Five Redcaps, their cloaks flowing behind them, descend. Croi bites down the fear that rushes up her throat at the sight. She peers from behind a bulky kin as they walk to the cage farthest from the one they’re in and start to examine the sleeping kin inside.

Caolan whispers an epithet and drags both his younger brother and Croi into an embrace. “Pretend to sleep,” he hisses, his arms a shackle around Croi.

He’s too close again. Croi is too scared to care about her inner self’s discomfort.

The waiting is the worst. Leaden seconds pool into minutes punctuated by their breathing. The Redcaps draw nearer steadily, bringing with them the stench and the cold. Fear holds Croi still as the stench grows pronounced.

There is a series of clicks and whistles, a sound like paper tearing and then a laugh. The Redcaps don’t seem to converse in Faerish. The cage door opens and Croi trembles, trying to stay as motionless as possible, even though the urge to run is nipping the soles of her feet. She can feel Caolan’s heart racing.

The Croi-inside would like to kill the Redcaps; she’s entirely confident that she can. Croi, on the other hand, is just as certain there’s something very wrong with the one inside her.

There seem to be two Redcaps in the cage now and from the frequent clicks and laughs Croi hears, they’re having a grand conversation. If they don’t go away soon, she’s sure she’s going to do something stupid. Like open her eyes.

She feels them draw closer and can’t help but tense. They’re hovering over the corner where Croi and the two catkins sit, pretending to be unconscious. She can feel their attention, the same attention she gives chickens at dinner. Suddenly, unexpectedly, Croi is pushed forward, drawing the Redcaps’ attention completely. Before she can react to this betrayal, she feels a touch on her arm. Ice follows, seeping through the fingertips of the Redcap and spreading to her limbs, freezing them. She gasps and opens her eyes to see a Redcap leaning over her. The creature meets her eyes and smiles. His teeth are chiseled to points and, like his fingers, tipped with red. He picks her up, slinging her over his shoulder.

Croi catches a glimpse of Caolan before they carry her away. His eyes hold hers for a blink before he looks down. His cheeks are red, perhaps he’s ashamed, but his expression is resolute. Faced with the chance that the Redcaps would choose either him or his brothers, he chose to push her out. She’s expendable; they’re not. They’re family; she’s less than a stranger.

The Redcap carries her to the middle of the clearing where, in front of the fancy caravan, a fire is being built. Croi looks at the companion Redcap who is walking behind the one carrying her. Gazing at his face, she forgets to breathe because for the very first time, she can name the emotion darkening the Redcap’s irises: hunger.