A Girl From Nowhere (The Firewall Trilogy #1) - James Maxwell Page 0,33

the loudest of all.

8

Taimin woke with a gasp. He wondered what it was that had startled him, but then his mind began to clear: he had heard a distant whine, followed by a yelp. He was certain it hadn’t been a dream.

He sat up swiftly and scanned the camp. The embers of the fire still glowed. It was close to dawn, with the golden sun gradually brightening the sky. The gnarled tree cast a long shadow. Taimin’s gaze went to Selena: she was sleeping peacefully nearby. Lars’s chest rose and fell as a low rumble came from his throat.

Callum was gone. And so was Griff.

Taimin’s heart beat with sudden fury. He shot to his feet. “Wake up!” he cried.

Without waiting for Lars and Selena, Taimin grabbed his sword and bow. He began to circle the area, reading the tracks in the way his aunt had taught him. It didn’t take him long to find Griff’s claw marks. He followed the tracks away from the riverbed, toward the open plain.

He searched frantically until he found a scatter of blood and a few specks of raw flesh. Callum had his own meat after all.

Taimin cursed. He shouldn’t have let Griff become so trusting. He shouldn’t have been so trusting himself.

Griff was always hungry in the morning. It didn’t take Taimin long to build up a picture of what had happened. Callum had lured Griff away from Taimin with the promise of an early breakfast. Despite his one hand, the desperate thief was experienced with wherries. He hadn’t bothered with the saddle but he had taken the reins. Throwing himself onto Griff’s back, he had dug in his heels and forced his will upon the wherry.

Taimin’s friend had needed him. Griff had called out, and Taimin hadn’t been there.

More tracks confirmed it. Taimin saw Griff’s opening stride. He hurriedly followed the trail and saw where Griff had tried to pull round sharply. Callum had savagely turned the wherry onto the path he wanted.

Taimin was finding it hard to breathe. He heard Lars’s voice, and turned his head to see Lars and Selena both watching.

“Why didn’t he kill us?” Lars asked in wonder. “He could have.”

“He just wanted Griff,” Selena said. She gave Taimin a look of mingled anxiety and sympathy. “We shared our food with him. He thinks he’ll outrun us easily.”

Taimin shook his head. “No, he won’t.” He set his mouth in a thin line. “I’m going to track him down.”

“Let me try,” Selena said.

As she became still, Taimin began to pace.

His eyes kept returning to Griff’s tracks. He threw frequent glances in Selena’s direction. The moments passed. He realized he was breathing too fast, but there was nothing he could do to control it. He clenched and unclenched his fists. His jaw was so tight that it felt like he would grind his teeth into powder.

Selena put her hand to her temples. But as Taimin looked at her in hope and desperation, she shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she said sadly. “I need more time.”

“I don’t have time,” Taimin said. He returned his attention to the tracks. “I’m going.”

“It’s a hopeless task,” Lars said.

“Taimin, let me help you,” Selena called after him.

He ignored them both and strode away as quickly as he could manage.

Taimin stood in the middle of a vast stretch of rock. Like a smooth, rippling blanket, it spread out to coat a great portion of the plain. There wasn’t a blade of desert grass or a patch of dirt in sight. The tracks he had been following had vanished as soon as he had reached the area.

Callum was wily. He knew the terrain he had been traveling in. To confuse any pursuit, he had taken Griff to a place where he could change his path and anyone following wouldn’t be able to track him.

Taimin’s despair combined with his frustration and guilt. His eyes burned. He wanted to scream and cry. As he stood and turned in circles, his entire body ached. Without warning, his right leg collapsed underneath him. He crumpled to the ground and blinked away his tears.

Griff was his last connection to the life he had left behind. Taimin had looked after Griff, and in turn Griff had taken care of him. Griff had helped him to look forward to life. He could still have hope, as long as he had his friend and companion by his side.

He remembered the day he had found Griff. The wherry had been alone and afraid, but Taimin had rescued