looked around at the others.
“I think we must still go to Fork,” she said. “One of the keepers must know where the wizard is. We should be safe enough as long as we obey the rules.” She was confident she could do this. She was good at being obedient.
“But we don’t know what those rules are. And they won’t let you leave again, because you’re a girl,” Billy objected.
“I don’t see how anyone can guard a whole city properly,” Elle said. “I’m sure we could escape if we had to.”
“Cities are no place for animals or even for half-animals,” Bear pronounced grimly.
“That’s true,” Goaty said. “I vote for what Bear votes for.”
“She didn’t vote for anything, you nitwit,” snapped Mr. Walker. His tail twitched in irritation.
“I don’t see what else we can do but go there,” Rage said, feeling more troubled than ever. “We have to find out where the wizard is if we ever want to get home. And I’m sure Elle is right and we can slip out of Fork again when we want to leave.”
“Even if these keepers know all about the wizard and where he went, they might refuse to tell us,” Mr. Walker said.
“What do you think we should do, then?” Rage asked.
The little man opened his mouth, then closed it, looking slightly self-conscious. “I suppose we have to go to Fork,” he said at last.
“So let’s go!” Elle said impatiently. When no one argued, she packed up the remaining food into two bundles, neatly tying this to that until she and Billy could sling them over their shoulders. Rage said she was amazed that Elle was so hand -y, given she had spent most of her life with paws. This seemed to her a very funny joke, though the animals stared at her in puzzlement when she laughed.
“I guess you have to be human,” she muttered as they set off again. Even Billy looked bemused, and she supposed that his mind hadn’t grown enough to make space for jokes. She had a painful longing for Mam, who had always laughed at her jokes, even when Rage messed them up and said the funny bit in the wrong place.
By the time they left the village behind, dusk was deepening into night. When Rage looked back at the village, she could make out lights in a few of the cottage windows, and little dribbles of smoke coming from the chimney stacks. They heard the setter barking—not in anger, but in a casual way. The barking faded as they went on. The road drew nearer the river until Rage could smell its dank odor and hear it slap and gurgle against the bank.
“I hope we don’t walk off the edge into the river,” Goaty fretted.
“Stay close to me,” Elle said heartily. “If you fall in, I’ll save you.”
“Once upon a time there were rivers where one sip of the water was poison, or where falling in meant forgetting everything you ever knew,” Mr. Walker said dreamily.
“That wasn’t this river,” Billy said.
“You never know with rivers,” Mr. Walker said.
Rage was surprised once more at how much Mr. Walker’s thoughts revolved around the stories and myths her mother had read to them.
The narrow moon was setting when they stopped for the night, having decided it was too dangerous to go on in the darkness. Rage studied the moon curiously, wondering if it was a different moon from the one that shone over Winnoway Farm. It looked exactly the same, but how could that be?
Rage was very glad when Elle found a huge, hollow tree trunk with a dry, woody floor that was big enough for them all to take shelter in. Even Bear could fit in, and though it was a tight squeeze, they were glad to cuddle together. A chilly mist had risen off the river and drifted just above the ground, luminous in the darkness.
Sleep came almost at once. Rage dreamed that she was walking through a jungle looking for Uncle Samuel. Though he must be a grown man now and she had no idea what he looked like, it didn’t seem to matter in the dream. After a bit she thought she could hear a man’s voice in the
“I think we must still go to Fork,” she said. “One of the keepers must know where the wizard is. We should be safe enough as long as we obey the rules.” She was confident she could do this. She was good at being obedient.
“But we don’t know what those rules are. And they won’t let you leave again, because you’re a girl,” Billy objected.
“I don’t see how anyone can guard a whole city properly,” Elle said. “I’m sure we could escape if we had to.”
“Cities are no place for animals or even for half-animals,” Bear pronounced grimly.
“That’s true,” Goaty said. “I vote for what Bear votes for.”
“She didn’t vote for anything, you nitwit,” snapped Mr. Walker. His tail twitched in irritation.
“I don’t see what else we can do but go there,” Rage said, feeling more troubled than ever. “We have to find out where the wizard is if we ever want to get home. And I’m sure Elle is right and we can slip out of Fork again when we want to leave.”
“Even if these keepers know all about the wizard and where he went, they might refuse to tell us,” Mr. Walker said.
“What do you think we should do, then?” Rage asked.
The little man opened his mouth, then closed it, looking slightly self-conscious. “I suppose we have to go to Fork,” he said at last.
“So let’s go!” Elle said impatiently. When no one argued, she packed up the remaining food into two bundles, neatly tying this to that until she and Billy could sling them over their shoulders. Rage said she was amazed that Elle was so hand -y, given she had spent most of her life with paws. This seemed to her a very funny joke, though the animals stared at her in puzzlement when she laughed.
“I guess you have to be human,” she muttered as they set off again. Even Billy looked bemused, and she supposed that his mind hadn’t grown enough to make space for jokes. She had a painful longing for Mam, who had always laughed at her jokes, even when Rage messed them up and said the funny bit in the wrong place.
By the time they left the village behind, dusk was deepening into night. When Rage looked back at the village, she could make out lights in a few of the cottage windows, and little dribbles of smoke coming from the chimney stacks. They heard the setter barking—not in anger, but in a casual way. The barking faded as they went on. The road drew nearer the river until Rage could smell its dank odor and hear it slap and gurgle against the bank.
“I hope we don’t walk off the edge into the river,” Goaty fretted.
“Stay close to me,” Elle said heartily. “If you fall in, I’ll save you.”
“Once upon a time there were rivers where one sip of the water was poison, or where falling in meant forgetting everything you ever knew,” Mr. Walker said dreamily.
“That wasn’t this river,” Billy said.
“You never know with rivers,” Mr. Walker said.
Rage was surprised once more at how much Mr. Walker’s thoughts revolved around the stories and myths her mother had read to them.
The narrow moon was setting when they stopped for the night, having decided it was too dangerous to go on in the darkness. Rage studied the moon curiously, wondering if it was a different moon from the one that shone over Winnoway Farm. It looked exactly the same, but how could that be?
Rage was very glad when Elle found a huge, hollow tree trunk with a dry, woody floor that was big enough for them all to take shelter in. Even Bear could fit in, and though it was a tight squeeze, they were glad to cuddle together. A chilly mist had risen off the river and drifted just above the ground, luminous in the darkness.
Sleep came almost at once. Rage dreamed that she was walking through a jungle looking for Uncle Samuel. Though he must be a grown man now and she had no idea what he looked like, it didn’t seem to matter in the dream. After a bit she thought she could hear a man’s voice in the
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