Could they throw themselves into the river, until they found a place they could crawl out? The water would take them far and fast, and surely if the band had found their way out of the ravine, they could too. Then she remembered her desperate fight for breath and the light at the surface of the cenote pool as she sank, until Emrallie had reached down and saved her.

Bibi could swim, though. Maybe there was something they could hold onto like the many fallen tree limbs at the river’s edge. The river could let them travel by day, which no one would expect. She imagined a calm pool, far downstream, sheltered by rocks or a fallen tree, where they could stay partly submerged and therefore hidden for most of the day. They would be hungry, but they would have water. Maybe they could catch a fish and eat it raw. The PlAK would probably be destroyed by water but the river was surely better than the Burning Rock Plain. She would be with her exhausted mother in an unfamiliar world once again and they would have to search for shelter every day. She felt her spirit quail.

She wanted to stay with the Tribals. They had clearly warmed towards her but seemed to have rejected Bibi. Triage. Could Caroni be right? That this new world demanded a hard heart and a willingness to shed attachments?

She tried to separate her fate from her mother’s, but the thought made her want to wail.

You and me against the world.

Some members of the band seemed to be getting ready to leave the clearing. She knew so little about how they lived. The girl, Lichen, who had been kind to her in the cave, waved shyly.

She turned to go back to the hut. We just have to convince them we’re both useful. Show them what Bibi can do with the PlAK.

It was dark inside, and her eyes took a moment to adjust. “Bibi?” she called softly, but the low shape did not move. The hut was silent. She knelt to touch her mother’s shoulder, but the pile of bedding was empty.

CHAPTER 18 – BIBI

Drew loved his child, called her a miracle in the mess. He read a lot about other times when civilization failed. We used to fight over the PlAK, which was where he got his information. He wouldn’t let me breast feed Sorrel alone in the night, got up with me every time. This is a one-person task, I would say.

I feel like I’m feeding her too, he’d reply.