BooksBarbecue
Back Daughter of Eden
Chapters (68)
  1. Title page
  2. Dedication
  3. Part I
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Three
  7. Four
  8. Five
  9. Six
  10. Seven
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. Twelve
  16. Thirteen
  17. Fourteen
  18. Fifteen
  19. Sixteen
  20. Seventeen
  21. Eighteen
  22. Nineteen
  23. Twenty
  24. Twenty-one
  25. Twenty-two
  26. Twenty-three
  27. Twenty-four
  28. Twenty-five
  29. GAIA YOUNG. SUBJECTIVE IMPRESSIONS.MISSION DAY 20. 20:25 MT.
  30. Part II
  31. Twenty-six
  32. Twenty-seven
  33. Twenty-eight
  34. Twenty-nine
  35. Thirty
  36. Thirty-one
  37. Thirty-two
  38. Thirty-three
  39. Thirty-four
  40. Thirty-five
  41. Thirty-six
  42. Thirty-seven
  43. GAIA YOUNG. SUBJECTIVE IMPRESSIONS.MISSION DAY 22. 20:05 MT.
  44. Thirty-eight
  45. Thirty-nine
  46. Forty
  47. Forty-one
  48. GAIA YOUNG. SUBJECTIVE IMPRESSIONS.MISSION DAY 25. 15:30 MT.
  49. Forty-two
  50. Forty-three
  51. Forty-four
  52. Forty-five
  53. Forty-six
  54. Forty-seven
  55. Forty-eight
  56. Forty-nine
  57. Fifty
  58. Fifty-one
  59. Fifty-two
  60. Fifty-three
  61. Fifty-four
  62. Part III
  63. Fifty-five
  64. Fifty-six
  65. Fifty-seven
  66. Fifty-eight
  67. Also by Chris Beckett
  68. Copyright page

Not that we were the only ones taking the risk. Each time we came round one of the folds of the mountain and the view opened out, we saw people ahead and behind who’d also decided the risks were worth taking, and were trudging slowly upwards through forest. The Dark might be dangerous, but it wasn’t as if Davidstand was safe. There were already groups of Johnfolk down there, on their fast, blue-skinned bucks, who were sneaking right up to the outside bank of the L-shaped pool and shooting arrows over the water.

‘I’m really worried, Angie,’ said Dave, clutching little Metty in his arms as he bumped and jolted along the stony path on Ugly’s back. ‘Look at all those people ahead and behind! Circle Valley’s going to be packed. There wasn’t enough to eat in Davidstand, but what are we all going to eat up there? The Valley can’t feed itself even in the best of times. They have to bring food over from Wide Forest.’

‘Dave, there’s no point in—’

‘Watch out!’ somebody yelled. A couple of stones came rolling down the slope that we were skirting round. And then two three bucks came into view, scrambling straight downhill and towards us, fast fast, with men on their backs in metal masks.

‘Quick, Dave! Get out of their way!’

Those of us near the front ran or rode or stumbled ahead. Those at the rear turned and hurried back, so that the Johnfolk could cross the path and carry on straight down the slope, as we hoped they wanted to do, without having to get mixed up with us.

We were lucky, I guess. The ringmen did carry straight on. I guess they weren’t interested in a bunch of low people like us – what use to them were women and kids and guys who were too old to fight in the guards? – but as they passed through one of them put an arrow on his bow. Turning his empty metal face towards the half of our group that were out in front, he shot it among us. And then, without waiting to see whether he had hit anyone or not, he went crashing on down the slope with the others, giving an excited whoop as he disappeared under the shining trees. We heard a starbird screeching as it blundered off through the branches. And then we heard a terrible scream that came, not from forest, but from right up close.

‘Suzie! ’

It was Flame, that thin little girl that Tom had got with trading sticks to be his second shelterwoman. Clare always refused to speak to her and, out of loyalty to Clare, none of the other women had really befriended her either, but right now it was impossible to ignore her. She was standing there screaming and screaming with her little baby clutched in her arms, and the child was pouring with blood.