But I can try to mess with his mind the way he’s trying to mess with mine.
“Just testing to see if your wound is really that bad,” I tell him quickly. “And I think it is. I can still treat it, you know. You don’t want it to get infected.”
He frowns. “You dare attack me again?”
I examine my hand. The knuckles are bleeding where they struck his scales, and there’s a bit of his ichor on them as well. “It was not an attack. I told you. Why would I attack you after you saved me from the dinosaurs? You really should let me look at that injury.”
He gazes down at me with great suspicion. “So you can make it worse, no doubt. You want nothing more than to torture and kill.”
I shrug. “I never want to kill anyone. That’s all you.”
“Everyone wants to murder a dragon and then brag about it,” he scoffs. “You will find that I am not nearly as easy to kill as you seem to think.”
I brush the withered not-pine needles off my dress and my hands, hoping I got away with it. “Suit yourself. The offer stands.”
Well, at least I was able to trick him. I think.
And I was going to the village, anyway. If he wants to tag along behind me, then I’m sure the caveman dragon slayers will take good care of him when we get there.
If there even is a village anymore.
If any of the other girls are still alive.
If the girls haven’t already run all the way to the escape ship and left the planet. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to stay here after that dragon attack that killed at least Heidi and maybe more of us. I mean, the earthquake was bad enough on its own.
So many ifs.
The last one is the worst, for some reason. I can’t imagine a more terrible fate than being left behind here. The only girl on the planet, while my friends have escaped.
The thought sends another wave of coldness through me.
I only know that the village is probably to the south of here. Far, far to the south. This is a cold area, while the jungle is hot and tropical. From where the sun rises, I can tell which way is east and which is west. That gives me north and south, too.
Of course, this could be the southern hemisphere of the planet, which would mean I should walk to the north to get to warmer places.
But I have to pick one. So south it is. If things get colder, I guess I can always turn around.
I aim in what I hope is the right direction and start walking, fast.
Caronerax follows, keeping his distance. I can feel his intense blue and yellow gaze on me.
- - -
There are small hills and valleys, all with gentle slopes that are easy to navigate. I get the feeling that we’re going steadily downhill.
The air is cool and clear, and this could be a really pleasant landscape if it hadn’t been for the dinos that could lurk behind each tree.
I spot a cluster of bushes and make a beeline for it.
Immediately the dragon is in front of me, blocking the way. “Walk straight, little female. I don’t like to have you waste my time.”
I point at the bushes. “I need food so I can keep going. Would you like it if I couldn’t walk at all?”
He frowns. “Those little bushes will nourish you?”
“I don’t know. Looks like there are berries. They might be edible.”
Caronerax sighs. “Such a needy species. It’s a wonder your kind can live at all.” He stands aside.
The berries are unfamiliar to me, but they’re bright red and translucent. They remind me of redcurrant.
One careful taste tells me that they’re not redcurrant at all, but the taste is so pleasant and lychee-like that I’m able to eat quite a lot of them. The berries are bursting with deep red juice, but they’re fragile and don’t survive much handling before they crack and are squashed. They’re probably over-ripe, and I think I detect some fermentation on the scent.
I optimistically make a cone from a big leaf and fill it with not-currants. I haven’t seen a lot of berries in this forest, and I should stock up when I can.
Caronerax is leaning against a tree a small distance away, looking disinterested and still impatient.
I get the tiny knife out of the pouch around my neck. The blade is no larger