“Hello,” she said. “My name is Salene.”
“I’m Mali,” the girl said, her voice whisper soft. “This is Tab.”
“Are either of you hurt?” Mali shook her head. “Would you like to come out of this pit now?” Both children looked up toward the trap door with frightened eyes. “The danger is gone. But if it comes back, I will protect you.”
“You can do that?” Mali asked. “You can fight the bad men?”
“Yes, I can.”
“What about Tonka?”
“What about him, honey?”
“Is he dead?”
“I’m fine, Mali,” Tonka said, speaking for the first time since Salene had opened the trap door. “Salene is to be trusted. It’s safe to come up now.”
Some of the tension left Mali’s face. She studied Salene for another moment, then stood up before bending down to pick up her cousin. Salene rose, picked up her flashlight, and walked back to the opening, wondering how they were supposed to get out. She spotted a ladder made of lashed branches on the floor at the other side of the pit. She picked it up and set it in place, then turned to face the children.
Tonka had told her they were eight and four, but they were both much smaller than she expected for their ages. Mali appeared to be five or six, and Tab was so small he barely looked old enough to walk. She didn’t know whether their diminutive size was due to genetics, or lack of nutrition, but she intended to find out. For the moment, however, she needed to get herself and the children out of the pit. The way Mali was hanging on to Tab told her that she wasn’t going to be handing him over any time soon, so she simply picked up both children at once and climbed the ladder.
She noticed that Oberto’s body was now lying on a pallet in the back corner with the blanket still covering him. “Thanks, Jinjie,” she said after she put Mali down, then turned to close the trap door behind her. Jinjie nodded and they both watched as Mali and Tab hugged Tonka’s legs in welcome since he was far too big for either of them to reach his neck. Salene suspected the hugs caused him some pain from the unhealed bruises, but he gave no sign of it.
Jinjie leapt onto Salene’s shoulder and looked down at the children in silence, and they stared back in open curiosity. “Mali, Tab, this is Jinjie, my friend and companion,” Salene said. “Jinjie, this is Mali and Tab.”
“Me do be pleased to meet Mali and Tab.” Their eyes widened in surprise and Salene expected them to ask about Jinjie’s size as most children would, but they didn’t. They stared for another moment, then Mali looked up at Tonka again.
“Where’s Grandfather?”
“I’m sorry Mali, but your grandfather walks with the Cloud People now, as does your Aunt Lei.”
A lump grew in Salene’s throat as she watched silent tears roll down Mali’s cheeks. Salene looked around the tiny hut and spotted a wooden container on a mat near one wall. She walked over to it and saw that it was, as she’d suspected, filled with water. Beside it was a stack of folded cloths that appeared to have been cut from one of the rough gray blankets she’d seen throughout the settlement and that, she’d noticed, the children’s’ clothing was made of. She picked one up, dipped it into the water, then approached Tonka and the children. She knelt down and, keeping her movements very slow, she gently wiped Mali’s face. Her black hair was in a tangled pony tail that fell to the middle of her back, held in place by a leather cord, with stray locks hanging loosely around her face. Salene itched to brush it out, but unless there was a hairbrush in the survival pack, which she very much doubted, she didn’t have one. She satisfied herself with pushing the escaped strands back and tucking them behind Mali’s ears. Then she turned the cloth over and washed Tab’s face while he watched her with eyes that were far too solemn for a four year old.
“Thank you,” Mali said in a voice barely above a whisper.
“You’re welcome, honey,” Salene smiled, then rose to her feet and glanced through the open doorway. She was dismayed to see how thickly the snow was now falling.
“We need to find a safe place to camp before this storm gets much worse, Tonka. I don’t want to be here if those Nomen decide to come back.”
“You will take us with you?”
“Of course,” Salene replied, turning to look at him in surprise. “If you want, of course.”
“Yes, we want to go with you very much, and I thank you most sincerely for your generosity.”
Salene wasn’t sure why she felt such intense relief at Tonka’s agreement, but she figured that since he had agreed, there was no point in wondering about it. “Do you know of a place big enough to provide shelter for all of us? I have a tent, but it’s just about big enough for me and Jinjie, or both children, but in this weather that’s not going to be enough.”
“There are caves that go deep into the mountain about a half morning’s walk from here. We’ll be safe there. Not even the smoke from a fire will give us away because it vents into a series of caves and tunnels deep inside the mountain. Oberto tested it extensively.”
“You’re worried about something,” Salene said, noting the set of his ears and tail.
“Yes, I am,” he admitted. “Oberto believed that the Nomen and the Harri could find us by tracking the heat of our bodies. I don’t know how, but they can do many things that are beyond my understanding. Oberto suspected they used it to find us this morning.”
“Infrared,” Salene said. She went back to her pack and opened it. “The suits Jinjie and I are wearing prevent our body heat from escaping, among other things. In this pack I have several sheets of the same thermal material which can be used as blankets, ground cloths or whatever might be needed. She pulled four thin packages from the pack, checked the labels, then eyed Mali and Tab. They both wore rough gray long sleeved shirts and pants, as well as leather foot coverings that resembled moccasins.
“Mali, do you and Tab have warmer clothing to wear? Coats or hats? Anything at all?”
Mali shook her head, her eyes darkening with fear as she glanced out the open doorway, then back to Salene again. “Don’t worry, honey, we’ll get you both fixed up nice and warm before we go out there.” She put two of the packages back in her pack and removed two smaller ones. She tore them open, put the wrappers back in the pack, and then frowned as she tried to figure out the best way to cover both children and Tonka with the thin, lightweight, but impossible to tear material.
“Me do be can help with this,” Jinjie said.
Salene nodded in relief, then moved to stand beside Tonka. She laid the two large blankets over him so that they covered his neck and back, as well as his sides. Then Jinjie raised his arms, but stilled when Salene stopped him with a sudden shake of her head.
“Mali, Tab, you’re going to see what looks like orange sparks in the air while Jinjie uses his magic. It won’t hurt him, or Tonka, or you, so don’t be frightened, all right?” Mali’s eyes were wider than ever but she nodded quickly, then looked back at Jinjie in open curiosity. Jinjie smiled at Mali, then raised his hands again. Almost immediately orange sparks lit the air around him, causing Mali to gasp as the material molded itself closely to Tonka’s body.
“That’s perfect, Jinjie,” Salene said, impressed. “Thanks.”
“Yes, Jinjie, thank you,” Tonka said, dipping his head toward the Jotunn.
“How does it feel, Tonka?” Salene asked.
“I do not feel it at all. Are you sure it will hide the heat of my body?”
“Yes, and at the same time it holds your body heat in so you won’t feel as cold in the snow. There are still parts of you that are exposed. Your face, legs, paws, and a good portion of your tail, but that can’t be helped right now. It doesn’t matter too much, though. Your heat signature will appear to be that of four or five small animals, and very faint at that.” She shook out the two smaller thermal blankets, then moved to stand in front of Mali. She waited, letting Mali make up her mind. After a moment she released Tab’s hand and stepped forward.
“This will kee
p us warm?”
“Yes, it will,” Salene said. She draped the sheet over Mali like a cloak, covering her head and pulling the edges together beneath her chin. As small as the sheet was, it still fell to the floor all the way around her. Jinjie used his magic, causing the fabric to mold itself around her head and shoulders, but hang loosely to the floor. He sealed the front edges together, leaving a gap that Mali could put her hands through if she wished. “Can you move freely?” Salene asked.
Mali walked across the hut and back again, then looked up at Salene with the beginnings of a smile. “I feel warmer already. Thank you, and thank you, too, Jinjie.”
“Mali do be welcome.”
“Your turn, Tab,” Salene said.
The little boy hadn’t yet made a sound and Salene was wondering if he even understood what was happening. When he immediately approached her and stood the way Mali had, it was clear that he did. She draped the fabric over him and Jinjie worked his magic. A moment later Tab was walking around the hut with his cousin, both of them smiling happily just because they were warm.
“I’m worried about their feet and hands,” Salene said.
“Jinjie do be fix,” he said, leaping over to where another blanket lay folded on the floor. With a bit of hand waving and a flurry of sparks, both children had their hands encased in small pouches tied at the wrists with thin strips of the blanket. He did the same for their feet, covering their shoes.
“That’ll help so long as they don’t have to walk too far in them,” she said. “The minute the fabric on their feet gets wet, they’ll freeze. Unfortunately I can’t cut that thermal material to fit their hands and feet. Can you?”
“No do be cut, but do be shrink small enough to cover feet and hands.”
“That would take eight more sheets, and I don’t think I have that many,” she said, going to her pack to look. She pulled out five more sheets, then frowned. “If the snow gets deep, they’ll need their legs covered too. I think I’ll have to carry them somehow.”
“That’s not necessary,” Tonka said. “I will carry the children on my back.”
“Are you certain?” Salene asked. “I know your legs are bruised, Tonka.”
“I give them rides often and they weigh so little I barely notice them,” he said. “With this material covering my fur they won’t have anything to hang onto, though.”
“That’s easily remedied,” Salene said, relieved that Tonka could carry them. She thought she could carry both children and her pack at the same time, but not for very long. She’d have to rest often, especially if they were climbing, which would slow them down significantly.
Using the remainder of the blanket he’d used to make their hand and foot coverings, Jinjie created a configuration of straps that went around Tonka’s chest and neck that gave the children something to hold onto so they didn’t slip off. When he was finished, Salene lifted Mali onto Tonka’s back, then settled Tab in front of her.
When she was sure the children were safe and secure, she closed her pack and put it on, adjusting it so that it was properly balanced. Jinjie leapt up to her shoulder and she helped him on with his hood, then put her own on.
“Shall we depart this place now?” Tonka asked.
“Absolutely,” she replied, surprised by how strong her relief was to be leaving.
Tonka dipped his head toward Oberto’s covered form in a silent farewell, then turned and stepped out of the hut. Salene followed, frowning as she saw the snowflakes landing on the children and wishing there’d been another blanket in the hut. In fact, those blankets, even as rough and scratchy as they were, would be a lot more comfortable to lie on than the thin thermal sheets when they camped.
“One second, Tonka,” she said, hurrying across the clearing and into the hut with the undisturbed pallets. She grabbed some of the handmade dishes from the shelf and put them in the middle of one of the blankets covering a pallet. She added the blankets from the other pallets, along with two of the three she saw neatly folded on the floor in a corner.
“Do be see what holds that basket,” Jinjie suggested, pointing at something under the table. She bent down and pulled it out, surprised to find that it contained dried meat and assorted vegetables sealed in clear plastic bags. She smiled with relief. She only had enough freeze dried food in her pack to last one person seven days, but there was enough here to last them many days if they were careful with it. She added the food to the pile, leaving the basket because it was just too big and unwieldy to carry. Gathering the corners of the bottom blanket together, she tied them in a knot, picked up the extra blanket she’d left out, then ran back out to where Tonka waited.
“No sense in leaving everything behind,” she said. “We can use this stuff.”
“Good idea,” Tonka said. “We should go now, Salene, the storm is worsening.”
“Wait,” Jinjie said, then waved his arms in a complicated pattern with the usual orange sparks. The bundle Salene was carrying suddenly shrank to the size of her hand, allowing her to carry it in a pocket. The weight was the same, but that didn’t bother her since it was the bulk, not the weight, that made it difficult to carry.
“Now that’s handy,” she said, smiling at Jinjie. “Thank you.” She shook out the extra blanket and draped it over and around the children. Mali smiled at her as she grabbed the edges of the blanket and pulled it close, making sure Tab was fully covered.
“Okay, Tonka, let’s go,” she said. Tonka started walking as fast as he could without dislodging the children from his back. Salene fell into step behind him, keeping a close eye on the children in case one of them fell.
Before long the snow was falling thick and fast, and Salene shuddered to think what it would be like without the forest protecting them from the worst of it. It was the wind and rapidly dropping temperature that worried her most. Not for her sake since she was safely covered from head to toe, as was Jinjie. But Tonka and the children were not as thoroughly protected. She checked on them repeatedly to make sure they were still covered and warm, only to stop them a short while later to check again.
“Not much further,” Tonka said after they’d climbed up, then around to the eastern side of the mountain, covering nearly three miles by Salene’s reckoning. Then Tonka stepped out of the forest and into snow that reached almost to her knees. She continued to follow Tonka as he broke a trail across a steep field of immense boulders. He led her around an oddly shaped formation that looked exactly like a giant upside down egg, and into a shallow cave. The sudden silence and lack of wind were startling to all of them.
As Salene’s eyes became accustomed to the faint light, she saw that the cave was very small, not much higher than she was tall, and too narrow to offer much in the way of protection from the elements unless the entrance could be blocked. “You said there was a series of caves?” she asked hopefully.
“Yes. Do you have something you can use to light the way? I can find it by scent if not, but I think you’ll be more comfortable if you can see.”
“I think so too,” she replied, reaching up over her head to the top of her pack where the flashlight was held by a single strap. She gave it a twist to free it, then shone the light around the cave before spotting a dark area that had to be the tunnel into another cave. Tonka started forward and she followed, holding the flashlight high enough to light the area in front of him.
They passed three more caves, each one connected to the same long tunnel. When they reached the fourth cave, Tonka turned into it. Salene stopped just inside and shone the light around revealing a cave that wasn’t too big or too small, with a fairly low ceiling and an entrance that could be covered, possibly allowing heat from a fire to warm the interior. She was glad to see a circle of stones in the center of the floor, and even more glad to find a stack of firewood along one wall.
“I hope you have means of making fire.”
“I do,” she replied, removing the bundle from her pocket and setting it down on the floor. Jinjie waved his hands over
it, returning it to its original size. Then he leapt down to stand on top of it so she could shrug the heavy pack off of her shoulders for what she hoped would be the last time for a while. She set the pack on the floor and stretched her back, then went to lift the children down off of Tonka.
“Jinjie, would you mind spreading a blanket out for the children?” she asked. He nodded, then waved another complicated pattern in the air, generating another cloud of orange sparks. The bundle untied itself and one of the folded blankets inside rose into the air and stretched itself out near the fireplace. Mali and Tab sat down on it, and Jinjie raised the other half of the blanket up and over their backs, then added a second one on top of it.
“We’ll have a fire going in just a few minutes, then you’ll be nice and warm,” Salene promised the children.
“We aren’t too cold,” Mali said. Salene gave her an approving smile for not complaining before going to the woodpile with her flashlight. She spotted another big basket, this one filled with dried sticks and branches. Kindling. Excellent. She gathered what she needed, along with one of the larger logs, and carried them back to the fireplace. Only then did she let herself sit down.
“I’ll go out and gather more firewood before this storm worsens,” she said. “There’s enough here for a while, but it’s all dry so it’ll burn too fast for us to bank a fire for the night.”
“There is more wood in the cave we passed before reaching this one,” Tonka said. “Oberto called it green wood though the wood isn’t green. He intended to prepare this series of caves as a safe place to hide in case the Nomen found the clearing, but all we’d had time to do was supply it with wood.”
“I’m grateful to Oberto and his planning,” Salene said, laying the kindling in the center of the fireplace. She dragged her pack closer to where she sat and opened a couple of the pockets on the outside in search of a lighter. She found three of them in protective pouches and removed one, then turned back to the fireplace. She pressed a button on the side of the lighter and a yellow flame shot out of the end, startling Tonka and the children, who gasped in surprise.
Salene's Secrets Page 16
