some soup. It’s pretty basic, but it’s warm.”
He didn’t believe a word she was saying, Linny could tell. But he poured some of his miraculous soup into her bowl, and for a few minutes, anyway, she had to forgive him.
Then she said, “I’m going to the city to find medicine for Sayra. My mother says in the Plain they would cure her there with medicines. That gave me the idea.”
That had Elias surprised. She could see him recalculating all sorts of things he was thinking.
“You’re going to Bend on your own ?” said Elias slowly.“That’s very far away. And you can’t make fires or cook or anything, you said so yourself. It’s a crazy idea.”
“Sayra’s my almost-twin,” said Linny. “The Voices should have come for me, not her. You know that. I have to make things right. I promised her I’d save her. So now I have to.”
“Hmm,” said Elias.
He was letting the fire burn itself out now. The sky was getting dark around them already. How could a whole day have passed since their disastrous trip up to the edge of Away? Though it also felt like a million years ago.
“Go to sleep,” said Elias. “Tomorrow you’ll have changed your mind, probably. Besides—oh, never mind.”
“Never mind what?”
“I promised her, too,” said Elias, looking away, and the fire hissed as he dumped creek water on it. They both knew about being careful with fires, when you’re out in the woods.
Linny was glad of the dark; she could roll her eyes without Elias, that lovesick lummox, having the faintest clue.
Because really. Honestly. Who did he think he was?
Everywhere all around, the trees were already dipping those points of theirs into a sea of bright stars. Elias rolled himself into a ball and fell immediately asleep, like one of the puppies that always seemed to be dozing in thecorners of kind Molleen’s crowded house.
Maybe she would just have to sneak off on her own the next morning. That’s what she thought, all drowsy-like, and when another part of her brain remembered the boundary trees, and where they were, and how maybe Elias wouldn’t be able to find his way home again, her thoughts muddled themselves up until in fact she wasn’t thinking at all.
A mere moment later, however, or so it seemed, her eyes were flying open, her heart hammering like a woodpecker. Morning had rinsed the stars away, and somebody had just given a wild, frightened shout, not very far off. Down the slope that way, it sounded like: nearer to the creek.
“What’s that? What’s that?” she said in alarm, turning to poke Elias awake.
But the patch of ground where Elias had been sleeping was now only pine needles and brown earth. Elias himself was gone.
That shout—Elias’s shout?—lingered in the air.
She sprang to her feet, felt for the whittling knife in her pocket, and was halfway to the creek—slithering from tree to tree—before she even noticed that her head seemed to be feeling like itself again. Thank goodness! Sneaking through forests is hard without a clear and unspinning head.
Linny knew how to move through the woods withoutmaking a racket, that was true. You couldn’t do as much sneaking around as Linny had done all her life and not learn how to avoid breaking twigs. She was careful to stay in the fringe of the forest and on the near side of the creek, keeping her eyes and ears open and slipping from tree to tree. She hadn’t gone too far when there was another bout of commotion ahead—a couple of quick shouts, and a protesting sound, and sounds that Linny could not make sense of at this distance. She scrambled through the trees as fast as she could go, her heart pounding, and as soon as she was over the next little rise of rocks, she saw a knot of people on the opposite bank. She counted them quickly: five, all in identical gray clothing without the slightest flash of color in it. Why a bunch of grown-ups would want to dress in exactly the same uninteresting, ugly clothing, Linny could not
He didn’t believe a word she was saying, Linny could tell. But he poured some of his miraculous soup into her bowl, and for a few minutes, anyway, she had to forgive him.
Then she said, “I’m going to the city to find medicine for Sayra. My mother says in the Plain they would cure her there with medicines. That gave me the idea.”
That had Elias surprised. She could see him recalculating all sorts of things he was thinking.
“You’re going to Bend on your own ?” said Elias slowly.“That’s very far away. And you can’t make fires or cook or anything, you said so yourself. It’s a crazy idea.”
“Sayra’s my almost-twin,” said Linny. “The Voices should have come for me, not her. You know that. I have to make things right. I promised her I’d save her. So now I have to.”
“Hmm,” said Elias.
He was letting the fire burn itself out now. The sky was getting dark around them already. How could a whole day have passed since their disastrous trip up to the edge of Away? Though it also felt like a million years ago.
“Go to sleep,” said Elias. “Tomorrow you’ll have changed your mind, probably. Besides—oh, never mind.”
“Never mind what?”
“I promised her, too,” said Elias, looking away, and the fire hissed as he dumped creek water on it. They both knew about being careful with fires, when you’re out in the woods.
Linny was glad of the dark; she could roll her eyes without Elias, that lovesick lummox, having the faintest clue.
Because really. Honestly. Who did he think he was?
Everywhere all around, the trees were already dipping those points of theirs into a sea of bright stars. Elias rolled himself into a ball and fell immediately asleep, like one of the puppies that always seemed to be dozing in thecorners of kind Molleen’s crowded house.
Maybe she would just have to sneak off on her own the next morning. That’s what she thought, all drowsy-like, and when another part of her brain remembered the boundary trees, and where they were, and how maybe Elias wouldn’t be able to find his way home again, her thoughts muddled themselves up until in fact she wasn’t thinking at all.
A mere moment later, however, or so it seemed, her eyes were flying open, her heart hammering like a woodpecker. Morning had rinsed the stars away, and somebody had just given a wild, frightened shout, not very far off. Down the slope that way, it sounded like: nearer to the creek.
“What’s that? What’s that?” she said in alarm, turning to poke Elias awake.
But the patch of ground where Elias had been sleeping was now only pine needles and brown earth. Elias himself was gone.
That shout—Elias’s shout?—lingered in the air.
She sprang to her feet, felt for the whittling knife in her pocket, and was halfway to the creek—slithering from tree to tree—before she even noticed that her head seemed to be feeling like itself again. Thank goodness! Sneaking through forests is hard without a clear and unspinning head.
Linny knew how to move through the woods withoutmaking a racket, that was true. You couldn’t do as much sneaking around as Linny had done all her life and not learn how to avoid breaking twigs. She was careful to stay in the fringe of the forest and on the near side of the creek, keeping her eyes and ears open and slipping from tree to tree. She hadn’t gone too far when there was another bout of commotion ahead—a couple of quick shouts, and a protesting sound, and sounds that Linny could not make sense of at this distance. She scrambled through the trees as fast as she could go, her heart pounding, and as soon as she was over the next little rise of rocks, she saw a knot of people on the opposite bank. She counted them quickly: five, all in identical gray clothing without the slightest flash of color in it. Why a bunch of grown-ups would want to dress in exactly the same uninteresting, ugly clothing, Linny could not
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