took the last few steps to the cabin. "The Night People hunted them down, of course, but they didn't find this place. All the slaves at the castle know about it." Then she called in a slightly louder tone, "It's me! Open the door!"
A long pause, and then there was the sound of a wooden bolt sliding and the door opened. Maggie could see the pale blob of a small face. P.J. Penob scot, with her red plaid baseball cap still on back ward and her slight body tense, was blinking sleepy, frightened eyes.
Then she focused and her face changed. "Maggie! You're okay!" She flung herself at Mag gie like a small javelin.
" Ow -hey!" Maggie swayed and Cady's limp body dipped perilously.
"I'm glad to see you, too," Maggie said. To her own surprise, she found herself blinking back tears. "But I've got to put this girl down or I'm going to drop her."
"Back here," Jeanne said. The back of the cabin was piled with straw. She and Maggie eased
Arca dia
down onto it and then P.J. hugged Maggie again.
"You got us out. We got away," P.J. said, her sharp little chin digging into Maggie's shoulder.
Maggie squeezed her. "Well we all got us out, and Jeanne helped get you away. But I'm glad ev erybody made it."
"Is she ... all right?" P.J. pulled back and looked down at
Arcadia
.
"I don't know." Cady's forehead felt hot under Maggie's hand, and her breathing was regular but with a rough, wheezy undertone Maggie didn't like.
"Here's a cover," Jeanne said, dragging up a piece of heavy, incredibly coarse material. It seemed as big as a sail and so rigid it hardly sagged or folded. "If we all get under it, we can keep warm."
They put Cady in the middle, Maggie and P.J. on one side of her and Jeanne on the other. The cover was more than big enough to spread over them.
And the hay smelled nice. It was prickly, but Maggie's long sleeves and jeans protected her. There was a strange comfort in P.J.'s slight body cuddled up next to her-like a kitten, Maggie thought. And it was so blessedly good to not be moving, to not be carrying anyone, but just to sit still and relax her sore muscles.
"There was a little food stashed here," Jeanne said, digging under the hay and pulling out a small packet. "Dried meat strips and oatcakes with salal berries. We'd better save some for tomorrow, though."
Maggie tore into the dried meat hungrily. It didn't taste like beef jerky; it was tougher and gam ier, but right at the moment it seemed delicious. She tried to get Cady to eat some, but it was no use. Cady just turned her head away.
She and Jeanne and P.J. finished the meal off with a drink of water, and then they lay back on the bed of hay.
Maggie felt almost happy. The gnawing in her stomach was gone, her muscles were loosening up, and she could feel a warm heaviness
settling
over her.
"You were going ... to tell me about
Bern
..." Jeanne said from the other side of Cady. The words trailed off into a giant yawn.
"Yeah." Maggie's brain was fuzzy and her eyes wouldn't stay open. "Tomorrow . . ."
And then, lying on a pile of hay in a tiny shack in a strange kingdom, with three girls who had been strangers to her before this afternoon and who now seemed a little like sisters, she was fast asleep.
Maggie woke up with her nose cold and her feet too hot. Pale light was coming in all the cracks in the boards of the cabin. For one instant she stared at the rough weathered-silver boards and the hay on the floor and wondered where she was. Then she remembered everything.
"Cady." She sat up and looked at the girl beside her.
Cady didn't look well. Her face had the waxy inner glow of somebody with a fever, and there were little tendrils of dark hair curled damply on her forehead. But at Maggie's voice her eyelashes fluttered, then her eyes opened.
"Maggie?"
"How are you feeling? Want some water?" She helped Cady drink from the leather bag.
"I'm all right. Thanks to you, I
A long pause, and then there was the sound of a wooden bolt sliding and the door opened. Maggie could see the pale blob of a small face. P.J. Penob scot, with her red plaid baseball cap still on back ward and her slight body tense, was blinking sleepy, frightened eyes.
Then she focused and her face changed. "Maggie! You're okay!" She flung herself at Mag gie like a small javelin.
" Ow -hey!" Maggie swayed and Cady's limp body dipped perilously.
"I'm glad to see you, too," Maggie said. To her own surprise, she found herself blinking back tears. "But I've got to put this girl down or I'm going to drop her."
"Back here," Jeanne said. The back of the cabin was piled with straw. She and Maggie eased
Arca dia
down onto it and then P.J. hugged Maggie again.
"You got us out. We got away," P.J. said, her sharp little chin digging into Maggie's shoulder.
Maggie squeezed her. "Well we all got us out, and Jeanne helped get you away. But I'm glad ev erybody made it."
"Is she ... all right?" P.J. pulled back and looked down at
Arcadia
.
"I don't know." Cady's forehead felt hot under Maggie's hand, and her breathing was regular but with a rough, wheezy undertone Maggie didn't like.
"Here's a cover," Jeanne said, dragging up a piece of heavy, incredibly coarse material. It seemed as big as a sail and so rigid it hardly sagged or folded. "If we all get under it, we can keep warm."
They put Cady in the middle, Maggie and P.J. on one side of her and Jeanne on the other. The cover was more than big enough to spread over them.
And the hay smelled nice. It was prickly, but Maggie's long sleeves and jeans protected her. There was a strange comfort in P.J.'s slight body cuddled up next to her-like a kitten, Maggie thought. And it was so blessedly good to not be moving, to not be carrying anyone, but just to sit still and relax her sore muscles.
"There was a little food stashed here," Jeanne said, digging under the hay and pulling out a small packet. "Dried meat strips and oatcakes with salal berries. We'd better save some for tomorrow, though."
Maggie tore into the dried meat hungrily. It didn't taste like beef jerky; it was tougher and gam ier, but right at the moment it seemed delicious. She tried to get Cady to eat some, but it was no use. Cady just turned her head away.
She and Jeanne and P.J. finished the meal off with a drink of water, and then they lay back on the bed of hay.
Maggie felt almost happy. The gnawing in her stomach was gone, her muscles were loosening up, and she could feel a warm heaviness
settling
over her.
"You were going ... to tell me about
Bern
..." Jeanne said from the other side of Cady. The words trailed off into a giant yawn.
"Yeah." Maggie's brain was fuzzy and her eyes wouldn't stay open. "Tomorrow . . ."
And then, lying on a pile of hay in a tiny shack in a strange kingdom, with three girls who had been strangers to her before this afternoon and who now seemed a little like sisters, she was fast asleep.
Maggie woke up with her nose cold and her feet too hot. Pale light was coming in all the cracks in the boards of the cabin. For one instant she stared at the rough weathered-silver boards and the hay on the floor and wondered where she was. Then she remembered everything.
"Cady." She sat up and looked at the girl beside her.
Cady didn't look well. Her face had the waxy inner glow of somebody with a fever, and there were little tendrils of dark hair curled damply on her forehead. But at Maggie's voice her eyelashes fluttered, then her eyes opened.
"Maggie?"
"How are you feeling? Want some water?" She helped Cady drink from the leather bag.
"I'm all right. Thanks to you, I
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