Staggering into a clearing, she dropped to her knees. Wet soil oozed around her legs as she bent towards the darque plant. Another rumble of pain struck her stomach and Maylie found herself snatching up the large yellowed leaves and cramming them into her mouth whole. Almost gagging, she forced herself to chew, ignoring the muddy, sour taste. After two more hurried mouthfuls, she felt the darque taking effect.
Maylie rocked back on her heels, suddenly dizzy. The trees around her began to shift and quiver. Perhaps in her haste she had taken too much.
She collapsed on to her side, cheek pressed to soil, dark hair mashed into the mud. Beneath her, the ground lilted and spun. She wheezed, surrendering to the effects of the darque. Her stomach was still cramping and contracting, but now she was numb to the pain.
Maylie lay, waiting for it to be over.
Above her, dawn light brightened the crosshatch of leaves and branches. Around the clearing, long reeds rustled and twigs snapped as creatures scurried and slithered past.
Daybreak had become morning.
At the very edge of her vision, Maylie saw something glint. A silvery shadow.
She groaned in surprise and moved her head, but the shadow moved too. It remained only just visible, a soft haze.
She thought she had lost the Sight some time ago, but she knew she was not mistaken: a few paces away stood a tall, lithe figure.
It had been so long.
Maylie had not seen these shadows since her girlhood, before everything had changed. Sometimes, if she was foraging late in the evening, eyelids drooping with tiredness, she might think she saw a flicker over her shoulder and, suddenly awake and alert, she would turn quickly – only to see nothing.
She did not know if this sighting was due to the darque or her condition, but she was comforted by its presence. The Hidden People of the mountain were not known for their kindness, but Maylie felt she was being watched over. Guarded.
She sighed and closed her eyes.
Sometime later, when she woke, the ground had stopped spinning.
She hauled herself upright, wiping smudges of dirt from her cheeks and pulling twigs from her hair. The spasms of pain in her abdomen had lessened and what remained was a dull ache, a sense of emptiness.
Around her, the clearing was bright and quiet.
The shadow was gone.
Maylie shrugged off her fur and cloak; then she peeled off her chemise, now drenched and soiled. Crouching naked in the mud, tears slid from her eyes. She carefully folded the chemise and pressed it into the earth over the blood and remains she must leave behind. Snatching up leaves and handfuls of grass, Maylie covered the spot, her lips muttering a prayer to the Great Creator.
It had been such a wonderful surprise two moons ago to realize her blood was late. They had not been trying for a baby, but another addition to their family of five was welcome. Chrisanie hadbeen delighted. Everything had been going so well. Maylie had all the usual nausea and tiredness, and she had assumed the new baby would arrive by midwinter. Perhaps it would be a girl. The thought was both painful and wonderful. She had been full of such excitement, but now that was gone.
Shivering, she pulled the cloak and fur around her shoulders with numb, trembling fingers. The ties slipped twice before catching. Then she hesitated, glancing at the ground behind her; at what she was leaving there.
After a moment, she tore herself away.
As Maylie walked slowly back through the trees, she sensed eyes upon her. Though she could no longer see the silver shadow, she could feel its searing, charged presence close by. It was following her.
When she finally reached the edge of the forest, she stepped out of the cover of the trees into the bright mountainside. The weak, watery sunshine took her by surprise and she staggered. Winter had receded, almost overnight, and the first spring dawn was just five days away. The thought brought a familiar, heavy dread to her chest.
‘May?’ called a deep voice.
Blinking, Maylie saw a tall, wiry figure hurrying towards her. His shirt was only half buttoned and his lips were pulled back in a panicked grimace.
‘We’ve been looking all over for you!’ Chrisanie panted.
Maylie felt her husband’s steady grip on her shoulders and her knees began to buckle.
‘Chrisanie …’ she whispered. ‘I’ve lost the baby.’
FOUR DAYS BEFORE THE 300TH MAIDEN SACRIFICE
Alinore
