Free Arrows of Time by Kim Falconer Page B

masking their energy effectively. She couldn’t spot them.
    There’s someone perched in the tree … like a stooping vulture.
    A bird?
    No, but they’re pretending to be one.
    Where?
    Above and to the left. See?
    Rosette looked up through the oak branches, squinting. When she spotted him, she drew her sword. ‘Hey! You up there. Why don’t you come down?’
    There was a reply, though Rosette had no idea what it meant. The language was strange, full of consonants and clicks, though the man’s voice sounded deep and inquiring. Nice timbre.
    ‘Drayco, did you catch any of that?’
    Not a word.
    ‘Great. Where the heck is Jarrod when we need him the most? He’d have the entire dialect catalogued by now.’ She craned her neck. ‘We mean you no harm.’ This time she spoke more slowly, hoping the tone of her voice would transmit a sense of safety and welcome.
    The man answered. Though unintelligible, his words sounded a little more quizzical, not menacing. He kept talking.
    ‘Sheesh. Once you get this guy started, there’s no end.’
    Her familiar flicked his tail. The same may be said of you, Maudi.
    ‘Do you think so?’
    I do.
    She listened to the man in the tree. He carried on, sentence after sentence until, amid the garble, she thought she recognised a word. It sounded like Rosette.
    How could he know my name?
    Maybe if you can get him down here, we’ll find out. I don’t know his words, but I can read his body language.
    She turned back to the tree. ‘That’s me. I’m Rosette.’ She said the name very slowly. ‘R-o-s-e-t-t-e. Come down, please.’
    After more dialogue, his questioning sounds and her coaxing, there was movement in the tree. He was climbing down. Rosette got a good look at him as he descended. He was armed with a long sword, broader than hers, like a Corsanon blade, though he was dressed more like a hunter than a warrior. Clearly camouflage was a priority, though his eyes stood out. There was no camouflaging them. They were a most vivid blue, like a cloudless autumn sky. He’d be considered handsome if he stopped screwing up his face.
    She stepped back from the trunk, giving him room, and hoped it would look like a sign of friendship. He’d stopped his descent about head-high and nodded towards Drayco. His hackles were still up and he sniffed the air around the man’s boots.
    ‘Oh, don’t worry. He’s okay…as long as you are,’ Rosette said. ‘This is Drayco, a temple cat from the Dumarkian Woods.’
    Probably meaningless to him, Maudi, given the foreign language.
    I’m reassuring him. It’s the sound that counts.
    He’s not a stray dog, you know.
    She ignored Drayco’s last observation and gestured to the man. ‘Keep your sword sheathed and we’ll all get along fine,’ she called out.
    That doesn’t seem to be encouraging him, Maudi. Drayco’s voice rippled with humour as he licked his chops.
    ‘Neither does that,’ she said, stroking down the hackles. ‘Can you close your mouth, at least?’
    I will, if you put away your sword.
    Good point. She sheathed her blade and smiled up at those spectacular blue eyes, her palms open.
    Finally, he swung both legs out and pushed off the limb to land splat in the mud next to Rosette. He stared at her, then the feline, his hand never leaving his sword hilt.
    ‘I didn’t know a tabby could get that big,’ he said, pulling his gaze from Drayco to focus on Rosette.
    ‘I’ve no idea what you just said, but I can assure you there’s no threat here, unless it resides in you.’
    I don’t think he got that, Maudi. Drayco gingerly sat down on the firmest ground he could find and began to purr.
    ‘Now that he might understand,’ Rosette said, smiling. She looked at the man and watched his face lighten briefly as the rumbling sound of Drayco’s purr filled the air.
    ‘I prefer dogs,’ he said. ‘But your beast is impressive, in size anyway. He seems almost intelligent.’
    I don’t like the look of him, Maudi.
    Let’s give him