Free Nightfall by Jake Halpern

trying to ruin your friendship,” said Marin quietly.
    â€œI know,” said Kana, leaning into the wheelbarrow and pushing it over a large tree root. “Look, if he doesn’t turn up in the next hour or so, we’ll find Ivo and tell him about the pond.”
    â€œYes,” said Marin. “I’ll tell him.”
    They continued walking. Minutes later, voices shouted in the distance. Several hundred yards ahead, they saw the flicker of a wick torch. Soon, more torches appeared.
    â€œIt’s the okrana,” said Marin.
    â€œThat was fast,” said Kana, squinting into the distance.
    They quickly closed the distance between them and the okrana. Ivo stood in the middle of the group, stony-faced, and it was impossible to tell whether he brought good news or bad. Marin strained her eyes, searching frantically for Line.
    â€œDid you find him?” she called. “Ivo?”
    Ivo shook his head but didn’t stop walking. Apparently he was too pressed for time to talk.
    â€œNo signs of him at all?” Kana called out.
    Ivo ignored the question.
    Toward the end of the procession, Marin spotted one of the youngest members of the okrana—a gangly, pimple-faced teenager named Asher—who happened to be their second cousin.
    â€œAsher!” shouted Marin. “What happened?”
    Asher pretended not to hear, but slowed to let the other okrana pass. He waited a few seconds until they were out of earshot, then whispered to Marin and Kana.
    â€œWe know where he is,” Asher said.
    â€œYou do?” Marin breathed a sigh of relief. “Is he all right?”
    â€œHe went to the Upper Meadows to pick mushrooms, then headed toward the bog,” said Asher. “Someone saw him there earlier. He must have got stuck is all. We’re going back to town to get some sticks and boards.”
    Marin nodded. The best mushrooms were in the bog. Pickers often got stuck there, in the quick mud. It wasn’t especially dangerous in itself, but it was nearly impossible to escape without help. That’s why you were never supposed to pick there alone.
    â€œIt shouldn’t take long,” said Asher. He turned and looked back at the other okrana. “We’ll bring him down to the loading area as soon as we get him out. I’ll give him a good kick in the pants for you.”
    â€œThanks,” said Marin. She turned to her brother and, for the first time in a long while, they smiled at each other.
    â€œBut you should hurry,” added Asher. He leaned in conspiratorially. “They say there might not be enough boats—some people may have to leave their luggage behind.”

CHAPTER 13
    Back at Shadow House, Kana and Marin found their mother in the foyer, studying a scroll of yellowed paper. The scroll was the floor plan for the house, which showed every room, closet, nook, and stairway. Scribbled in the margins were notes written in faded ink.
    â€œWhat are you doing?” asked Marin.
    â€œOh, you’re back,” replied Tarae with a start. “Good—your father has returned as well.” She now wore a long, coarse robe with a thick travel cloak on top. Marin couldn’t help but feel a surge of relief to see her mother in her old clothing. She wanted things to be more, well . . . normal—even if just for a few more hours.
    â€œThe candles are burning down,” said Tarae. “Don’t you think it’s much colder? I
cannot
get warm.”
    â€œWe saw the okrana,” said Kana, who was blinking in the dim candlelight. “Seems like they found Line.”
    Tarae smiled fondly at Kana. “Yes, that’s what your father heard, too. Thank the southerly winds. Now go help yourfather in the parlor. We need to be down at the loading area in an hour. There are rumors of too few boats.”
    When Kana and Marin entered the parlor, they discovered a large wooden crate that their father had hauled up from the