Draven took a length of rope out of his pack, and began to make knots.
'What's that for?' said Jalamax.
'A trap,' said Draven.
He did not elaborate. Yen Olass was not interested: she doubted that anything could save them now. Even if they split up and ran in different directions, they were too tired to go far. And Chonjara had brought enough men upriver to split his people into four different hunting parties. Besides, Yen Olass doubted that Resbit could survive on her own. And Jalamex would not go much further unless forced by Draven.
Yen Olass let her head sink down on her knees. She was far too weary to indulge in luxuries like despair: instead, she promptly went to sleep. She was jerked awake as her arms were wrenched backwards. She tried to resist, but it was impossible. She tried to turn and bite. Draven slapped her.
'Any more of that and I'll kick your head in.' Yen Olass hissed.
'Hiss away,' said Draven. 'It won't do you any good. Resbit, come here.’
'Run!' shouted Yen Olass.
Resbit hesitated. Draven picked up a stone.
'Come here,' said Draven, 'or I'll batter you.’
Resbit surrendered herself. Draven tied her up, so that Resbit and Yen Olass were knotted together, back to back.
'A present for Chonjara,' said Draven. 'I hope it makes him happy.’
Then he set off upstream, with Jalamex at his side. 'I saved your life!' shouted Yen Olass. Draven turned.
'Did you hear me? I saved your life!' 'Well now's your chance to save it a second time,' shouted Draven.
And laughed, and went on his way.
'You worthless bastard!' screamed Yen Olass.
Then she swore at him, using the very worst words she knew. Unfortunately, these were all in Eparget, and Draven was unlikely to understand them. Besides, he was soon out of earshot.
Hissing and swearing, Yen Olass tested her bonds. She tried to work her fingers free, to find some slack in the rope, to get into a position where she could scrape the rope against a stone. But it was hopeless. Draven, a pirate for most of his Ife, was skilled at binding people so they would be helpless while they waited to be raped, killed, tortured or traded. As Yen Olass struggled, she only succeeded in tightening the rope.
Finally she gave up.
Resbit was crying.
Yen Olass tried to comfort her, but had little success. They were both tired, cold and hungry. And soon Yen Olass was crying herself. Eventually, night came, and she slept, dreaming restlessly, jerked awake from time to time when her head lolled sideways.
Toward morning, she woke from dreams of talking water to find herself cold. The cold was accompanied by cramps in her arms and legs. And, what was more… surrendering to the inevitable, she relaxed her control over her bladder, flooding her things with hot urine which would soon become cold and uncomfortable. A faint stink of urine eased itself into the night air then faded. Resbit moaned faintly in her sleep.
'Ule,' said an owl.
'Shut up, owl,' said Yen Olass.
Out in the night, a stick broke.
Yen Olass stopped breathing.
Was something out there? No, surely not. The stick must have broken on its own. Sleepwalking, no doubt. Yen Olass suppressed a hysterical giggle. She found that effort of discipline difficult. She was cold, she was still tired, her arms in particular were hurting her as the muscles cramped, she was humiliated by her predicament and entirely at the mercy of anything that wanted to come along and eat her. She thought of warks. And of those strange fox-fur creatures which had been seen in the forest. And of wolves. Were there any wolves in Penvash?
Maybe she was going to find out.
The hard way.
Yen Olass listened. No more breaking sticks. But the rustling river would conceal the sound of any soft cutthroat approach. Listening to the river, Yen Olass realized she was thirsty.
Something touched the back of her head.
Yen Olass started.
'Yoh!' said Resbit, waking from sleep. It was the back of her head which had touched Yen Olass.
'Hush,' said Yen Olass. 'Yen Olass, is that you?’
'No,' said Yen Olass, hissing. 'No, you groggy sluggin of smats, its Lork the Starhunter with his pack of fifty gropters. Now be quiet.’
'What's smats? An… oh. My arms. Yen Olass, can't you… no, I suppose you can't. Oh. I wish I could… Yen Olass, what was that? What is it? There's something out there! Yen Olass, what is it?’
'Who knows? But with the racket you're making, you're asking for a personal introduction. Now shut up!’
Hearing the vicious hiss of anger as Yen Olass spoke, Resbit was quiet. For a while, no untoward sounds intruded. Then, out in the night… the clear, unmistakable sound of teeth graunching into bones.
Resbit panicked.
'Yen Olass, Yen Olass-
'Resbit, shut up! There's a great galumphing mother of an arse-eating carnivore out there. You're just asking-' 'I'm sorry.’
'Don't be sorry, be silent!' Resbit was.
So were the teeth.
They had finished eating.
But they were still hungry.
Out in the night, the monster began to move. Smashing through twigs and leaves with an ominous deliberation, it advanced toward them. It sounded huge. They could hear a kind of groping snuffling snorting, suggesting some vast half-blind squashed-nose face. Mouthing toward them.
Yen Olass hissed softly. The monster was coming straight toward her. She drew her knees up to her chest, protecting her belly and her breasts.
The monster was almost upon them.
'Gaaa!' shouted Yen Olass.
Kicking out with all the force she could muster.
Hitting nothing.
She drew back her feet for another try – then thought better of it, and let her legs slump down. Spikes stabbed into her skin. She screamed. Her gut-wrenching cry of terror razored through the night. Resbit screamed in sympathy.
Then-
Silence.
Then…
'Shit,' said Yen Olass in disgust. 'What?’
'It's a hedgehog,' said Yen Olass, her voice rising as her anger mounted. 'A hedgehog. A shit-spawned arse- faced pig-buggered spit-licking dog of a snot-sticking hedgehog. I'll kill the bastard!’
'I don't think you've got much chance of catching it.’
'I've got him already. I've got the spavined little pervert between my legs. I'll kill him! I'll bite his balls off!’
Resbit laughed.
'What's so funny?' said Yen Olass. 'What's so arse-ripping funny, huh? Share the secret.' 'Bite his balls off. Oh, Yen Olass?' And Resbit went off in a fit of giggles. 'I will,' said Yen Olass, not relenting in the slightest.
'You can't hold him there all night.’
'All right, it's… it's soft enough. I can dig in with my heels, yes, like… yes. I can dig a hole and bury him alive. The little bastard won't climb out with me sleeping on top of him.’
'Yen Olass, you wouldn't!’
'I've started digging.’
'It'll run away.’
