Bone Magic Read Online Free PDF Page B

herself look around.
    The riverbank
was no more than a dozen feet away. She was pressed against the
wet, slick trunk of a tree that had toppled into the river when the
river undercut the bank. Half of the roots jutted into the air
where land met water. The trunk sloped down from the bank,
disappearing beneath the water, pressing into her side where her
ribs ended.
    The tree was
thick with branches, and she wrapped her hands around branches on
either side of her and used them to lever herself upward until her
head was clear of the water. She thought about climbing onto the
trunk, but she feared the water would sweep her off and carry her
downstream. Now that she had a connection to the bank, the thought
of being helpless in the current again terrified her.
    Instead, she
clung to the branches, shifting only one hand at a time as she
worked her way sideways, inching closer to the shore. She had to
take a deep breath and duck under the water to pass beneath one
thick branch, but when she was past it, she could feel solid stone
under both feet. With the current pushing on her legs, her footing
on the slick rocks of the riverbed was treacherous to say the
least. She hung onto the branches with a death grip, working her
way sideways one careful step at a time.
    Step by step
the pull of the current lessened, and her footing became more
secure until at last she could let go of the branches and stumble
ashore. She sank to her knees, her whole body trembling, and rubbed
her hands together while she waited for strength to return to her
limbs. At length she realized that she wasn't getting stronger. She
forced herself to her feet, looking around for Daisy. Her flint and
steel were in Daisy's saddlebags, and she wanted a fire
desperately.
    The sun had
gone behind clouds, and she was shaking so hard she could barely
stand. Her teeth chattered and her brain felt sluggish. She stared
around, trying to figure out if the mule would be upstream or
downstream, and a whiff of smoke came to her nostrils. She froze,
wondering if her cold-addled brain was deceiving her, and she
caught another hint of that wonderful scent.
    The wind was
coming from upstream. She staggered through the thick undergrowth
that lined the river's bank and turned her face into the light
breeze. She stumbled forward, hoping against hope, but the scent of
smoke seemed to have disappeared.
    Something
rustled in the trees to her left. It was Daisy, head down and
woebegone at the river's edge. Tira stumbled down the bank and
freed Daisy's reins from a tangle of branches.
    A clanking
sound came from somewhere upstream. Tira cocked her head to the
side, listening. She heard another clank, and then a steady
metallic tapping. She looked at Daisy, shrugged, and led the mule
toward the strange sound.
    She caught
another whiff of smoke as she walked, and then the wonderful sound
of branches crackling in a fire. She tugged on Daisy's reins,
stumbling forward, and finally staggered into a clearing where Tam
stood beside a small fire. He was tapping a spoon against the
bottom of his cook pot, but he stopped when he saw her, his
shoulders sagging visibly as tension drained away.
    Tira didn't say
a word, just peeled off her sodden cloak, draped it across the
ground, and dropped to her knees beside the flames. She cupped her
hands over the rising heat, pulling them back only when it started
to hurt, soaking in the delicious heat and watching steam rise from
her trousers.
    Tam had
stripped down to some sort of linen underpants. His clothes hung
from branches near the fire, and he turned his back to her, pulling
on his still-wet pants. He seemed distinctly embarrassed, not
meeting her eyes as he poured water into the pot and held it over
the fire.
    "It's okay,"
she told him. "I've seen a man in his underthings before."
    He didn't
answer, just opened a small pouch and dropped wet leaves into the
pot.
    Tira turned
around, letting the fire warm her back and buttocks. Then she
stood, draped her