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  She glanced down at the ground again, and Kovi hugged her closer to him.

  Wexner regarded them all, his face defiant. ‘It was because of Genlie that the rest of us had any warning at all. She ran right to Sergeant Bulmer, who then sent some of us off to warn everyone we came across. I stayed with the sergeant to fight, but …’ Wexner faltered. He swallowed. ‘But,’ he continued, ‘we were overrun, and the sergeant went down.’

  ‘Was he captured?’ Deson asked.

  Wexner shook his head slowly.

  A silence fell over them.

  Baindan broke it first. ‘How many search patrols have you seen?’

  Wexner considered for a moment. ‘Three … four?’ He looked to Genlie.

  ‘I think there’s been five, actually,’ she corrected gently. ‘If you count the one I was running from the morning after the attack.’ She peered round at them all. ‘That’s how I found Wexner. He popped out from his hiding place and dragged me in.’ She smiled across at her fellow unit member. ‘They ran right past us.’

  Baindan was grim. ‘Five,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘Just in the area you were in.’

  ‘Wait a moment, though,’ said Deson. ‘If Wexner and Genlie have been heading in the same direction as us the last two days, then how come we haven’t seen any of the patrols?’

  The males in Siray’s unit looked at one another. She thought she knew the answer.

  ‘Because,’ she said quietly, ‘we’ve been travelling only at night.’ She glanced at Baindan, who nodded in agreement. The patrols would prefer daylight for visual scouting and tracking.

  Wexner sighed, his shoulder slumping. ‘I knew this might happen if we did meet anyone else.’ His tone was apologetic.

  ‘It’s all right, Wex,’ Baindan said firmly, ‘it’s not your fault.’

  Siray turned to frown at Baindan. ‘What do you mean?’

  Baindan’s lips pressed firmly together for a moment as he considered before responding. ‘I’m guessing that the body of the Faction soldier you killed at the camp was found, and the patrols started tracking you. But, somewhere along the way, Wex and Genlie must have crossed over your tracks, and the patrols tracking you followed their tracks instead …’

  ‘Which is why we’ve taken all the heat so far,’ Wexner finished for him, his eyes showing more understanding.

  Baindan nodded.

  Siray frowned. ‘But if the Faction has been tracking them, then that would mean …’ She trailed off as the realisation hit her.

  ‘That we need to be moving. Now,’ Wexner said.

  ‘Agreed.’ Baindan turned all business, pulling a blade about the length of his hand from one boot and approaching the wefron carcass. ‘I’ll carve this up so we can each carry a bundle of meat.’

  Siray turned to Deson, tense. ‘Did we get the water?’

  ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘but I’m not sure those balloon plants will hold up if we need to travel at speed.’

  ‘I can help with that,’ said Genlie. She moved forwards and lifted something that had hung over one shoulder.

  As she held it up, Siray identified it. A large water satchel.

  ‘Perfect,’ Deson said. ‘Jorgi has the water.’

  Jorgi turned to Genlie, smiling, and began to move towards her before he subsequently tripped over nothing and landed face down in the dirt.

  Genlie blinked and looked back at Kovi, who just shrugged. ‘That’s our Jorgi.’

  His face flushing red, Jorgi stood up, brushed himself off, and once more moved forwards to direct Genlie to the water he and Loce had collected in the balloon plants.

  Meanwhile, the act of Baindan pulling out a knife from his boot, and of Genlie showing her water satchel, had Siray a little confused as to how they had retained these items after Changing, but she decided this definitely wasn’t the time to ask questions about the theory behind it all.

  Instead, she went and assisted Kovi, who, having managed to tear himself away from Genlie, was now practically pulling extra clothing off the others so that there would be something in which to carry the portions of meat.

  As Kovi scrunched up and threw the clothes towards her, Siray deftly caught them out of the air, laying each piece out on the ground near where Baindan was skilfully carving up the wefron carcass.

  Deson approached and knelt next to her, leaving a pile of large, elongated leaves by the pile of clothes. When she picked one up curiously, Deson said, ‘Place these on the clothes before you wrap the meat in them—they’ll help preserve it until we can cook it.’

  Siray nodded and then worked with Deson to prepare the roughly made bags for the sections of meat.

  Soon, there were several large packs of meat ready to go, and the group loaded up. Genlie was carrying the water bag, and Wexner, Jorgi, Loce, Tamot, Kovi, and Deson were carrying the packets of meat. Baindan would be taking lead position again, but this time, Siray would be running at the back as lookout.

  As they finished their final preparations, Siray asked Baindan, ‘Shouldn’t we bury the carcass?’ She pointed to the remains of the wefron.

  He shook his head. ‘Better to leave it. Hopefully, it’ll attract some predators, which might help obscure our tracks, or at least give the Faction patrols something else to deal with.’

  When they were ready, Baindan Changed into his cripwof form and lead the way from the tree.

  Siray Changed as well and then waited for the others to file out from cover before her.

  Once they were all in the open, Baindan picked up the pace, and soon they were all running once more through the dark.

  CHAPTER SIX

  THEY RAN the entire night and kept on running even as the sun dawned.

  Siray understood why, of course. If the patrols had been following Wexner and Genlie, then they couldn’t be more than a day behind. Could possibly even have scouts in the sky, looking ahead for them. So they had to keep going, to build a longer lead on their pursuers.

  As the sun rose enough to start sending true light through the forest, they began to slow a little as they looked for another place to hide for the day. Yet not finding anything in the immediate area, they pushed on, the tension in the group rising as the growing light made the risk of them being spotted more likely.

  Travelling at the back of the group and growing wearier with each step after being on high alert all night, Siray thought at first that the flicker she saw from her left was her imagination. But when it registered in her line of sight again, she turned her head, her black-and-silver ears twitching.

  A bird.

  Flying far off, to her rear left side.

  She stopped for a moment, her tail held alert in the air behind her, and watched its flight, letting the others run on ahead, knowing that she could easily catch up with them in this form. It was early for a bird to be flying so high and fast, especially when the rest of the forest sounded so quiet to her predator hearing.

  As she continued to watch, the bird swung to the left and was joined by another. Then they separated again. Siray watched for another few heartbeats to be sure of what she was seeing, and after the birds went through another arc of crossing over in flight, before separating once more, she turned away, grim.

  Exploding into a sprint and easily increasing her speed further, she raced past the other seven who were running in their normal forms and growled as she caught up to Baindan. Racing past him and looking over her shoulder to growl again, she indicated that he should follow her.

  Obligingly, he turned in his cripwof form to follow in her wake as she led him and the others towards some thicker cover on the right.

  Once they were all underneath, Siray resumed her normal form.

  Baindan Changed back at the same time, still moving towards her. He promptly asked, ‘What is it?’

  She pointed at the spot she had seen the birds. ‘I think it was a patrol. Two birds, moving in a sweep pattern.’

  The others’ eyes widened at the news.

  ‘This means they’
re moving at night now as well,’ Wexner said.

  She nodded agreement. ‘They must have been closer than you thought yesterday, and they have caught up a little during the night.’

  Baindan was shaking his head. ‘There’s nothing else to do. We’ll just have to keep moving.’

  Siray bit her lip and considered the others. Genlie and Wexner had been travelling since morning the day before, and they both appeared exhausted. Siray supposed that it was only the pair’s experience and fitness that kept them going.

  She shook her head at Baindan. ‘We can’t. We need to rest. Which means we need a place to hide.’

  ‘The foliage is so sparse here, though,’ Deson said. ‘I haven’t seen anywhere that could conceal all of us.’

  He was right, Siray thought desperately as she inspected the area around them. The trees were spread thinly across the landscape, and they were a lot less dense than they had been. It was only distance now that was stopping them from being detected by the scouts in the air, and that distance was lessening with each breath.

  Suddenly, a scream, quickly muffled, came from the group’s right side.

  Siray spun in that direction but saw nothing except trees. She turned back to the others in alarm. ‘What was that?’

  Tamot pushed forwards, his face anxious. ‘I think that was Jorgi,’ he said tensely.

  Siray looked rapidly around the group. ‘He’s right—Jorgi’s not here.’

  Tamot didn’t wait any longer but ran out from under the tress. ‘Jorgi! Jorgi!’

  ‘Quietly!’ Baindan hissed after him.

  Siray’s mind quickly flashed back to Rowp. She would not lose anyone else to the Faction. She turned and rushed after Tamot, the brightening rays of the sun hitting her full in the face. Behind her, she could hear someone following, while in front of her, Tamot ran on ahead, still calling out to Jorgi to respond. Siray couldn’t imagine where Jorgi had gone, as there was no sign of him beneath the trees or farther ahead.

  She was just wondering if she should Change into her sevonix form to more easily search for him when Tamot gave a sudden yell of surprise.

  Concerned, Siray increased her speed. Thus, she was just body lengths from Tamot when he began to wobble.

  Tamot appeared to try to break his forward momentum, but failing, pitched forwards. Into a black hole.

  Seeing him fall, Siray dived forwards, reaching her arms out towards Tamot even as he fell into the dark depths, hoping to grab on to him. She was partially successful. As Tamot fell forwards, his feet remained on the lip of the hole for another heartbeat, allowing Siray’s leaping body to land close enough for her to wrap her hands around one of his ankles.

  She smiled in exultation for an instant before she, too, began sliding forwards, Tamot’s weight dragging her forwards and towards the dark hole. Sweat broke out across her body, and she tried to dig her toes into the ground to still her forward movement while trying to maintain her grip on Tamot’s ankle. It didn’t help that his other leg was kicking around, and already she could feel her fingers slipping slightly, even as her own body continued to be dragged towards that hole that had claimed Jorgi.

  Then someone from behind shouted, ‘Siray!’, and an instant later, her slide forwards was brought to a jerking stop as she felt strong hands wrap around her own ankles.

  Just in time. Siray was now half hanging over the hole that Tamot, and obviously Jorgi, had discovered.

  ‘Ummm … pull me up?’ Tamot begged, bending his head to look up at her as he swung in her grip.

  Groaning as his weight continued to drag at her shoulders, she said to him with forced sweetness, ‘Sure thing. Just a moment.’

  Then, bending her own head to look up past her body and to the top of the hole, she growled out, ‘Little help here!’

  Siray heard the sound of running feet, then Deson’s concerned face peered over the edge of the hole. ‘Hang in there, Siray—we’ll get you all out!’

  ‘I hope that was a bad joke,’ she called up to him. She tilted her head down. ‘They’re about to pull us up, Tamot.’

  ‘No!’ he called back. ‘Not yet!’

  ‘What?’ she yelled at him. Maybe he had gone slightly mad. All that blood rushing to his head.

  ‘I can hear Jorgi …’ he continued.

  Siray went silent. He could hear Jorgi? Then she bit her lip. Maybe he could hear Jorgi moaning in pain—the hole was dark enough that the fall had to be a long one.

  Then she groaned. Her shoulders felt like they were very slowly being pulled from her body. But her greatest concern was her hands.

  They were getting sweaty. And Tamot was beginning to slip.

  ‘Tamot, what—?’

  ‘Ssshhhh!’ Tamot hushed her, looking up for a brief instant before turning his attention back towards whatever he was listening to.

  Siray frowned, then strained her ears to hear whatever it was that Tamot was listening to.

  Nothing.

  She bit her lip, then gasped as she felt Tamot slip further through her grasp. ‘Tamot …’

  ‘Okay! Jorgi says you should drop me.’

  ‘What?’ she shrieked.

  ‘What is it?’ Deson asked her from above. He turned away for an instant to shush the others as he waited for her response.

  Siray tilted her head upwards and said with difficulty, ‘Tamot wants me to let go of him!’

  A moment of silence from above. Then: ‘He’s lost it.’

  Siray thought that might have been Kovi. She let her head fall again and then called back down to Tamot, ‘Are you crazy? I’m not going to drop you!’

  ‘Do it!’ Tamot insisted. ‘Jorgi says he’ll catch me.’

  Siray didn’t know what to do, and her head was beginning to thump.

  ‘Trust me, Siray,’ Tamot continued. ‘Jorgi’s Changed into that big red creature of his.’

  The hopul? But they needed to get Jorgi out and leave before the patrol spotted them. Not put themselves in a hole that would trap them, even if it might be a good hiding place.

  ‘Siray?’ Deson’s voice from above. ‘We’re going to pull you all up now. I’ll grab on to Tamot once he comes level with the ground.’

  Siray turned her head upwards. ‘Okay!’ Finally. No way was she going to drop Tamot as he wanted. Losing Jorgi was bad enough.

  She looked down into the hole to tell Tamot that they were going to be pulled up, but as she did so, Tamot began wriggling.

  ‘Tamot!’ she shouted. ‘Stop it or—’

  Her sweaty hands slipped.

  And Tamot silently fell away into the darkness.

  ‘Tamot!’ she yelled down into the hole, her eyes tracking his falling form until the darkness swallowed it.

  She closed her eyes in horror, not able to understand why he had done it.

  A sudden jerk on her ankles, and her eyes popped open again, her body sliding over the edge of the grassy hole as she was pulled up from her precarious hanging position.

  Careful hands pulled her well clear, and as Siray sat up, a familiar pair of eyes met hers.

  ‘Are you okay?’ Baindan asked, his brows narrowed.

  ‘No,’ she said shakily. ‘Tamot … he’s gone.’ Siray focused on the ground, and Baindan clutched her shoulder.

  ‘Sorry, I know you’re in shock, Siray, but we’ve only got moments before the patrol spots us.’ Wexner came around to stand before her, his face actually sympathetic, and he pointed behind himself.

  Siray and Baindan both looked to where he was pointing. The two birds Siray had spotted earlier were much closer.

  ‘Siray, I think … yes, I think Tamot’s yelling something!’ Kovi was still leaning over the hole, Genlie by his side.

  Siray’s eyes went wide, and she hurried back to the hole, not quite believing it. Carefully kneeling by its edge, she bent her head as far forwards as she dared and listened.

  She could just make out Tamot’s words.

  ‘… of caves down here. It’s perfect. Come down!’


  Siray glanced at the others also grouped around the hole. Then she squinted up at the approaching patrol. Previously specks, she could now make out the shape of the birds. Which meant the birds would easily spot them as soon as they looked this way. They were out of time.

  ‘Decision time,’ she told the others, shaking her head in disbelief. ‘We’ve got to go down there.’ She started swinging her legs over the side of the hole.

  ‘Woah! Wait!’ Deson said, raising a hand.

  ‘We can’t, Deson. It’s time to run or fight. And I’m not leaving without them.’ She peered down into the hole so it was clear who she meant, and swallowed. ‘Those of you who can fly, I’d recommend that option.’

  Bending her head towards the hole, she called, ‘Jorgi—you better catch me!’

  Then she pushed off from the edge, Deson’s flashing hands just a breath too slow to grab her, and down she fell into the darkness.

  ***

  She didn’t scream on the way down, but it wasn’t due to courage. The fall was fast and dark, and the air rushed past Siray before her momentum was abruptly halted by four hard and hairy arms.

  A large, intelligent face grunted at her before lowering her feet to the ground.

  Siray stared up at Jorgi in his hopul form for one stunned moment before she quickly shook her head. Moving slightly to the side, she angled her chin upwards towards the small circle of daylight she could see at the top of the hole. ‘Next!’

  A moment later, a breathless Loce was also caught by Jorgi.

  This pattern was repeated until Genlie, Kovi, and Wexner were also standing down there with her and Tamot. After Wexner jumped, Siray noted that something was moved into position above the hole that now obscured the light shining down on them from above, and she tensed.

  But when she saw the winged silhouettes of a kitespray and a much larger and fiercer-looking udun spiralling down in lazy circles to join them, she relaxed once more.

  Yet she quickly found herself tensing again as Loce, Kovi, Tamot, and Jorgi, who had resumed his usual form, rounded on Deson.