Borderlands Read Online Free PDF

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    A lurch to the side, and we hurtle towards a canyon wall. Teddy throws out his arms, as though to better smash his message into the foxaries’ skulls, before we skid to a sudden stop.
    It takes my brain a moment to process the scene before us. Four figures, half-concealed in the shadow of the cliff. I can see the barest outlines of their features, brushed by a sneaky ray of moonlight from the sky above.
    Two twins. Two hunters.
    They stand in a deadlock, weapons aimed at each other. One hunter’s pack lies open at his feet, contents spilled across the mulch and stone. Maisy holds a match, ready to strike it. The hunters must know her proclivity is Flame, because they’re smart enough to retreat a step. But they’ve got weapons of their own, and one points a pistol at Clementine’s head. The richie girl glares at him, her eyes bright in the moonlight.
    â€˜Stay there!’ the man snaps.
    Clementine freezes.
    The second hunter’s proclivity is Reptile. I’ve seen him before, I think, in the days just after we fled Rourton. Snakes slither around his arms, his neck, his torso. A spiny lizard curls upon his shoulder, and I can just make out tiny flecks of movement on his neck. Geckos, perhaps, or something toxic. Whatever it is, it’s bad. He could send one of these creatures slithering through the grass towards the twins, and they wouldn’t even know until the venom filled their veins.
    No one moves. The four figures glare at each other, barely breathing. One hunter shifts his weight to the opposite foot, and Maisy almost strikes the match.
    Silence.
    Teddy, Lukas and I lurk in the trees. The hunters haven’t seen us yet, but I know Clementine has. She meets my eyes for a brief second and her breath hitches. She forces herself to look away.
    â€˜Now,’ says the Reptile man, ‘here’s how this will work.’
    I fancy that his voice sounds like a hiss, but it’s probably just my imagination getting carried way.
    â€˜First, you’re gonna drop my matchbox,’ he tells Maisy.
    She shakes her head, mouth drawn into a stiff line. ‘No. First, you’re going to point that gun away from my sister.’
    Maisy’s tone is fierce, so unlike her usual self. Half the time she’s practically a mouse: the meek little richie girl who grew up in luxury and never had to fight for a scrap to eat. But I know what she’s been through – and in a moment of danger, Maisy can be as brave as any of us.
    The Reptile man gives a low chuckle. ‘Like that, is it? Ah well, I must say I prefer a fight. But how do you know you’re not already dead?’
    Maisy glances at the man’s limbs, which crawl with reptilian bodies. She must know the danger his snakes present, but she refuses to check the ground at her feet. One glance downwards is what the hunters are waiting for. Just a moment of distraction . . .
    â€˜If you shoot me,’ Clementine says, ‘my sister will burn your head off.’
    â€˜Maybe,’ the hunter says. ‘Maybe not. But if we let you go, Sharr’ll do a lot worse than that to us. Think I’ll take my chances with the little girl.’
    Maisy brings her match closer to the flint, and the hunter can’t quite hide his flinch. Clementine smiles.
    I glance across at Teddy and Lukas. Neither seems sure what to do. Teddy is frozen, his eyes fixed on Clementine – and the gun that’s aimed at her head. It’s odd to see Clementine smiling while Teddy’s stressing, but I guess you can never predict how people will react to danger.
    Lukas meets my eyes and whispers, ‘Illusion.’
    My breath falters. I know he’s right, but he doesn’t know what happened earlier, how my illusion powers tangled into my proclivity. The thought of casting another illusion now makes my veins run cold.
    But I can’t just stand here and let the twins be killed. Not when I can do