Page 115 of Amber Gambler

“No.” I tried not to dwell on the future. “I want to live with none.”

When we reached the old Coke sign, I discovered rusted nails acted as hinges at one corner, and shoving the metal aside revealed a hole rotted or torn through the wall of the former hay barn. We didn’t need a flashlight to see into the small nest feathered with shredded plastic shopping bags. Or to identify its sole occupant.

Little had thrown her hands up to shield her eyes from the sudden blast of sunlight, giving us a second to sweep her hidey-hole for sharp objects. We found none. In her tee stained with sweat and mud, and her jean shorts hacked off at a slant, she didn’t look like much. Certainly not a threat.

If I hadn’t known kids just like her, I would have discounted her. But I had, and I didn’t. Not for a minute.

“You’re far from home.” I didn’t edge any closer. “How long have you been staying here?”

“The house burned down.” Her greasy hair fell across her face. “Ian and the others left without me.”

This setup wasn’t new. It would have taken several days to get it this nice.Nicebeing objective.

“You did this all by yourself?” Kierce had noticed her evade my question. “That’s impressive.”

“Thanks.” Her smile cracked dirt smudges on her cheeks. “You can come in, if you want.”

“I would love to hang out, but we got a tip about Audrey.” I watched her for any indication she knew this already. “Turns out she was kidnapped.” More than once, if you wanted to get technical. “Crazy, right?”

Little knotted a plastic bag handle that had come undone. “Do you know who took her?”

“We have an idea.” I took a calculated step back. “We’re going to investigate now.”

The girl was either a master liar or an innocent, and I couldn’t settle on which was more likely.

Kids who depended on lies to put food in their mouths got good at telling them, or they didn’t live long.

“Be careful.” She tucked the ends into her wall. “Whatever took her is probably really mean.”

Whatever. Notwhoever. A slip of the tongue? Or a safe bet in a world full of monsters?

“Thanks for the warning.” I began lowering the sign. “See you around.”

Little kept herself occupied with her mending as I returned her to the darkness where we had found her.

Neither Kierce nor I spoke until we reached the parking lot, but I let him go first.

“The burrow smells like her.” He patted Badb in her sling. “She’s spent a lot of time there.”

For Badb’s sake, I had researched crows. And, okay, I had been more curious about the Viduus than ever before. Smell? Not their forte. Kierce wasn’t an actual crow, but I hadn’texpected him to have shifter-like senses. That got me pondering whether status as a zoomorphic, not-quite-a-god qualified him for shifter status or not.

As he lowered his hand, I was struck by the realization Little hadn’t asked what he was wearing or what he kept tucked in the fabric. A quick mind like hers wouldn’t have missed such an obvious detail, so she had been watching long enough to know Badb was in there.

Had Badb not been out of commission, Little would have enjoyed much less success in her spying.

A grim thought that led me down a path to even grimmer conclusions. “Longer than we’ve known her?”

“Weeks.” He took Badb out and set her down. “Perhaps as far back as the night Ankou showed himself.”

“That would mean Little has been staking us out from the time Harrow took Audrey in.”

Given what we had learned about Little and her relationship to the other kids, I couldn’t fathom why she was so invested in discovering Audrey’s whereabouts. Unless she meant to barter that information? Had she gambled on Ian awarding her better standing if she provided him with Audrey’s location?

Watching Badb sift through rocks, he hummed softly. “How would she have known to look here?”

“For Little to be interested in Harrow, she must have already known he was protecting Audrey but not where he was keeping her.” I rolled the idea around in my head. “She could have seen Harrow and me together then followed me home to see if I was helping him hide her.”

“Lyle kidnapped Audrey the night before he died.” Kierce considered me. “Little would have made the connection between him and Harrow quickly, as they’re relatives, but she wouldn’t have seen you with them until Ankou confronted you.”

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