A sickle moon hung low over the dreaded mountain, when Gawion surfed down towards the earth mounds, with his stomach in a knot of worry. The steep eastern gullies, with their hoof marks from agile mountain goats, remained untouched by humans. But at the bottom where Schöngraben widened, tracks from wooden feet created a detailed pattern of ridges. Hard ridges. During the day, the sun had warmed the top layer, before the rippled surface froze again. Gawion stubbed his toes on the ripples, and he whistled in pain.
“Slow down and keep your claws out, or lift your toes,” Papa called.
Papa had insisted on coming with him. He mistrusted the human, and he planned to hide among the nearby trees, ready to help Gawion if needed.
It was an unnecessary precaution. Gawion did not fear Tessa, only what it might have discovered about his sister.
A shrill, human whistle rang out ahead. It had no meaning.
“Gawion,” Tessa called.
Gawion sped up, then slowed as he saw that not one, but two, humans waited below in a circle of light.
Papa grabbed his arm, stopping Gawion abruptly.
“See that?” he whispered, pointing with a shaking finger. A metal chain dangled from the hand of the second human. “It is just like at Mont Blanc.”
“Are you even sure it is metal, Papa?” he whispered, although the way it glinted in the light from Tessa’s head and clinked when the human swung it around, left no doubt.
Papa sniffed with his large nose. Gawion just stared at Tessa. Had it deceived him? No, he refused to believe that. It had brought berries. It was a descendant of the berry-human. And that chain…
“Gaaawiiiooon,” it called again.
“Fairly low iron content and rather slim,” Papa said, in a low, bleak tone. “But one well-placed swipe would immobilize you long enough for them to carry you out of the gorge.”
“Tessa would not do that. It wants to find Maeg.”
“Who chose to meet so near the village, son?”
“But why bring us berries?”
Gawion edged closer, trying to hear what the humans were saying. If only his hearing was as good as his sense of smell. Tessa faced away from him, and he could not make out its words.
The other human swung the scary chain faster and faster. Raising its voice, so they heard every word, it spoke with an angry undertone. “D’you know how many barbarians I could’ve killed while we’re standing here? If that barbegazi isn’t coming, this is a complete waste of time. Capture it on your phone. Or bring it to the house and hide it in the shed.”
Gawion stopped breathing. The forest stilled, as if the trees were listening. As if like him, they were trying to understand the strange language. Trying to find an explanation that was not the obvious meaning of those words. But there was no other explanation. The new human talked about killing, and hiding him in a shed, and capturing him on a phone—whatever that was.
Tessa stomped. Its feet clanked. The wooden feet it had used to walk on the snow surface yesterday were gone. Tonight it wore metal feet. Metal feet primed to paralyse him with a single kick.
How could he have been so gullible? He had liked Tessa and believed its promise to help them. And here it was with an elf hunter by its side.
Papa sighed. Gawion refused to look up at him. From under his bushy eyebrows, he saw Papa shake his head.
“Come, son.” Papa tugged at his arm. “I was much older than you, when humans captured me. Show me where you found the bits of Maeg’s fur.”
After casting a last glance at the two humans, he led Papa up through the forest, giving the earth mounds a wide berth. Behind them, Tessa continued to whistle and call his name.
Gawion swore that he would never, ever again trust a human.