Page 58 of Corvak's Challenge

I pick up a rock and throw it in the direction of the crowd. There must be hundreds of them in the valley now, far more than I could possibly fight. They move to avoid the rock, but continue to watch me, as if I will somehow produce more food for them.

They are not going to leave, I realize. They have no intention of it.

Angry with them—and with myself—I storm back into the cave.

Valmir clears his throat from his spot against the stone wall. "I don't want to say I told you so, but…I told you so."

"Silence," I snarl.

"You created this problem, friend. You need to create a way out of it or it's going to be bad for all three of us."

He's not wrong. But how do I convince the snow-people that I am not their Great One after encouraging it for so many weeks? And how do we get away from them safely?

CHAPTER

TWENTY-SIX

AIDY

We're trappedinside the cave.

At least myself and Valmir are. Corvak can come and go as he pleases, since they worship him. But after being attacked, I no longer feel very hospitable towards the snow-people. They sit at the entrance and clutch the bowl, waiting for handouts, but I steadfastly ignore them.

Corvak is furious and feels responsible. When I woke up the next morning, he apologized to me a dozen times, then gave me a knife. "I have to go hunt because I will not let you go hungry and there's nothing to eat in the cave."

"What's the knife for?" I'd asked.

"Shove it into Valmir if he tries anything," Corvak replied. "I do not like the thought of leaving you alone with him, but I have no choice. You will not starve."

"I can still hear you both," Valmir had called from the other room.

Corvak had just pressed the knife into my grip harder, reminding me that I can trust no one but him.

That was earlier. Now it's afternoon, and I pointedly ignore the plaintive hoots of the snow-people. They lick the bowl as if it's going to magically fill itself, and when it doesn't, one throws it at me angrily.

"Nasty things," Valmir comments from his spot in the corner. He's tried moving around a bit, mostly to relieve himself in an unused container, but it's clear he can't walk much. "Your mate sure knows how to pick them."

"Shut up. It was a good idea." It would have been an even better one if they acted like adults and not toddlers throwing tantrums. When they turn away from the entrance, I know Corvak's back. I breathe a sigh of relief when his large form fills the doorway and jump to my feet. "Thank goodness."

His expression is grim, and he produces a few sad-looking roots. "The game in this area is completely gone."

I nod, unsurprised. The snow-people—metlaks, Valmir calls them—have brought nothing today. Not even dead things. It makes it easier to refuse them, but I still feel guilty. Pinkie came to the cave earlier, her expression hopeful as she made the "eat" signal over and over again. It feels like I'm abandoning a friend.

But they're not really friends, and the wound throbbing on my arm reminds me of that. I've got it wrapped and bound with cord, but I'd give anything for some antiseptic or a real bandage. All I can do is hope I don't catch anything, germ-wise, before it heals entirely.

I try to take the roots from Corvak, but he only pulls me close, kisses the top of my head, and then moves deeper into the cave. "I can roast them for you. Rest, Aidy."

"I feel fine today and you've been gone hunting," I protest. "I can shove a few roots into coals."

"Just let him take care of you. Kef me, you two are annoying," Valmir comments with a roll of his eyes. "Either let him feed you or don't."

I make a face at him. Being cooped up in the cave with him all day hasn't bonded us as friends. If this is what all the others on the beach are like, I'm not sure I want to be around them. But it's not just me I have to think about. I have a baby growing inside me and we can barely manage to keep ourselves fed. There's no way we'll be able to survive with an infant in tow. Like it or not, I need to be around others of my kind that have had the same experiences. I need to know who else has had an alien baby and what that was like.

I need to know if we'rereallygoing to be on this snowy world forever.

Turning to Corvak, I say, "I'll take the roots." He gives me a searching look, as if he's wanting to see if I'm ill or not. I feel better today and smile up at him, putting my hand on his chest. It's been days since we've really touched. I've been sick, and with the addition of Valmir, our life here in the cave has been thrown into chaos. I miss him fiercely in this moment. Impulsively, I grab a fistful of his crude shirt and tug him down toward me, giving him a quick, hard kiss. "I love you."

His expression brightens.

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