Shadowlark Read Online Free PDF Page A

against it. Though the window shutters were closed, I could see glimpses of light through the cracks. Not nighttime yet, but close.
    “Don’t worry,” said Trina. I knew she was trying to be comforting, and maybe that confidence was enough to fool her children, but I could hear her fear behind her firm voice. “We’re safe in here. Brandon’s the best woodsmith in the city—nothing’s getting through that door.”
    “Tell us about yourselves,” said Brandon, changing the subject.
    Tansy answered first, and I settled back against one of the screens, my feet stretched out toward the fire, content to let her tell our story. I slipped one hand inside my pack and felt the cool metal of Nix’s body bump up against my fingers. Sill there, still hiding.
    I knew I’d never get used to the way Tansy talked about me, like I was some sort of hero or saint. I never heard her sound anything less than sincere, but I couldn’t understand her faith in me. Maybe to her, and her people, I was some kind of hero. I’d stopped the army of machines from my city from overrunning the Iron Wood and enslaving the Renewables hiding there.
    But my city also never would have known where the Iron Wood was if it weren’t for me. And Tansy didn’t know about the child I killed. Didn’t know how all I wanted to do was find my brother and a place to be safe. That when I saw shadows, I didn’t fight—I ran away.
    I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t notice Molly creeping closer to me until a pair of small, warm hands reached for my arm to move it aside. I shifted without thinking, and the little girl crawled into my lap. I froze, glancing up at her parents. Brandon was intent on Tansy’s story, but Trina was watching me and Molly with a smile. I could tell by her faint surprise that this was unusual behavior for her daughter, but that she was happy to see her overcoming her shyness. There probably wasn’t much opportunity in a life as brutal and ruled by fear as this one.
    I was the youngest of my family and never had any little kids around to take care of. Molly was small enough that I had no idea what I was supposed to do with her. Uncomfortable, I shifted my weight, half-hoping the girl would go away if I did. But no. All she did was turn enough so she could crane her head around and look up at me.
    “Can I tell you a secret?” she whispered as Tansy continued chattering on. She wrapped her hands around locks of my brown hair, giving a firm tug.
    I nodded and let her pull me down so she could whisper in my ear.
    “I like your friend.”
    Of course. Tansy was the social one, after all. The one with the good stories and the rich voice. I smiled at Molly. “Why don’t you go sit in her lap?”
    The girl shook her head, impatient, and tugged at my hair for me to lean down again. “No, your secret friend.”
    I looked down and saw that Nix had half-crawled onto my hand, its jeweled eyes visible on this side of the pack only. It gave a tiny, startled buzz and dropped back into darkness.
    Molly laughed and leaned back against me.
    What a bizarre child. Way too observant for someone her age. But then, I’d always been quiet, too. Unusual, out of place. Bemused, I put my arms around her.
    The atmosphere inside was so congenial and warm that I began to grow drowsy, and I forgot it was only afternoon, not night. But eventually Brandon stood, setting aside his carving and stretching.
    “Time for lock-up,” he announced. When I looked, I saw that the light coming through the cracks was almost invisible now, no brighter than the firelight inside.
    Tansy and I helped move all the barricades into place, taking over from Trina, who usually helped her husband secure the building. The huge wooden structures were far too heavy for one person—I was surprised they were even able to do it normally with just two. How afraid they must be , I realized, feeling a little sick. I wished there was something I could do to help them.
    Brandon checked