Burn Bright - By Marianne de Pierres Page 0,70
passed through the Register.’ She shifted Suki out of the way and put her arm around Naif ’s shoulders. ‘The creature is dead now, Naif, and it’ll be fine as long as we stay on the path.’
Charlonge’s confidence revived Naif’s courage.
‘Yes, you’re right,’ she said and moved past Markes to take the lead. ‘Stay on the path.’ She must help Rollo; make up for how she’d treated him.
As they began to climb though, she heard the rustle of movement in the dark and caught a flickering of it in her corner sight. Something watched them.
Behind her, Suki broke a branch from a bush and peeled the spiny leaves off, leaving the sharp stick. She pulled her knife as well.
Markes copied her with the branch.
Naif didn’t tell them that a branch would be useless against the Night Creatures. Neither did she tell them, as they reached the last bend in the path before Danskoi, that she knew they were being followed.
They won’t come into the light, she told herself. She took care to keep her feet exactly in the middle of the glowing path, concentrating so hard that she failed to see what was ahead of her.
Hands reached from the dark and a cord whipped tight around her throat, pulled by agitated fingers.
‘Hush!’ said her captor. ‘Hush and be still or I’ll strangle ye!’
She stopped struggling and strained to turn her head to see the others. Markes lay on the ground, his captor holding his arm twisted and high behind his shoulder, a knee forced into his back. Charlonge was held fast like her, while two of them grappled with Suki.
‘She’s got a knife,’ one of Suki’s captors called out.
A boy, nearly as tall as Markes, thrust his face near hers aggressively. ‘What’re you doing on the high paths? There’s business going on up here that’s none of yours.’
Naif gagged, trying to answer until he loosened the cord a little, letting her speak.
‘If you mean the League, then it’s my business too.’
He looked suspicious. ‘Why’s that?’
‘Are you the League?’
He didn’t answer.
‘Go and tell Clash that his sister is here and needs to talk to him. Urgently.’
‘If you’re lying I’ll throw you to them.’
‘Them?’
He leaned back so she could see past him to the others and the path along which they’d come. With his free hand he hurled something into the air; a flare that sizzled and then popped as it exploded into light.
The mountainside lit for a long flash with stark white light, bright enough for Naif to see a mass of flesh writhing just beneath the spiny leaves of the bushes. Hundreds of Night Creatures gathered at the edges of the paths, waiting, craving for the slip of a foot.
‘Brave or stupid are you then?’ he whispered. ‘If you are truly Clash’s sister then I’ll go with brave; otherwise I might just give you to them.’
He swung her towards the darkness, lending weight to his taunt.
‘No!’ shouted Markes.
A tentacle flicked out and snaked around her sore ankle. She kicked but the tentacle tightened and began to drag her from the Leaguer’s arms into the dark.
‘Cloffie!’ admonished a harsh, strong voice. A figure strode in and a sword sliced through the tentacle, freeing Naif’s leg.
Cloffie dropped her to the ground.
Naif tore the writhing tentacle from her ankle and got to her feet to face the wielder of the sword. She saw the armour and the wide shoulders and knew immediately who it was.
‘Eve.’
‘Dark Eve,’ corrected the broad, tall girl. She sheathed her sword and peered down into Naif’s face. ‘Frossing Tri-Suns! It’s Clash’s little sister! Well, this is an interesting turn of events.’ She glanced at the dark as if expecting something more. ‘Hurry on. Everyone! This isn’t the place for long stories.’
Flanked by Eve and a handful of her League, Naif, Suki, Markes and Charlonge climbed towards Danskoi cathedral.
Ahead, and still a short climb to the cathedral, several paths converged into a nub of clear ground, creating a large pool of light. More Leaguers crouched there, waiting. They faced the dark warily, wearing light bands around their ankles and each carrying a weapon of sorts; sticks or roughly made knives like Suki’s.
Naif hurried through the middle of them, to the far side where Joel knelt watching the outside of Danskoi. Heedless of what any of them thought, she flung herself against him. ‘Joel, I’m here and I’m all right. Cal lied to Rollo.’
He wore armour of tough, thick leather crudely reinforced with metal plating. It scratched her skin and she