Beyond the Shadows: Second Edition (The Shadow Series Book 1) by Anna Hub

Author:Anna Hub [Hub, Anna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-04-21T23:00:00+00:00

Brayden grabbed handfuls of berries while I rested by the water. I couldn’t shake away the anxiety from the cat attack but he seemed to have forgotten all about it. That idea in itself was unsettling. It was like he'd lost the capacity to feel fear anymore.

When we'd first met, it was his fear that stood out the most. He'd tried to mask it but every time there had been a sound in the forest I felt the tension blending between us. He'd spent many long fearful nights checking his surroundings frantically, but not anymore. The attack with the hunter had proved he wasn’t afraid to fight against them, which in itself was a sure sign he was different. But the cat was far more dangerous and seeing the way he reacted proved he wasn’t afraid of them either—not like he should be.

Then there was the fact that he’d barely mentioned his death. The first day he found out, he was clearly disturbed by it but he seemed to let it go far quicker than anyone should. Either that or he was really good at hiding it.

“Do you think the hunters talk to each other?” I wondered how things started out with them. Were these first few sightings of grey a sign he was eventually going to lose himself completely?

“No.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“I was being stalked by a man one day then a second happened to come across us. I thought they would work together to catch me. Instead, they turned on each other. I escaped while they were fighting.”

“Like they were yesterday?”

“Exactly. I've never seen them work together. They're always alone.” He sat beside me.

“Do you think they were like us once?”

Brayden stopped and took in my expression. “We’re nothing like them.”

I nodded and picked a leaf apart with my fingers. “I researched how to make a fire.” I'd been afraid to mention it earlier but now I wanted to test him. “The hand drill, which is what we were trying, only works if there is low humidity and low rainfall.”

Brayden turned with his eyebrows raised.

“Maybe that’s why it was so difficult. It's rained a lot recently. There's another method called the fire plough. You need to use a soft wood base which has a groove cut in the centre.” I drew a mark in the sand to show him what I meant. “Then using hard wood, you plough through. As you push it, tinder is shaved free and eventually the friction will cause it to light.”

He nodded as though it was all the description he needed.

“I don’t know the difference between hard wood and soft wood but I thought since you were a carpenter, you would know.”

As afternoon settled in, the wind rushed through the valley once again. It seemed for most of the day it provided shelter but before the sun set, the gales blew cold.

“Do you think it would be warmer by the rocks?” I asked.

“Maybe. But I don’t like being trapped up there. The river corners us by the cliff face and up on the rocks there is no quick escape.

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