he keep staring at her?
“Don’t you know what you’ve done to me with this? I have to do what you tell me. I can’t lie to you. How did you know how to make this if you don’t understand what it does?”
When she didn’t answer, he put another branch on the fire.
Jess sidled towards the flames and sat down, out of reach.
“I’ve come for my friend. You have to give her back to me,” she said, amazed at her own daring.
Again his fingers went to his throat, and now she was close enough to see him wince in pain. He went back to feeding the flames. There wasn’t enough light to see the colour of his eyes. Were they the same blue as the horse’s?
“What’s your name?” Jess asked impulsively.
“Finn,” said the boy.
“I’m…”
“Jess,” he finished for her.
She caught her breath. “How do you know my name? Did Freya talk about me?”
Finn shook his head.
He remembered the first time he’d seen her, when his mother had given in to his nagging at last and taken him to the Upper World to show him his father’s people.
“Your father used to live in the Upper World,” his mother had said. She had carried on speaking to him, but he’d not heard another word, staring transfixed at the small, brown-haired girl who stood hands on hips in the middle of the farmyard, scolding her tiny, mud-covered brother.
“Jess?” A woman’s voice had come from the house.
“Coming.” And Jess had pulled her brother to his feet and marched him off, still scolding.
“How do you know my name?” she demanded again, but Finn raised a hand to quiet her, looking round, listening now to something she couldn’t hear.
“What? What is it?”
He ignored her, getting to his feet in one smooth movement,a burning branch in one hand.
“Stay close to the fire and keep quiet,” he said softly. As he spoke, he was moving slowly away.
“What is it? Where are you going?” she hissed. “Stop!”
To her surprise, Finn stopped abruptly. He looked angrily at Jess.
“Let me go,” he said in a venomous whisper. “Unless you want to get yourself killed. We’re not the only creatures in this forest.”
Jess gulped. She didn’t know what to do. He could be trying to trick her, but…
“All right, you can go. But you have to come back. Alone.”
He gave her an exasperated look and slid into the darkness between the trees. Jess watched the flame bob up and down, then disappear.
Silence surrounded her. She shivered, but not with cold this time. She got to her feet. What else was in the forest? If there was danger nearby, she wanted to be ready to run.
Jess moved slowly round the fire, straining her senses for any hint that someone – or something – was nearby, watching her.
Trees stretched away beyond the firelight. Here and there between the trunks grew huge briars with dark red flowers. Even in the firelight Jess could see the thorns. As she looked at a bush, she thought she saw a flicker of movement among the twisting branches: an eye, a suggestion of teeth.
She took a step back towards the fire, peering into the darkness. There! The gleam of long, curved claws made her gasp, before she realised they weren’t claws, but thorns. Fool. She was seeing things that weren’t there at all.
How long had the Kelpie boy been gone? If this was some sort of trick, it had succeeded. And if it wasn’t… There was no point in running. She had no idea where to run
to
.
Come on, Jess,
she told herself as she circled the flames warily.
This is no time for imagination. Things are strange enough
as it is.
She gave a squeak of terror as a figure appeared, seemingly from nowhere, on the other side of the fire.
It was Finn, now without the burning branch.
“Don’t creep up like that,” she said, trying to mask her fear with anger.
She was still here. He had half-expected her to have disappeared, like one of his mother’s illusions. Only the bite of the metal at his throat convinced him this wasn’t a dream.
“Don’t you know what you’ve done to me with this? I have to do what you tell me. I can’t lie to you. How did you know how to make this if you don’t understand what it does?”
When she didn’t answer, he put another branch on the fire.
Jess sidled towards the flames and sat down, out of reach.
“I’ve come for my friend. You have to give her back to me,” she said, amazed at her own daring.
Again his fingers went to his throat, and now she was close enough to see him wince in pain. He went back to feeding the flames. There wasn’t enough light to see the colour of his eyes. Were they the same blue as the horse’s?
“What’s your name?” Jess asked impulsively.
“Finn,” said the boy.
“I’m…”
“Jess,” he finished for her.
She caught her breath. “How do you know my name? Did Freya talk about me?”
Finn shook his head.
He remembered the first time he’d seen her, when his mother had given in to his nagging at last and taken him to the Upper World to show him his father’s people.
“Your father used to live in the Upper World,” his mother had said. She had carried on speaking to him, but he’d not heard another word, staring transfixed at the small, brown-haired girl who stood hands on hips in the middle of the farmyard, scolding her tiny, mud-covered brother.
“Jess?” A woman’s voice had come from the house.
“Coming.” And Jess had pulled her brother to his feet and marched him off, still scolding.
“How do you know my name?” she demanded again, but Finn raised a hand to quiet her, looking round, listening now to something she couldn’t hear.
“What? What is it?”
He ignored her, getting to his feet in one smooth movement,a burning branch in one hand.
“Stay close to the fire and keep quiet,” he said softly. As he spoke, he was moving slowly away.
“What is it? Where are you going?” she hissed. “Stop!”
To her surprise, Finn stopped abruptly. He looked angrily at Jess.
“Let me go,” he said in a venomous whisper. “Unless you want to get yourself killed. We’re not the only creatures in this forest.”
Jess gulped. She didn’t know what to do. He could be trying to trick her, but…
“All right, you can go. But you have to come back. Alone.”
He gave her an exasperated look and slid into the darkness between the trees. Jess watched the flame bob up and down, then disappear.
Silence surrounded her. She shivered, but not with cold this time. She got to her feet. What else was in the forest? If there was danger nearby, she wanted to be ready to run.
Jess moved slowly round the fire, straining her senses for any hint that someone – or something – was nearby, watching her.
Trees stretched away beyond the firelight. Here and there between the trunks grew huge briars with dark red flowers. Even in the firelight Jess could see the thorns. As she looked at a bush, she thought she saw a flicker of movement among the twisting branches: an eye, a suggestion of teeth.
She took a step back towards the fire, peering into the darkness. There! The gleam of long, curved claws made her gasp, before she realised they weren’t claws, but thorns. Fool. She was seeing things that weren’t there at all.
How long had the Kelpie boy been gone? If this was some sort of trick, it had succeeded. And if it wasn’t… There was no point in running. She had no idea where to run
to
.
Come on, Jess,
she told herself as she circled the flames warily.
This is no time for imagination. Things are strange enough
as it is.
She gave a squeak of terror as a figure appeared, seemingly from nowhere, on the other side of the fire.
It was Finn, now without the burning branch.
“Don’t creep up like that,” she said, trying to mask her fear with anger.
She was still here. He had half-expected her to have disappeared, like one of his mother’s illusions. Only the bite of the metal at his throat convinced him this wasn’t a dream.
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