He shakes his head, arms still holding a rocking May. ‘No, you got caught up in it. None of it is your fault. Ya wanna blame someone, blame Laney and Troy. If it was locked in a safe then they must’ve stole it on one of their midnight runs. Like they were some kinda vigilante movement against the whitefullas. Like stealin their shit means somethin.’ His derision and fury are plain, but his tone stays light and steady to keep May calm.

‘So use that massive fuckin brain a yours, Tace, and think!’

Think about what? How we’re trapped in the firelight? How they can hide in any shadow and get to us that way? Everything in my head is around shadows and light waves from science. What good is that against something this ancient? I could stand there and quote the science at them. I snort. Light waves blocked by a solid object is the absence of light … so why aren’t they crawling up our shadows right now?

My eyes land on the firestick May saved me with. It’s a big one and still burning where she’d dropped it in the dirt, but it won’t stay that way for long. The secondary source is casting just enough light to diffuse our shadows.

‘Rhi, how long you reckon it took us to get ere?’

‘Bout thirty minutes. Why?’

‘So less than a hour till they get home, then another thirty to get out ere?’

Hope sparks in her eyes. ‘Only twenty. I made you stop memba?’

I smile at her. ‘And told me to leave a note sayin where we’d be.’ I look at Sam. ‘Think we can make it another ninety minutes?’

Sam grins at me and I return it. ‘Don’t get cocky, it’s one option. Cross ya fingers ya collected enough wood and Mum is angry enough to follow us out here.’

Rhi snorts. ‘Pretty sure that’s not gonna be a problem.’

I notice a drop in the fire and our shadows reach higher, closer to the edge of the light.

‘We got another problem.’ I point at the firestick. ‘That’s gonna burn down fast. Once it goes, the light drops and they might be able to use our shadows.’

‘We make two fires then?’

‘Three.’ I have all of their attention. May’s rocking even seems to slow. ‘We need to stretch it so it goes around the wood pile as well or we’re screwed. Still think there’s enough wood?’

Sam chews his lip, staring at the wood he gathered. ‘Cuttin it close.’

‘Not like we have much choice,’ Rhi says, pointing at the shifting shapes that are gathering near where our shadows are reaching out.

I tear my gaze away and focus on the here and now.