“We should look for signs of animals using this cave and get the dead porcs,” Emrallie said, sitting up and looking around. “Guatan eat them.” She sounded more like herself. She stood slowly. “Ow. Everything hurts.”

Caroni came over to them. “They’ll have started to rot already. Porcs have diseases. We can’t afford anyone getting sick. Take out the PlAK, Sorrel. Let’s have a good look at this cave.”

She shone the searchlight at the high roof. It was smooth and rounded, as the floor was, and fissured in many places. In the bright light the rocks were pale grey, and there were lines of slowly dripping water gathering along the cracks.

“Well, there’s water,” Caroni said.

Sorrel followed the curving walls with the searchlight and found two openings at the back. “Should we explore?” she said.

“Yes, but later. We have to use string to make sure we can find our way back. Let’s relieve Rashelope and eat something. Go and check on Genus.”

Sorrel shook her head. She couldn’t face Genus yet. “I want to see what kind of signal there is. I’ll get Rashelope and stay at the entrance.” She didn’t wait for the Zorah’s approval.

“Keep the torch burning,” Rashelope said, handing it to Sorrel. “It’s for the ferals.”

You really don’t have to tell me that, she thought. Rashelope’s eyes were red-rimmed and puffy. She moved stiffly back into the cave.

Sorrel looked out. She could feel the rising heat from the floor of the ravine far below and although it was early, the light was blinding. She put on her dark glasses. She saw the ropes Emrallie had set and the path where she had fought the porcs. It was strewn with lumps of flesh and bone and it was impossible to separate animal from human. She closed her eyes. She didn’t know what was above them or where the openings at the back of the cave led to, but only avian ferals could reach them from the front. She extinguished the torch in the gravel at her feet. She heard low talk behind her and was glad to be alone.

She booted up the PlAK. One more satellite gone. The direction finder located them under a craggy mountain. No one could climb down to them unless they could rappel. No animals could get to them from above. She began to feel better about the cave. Cool, even in the day. Water available. Easily defended. Now to find food.

She zoomed out, looking for green patches and water. High up, the tiny flash of a spring wound its way through feathery bamboo groves, and she followed it downstream to the army camp called Cibao, maybe a day’s walk away. It was where Bibi had said she was held by Toplanders.

Caroni came up and looked at the PlAK’s screen over her shoulder. “There’s a signal?”