Dan pulled three planks from the pile of rope and wood, and put them on the fire. The fire was getting hot. The cave felt warmer. He took several shiny, thin, metal instruments from a small metal box. It seemed to Sallina that Dan's pack must be full of shiny metal things, all wrapped up. He put the metal instruments and the metal box into his pot of water and put the pot back on the fire.
Baat crouched by the fire and looked into the pot. He shook his head. Dan ignored him.
"I go outside," Baat said, "Watch water, watch for boat."
"The boat's not coming," Dan said.
"I go anyway."
Dan looked up at Baat. The fire cracked. A spark bounced across the cave floor and stopped near Garibaldi's leg. Garibaldi smiled at the spark. He raised his cup of hot water to his mouth and blew upon it.
"Okay," Dan said, "Go. When the sky starts to brighten, come inside. If you hear anyone, come inside."
"I come if I see boat."
"You won't see the boat."
Dan turned back to the fire. Baat walked to the cave mouth. Boli stood up and stepped out of the way. Baat walked out into the night. Sallina watched the mouth of the cave. It was black outside. What if the boat did come? How could Dan be so sure that the boat would not come?
She closed her eyes. There were so many things Dan was doing that did not make sense. The only way Dan could be sure that the rowboat was not coming was if Dan and the Captain had already agreed that, no matter what happened, the rowboat would not come. And if that was true, Dan and the Captain must have had some plan of their own, a secret plan. What was it? The cave was part of the plan. That's why they were here. That's why Dan knew the cave was here. Did Dan really expect Sallina to believe that he knew there was a good place to hide in this ravine, just by looking at the ravine from the deck of the Reliant yesterday?
She opened her eyes. Dan was stirring the instruments in his pot of water. The water was starting to boil. Dan looked over his shoulder at Garibaldi.
"Drink up. I want that hot water inside you. Then I'm going to see to that wound of yours."
Garibaldi nodded. He blew on the hot water again and took a sip. He smiled at Dan.
"Sugar?"
Dan nodded. "Aye. Nothing but the best at Dan's Field Hospital for Wounded Woodcutters."
Garibaldi laughed. Sallina was surprised. She did not know that Garibaldi was still well enough to laugh. She was glad.
"Give me the helmet," Dan said to Sallina.
Sallina picked up the helmet that had been part of Garibaldi's crutch. She handed it to Dan. He put it next to the fire. He took his instruments out of the pot of boiling water and placed them in the metal box. He picked up the pot with its handle and poured the water into the helmet. He had to hold the helmet while he did this, because it had a round bottom and it would not stand up on its own.
"Chimeg," Dan said. "Sit in the cave mouth and watch. Tell Boli to come and sit by the fire and hold this against his tummy."
Boli came and sat in the light of the fire. He held the helmet with hot water tight to his tummy. He bent his legs up on either side of his hands, pressing his thighs against the helmet and his bare feet against the cave floor. His trouser-bottoms were pulled up to his calves. There was a cut on one of his shins. Sallina remembered him falling in the avenue. The ankle of his other leg was swollen and blue.
Boli was shivering. His hair was wet and hanging down over his forehead. His lips were blue and his fingers were white. Sallina looked into his eyes and he looked back. His eyes were large. They looked straight into hers without blinking. His skin was dark and smooth. He smiled. He was a handsome boy. Did Chimeg love him instead of Baat? No, that was impossible. Boli was just a boy. But maybe Boli loved Chimeg.
Sallina looked away. Garibaldi drank the last of his sugar-water. He put the cup on the ground beside him. It clinked on the packed dirt. "Another one, please, Mr. Landlord."
Dan picked up the cup and put it by the fire. He gave Sallina the pot. "Fill this up again." He picked up his box of instruments and crouched beside Garibaldi. Sallina stood up. She put her jacket on and started doing up its buttons.
"Well now, my lad," Dan said, "I'll bring you another cup soon enough, but first you have to give me some entertainment."
"What kind of entertainment?" Garibaldi said.
"I'm going to stick needles in you, just for fun."
Garibaldi nodded. "Do your worst." He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the top of the rock.
Dan looked up at Sallina. He pointed towards the cave mouth. "Go, now."
"But..."
"Go. I told you, you take orders, or you'll suffer for it later."
Sallina's heart was pounding. She looked at Garibaldi. He was too weak to get angry at Dan for speaking to her like this. She did not want to leave him alone. She looked at Dan. He stared up at her. There was no expression upon his face. His face was like that of the man with white hair. There was no feeling in it. She shivered. Was that how his face looked when he used to kill people for money?
Sallina turned and walked towards the cave mouth. There was no point in disobeying Dan or getting mad at him. She had no doubt that he could beat her in a fight. Even though he was a skinny, old man, she was frightened of him. But Baat was not frightened of Dan. Baat was so quick and skillful. Surely Baat could beat Dan in a fight? The sailors on the Reliant did not seem to think so. They were worried for Baat when Baat had insulted Dan on the ship's deck. But they had never seen Baat fight for real, like he fought in Diamara's garden.
Chimeg stood aside to let Sallina pass through the cave entrance.
"Thank you," Sallina said.
"You are welcome."
Sallina went out into the darkness. Not even the Captain knew how good Baat was in a fight. Whatever secret plan Dan and the Captain had made, they had not planned for Baat being so good with his sticks. They did not know that Baat could protect them from Dan.
Sallina moved down the ravine. She stepped slowly on the rocks. She could not see Baat.
"Baat?"
There was no answer. She walked another ten steps over the rocks.
"Baat?"
Where was he? What had happened to him? Had he fallen off the end of the ravine in the dark? Were there people in the ravine waiting to kill her? She crouched down, holding the pot in one hand.
"Baat!"
Rain stung Sallina's face. The rocks pressed hard against her knees and shins. Surely Baat must be there. She needed him.
"I here."
He was only five steps away. She crawled over the rocks towards his voice. She felt his hand upon her head. He was sitting with his back against the ravine wall, just one step from where the ravine ended at the cliff. The wind was roaring above them and the waves were crashing below them on the beach. She pushed herself up against the rock next to him, and pressed her side against his.
"I thought you had fallen off."
"No, I not want to make noise. You shouted. Not good to shout."
Sallina nodded in the darkness. "No rowboat yet?"
"No boat."
It was cold, sitting on the wet rocks in the rain. And it was noisy too. This was not a good place to talk. But she and Baat were alone, and she wanted to tell him about Dan. How should she begin? Should she start with Dan saying, It will be a shame to lose you?
She stared into the darkness. Lightening flashed far away. She counted slowly. When she reached fifteen, she heard thunder. Fifteen divided by three was five. The lightening was five kilometers away.
"I want to talk to you about Dan."
"I not like Dan," Baat said.
"I know that. But I think he has a plan. He's going to do something."
"What he do?"
Above the sound of the waves and the wind, she heard Garibaldi scream. She jumped up and started running towards the cave. Baat came after her. She fell and struck her knee on a rock. She stood up and kept running. She fell again and bruised her hand. Baat helped her to her feet. She ran forward and bumped into Chimeg in the cave mouth. Chimeg fell backwards, but caught herself with one hand against the cave wall. Sallina stumbled into the cave.
"Garibaldi!"
Dan was crouched beside Garibaldi. His light was in his teeth and shining upon Garibaldi's leg. He had a needle and thread in his hand. He was sewing the sides of Garibaldi's cut together. He paid no attention to Sallina. She stood panting with Baat behind her. Garibaldi opened his eyes and looked at her. He had a piece of wood in his mouth. He was biting upon it.
The sewing needle Dan was using was like a fish-hook. It bent around in a loop. The thread was thick and shiny in the light of his luminous stone. Dan's fingers moved quickly. Each time he pushed the needle into Garibaldi's skin, Garibaldi grunted and bit upon the piece of wood. Dan said nothing. He could not say anything because he had his light in his mouth.
Dan was not sewing. He was making loops of thread and tying each of them separately. He tied one loop after another, his fingers moving fast. She stood and watched, her eyes wide and her mouth half-open. She counted the stitches.
The ninth stitch was the last. Dan pulled it tight, tied the knot, and cut off the extra thread with his knife. He put his instruments in their metal box, took the lamp out of his mouth, and stood up. He breathed deeply and put his hands upon his lower back.
"Oh my."
"Is he okay?" Sallina said.
Dan stared at the ceiling and stretched his arms. "Oh, he's fine. It's me I'm worried about. I'm too old to bend over like that for so long."
Garibaldi took the piece of wood out of his mouth. His face was pale. "Can I have my hot sugar water now?"
Dan looked at Sallina. "Where's my pot?"
Sallina suddenly felt sick. She had dropped the pot outside. She stared at Dan and said nothing.
Dan bent down and picked up his light. He handed it to Sallina. "Take this. Find the pot. Fill it, and bring it back. No chatting outside with Baat. No shouting. Got it?"
Sallina nodded. She took the light. She turned and left the cave. It was easy to walk with the light. And what a marvelous thing the light was. It was cool and hard in her hand, but it shed bright white light in a circle.
She shone the light upon the rocks of the ravine floor. Towards the end of the ravine something sparkled in the light. It was Dan's pot. She smiled. That was easy. She walked to the pot and picked it up.
When she was carrying the pot back to the cave, full of water, she looked up at the sky. Was it still dark? She pressed the end of Dan's light to her leg, covering it. She stared at the sky. No, the sky was not dark. It was brightening. She sun was rising somewhere, above the clouds, far away.
Baat was sitting at the entrance of the cave. Sallina stepped past him. Chimeg and Boli were beside the fire. Garibaldi was lying on the floor. Dan took the pot of water and the lamp. He put the lamp in his pocket and the pot on the fire. The coals of the fire were hot and bright. She looked at the space where the pile of wood had been. There was none left. When the fire died, the cave would get cold again.
"It's getting light outside," Sallina said.
Dan nodded. "Thank you."
She knelt beside Garibaldi. He had a fresh bandage on his leg. She touched the bandage. "Does it feel better?"
Garibaldi smiled. "No."
She held his hand.
He stared up at her. "Did you think Dan was hurting me?"
Sallina nodded.
Dan sprinkled some sugar in the pot of water. "I was hurting him, Miss."
Garibaldi looked at Dan. "He was."
"You have nine stitches," Sallina said.
Garibaldi closed his eyes. Dan stood up. "I'm going outside. Chimeg, watch the water." He pointed at Garibaldi. "Make hot drink for Garibaldi."
"I'll make his drink," Sallina said.
Dan smiled at her. "Oh, you'll need some time to talk to Baat while I'm gone, won't you?"
Sallina stared at him. Had he heard them talking outside? That was impossible. The wind was too loud. She looked at Garibaldi. His eyes were still closed. Had Garibaldi said something to Dan? What could he have said? She had not spoken to Garibaldi about Dan.
When she looked up again, Dan was stepping outside the cave. Baat watched him go. She crouched next to Garibaldi. She did want to talk to Baat. But she would not do it now, not when Dan thought she was going to do it.
Yes, that seemed best. She would wait to talk to Baat. She turned to Garibaldi and squeezed his hand. His hand felt warm. She sat beside him. It was getting smokey in the cave. She looked up at the ceiling. There was a cloud of smoke there. Where was it all going? She watched it. The smoke moved towards the far end of the cave, and into the crack in the ceiling. Where did it go after that? It must come out somewhere.
Sallina closed her eyes. She realized that she was exhausted. She curled up and leaned her head against Garibaldi's shoulder. He was breathing deeply. He was asleep.
When Sallina opened her eyes, her neck was stiff and her back hurt. She sat up and stretched her neck from side to side. Daylight shone through the mouth of the cave. It was sunny outside. The light was so bright she could not look at the cave mouth without squinting.
Boli had his head in Chimeg's lap. They were asleep next to the fireplace. They had Baat's cloak pulled up over them as a blanket. The fire had burned out, but the rock around it was warm. Baat was sitting nearby, on the other side of Garibaldi, closer to the cave mouth than Sallina. He was awake and staring at the entrance of the cave.
Sallina tried to get up. Her left hip hurt. When did that happen? She fell when she stopped in front of the policemen. Her right knee hurt. She had fallen when she was running back to the cave in the dark. When she tried to use her left hand to help herself stand up, she felt a stab of pain. She could not use it. When did that happen? Also when she was running back to the cave. Why had she not felt the pain when it happened?
Baat looked at her. He nodded but did not smile.
Sallina turned on her side, moved into a crouch and rose to her knees. She put her right hand upon the rock that Garibaldi was leaning against, and stood up. She winced. Her feet hurt all over.
She looked at the cave mouth. Her eyes were used to the sunlight now. She stared at the bright light outside, shining upon the walls of the ravine. She must have slept for at least two hours, but not more than that. The ravine walls were still wet from the rain.
Where was Dan? Had he not come back yet? She took a step towards the cave mouth. He was sitting next to a rock just inside the entrance. How was it that she had not seen him before? He had his cloak drawn about him. It was not the same color as the other rocks in the cave, but it had fallen about him in the shape of a rock. He did not move.
She needed to pee. She walked to Dan. He looked up at her and smiled.
"Sleep well Miss?"
"I want to go out."
He shook his head and pointed to the back of the cave.
She looked at the back of the cave and at Dan. Fine, she would pee at the back of the cave. She walked over the rocks, past the fireplace to the shadows at the back. She found a crack in the floor. She pulled her trousers down and peed on the crack in the floor. She looked down to make sure her pee was going into the crack. It was. She watched her companions in the cave. Nobody looked at her. Baat was sharpening the end of his spear with a flat rock. Next to him on the ground was his helmet.
When she was finished, she stood up and buttoned her trousers. She was glad she did not have to pooh. She would be embarrassed to pooh in the cave. What if it was really smelly? She did not have any paper or water to clean her bottom, either. What water did they have in the cave, anyway? She had her canteen and Garibaldi's in her pack, but she had not filled them last night. She had forgotten. Dan's pot was next to the fire with water in it, and his cup too.
Baat sat up. He stared at the cave mouth without moving. Dan held his fingers to his lips and moved back into the shadows. Something was wrong. Sallina stood still and listened.
There were voices outside.
The voices grew louder. Sallina crawled on her hands and knees from the back of the cave. She did not want to trip and make a noise. When she was near the entrance, she stopped. The voices were still far away. She guessed that they were on the path at the top of the ravine. She was surprised that she could hear them so clearly. The wind must have stopped, or else it would blow the voices away from the cave. They were mens' voices. There were at least ten of them, maybe fifty. She could not make out what any one of them was saying, but she could hear them talking among themselves and occasionally laughing or shouting. She heard the tramping of their boots on the path, and the crunch of the rocks in the stream bed that crossed the path.
She had been holding her breath. Now she let it out. Whoever it was, they were not coming down the ravine towards the cave. The voices grew quieter as the men moved away along the path. Dan sat still, watching. Sallina sat down next to Baat. He held his spear and the sharpening stone in one hand. He watched the cave entrance. The three of them sat like that for what seemed like a long time. The only sound in the cave was the quiet sound of Garibaldi breathing and the distant crashing of the waves on the beach.
Dan stood up and moved back to Sallina and Baat. He squatted down beside them so his face was level with theirs. "Policemen. About thirty of them, heading for the stairs down to the beach. They may search the beach from the top of the stairs, looking down, or they may go down the stairs and search it properly. If they come back and search here, we will have to fight. I'll wake you up for that. But for now, both of you get some rest."
Sallina nodded. How could they fight thirty policemen? They would be trapped in the cave. There was no way out.
Baat stroked the blade of his spear with his stone.
Dan walked back to the cave mouth and sat down. Sallina crossed her arms. While Baat sharpened his spear, she thought about the best way to explain to Baat why it was she did not trust Dan to take them all back to the ship. She closed her eyes. She was so tired.
She opened her eyes and blinked. She must have fallen asleep again. Baat was sitting in the cave entrance, frowning at his spear point. Dan was sitting next to the pile of rope in the corner with his back to her. There was a coil of rope beside him on the floor. It was made of several pieces of thick rope tied together. There were many knots in it. He had his little, curved knife in one hand and a piece of frayed rope in the other. He folded the rope over the blade. The blade cut through the rope without a sound. Garibaldi, Chimeg, and Boli were asleep. Now was a good time to talk to Baat. She moved across the floor to the entrance and sat beside him.
"Baat," she whispered.
He looked up at her. "Yes."
"Garibaldi and I have one thousand guineas on the Reliant. It is in the Captain's chest."
You and I know that this was not exactly true. Half of their money was in the form of furs she had bought from Baat's father. But Sallina wanted to keep her story simple. She was not sure how long Dan would stay asleep.
She leaned close to Baat's ear. "If we don't get back to the ship, that gold will belong to the Captain."
Baat frowned.
"If we don't get back to the ship," Sallina said. "Dan will be able to sleep in his cabin again."
Baat looked at Dan's back. "You sleep in Dan's cabin?"
"Yes."
Baat looked at the floor. His mouth hung open. Sallina had never seen him let his mouth hang open before. He blinked. He looked at Sallina. "One thousand guineas?"
Sallina nodded.
"You say, one thousand? Ten times ten times ten?"
Sallina thought for a moment. Ten times ten was a hundred. Ten times a hundred was a thousand.
"Yes. Ten times ten times ten."
Baat put one hand in his hair and pulled on it. He stared at the floor. He put his hand on his lap and looked at Sallina. His lips trembled. His eyebrows were drawn together.
"Why not you tell me?" he said.
Sallina held her finger to her lips. "Quiet."
Baat looked at Dan. Dan did not turn around. He was looking at a piece of white-stained rope. A shadow fell across the cave mouth. A seagull called outside, and the shadow was gone. For a moment, Sallina had been frightened, but when she heard the gull's call, she smiled. The call reminded her of being on the Reliant.
"Why you not tell me," Baat said, "Are you crazy woman?"
Sallina frowned. "No, I'm not crazy." This conversation was not going as she had expected. Why was Baat getting angry at her? He should be angry at Dan.
Baat shook his head and clenched his teeth. He looked at Chimeg. Sallina waited for him to say something. He leaned towards her. "They trick us."
Sallina breathed out. He understood what she was saying after all. "That's what I thought. I have been trying to talk to you about it."
Baat squeezed his knee with one hand. "I am stupid boy. You see now? How silly to bring you and Garibaldi and Dan. How silly. Why not me only, with sword. I get Chimeg. I come back." He stared at her. "You see?"
Sallina nodded.Baat tapped his head with one finger. "If you tell me about gold. I think and I know. But you not tell me."
"You know what?" Sallina said.
"Today police will come. Big fight. Dan run away. We stay. Boat come get him tomorrow, maybe next day."
"How do you know?"
"When Dan go outside. You are sleeping." Baat said, "I hear him talking. He talking to policemen."
"Did you hear the policeman?"
Baat looked away. He leaned close to her ear. "No, but I hear Dan."
"What did he say?"
"I cannot understand. He come back, he smiling. He bring water. He say he hide marks of feet on rocks."
Sallina waited for Baat to say more. His mouth was still next to her ear. He breathed upon her neck. Maybe he was trying to figure out how to say something in Weilandic.
"Not making sense, Dan is. Feet not make marks on rocks. He make plan with policeman. They come get us. He go back boat. Captain keep money. Dan get cabin."
Sallina put her head in her hands. How could she have been so stupid? Ephistra warned them didn't he? That lovely, kind, old man in the forest. He warned her and Garibaldi. Don't trust anyone with the gold. And just because the Captain had been polite to her, she had trusted him.
Baat spoke in her ear. "You know what man he is?"
Sallina looked up. Baat was pointing at Dan. She looked at Dan's back.
"Yes. I know. He is an assassin."
Baat nodded. "Yes. My father tell me. He called manchurin, I don't know in your talk."
"Maybe it means 'ghost'," Sallina said.
"He kill women and children with knife. You see that knife he have? You see it?"
"Yes. The little one?"
"Little one."
They watched Dan. He put the white rope aside and reached for another piece.
"That knife kill many people."
Sallina shuddered. How could such a small knife kill many people? She closed her eyes. She did not want to think about it.
After a while, she said, "But he's not going to kill us."
"I not think he kill us. He let police take us."
Sallina stared at the floor. Were she and Garibaldi going to be slaves?
"But your father will be angry if you do not come home."
"The Captain tell him I go off and get girl, not come back."
"Sukh will come and get you himself," Sallina said, "Then he will know the truth."
Baat nodded. He stared at the floor for a while. "Dan must kill me."
"How can he do that? You are a great fighter."
Baat picked up his spear and looked at Dan. "I am ready. He not kill me." He put his hand on Sallina's knee. "You help Garibaldi. He strong. He can walk. I keep you safe."
"What about Chimeg and Boli?"
Baat looked at the young woman and the boy. "I keep them safe too."
"How can you do that, with thirty policemen coming?"
"I am son of Sukh."
Sallina nodded. It was true. He was the son of Sukh. But he was only sixteen.
Dan sat up and turned around. He stood and stretched his arms. "Ah." He looked around. "I'm tired." He pointed his finger at Baat. "You should be looking out the cave mouth and listening for policemen, not talking to the young lady."
Baat looked out of the cave mouth.
Sallina thought about what they would do if the police came looking for them. How could Baat save them? Perhaps if they had the man with white hair with them, they would be able to defeat the policemen. But not Baat on his own. And if Dan turned to fight Baat also, what then? She shook her head. She was so tired. She could not think clearly. She moved back to her place next to Garibaldi, leaned upon the cave wall, and closed her eyes.
A movement beside her woke her up. She looked around. Dan was kneeling beside Garibaldi. Garibaldi was eating a piece of bread. Seeing the bread, Sallina felt hungry. Her mouth began to water.
"Here," Dan said. He gave her a piece of dried meat, a lump of cheese, and a piece of bread.
"Thank you," she said. She put the cheese in her mouth. It was cheese from the Reliant. She liked it very much. Today it tasted better than ever.
Chimeg and Boli were still sleeping. Dan put food on his plate and set the plate beside them. Baat was awake, but he was not eating. He was sitting next to the cave mouth, watching the ravine.
Sallina finished her cheese and ate her bread. The bread was delicious also, even though it was a bit wet. It was baked by Pops. She could tell from how it tasted. When she finished the bread, she looked at the small piece of dried meat. It was beef jerky. She bit a piece off and chewed. She closed her eyes so she could enjoy it better.
She was still hungry when she finished her beef jerky. She took her canteen out of her pack and drank from it. It was half-full, which was better than empty.
"I have to pee," Garibaldi said.
Sallina stood up. Every part of her body seemed to hurt now. Sleeping against the cave rocks was not good for her. "At the back. I'll help you."
She helped Garibaldi stand up. He had his spear shaft in one hand. They walked to the back of the cave. Sallina pointed to the crack in the floor. "There."
Garibaldi peed against the wall above the crack. His pee ran down the wall and disappeared. He closed his eyes.
"Ah," he said, "That's better."
Sallina giggled.
Garibaldi opened his eyes. "What?"
She leaned close to him. "Whatever happens, remember that I love you."
Garibaldi buttoned up his pants while standing on one leg. "Okay, I'll remember."
Sallina felt foolish. She was hoping that Garibaldi would say he loved her too, but of course he didn't. He never said things like that when she expected him too, only when she was not expecting him to.
She helped him back to his place. He lay down on the ground. Chimeg and Boli were still asleep.
Baat stood up. "I not go to back of cave."
Dan turned and looked at him. "You mean you're going to go right there?"
"No, I go outside."
"No, you go inside." Dan pointed at the back of the cave. "Back there, like everyone else."
Baat stared at Dan. He walked to the back of the cave. Dan moved to the cave mouth and watched the ravine. Baat stood at the back of the cave. Sallina looked out the cave mouth at the sunshine. She did not hear any sound of Baat peeing. After a while, Baat came back and sat down near the entrance. He was frowning.
Dan laughed. "Having problems, Baat?"
Baat did not answer.
"This is what adventures are all about, you know," Dan said. "Hiding in caves, peeing in front of other people. Get used to it. Just don't pee in your trousers. Your father would not be proud of you. He might get the wrong idea." He laughed again and looked outside.
Baat held the shaft of his spear tightly in his hands. His eyes were red. Someone giggled on the other side of the cave. Sallina looked up. It was Chimeg. She had her hand over her mouth.
Baat stared at her, frowning. She took her hand from her mouth and reached out to him. She said something in Kubla. Baat turned his head away and spat on the cave floor. Chimeg frowned and looked down at Boli's head. Boli was still sleeping in her lap. She moved a corner of Baat's cloak so it covered Boli's bare feet.
Nobody said anything. Garibaldi was asleep again. He was snoring quietly. Sallina lay down beside him and closed her eyes. The sun was warm outside, and the floor of the cave was warm from the fire.
Sallina dreamed of a long dark tunnel. She and Garibaldi were together. Torches burned on the wall of the tunnel. The tunnel floor was covered with black dust. The dust was on her hands and in her hair and on her face. A large man pulled her away from Garibaldi. Garibaldi kept moving along the tunnel. He did not look back. He was limping. He was weak and did not know she was being taken away from him. In her dream, Sallina tried to scream, but no sound came out of her mouth.
She sat up and opened her eyes. She was awake. She was in the cave. Garibaldi was beside her. The sun was shining outside. The shadows had moved since she last looked out at the ravine. Warm air was blowing in through the cave mouth. She was breathing deeply.
Baat stood near the cave mouth with his spear in his hand. "I go outside."
Dan was sitting at the cave mouth. He had dark rings under his eyes. He seemed older than usual. He shook his head.
"No."
Baat stepped into the mouth of the cave. The sun shone upon his head. Dan was no longer sitting down. He was standing up. Sallina did not see him stand up. One moment he was sitting by the cave entrance looking old and tired and the next moment he was standing behind Baat. He hit Baat on the back of the neck with the side of his hand. Baat fell, as if his legs had turned soft. His body crumpled up like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
"No!" Sallina cried.
Dan grabbed the neck of Baat's leather shirt as Baat fell. Baat's spear scraped against the cave wall, making sparks against the rock. Boli sat up. Chimeg opened her eyes and stared. Dan dragged Baat into the cave and dropped him on the dirt floor. Sallina put her hands to the sides of her face.
"No," she whispered.
Dan wiped his hands against one another. He looked at Sallina and smiled.
"Yes."