The sky is gray and heavy. The woods are dark and cold. Most of the leaves have fallen from the trees and lie dead on the ground. Nine walks ahead of me, scanning the landscape for game. ‘You know, that rabbit was better than I thought it would be.’ He produces a short piece of vine from his pocket and pulls his shaggy black hair into a ponytail. ‘I’ll make it again tonight if you’re interested.’

‘I think I’ll figure something else out.’

He looks surprised at my squeamishness. ‘Scared of fresh kill? You have to eat if you want to get your strength up. I don’t know why, but our healing stones don’t do jack shit for your pain. And, you know, this sickness thing of yours is a real drag. Time’s a-wasting, dude. We need to get you better and we’ve got to get out of here.’

I know how weak my body is by how tired I feel as we walk. We’re only a couple hundred yards from our ramshackle house and I’m exhausted already. I want so badly to be back there, sleeping. But I know I won’t feel normal again if I don’t get off my butt and move.

‘Hey Nine, let me tell you about this dream I just had,’ I say.

He snorts. ‘A dream? No thanks, man. Well, unless it was about girls. That you can tell me all about; in detail.’

‘I saw Setrákus Ra. I talked to him.’ Nine pauses, then keeps walking. ‘He offered me a deal.’

‘Oh, yeah? What kind of deal?’

‘If I go back to him and face him, he said he’ll let everyone else live, including Sam.’

Nine snorts. ‘That’s a load of crap. Mogadorians don’t make deals. At least, they don’t make deals with any intention of keeping up their end of the bargain. And they don’t show mercy.’

‘I figure, why not just pretend I’m taking him up on it? I have to go back to the cave anyway to get Sam out.’

Nine turns to me, his face a mask of disinterest. ‘Hate to break it to you, dude, but Sam’s probably dead. The Mogs don’t care about us, and they don’t care about humans. I think you had a bad dream, and I’m sorry you got all scared and felt the need to bore me with it. But even if you did channel Setrákus Ra, that kind of offer is obviously a trap and you’ll die walking into it. In fact, you’ll die going within ten miles of that place. I guarantee it.’ He spins around and walks away from me.