I don't own any of the Tamora Pierce characters.
=Cast A Shadow=
There was a soft rustling just beyond the periphery of her hearing. It sounded almost like grass rubbing against cloth. Kel sneezed.
She opened one sleepy eye and glanced around the room. Only one thing was apparent: it was still night. Who would dare disturb her slumber? There was only one person with enough gall to do that and she could hear Neal's snoring next to her.
She glanced at him. He finally looked…well…content. He lay with his arm wrapped around Yuki and his head leaning on her shoulder. On her face, however, was a disturbed look. Apparently, Yuki wasn't a fan of Neal's snoring.
But that didn't explain what had woken her.
Kel stood up. She brushed the dirt from her bottom and walked to the bars. Something was definitely close by. The wind was blowing in her direction…she could smell the hint of…
Dom bowed before her with Daine in tow. "I've come to save the damsel," he whispered.
Daine frowned. "That's the worst line I've ever heard you say."
"Then you haven't been listening to him for long, have you?" Kel replied. A slow smile spread across her face as she realized, this was the time for her escape.
Dom looked hurt for a second as he shuffled his feet on the ground. "I could just leave you here, you know?" At Kel's dangerous expression, he backed up a few steps and held up his hands. "But, who would leave such beautiful girl's with my half-wit cousin over there."
===
Numair and George followed Alanna closely to the edge of the camp. Alanna turned around, meeting her husband's eyes. He nodded in understanding, and slipped past them into the darkness. Being an ex-thief, George would be able to search through the camp without getting caught.
Alanna turned to Numair. They both knew, with magic being in the air, that he'd have to block it from leaking. He held up seven fingers: it'd take him seven minutes to ward the entire place. Alanna nodded slowly and watched him leave.
In the meantime, she'd be looking for Cedar. She had a score to settle and Alanna wasn't one to postpone anything.
===
Akane never knew what to do when she got flustered. Sometimes, she would get up and pace for hours, other times she would just take off running. Other times, she would sit on the limb of a tree and stare out into the sky. Today, she decided to take a walk.
It was a beautiful night. The moon, large and luminous, was suspended in a clear sky as the wind caressed her cheek and hair. Animals, for once, were quiet, leaving her to her thoughts. Her deep thoughts.
She was thinking so hard, that she didn't notice the hindrance in her path. She tripped on it and landed on her face. Shaking the dirt from her eyes, she turned her head to glare at the obstruction, and saw-- "TALCON!" she cried.
She scrambled up to her knees and stared at the unmoving body. "Who--" it was pointless asking. She could see that his chest no longer moved and that his eyes were shut. He looked almost peaceful if it weren't for the blood that drenched his body.
Akane was about to touch Talcon's face when she heard a soft rustling from behind her. She whipped her head around, ready to attack when she saw Cedar. Akane's body relaxed, but her mind was still racing. "Someone killed Talc. We have to go find--no--revenge…"
"It was me," Cedar said in a tired, quiet voice.
"Maybe there's someone here. Someone snuck on the premises and kil--"
"Akane!" Cedar cried out. All the emotion that she kept hidden within her exploded, making the other girl, silent. Their eyes met briefly before Cedar turned away. Silence filled both their ears as they stood as far away from each other as possible. "It was me."
Akane looked at her rival with hatred. It can't be true… "Why? Talcon was one of us! The abandoned! No one cared for him like no one cares for us! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT!"
Akane didn't know when she had gotten to her feet or realize how bad her body shook. She wanted to kill Cedar with such a passion that she started running toward Cedar. She had no weapons, but didn't care. Cedar had gone too far, and Akane wasn't about to forgive her.
===
Kel stretched oblivious to the eyes that watched her from close by. She was finally free of that contraption and she didn't want to waste any more time in this place. She and Daine were catching up on lost information.
Yuki grinned when she saw Dom start to blush and look away from Kel. Instead, he turned to his cousin and started to make fun. Neal listened with sleep still in his eyes muttering something like this: "If I were awake, I'd wipe that smile from your face."
"Will have to get Neal and Yuki's kid, first," Kel said softly.
"Of course," Daine replied. "Dom and I will help you. I think that I know where the child is." Daine pointed outside to three shacks that were many feet away.
Kel arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "And how'd you know that?"
Daine shrugged and whispered, "Map."
=End Chapter=
