Free Daywards by Anthony Eaton Page B

thought. Then he pulled out the plotter and punched a few buttons, studying the readout screen intently. Dara craned her head, trying to see what exactly he was doing, but he turned his back, shielding the device from her curiosity.
    â€˜I don’t think so,’ he finally replied. ‘It’s a long way down to the flats and I don’t like the idea of trying this path in the dark. It’ll make no difference if we wait until morning.’
    Dara would have been happy to start the trek down, but Jaran was the one with the tech and the food, so all she could do was acquiesce.
    â€˜Whatever you reckon.’
    They withdrew to a small hollow about a hundred metres below the pass, and there passed an uncomfortable night, sleeping on the bare rock and unable to make a fire because of the lack of fuel. Dawn found them irritable and sore and they rose at first light, packed their gear, and climbed back to the top of the ridge.
    The trail was little more than a narrow path of broken rock and loose pebbles, veering sharply left along the cliff face for the first leg of its descent. This early in the morning, the ridge on which they stood cast a long shadow nightwards so that most of the path, and the forest below, remained mired in the darkness.
    â€˜You ready?’
    Dara nodded.
    â€˜Follow me. Stay behind.’
    She rolled her eyes – like she needed to be told. It always bugged her when Jaran acted like this, behaving as though he was an adult and she a little kid. But she also knew him well enough to realise that there was little she could do about it.
    The descent took most of the morning, and by the time they rounded the last corner, picked their way down the final leg and stepped into the shade of the forest, the sun was high in the sky and they were both exhausted. They collapsed in the first clearing they came to.
    â€˜Sky! I’m glad we didn’t try that last night,’ Jaran commented.
    â€˜Going back up won’t be much fun, either,’ Dara replied, and, for the first time in a long time, Jaran smiled at her – a proper smile, not his usual superior smirk.
    â€˜Why do you think I went first, sis? It’ll be your turn on the way back up.’
    She returned his smile, then looked around. ‘It’s strange here, isn’t it?’
    The forest into which they’d descended was markedly different from that back at the caves. The trees grew lower, their branches further apart and with a sparse and open canopy, allowing more light down to the ground. Their trunks were far narrower and their foliage a dusty, greyish green – very different from the deep green of the trees back home. The ground was different, too; it was drier, hard-packed and dusty, even here in the shade.
    Jaran stretched and yawned. ‘Less rain this side of the hills, I expect. Tell you what – let’s stop here for the day.’
    â€˜But it’s early. We could make it a lot further before night.’
    â€˜I know, but we’ve got a few days’ walk ahead, so we could use the rest. Might be able to catch some proper food, too.’
    That convinced her. The novelty of prosup had quickly worn off after the second or third meal, and at the thought of roasted meat Dara’s mouth watered.
    â€˜Okay. I’ll hunt and you build a fire.’
    â€˜How come you get to hunt?’
    â€˜â€™Cause I’m better at it than you.’ She grinned. ‘And besides, I’m not allowed to use the firekit, remember?’ The firekit was another bit of tech that Uncle Xani had declared off-limits to her – an edict that had been the cause of several arguments.
    â€˜Fine, then. Don’t get lost.’
    â€˜Huh!’
    She quickly found a fallen branch to use as a spear. It wasn’t perfect, but it was straight and sharp enough to suffice. She wandered roughly south of their camp, winding her way between the trees and letting the topography of the forest