Page 74 of Moonless

I’m taking the path to his den.

“Yes, Keer. I can see where I’m going.”

My brother has nothing to say to that, which is how I know I’ve invented him.

I keep walking, with the bow against my right hip.

By the time I reach the bare stone, I have to rest before the last climb. My foot wraps have twisted under both heels. Stupid feet. I groan and straighten them one at a time, then put my good hand against the rock and get up.

The slab’s still open.

I call once from the outer passage. “Rauk?”

There’s no answer when I round the last bend. His bedding’s empty, the hearth down to a few red coals under the ash. Not here, then.

I set the bow beside my pallet and put the arrows down with it.

I sit where he usually sits and let out a long breath.

For a while I watch the passage and drink from the water jug. The light goes off the upper wall while I wait.

Come on, come back.

Eventually my stomach growls, and I get up to fetch the roots.

He’ll be hungry too.

I add wood to the coals and rinse my hands again with water from the jug. Still gross. There’s dried meat to put in the pot, enough for two if I cut it small.

The hair lifts at the back of my neck.

I look toward the outer passage, but the bend’s dark, and nobody comes through it.

“If you’re there, you can stop lurking.”

I wait with a root in my hand while the new wood catches.

“I’ve had a terrible afternoon. You should hear about it.”

Nothing answers. I set the root on the stone and reach for the little knife.

“Those wolves were heavy. The gray one was ridiculous. I had to move him twice because my sled came apart.”

I scrape dirt off the root with the back of the blade. There’s still some under my fingernails from the bank.

“It was a very bad sled. You’d have enjoyed pointing that out. I broke one of the branches on the first trip.”

I look up again, but I can’t see anyone, and I haven’t heard a footstep.

He might still be out there. Or he’s not coming back at all.

I cut the root and put the pieces into the pot.

“I’ve used your cord. Most of it, actually. The short pieces are with the arrows if you want them.”

The water starts to steam around the meat, and I push the pot nearer the coals, leaving the other hearthstone clear.

“There’s enough supper for you.” I finish the roots. The pot needs time, so I lean back on my good hand and look toward the passage again.