The Falcons of Fire and Ice - By Karen Maitland Page 0,133

hours.

Marcos hunkered down next to me, trying to warm his hands over the tiny fire which Hinrik had managed to get burning with a flint and iron.

‘Fish again tonight?’ he asked dismally. ‘If you can call it fish, more like eating old shoe soles. I never thought I’d say this but I’m actually starting to crave ship’s biscuit, at least the weevils gave it some flavour.’

I rummaged among our pitifully few stores. The smoked puffin was long gone, and there was precious little dried cod left.

I drew out what remained and showed it to them. ‘Fish is better than nothing and tomorrow there will be nothing, unless we find something to stretch this out tonight.’

‘Since you were complaining about the food, Senhor Marcos, I would suggest that you and Senhor Fausto go and find us something else to eat,’ Vítor said. ‘And you, boy, make haste and find us some more fuel before this feeble little fire dies away entirely.’

Fausto threw the stems he’d been using as a brush on to the fire, where they blazed for a few moments before collapsing into ash. ‘And what exactly will you be doing, Senhor Vítor, while we’re all toiling away to keep your belly stuffed and your bony arse warm?’

‘I’ll stay with Isabela and try to keep the fire going. Someone has to stay with her. It will be dark soon. It isn’t safe for her to be left alone.’

‘No!’ The word burst out of me in a shriek before I could stop it. The last thing I wanted was to be left alone with Vítor. ‘Let Hinrik stay with me and we’ll both collect fuel. You three go. As you say, it’ll be dark soon and you’ll all need to search if we’re to have any hope of finding anything to eat. Marcos, you said you studied herbs. There must be some kind of plant growing here we can eat.’

‘Herbs won’t fill our bellies,’ Fausto said before Marcos had a chance to reply. ‘Good strong meat, that’s what we need. I was always rather good at setting snares when I was a boy. I promise you shall dine like a queen tonight, fair Isabela.’ He swept off his cap in a low bow, and bounded away down the hill. ‘Look after her, lad, don’t let her out of your sight.’

With a great deal less enthusiasm Vítor and Marcos set off too, Marcos taking care to go in the opposite direction to the other two.

Hinrik began to feed the fire with sheep’s dung, absently dropping them in one at a time, as if he was feeding scraps of meat to a puppy. He was grinning to himself, obviously enjoying some private joke.

‘What’s funny?’ I asked.

‘Senhor Fausto is in love.’

I smiled. ‘If he is, it certainly isn’t with Vítor, or Marcos, come to that.’

‘With you. He always tries to get you alone. He always tries to get near you when you walk. He watches you when you are sleeping. I have seen him. He loves you.’ Hinrik chuckled.

A cold fist clutched at my belly at the very thought of him watching me while I lay asleep and helpless.

‘No, believe me, Hinrik,’ I said fervently, ‘you couldn’t be more wrong.’

I stared at the hollow under the balancing stone. Why had Fausto urged me to sleep in there, under that great rock? What was he planning now? I would never be able to sleep again, not as long as he was anywhere near me. I glanced up at the hill top. How long would it be before the men returned? If I could just get as far as the top of the hill before they came back, once I was safely out of sight I could hide and then …

‘Why don’t you go and see if you can find something else to burn, Hinrik?’

The boy shook his head. ‘Senhor Fausto said I was to stay with you.’

‘I need to stay with the fire to keep it burning. If I leave it, it’ll go out, but we need more fuel, lots more fuel. Hurry now, it’s nearly dark.’

‘Not unless you come with me. I do not want to go alone … the witch.’ His face was screwed up in anxiety. ‘They rise from the grave when the sun sets. You did not give her a stone. You should have given her a stone. She will curse us. You see, nothing will go right for us now.’

The shadows were deepening in the ravine, the great boulders assuming