Brenner pushed against the ropes and got a bit farther than Caliban had, but not enough to make a difference. “No. I’ve been trying.”
“Hmm.”
“I really, really want a cigarette.”
“I really, really don’t care.”
They lapsed into silence again. Caliban’s cheek was going numb from being plastered against the dirt, and he wiggled around untilhe could turn his head. Unfortunately, this meant he was looking at Brenner.
Dreaming God, if you still have any scrap of kindness for your servant, please don’t let him be my last sight on this earth.
“What do you think they are?” asked Brenner.
“What?”
“The things that captured us.”
“I’m pretty sure they’re rune.”
“Rune?”
“Forest people. What you get when dryads mate with stag men for a few hundred generations, or something like that. I’m not really sure.” He’d seen them in illuminated manuscripts, but never in real life. Up until a few hours ago, he hadn’t thought they existed anywhere but a monk’s feverish imagination.
“Look about right for that.”
“Yeah.”
It was strange, but he hadn’t remembered reading that rune were anything but shy and harmless creatures. Apparently the monks had left the bit about kidnapping out.
“They seem very angry about something.”
“That they do.”
“Looks like this is their village.”
“Does it?” Caliban wondered if he could gnaw through Brenner’s ropes, or vice versa. It seemed unlikely.
“There was a whole circle of these little dirt huts. They must dig a hole and then build the walls up around it.”
“Oh. You’ve got better eyes than I do. Or they were holding you right-side up.”
“Mm.”
“Don’t suppose you saw a way out?”
“No.”
Having thus exhausted the conversational possibilities, they lay there. Caliban wiggled his fingers. They burned as the blood flowed back into them.
He wondered what Slate would say if she were here, and was extremely glad she wasn’t.
Assuming she doesn’t take it in her head to come after us…no. She wants to live now, and chasing after mad deer people isn’t a good start on that. And after that charming little display on your part, I doubt she’d walk across the street to save you, let alone stage a daring rescue on a village full of demented deer people.
Thank the Dreaming God. We’re going to die, but at least she and Edmund will get away.
Hopefully.
It was a tiny, mean emotion, entirely unworthy of a paladin, but he was glad that Brenner was here with him.
