“He’s preparing them for their trip to theafterlife.”
Shea looked up in alarm. “We don’t have timefor a burial. Shadow beetles live in pairs.”
“Relax, our people aren’t interred beneaththe ground like you mud squatters. If a body can be taken back tocamp, we offer them up to the sky and give them a funeralpyre.”
Shea blanched. That was even worse. No waycould they lug two dead bodies smelling of blood and meat all theway back to camp without encountering beasts.
“Since we’re a very warlike people and mostof us die in battle, this often isn’t possible. Eamon will cuttheir hair and take their amulet. Later, he’ll burn the two itemsso their spirits have a path to follow to the other world.”
Shea relaxed. That wasn’t as bad. Though shewould prefer to be out of here sooner rather than later.
“You really think there are more?”
“I know so.” She gestured at the bodies. “Theshadow beetle didn’t eat the bodies. Means it probably has young itwanted to feed. Where there’s young, there’s usually a mate.”
“Great.”
Pretty much.
Eamon insisted they head back to the horsesfirst to see if the others had returned.
Shea didn’t like the idea much, but with Lorndead, Eamon was in charge. Since she’d given up her opportunity toescape, she was back to playing the obedient soldier.
One day she was going to get control ofherself and stop doing stupid shit to save ungrateful idiots.
For now, she waited by the horses with foldedarms and a tapping foot. She wanted to be gone. Hanging aroundwasn’t smart. Not with a mate and possible young still outthere.
Vale and his team weren’t back yet.
Shea had a strong feeling they weren’tcoming. She’d noticed at least one burrow hole in the rock walls.It probably led all the way to the other canyon. Chances were goodthe other group had encountered the same problems as Eamon’s.
“We need to go after them,” Eamon said,coming to stand beside Shea.
She sighed. She knew he was going to saythat.
“Is there any way to see that thing before itstrikes?”
She tipped her head back. That was a goodquestion.
“Chances are it’s gotten to Vale and histeam. If it has glutted itself on blood, it’ll lose a little of itscamouflage. If it hasn’t eaten any of them yet, it will only beseen once it moves.”
“Where’s my rope?” Buck asked from behindthem. He held his saddlebag up and then glared suspiciously atShea. “I’m also missing a knife.”
She turned away and made a face at thecanyon. She’d forgotten about that. That meant her pack was stillsitting at the top of the cliff.
“Uh-“
“You took it, didn’t you?”
“I may have, in my haste, gone through yourbags, looking for anything that might be of use.”
“And you thought my rope would beuseful?”
She shrugged. “Well, it did come inhandy.”
“And my knife?”
“You can never have too many knives.”
