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Authors: Meaghan McIsaac
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everything behind at the Pit. Others moved in, grabbing at the air around me, wailing and singing.
I wanted to run, but everywhere I turned another creature had its hands out to grab me. Their circle tightened and I screamed for Av but I couldn’t even hear my own voice over the sound of their screeching chants.
“Clear off, you old crones,” said Blaze, reaching through the creatures and pulling me towards him.
I clutched to Blaze as I caught my breath and watched the hideous group disperse.
“You all right, Urgs?” asked Av, jumping as people brushed past him.
“What the Mother were those?” I gasped.
Blaze unclenched my hands from his forearm. “Abish women.”
My heart stopped. As I watched the fat one shaking her string of colorful Cavy-like feet at passersby, I felt my headache pulsating and every image of the Mothers I’d ever thought up warping and changing. In my head, they’d been like us—bigger maybe, nasty and mean too, but still like us. Never had I thought they’d be like this, like some creature from Cubby’s nightmares.
I looked up at Blaze; he was smirking. “Old ones, for sure,” he said. “Really old ones. But women just the same.”
“How’d they get like that? Get all”—Digger’s face was twisted, he looked in worse shape than me—“all melty?”
Blaze threw back his head and laughed. “Wrinkled? It happens. Live long enough, you’ll look like that one day.”
My stomach churned and Av and Digger went white.
“Come on,” said Blaze. He thumped me on the back twice, and reluctantly I followed him deeper into the village.
We hadn’t walked far when the crowds of people thinned and the buildings of stone and wood seemed to close in on us. They shaded us from the sun, and now that I wasn’t squinting my eyes felt swollen and tired.
“I think we should have a break,” Digger said, sitting down on the side of the road.
Av and Blaze stopped to look at him, but I kept moving.
“No,” I snapped.
“We’ve been on the move since last night! We can’t keep going forever.”
“Rest, then,” I told him, continuing to follow the road through town. I couldn’t have been happier to leave him behind.
“He’s right,” said Blaze.
I whirled around in time to see him taking a seat beside Digger, who had a maddeningly smug smile on his face.
“I don’t have time to stop!” I yelled. “We might be able to catch up to Cubby!”
“Look, Tunrar won’t go through this village,” Blaze said, pulling out his pistol. “They’ve had to go all the way around and enter the Baublenotts from the east, which is tricky. We’re making good time, Urgle.”
I scowled but Blaze didn’t seem to care; he was filling the pistol with his new fancy stones.
I looked to Av, hoping for some support, but he was watching the road behind us.
“I think someone’s coming,” he said.
With a click, Blaze shoved the pistol back into his belt and got to his feet beside Av.
Beyond them I saw a rickety wooden contraption coming up the road, pulled by a large, fat creature with a droopy mouth I didn’t recognize.
“What sort of creature is that?” asked Digger, licking his lips like he planned to spear it.
“Sibble Cow,” said Blaze.
A group of children ran along the front and sides of the contraption, more riding on top.
The contraption jingled and rumbled, and the creature, a Sibble Cow, groaned in protest as the children struggled to pull it along the road. They began to wave and squeal, smiling when they saw us. Av couldn’t help himself and tried to hold back a chuckle.
“Don’t encourage them,” said Blaze. “They’ll rob you blind if you let them get too close.”
“What exactly are you worried they’ll take?” I said. None of us had left the Pit with anything more than a weapon or two, or nothing at all in my case.
Several of the children, giggling and laughing, ran over,speaking in more words I couldn’t understand. They reached out, pulling at my
I wanted to run, but everywhere I turned another creature had its hands out to grab me. Their circle tightened and I screamed for Av but I couldn’t even hear my own voice over the sound of their screeching chants.
“Clear off, you old crones,” said Blaze, reaching through the creatures and pulling me towards him.
I clutched to Blaze as I caught my breath and watched the hideous group disperse.
“You all right, Urgs?” asked Av, jumping as people brushed past him.
“What the Mother were those?” I gasped.
Blaze unclenched my hands from his forearm. “Abish women.”
My heart stopped. As I watched the fat one shaking her string of colorful Cavy-like feet at passersby, I felt my headache pulsating and every image of the Mothers I’d ever thought up warping and changing. In my head, they’d been like us—bigger maybe, nasty and mean too, but still like us. Never had I thought they’d be like this, like some creature from Cubby’s nightmares.
I looked up at Blaze; he was smirking. “Old ones, for sure,” he said. “Really old ones. But women just the same.”
“How’d they get like that? Get all”—Digger’s face was twisted, he looked in worse shape than me—“all melty?”
Blaze threw back his head and laughed. “Wrinkled? It happens. Live long enough, you’ll look like that one day.”
My stomach churned and Av and Digger went white.
“Come on,” said Blaze. He thumped me on the back twice, and reluctantly I followed him deeper into the village.
We hadn’t walked far when the crowds of people thinned and the buildings of stone and wood seemed to close in on us. They shaded us from the sun, and now that I wasn’t squinting my eyes felt swollen and tired.
“I think we should have a break,” Digger said, sitting down on the side of the road.
Av and Blaze stopped to look at him, but I kept moving.
“No,” I snapped.
“We’ve been on the move since last night! We can’t keep going forever.”
“Rest, then,” I told him, continuing to follow the road through town. I couldn’t have been happier to leave him behind.
“He’s right,” said Blaze.
I whirled around in time to see him taking a seat beside Digger, who had a maddeningly smug smile on his face.
“I don’t have time to stop!” I yelled. “We might be able to catch up to Cubby!”
“Look, Tunrar won’t go through this village,” Blaze said, pulling out his pistol. “They’ve had to go all the way around and enter the Baublenotts from the east, which is tricky. We’re making good time, Urgle.”
I scowled but Blaze didn’t seem to care; he was filling the pistol with his new fancy stones.
I looked to Av, hoping for some support, but he was watching the road behind us.
“I think someone’s coming,” he said.
With a click, Blaze shoved the pistol back into his belt and got to his feet beside Av.
Beyond them I saw a rickety wooden contraption coming up the road, pulled by a large, fat creature with a droopy mouth I didn’t recognize.
“What sort of creature is that?” asked Digger, licking his lips like he planned to spear it.
“Sibble Cow,” said Blaze.
A group of children ran along the front and sides of the contraption, more riding on top.
The contraption jingled and rumbled, and the creature, a Sibble Cow, groaned in protest as the children struggled to pull it along the road. They began to wave and squeal, smiling when they saw us. Av couldn’t help himself and tried to hold back a chuckle.
“Don’t encourage them,” said Blaze. “They’ll rob you blind if you let them get too close.”
“What exactly are you worried they’ll take?” I said. None of us had left the Pit with anything more than a weapon or two, or nothing at all in my case.
Several of the children, giggling and laughing, ran over,speaking in more words I couldn’t understand. They reached out, pulling at my
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