Journey and Slate sat together in the darkest part of the cave, close to one of the tunnels. Emrallie and Rashelope were with them, as if on guard. They’re getting ready to run, if this doesn’t go their way, thought Sorrel. There was still no sign of Caroni. Her stomach contracted. She thought of the food they had, wrapped in old cloth, hidden behind a rock in the darkest part of the cave, and she wanted all of it for herself.

She rooted around in her backpack, looking for the sap, stored in the discarded shell of some long dead animal. When she found it, she walked outside and put the shell on a rock with the opening facing upwards. Was putting it on a wound a good idea? She was buried in ignorance and uncertainty. She felt Rapt’s eyes on her.

And she hated the inaction. She wanted a decision, whatever it was, a plan, a destination, some action. She returned to the cave and went to stand over to Rapt. “How’s your eye?”

She wanted to intimidate him. He stared straight ahead and didn’t answer but the muscles in his jaw were working and, despite his air of relaxation, he was tense. Explosive. So am I, she thought.

She hadn’t felt the same threat from Kes, but she could be wrong about him. She knew too little about males. She went to sit with Emrallie and Rashelope. The only sound was the slow drip of water from the cave roof into the bowls.

“Sorrel?” Lichen said, walking over to the three of them. “I think we should all eat something. P-people are drinking, but not eating. Where’s the f-food?”

“You’re right but let’s try to wait through tonight.” She wondered if the males had food with them. She didn’t want them to see where the band’s food was hidden. Come back Caroni, she whispered to herself.

Caroni and her group of girls returned at dawn, stumbling into the cave. They had set watches and Sorrel’s had been the last. The males had done the same thing. “Nothing?” she said to the Zorah, relieving her of her pack.

The Zorah shook her head. She leaned against the cave wall, breathing heavily. “We just ran into a sheer cliff face. Almost as smooth as ice. Maybe part of a fault line. We can’t climb over it, not even with ropes.”

Sorrel told her about the males. “How many did you say?” Caroni asked. She looked incapable of surprise.

“Four. One had a gun, but it turned out to be unloaded. There was a skirmish, but I think we’re all okay. We didn’t eat, though. I didn’t want them to see the food.”

“You did right.”