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Authors: Jeremy De Quidt
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way up through the earth, and that was to find the boy and the girl who had burned him and buried him and left him for dead. Find them, and then what a game they would have.
It took him several hours. It was long after nightfall before he pulled himself out of the ground andspat the last of the earth from his mouth. He stood amongst the trees in the wood, with the cold frosted stars above him, and let out one long, murderous cry. Then, with eyes sharper than any cat’s, he started searching in the wood for the opening of the tunnel. That took him time as well, but he did not rush. Just before dawn he found it below a grass bank, branches pulled across. He knelt down and breathed in. He could smell Mathias’s blood amongst the leaves. The smell of Katta where shehad knelt beside him. There were other smells too: of men – he could make out five – and horses, lots of horses. He listened until he was quite certain they weren’t still close by. When he was satisfied that there was no sound to hear, he began to follow one scent – the scent of a girl walking beside a horse. It went step by step back along the hidden track through the wood to the road. In the darkness he smiled to himself. This was the best start for a game – when they thought themselves already safe.
9
The Burners
Katta walked beside the horse. The carpet of leaves on the ground was rimed with frost. She had no coat. She folded her arms about her, trying to keep warm, but the cold went straight through. Her feet were frozen. She didn’t know where she was being taken, but she could guess only too easily how it would all end, when there was no one about to hear her scream or see what was done. That’s how it would be.
But the horse walked on, and with each step Katta became more uncertain. She had seen enough dips and hollows – the quiet places where it could be done. Each time she steeled herself for the moment when the tall man would rein in the horse and get down. But he had ridden past them all. The morning had worn on and still they hadn’t stopped.There had to be an explanation, and she had to work out what it was.
When she thought that she had, she stopped walking. ‘I’m not going any further,’ she said.
But the horse carried on.
‘I’m not going any further!’ she shouted.
The man reined in and looked back at her but she stood her ground.
‘You’re not going to kill him, are you? ’Cos you want to know what they wanted, don’t you? He might be worth something. That’s it, isn’t it?’
He walked the horse back towards her. Still holding Mathias with one hand, with the other hand he pulled a pistol from a leather fold on the saddle, cocked it and levelled it at Katta’s head. ‘Maybe I should just shoot you,’ he said.
She could feel herself shaking, and this time it wasn’t from the cold. But she’d worked that out too. She only hoped that she was right because it was too late now if she wasn’t.
‘You’re not going to do that, neither. Are you?’
‘Am I not?’
‘No,’ she said. ‘’Cos you’d have done it already if you was.’
A look of mild amusement passed across his face.‘But you weren’t being a trouble before,’ he said.
‘Then you’d better get it over and done with,’ she answered. ‘’Cos I can be a lot more trouble than this.’
She stood still, waiting for him to pull the trigger. It seemed like an age. She could see the dark, unwavering circle of the barrel in front of her face, the trees and the blue sky behind it. She wondered if they were the last things that she would see.
But he didn’t pull the trigger. He put the pistol up and slid it back into its holster on the saddle. Then, reaching down, he took hold of her arm, pulled her up and set her behind him on the horse.
‘Just don’t think of being too much of a trouble quite yet,’ he said. He clicked his tongue at the horse. ‘Go on, Razor,’ he said, and the horse shook its head and was away.
The man rode the
It took him several hours. It was long after nightfall before he pulled himself out of the ground andspat the last of the earth from his mouth. He stood amongst the trees in the wood, with the cold frosted stars above him, and let out one long, murderous cry. Then, with eyes sharper than any cat’s, he started searching in the wood for the opening of the tunnel. That took him time as well, but he did not rush. Just before dawn he found it below a grass bank, branches pulled across. He knelt down and breathed in. He could smell Mathias’s blood amongst the leaves. The smell of Katta where shehad knelt beside him. There were other smells too: of men – he could make out five – and horses, lots of horses. He listened until he was quite certain they weren’t still close by. When he was satisfied that there was no sound to hear, he began to follow one scent – the scent of a girl walking beside a horse. It went step by step back along the hidden track through the wood to the road. In the darkness he smiled to himself. This was the best start for a game – when they thought themselves already safe.
9
The Burners
Katta walked beside the horse. The carpet of leaves on the ground was rimed with frost. She had no coat. She folded her arms about her, trying to keep warm, but the cold went straight through. Her feet were frozen. She didn’t know where she was being taken, but she could guess only too easily how it would all end, when there was no one about to hear her scream or see what was done. That’s how it would be.
But the horse walked on, and with each step Katta became more uncertain. She had seen enough dips and hollows – the quiet places where it could be done. Each time she steeled herself for the moment when the tall man would rein in the horse and get down. But he had ridden past them all. The morning had worn on and still they hadn’t stopped.There had to be an explanation, and she had to work out what it was.
When she thought that she had, she stopped walking. ‘I’m not going any further,’ she said.
But the horse carried on.
‘I’m not going any further!’ she shouted.
The man reined in and looked back at her but she stood her ground.
‘You’re not going to kill him, are you? ’Cos you want to know what they wanted, don’t you? He might be worth something. That’s it, isn’t it?’
He walked the horse back towards her. Still holding Mathias with one hand, with the other hand he pulled a pistol from a leather fold on the saddle, cocked it and levelled it at Katta’s head. ‘Maybe I should just shoot you,’ he said.
She could feel herself shaking, and this time it wasn’t from the cold. But she’d worked that out too. She only hoped that she was right because it was too late now if she wasn’t.
‘You’re not going to do that, neither. Are you?’
‘Am I not?’
‘No,’ she said. ‘’Cos you’d have done it already if you was.’
A look of mild amusement passed across his face.‘But you weren’t being a trouble before,’ he said.
‘Then you’d better get it over and done with,’ she answered. ‘’Cos I can be a lot more trouble than this.’
She stood still, waiting for him to pull the trigger. It seemed like an age. She could see the dark, unwavering circle of the barrel in front of her face, the trees and the blue sky behind it. She wondered if they were the last things that she would see.
But he didn’t pull the trigger. He put the pistol up and slid it back into its holster on the saddle. Then, reaching down, he took hold of her arm, pulled her up and set her behind him on the horse.
‘Just don’t think of being too much of a trouble quite yet,’ he said. He clicked his tongue at the horse. ‘Go on, Razor,’ he said, and the horse shook its head and was away.
The man rode the
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