A Sliver of Shadow (AS 2) by Pang Allison

Author:Pang, Allison [Pang, Allison]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Fantasy, General, Contemporary, Fiction
ISBN: 9781439198421
Publisher: Pocket Books
Published: 2012-02-28T08:00:00+00:00

Eighteen

Numbly, I sat as far from the corpse as possible, shivering as the night’s chill descended upon the pond in a fine mist. The tinderbox had been a complete and utter failure. I’d managed to get a few sparks out if it, once I’d figured out the striking mechanism, but my fingers continued to fumble in the waning light until I could barely see what I was doing.

“Fuck it.” I rocked back and forth with my arms wrapped around my knees for warmth. If my clothes hadn’t been damp, the air would have been tolerable, but for the moment it sucked mightily.

I curled up on the tattered remains of Talivar’s cloak, desperately wishing I could take off my shoes. On the other hand, if something came up and I needed to run, the last thing I wanted to deal with was stepping on something thorny. Thus far, except for small rustlings, the night had been quiet. Occasionally soft, glowing lights sparkled in the distance—small will-o’-the-wisps, perhaps, enticing me to follow.

At one point, the whispered strains of music trickled through the trees, echoed by the beckoning gleam of a bright, warm fire. My eyelids drooped even as I started to get to my feet, the urge to be warm and safe overtaking everything else. My foot stumbled over the dead woman’s satchel and I sank to the ground. Abruptly the light disappeared, the music cut off, and I knew it had been just another Faerie trick.

Once I caught the chime of bells, and my heart lurched, Ion’s name dying on my lips as a little pixie fluttered by carrying a cluster of bluebells. She eyed me curiously, her wings that of a great luna moth. Miserable, I laid my head on my knees, closing my eyes. Where the hell was Talivar?

“Absinthe?”

I let out a muffled shriek as a calloused hand slid over my mouth.

“It’s me … Jimmy Squarefoot.” The pig-man raised his head, releasing me gently. “I’ve found her,” he shouted behind us.

I whipped around, nearly sobbing with relief as Talivar emerged from the shadows of the wood, a small ball of witchlight at his head. The silhouettes of other elves followed behind him, about twenty or so, and a few horses as well. Coughing, I staggered to my feet. “Talivar?”

Swiftly, he crossed the remaining distance, catching me gently around the shoulders. He began to pat me down, his fingers tracing through my hair and over my face. “Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

My voice was somehow stuck in my throat, a great lump making it hard to swallow. “I’m okay. Just wet and cold.”

“That damnable puca.”

“The Protectorate,” I mumbled, pointing where she lay. “I found her. Tried to use her tinderbox to make a fire, but I … I couldn’t get it to work.” My head swirled, my legs swaying from underneath me. Talivar caught me and supported my weight on his strong side.

I heard Jimmy Squarefoot snuffling at the ground. “Aye, she’s the right of it. Fae woman and foul play, belike.

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