Arrows of Time - Kim Falconer [43]
‘You won’t say that in a few hours.’
‘What happens then?’
‘It gets dark.’
He laughed.
She cleared her throat, pointing at the westering sun. ‘It’ll be close to freezing by sunset, and besides, this is Lupin territory. They often come to this place to feed.’
‘And that’s bad?’ He kept smiling, waving his arms like a child.
She hated to break his rare moment of joy, but he needed to know. Their lives depended on it. She reached out to stop him, like a stick in a cartwheel. ‘Listen to me, Shane. It’s not bad. It’s not good. It’s just the Lupins. They…’
‘They what?’
‘Lupins can eat all sorts of things, including people and temple cats. Do you understand that concept?’
His smile fell. ‘Tell me what to do.’
‘Can you manage a fire? My matches are soaked from the swim.’
He nodded. ‘I can manage it easily, if I can find a piece of flint.’
Good thing he’s resourceful. Drayco licked his belly fur, turning over on his back.
‘I could get a flame going, if I had to, Dray.’
Sure you could. I’m just glad you don’t have to. The last time…
I know what happened last time. The fire got a little out of control.
A little? Maudi, you incinerated an entire valley.
Can I help it if the elementals were overenthused? Besides, I put it out!
You conjured a flood. That wiped out anything that had survived the blaze.
She snorted. ‘If we’re speaking of capable, how about you rustle us up something to cook?’ she said aloud.
Drayco leapt to his feet, shaking off the grass and dandelion fluff. When she looked again, he’d vanished.
Rosette gathered dead wood, surprised at how quickly Shane made a fire. His prevailing melancholy seemed to have dissipated somewhat under the mountains of Gaela. He clearly had no sense of any immediate danger and simply appeared rapt in the beauty of their surroundings. Coming from that awful swamp, she could understand why. Perhaps all of Tensar was as dreary. She shuddered at the thought and turned her face back to the sun.
‘Tell me about the Lupins,’ Shane asked as they sat in front of the crackling fire chewing on crispy pieces of roasted goose.
Drayco had nabbed the bird just before sunset. The temple cat had finished his share and was sitting statue-still next to Rosette, facing away from the fire. He stared out into the night, his eyes unblinking. Tell him they are demon dogs capable of flaying victims with a single thought.
She looked at Drayco, watching the tip of his tail twitch. Let’s not push him back into depression just yet. He’s almost cheerful right now.
There’s nothing cheerful about the Lupins.
She turned to Shane. ‘The main thing you need to know is that they’re dangerous, especially now,’ she said.
‘Why especially now?’
‘No one controls them any more.’
‘What do you mean, controls them?’
‘No one keeps them in line.’
‘And who had that job?’
She hooded her eyes. ‘A powerful witch.’
Shane stopped chewing and waited for her to continue. Finally he asked, ‘That’s all you’re going to say?’
She offered a bone to Drayco who politely took it from her fingers.
Tell him, Maudi. If you don’t, I will.
‘I’d like to see that.’
‘See what?’ Shane asked.
She shook her head. ‘The Lupins are an ancient race of wolves—not wolves exactly, but shape-shifters. They used to be under the constraints of a High Priestess named Kreshkali. She isn’t here any more, and that means they are under no constraints at all.’
‘Interesting. Do you know this Kreshkali?’
‘I do.’ Rosette tucked her hair behind her ear. ‘She’s my mother.’
Shane whistled, his eyes widening.
‘Play us a tune?’ she asked.
‘I want to hear more about these Lupins.’
‘Not now.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because talking about them is like shouting out an invitation. I don’t feel like their company tonight. Do you?’
He frowned, shaking his head.
‘A tune, then?’ she asked again.
‘My pleasure,’ he said, and rummaged in his pack for his instrument.
The sound of his flute wafted into the night as he