Free Darkthaw by Kate A. Boorman Page A

“Daniel!” I call out. “Nico!”
    I stop to listen. Nothing.
    â€œDaniel!” I call again. I can hear that note of terror in my voice and swallow hard to ground myself, set myself right.
    Surely he wouldn’t harm them. He’s got his own little brother along with . . . He wouldn’t . . .
    I’m about to holler again when I hear a scream. It’s ahead of me, at the bottom of the hill of brush.
    â€œDaniel!” I take the decline in three unsteady strides, busting through the brush and skirting a large moss-covered boulder. There’s a little creek—a trickle of water, truly—running between two small boulders, and pools are collecting in the rivulets of mud.
    The screams come from down in the creek.

THE BOYS CROUCH WITH THEIR BACKS TO ME. Josiah and Nico have sticks. They’re fishing around in the water.
    Daniel screams again as Nico turns to him, a small something—insect?—in his hand. He holds it out to Daniel, making him scramble away, laughing.
    Charlie stands beside them, watching.
    As I slip down the bank, he turns to me. Unsurprised, like he knew I was coming.
    â€œDaniel!” I say again.
    Daniel starts and looks up. His face breaks into another smile. “We’re catching frogs! Look at ’em all!” He points with excitement at the creek.
    The water is teeming with tiny frogs. Must’ve been a tadpole clutch in these pools. Nico swings his hands toward me and opens his palm. The small frog leaps off, straight at me, but I’m hardly worried about that.
    â€œI was calling you!” I say to the boys.
    Nico looks at me in confusion. “We didn’t hear.” He turns back to the pond.
    â€œSettle down, Em. The young’uns were safe with me,” Charlie says.
    I ignore him. “You don’t go off without telling us.” I’m admonishing the backs of their heads. “Nico! Daniel!” The boys pull their gazes from the creek and turn. “You hear me? You don’t just leave camp like that.”
    â€œBut we were with Charlie,” protests Nico.
    â€œI know,” I say, feeling Charlie’s gaze on me. “I know that. But . . .” I pause. “But you need to tell us where you’re going, no matter what.”
    â€œYou let us go off with Isi,” Daniel says.
    I grit my teeth, my face going hot. Can’t meet Charlie’s eyes. “Just tell us from now on, you hear?”
    The youngsters nod, serious-like, and turn their attention back to the frogs. Charlie’s still staring at me. I expect him to say something nasty, so I force myself to look at him, brace myself to take it. He should know his place anyhow, and I’m not scared anymore to put him there.
    But he uncrosses his arms and softens his look. “Apologies, Em,” he says. “I should’ve told the womenfolk where we were headed. Thought they’d get a kick out of this. I used to look for frogs when I was a young’un.”
    When he was a young’un. A picture of him as a child flashes in my mind. His pa was on Council, so he didn’t much consort with us. I knew him from a distance. He was forever trailing around after his pa’s cloak, his face all smug. Like he was better than us.
    Charlie was a mean braggart back at the settlement. Headmired his pa—
must
have some bad feelings toward Kane about his death. But of course he was a child once, too—one who shot stones and played jacksticks and caught frogs.
    He looks at his brother, Josiah, and smiles, and all at once I feel foolish, charging out here like he was feeding them to wolves.
    â€œIt’s all right,” I say, uncrossing my arms.
    We watch the youngsters squeal and dig, get their hands muddy to their elbows. My eyes linger on Nico. He’s lost his cautious look—he’s happy out here. They all are. My heart swells at their amazed faces.
    â€œEm,” Charlie says.