Nightpeople Read Online Free PDF Page A

shadows.
    Casting a last quick glance back into the dark interior of the hut, Saria picked her way slowly over to where the creek path disappeared between a couple of scrubby bushes. In the dappled moonlight, the path, which was so familiar that during daylight she could follow it with her eyes shut, appeared suddenly foreboding, a trail into the unknown.
    Drawing a shallow breath, Saria stepped into the shadows and scurried towards the creek as quickly as she dared.
    By the water, near where she’d found the lizard, Saria sat and waited, listening for something, anything, that she could reach into and whose senses she could use to find the man and discover where he’d gone. A frog would do the trick, or a rock-hopper, if one came by to drink, though they tended to be more skittery after dark, and much harder to settle into.
    Nothing came, and Saria sat for some time with just the gurgle of the creek for company. Otherwise, everything was silent.
    Too silent, she realised with a jolt.
    There should at least be some noise, some movement. A cicada clicking, or a night bird calling from the trees that lined the creek bed. But there wasn’t even that.
    Standing slowly, Saria carefully examined the small spaces between the bushes, peering as hard as she could into the deep pools of shadow between the trees and the rocks.
    â€˜Looking for me?’
    Dariand appeared out of nowhere, materialising from the darkness to be suddenly standing at the edge of the creek, only a few steps from where Saria had been sitting. Startled, she yelped.
    â€˜You scared me!’
    â€˜Sorry.’ Even in the moonlight she could read his face clearly, the amused twisting at the corners of his mouth suggesting he wasn’t sorry at all. ‘What are you doing out here?’
    â€˜Nothing.’
    â€˜Trying to follow me, I’ll bet.’
    â€˜No! I was just … looking.’
    â€˜Whatever you say, girl.’ The tone of his voice made it clear that he didn’t believe her. ‘You’re your mother’s daughter, alright. I’m glad I found you, though. Saves me going back to the hut.’
    â€˜What do you mean?’
    â€˜It’s time to go.’ Dariand nodded to where the path behind vanished into the night. ‘At least now we won’t have to disturb Ma from her sleep.’
    â€˜But …’
    â€˜There’s nothing to say, girl. It’s time. Come over here.’
    Without waiting to see if she was going to obey, Dariand crouched and unslung a long, narrow cloth sack that hung across his back, then started rummaging in it.
    â€˜What are you doing?’
    â€˜You can’t travel wearing that robe.’ From the sack he pulled a longer garment, similar to his own, and threw it at her. ‘Put this on. It’ll keep the sun off you during the day, and keep you warmer at night, as well.’
    The robe was too big but Dariand rolled the sleeves and tucked the hem up, pinning it into place with sharpened slithers of bone. Against her bare arms and legs the long robe felt strange, smooth but kind of smothering.
    â€˜That’ll do. Now these.’ He pulled from the sack a pair of objects that Saria immediately recognised.
    â€˜I don’t want to wear them.’
    â€˜You have to. Without them, your feet will suffer. And that’ll slow us down.’
    â€˜Doesn’t matter. I’m not going.’
    â€˜We’ve been through this already, girl.’ Without giving her a chance to object again, Dariand lifted one of Saria’s feet and slipped the hide bag over it. ‘This isn’t about you, or me. It’s about the whole Darklands.’
    â€˜Darklands?’ Saria looked at him, puzzled. ‘What’s that?’
    Dariand was now lacing up the leather thong that held the shoes in place. He didn’t even look up as he answered.
    â€˜Everything’s Darklands. As far as you and I are concerned, the whole world is Darklands.