembling in the dark.

‘What is it?’

‘Come.’ It cost uthers a lot to speak in a way that could be understood by Ripers and humans.

Knowing that, Lenoir replied immediately. ‘Show me.’

Unam hesitated.

‘What? What is it?’ asked Lenoir.

It ran its paws through its whiskers and then plucked at the fur on its arm, clearly disturbed by something. ‘Old ones make danger.’

Lenoir nodded. The uther had brought a warning that the Grave Elders had turned against him, and he appreciated its loyalty.

‘I understand. But you see, Unam, danger is
all
there is now.’

‘How long?’ asked Markes.

They had stopped to rest again. Emilia was not used to walking in such rough conditions and she had started to moan softly.

‘Hush,’ Liam hissed, turning fiercely on her. ‘You bring them on us.’

Markes gestured for him to stop. ‘Mind yourself,’ he said.

For a long and tense moment, Naif thought Liam might lash out at Markes, but Suki’s blood friend flicked his tentacles with disdain and stalked ahead to take the lead.

Markes scowled at the boy’s disappearing back and then took Emilia’s hands in his own. ‘There are creatures in the dark, Emilia,’ he reminded her gently. ‘We must be quiet. I know it’s hard, but we must.’

The girl began to cry. ‘I should have stayed behind. I’m slowing you down.’

Markes gave Naif a helpless glance. She gestured that he should step away from them, and as he did, she knelt down next to Emilia.

‘Emilia, I don’t know you well,’ she said carefully. ‘But I know how strong you are.’

The girl lifted her head. In the flickering torchlight, Naif saw that her grimy face was tracked by wet marks. ‘What do you mean?’

‘You’ve endured many . . . things. You can get through this.’

Emilia’s eyes widened. ‘What do you know about me?’ she whispered.

‘Your father . . .’ said Naif.

The girl gripped her hand. ‘What has Jarrold told you –’

‘Nothing,’ said Naif, cutting her off. ‘He said nothing. But I guessed.’

‘You don’t know what you’re talking about!’

‘I do know and I don’t care . . . What I mean is, it doesn’t matter here. We’re all starting again. It just proves that you’re strong. You can survive. You can get through this.’ She lowered her voice even further. ‘But Markes is running out of time. Can you do this for him?’

Emilia smoothed her fingers over her face and with the action her expression became more serene. It was a gesture she’d practised before. ‘Yes, I can.’ She stood up.

Markes stepped back towards them. ‘Em?’

‘I’m fine. We should keep going,’ she said.

Naif took the lead, hating the way Markes gently took Emilia’s arm. Fear and confusion and jealousy racked her. It was difficult to tease one away from the other, so she stopped trying.

She peered into the dark, wondering how far ahead Liam had gone, or if he was waiting close by for them in the blackness. Suki’s friend was capable, and he didn’t waste time. Naif didn’t want to lose him from their mission. He’d been through a failed withdrawal and would know things about the Ripers that they did not. He might not tell her, but he would tell Suki.

Suki!
How desperately she wanted to see her friend.

Naif held her torch aloft, looking for Liam, but all the halo of light revealed was a large boulder blocking the path. She walked up to it and pushed but it didn’t move.

Where is Liam?
Naif wanted to call out to him but didn’t dare.

Markes came up behind and leaned his weight against the rock.

‘It’s stuck in a hole, almost like the ground has subsided around it,’ he said. ‘We’ll have to go around.’

‘Leaving the paths is dangerous,’ said Naif. ‘The lights that mark them are the only thing keeping the Night Creatures away.’

‘I know that,’ he whispered. ‘But the rock’s too slippery and big to climb over.’

Naif looked up and down the slope on either side.

‘We should go down,’ said Markes. ‘The incline seems gentler below.’

‘It is. But the ground is loose. The brush on the high side of us will give our feet better grip.’

‘It’s too steep that way,’ he said quietly. ‘Emilia will struggle.’

‘She’ll be fine,’ said Naif between clenched teeth. Markes’s fussing over the other girl had begun to bother her.

‘Where’s Liam?’ asked Emilia, coming up behind them.

Markes shrugged. ‘Probably decided he was better off alone.’

‘It’s not surprising. I mean, he’s not really . . . human, is he?’ said Emilia.

‘Yes he is!’ retorted Naif. ‘He didn’t ask for that to happen to him! It could easily be you or me. Would you call Markes less than human because his hand had altered?’

Emilia didn’t reply and the three stood in awkward silence for a moment.

‘We’ll try the higher way first,’ said Markes to placate Naif.

But it only made her angrier. Using the torch as a staff to lean on, she climbed. Each step sent a jolt of effort through her muscles and the thick brush scratched her legs. Yet she knew they’d come the right way. If they’d tried to walk underneath the boulder they may have slid halfway down the island on the loose scree.

Naif glanced over her shoulder. Markes’s and Emilia’s shadows had merged as if one and she quickly turned back.

Catching her breath, she looked for the next place to step. The Lesser Path they’d been forced to detour from snaked ahead in a twisted pale line, only a few steps away.

She stepped down, placing her foot on a small tuft of brush. As her weight shifted forward, the clump moved. She overbalanced and plunged sideways, dropping her torch. Something barbed curled around her calf and hooked into her flesh.

Naif kicked out with her other foot and brought the spear around sharply. She jammed it into something thick and fleshy, and the barbed tentacle retracted. Then a moan in the nearby darkness scared her.

‘Markes!’

She heard scuffling noises and Emilia’s terrified yelps.

‘Na-if!’ gasped Markes, his voice laced with pain and fear.

Naif got to her feet. Markes’s and Emilia’s torches had been snuffed out and hers lay snagged between rocks a few paces away, flickering.

She lashed out with her spear before stepping forward to retrieve her torch. Picking it up, she swung it high, casting the light as far as she could.

Emilia was behind her, curled up against the boulder.

Markes? S
he swung the torch in a circle.
Where is he? Where?
Her light wavered and then caught on the texture of clothing under some bushes down the incline from where she stood. Her heart thumped painfully. She took a step forward.

‘Where are you going?’ whispered Emilia. ‘Don’t leave me.’

The girl scrambled forward on her hands and knees and grabbed Naif’s ankle.

Naif used her free foot to push Emilia’s fallen spear closer. ‘Take this and defend yourself.’

‘No,’ said Emilia softly. ‘I can’t.’

‘Take it!’ Naif ordered her. ‘I’m going down to get Markes.’

Emilia picked up the spear as though it might sting her. ‘What is it? What’s out there?’

‘Night Creatures. Where’s your torch?’

‘I-I don’t know. Markes had them both.’

Naif wanted to chastise her for not holding her own light, but it was pointless now. She looked up at the boulder. On this side, it was pitted enough to climb onto.

‘Get up and off the ground.’

Emilia did as she was told, scrambling to her feet and then up onto the rock.

When she was off the ground, Naif turned away, saying, ‘Keep your spear ready.’

She slid down towards Markes, waving the torch.

But he was gone.

The Night Creatures watched her. She could feel them, the way she’d felt Leyste when he’d stalked her. Had they told their brothers she was back? Perhaps the altered clothing and her soft pirate’s shoes and tied hair would confuse them?

When she’d escaped Ixion they’d been desperate for her blood, holding her responsible for Leyste’s death. But it had been weeks. Did they remember her? Or did she seem to be just another young one lost on the paths?

They know me
, she thought. ‘Markes!’ she called in an urgent voice and swept her makeshift spear and torch in a synchronous arc.

Movement to each side. Shrinking back from the light. Oily skin and the flicker of blinking eyes.

Ixion’s sticky heat became a glove of moisture, drenching her body. Her grip on the torch and spear slipped but she dared not drop her hands to wipe them.

A groan to her right.

She stopped. Swivelled. Over there. Something that wasn’t brush.