He wasn’t sure if they’d been left for him by Crowflies, some other creature of the Wild, or by the hill itself, so to be on the safe side he spoke a general thanks and then kissed his middle and index fingers, letting a little saliva catch on the tips before smearing it on the inside of the hollow.

Just as he was wondering what to do next, he heard clumsy feet scrambling up the hill. By the time they were passing overhead, he’d identified their owner, and smiled for the first time that day. ‘Hello, Tal.’

There was a squeal of surprise, and then: ‘Is that you?’

‘Yes.’

‘Where are you? I can’t see you? Suns! Are you dead?’

‘No, I’m down here.’

The footsteps came closer, then Tal’s thick boots appeared, dangling over the edge of the hollow in front of Sa-at. He prodded the back of Tal’s leather-clad ankle. ‘Down here.’

‘Aargh! Don’t do that.’

‘Sorry.’

With a plop, Tal slipped down and landed. He was still clutching the stick Sa-at had given him, though the leaves tied to the top had long since gone out, leaving a bumpy black smudge behind. He stared at Sa-at and Sa-at stared back, both suddenly shy. Tal looked cold, the edges of his ears bright red, his nose pinched and sore. He cleared his throat. ‘Can I … can I sit with you?’

‘Yes.’

There wasn’t much room, but Tal managed to jam himself in. ‘Ah, that’s better. It’s so good to sit down.’ He rested his head against the earth behind them and closed his eyes. ‘And out of the breeze too. I thought I was going to … going to …’

Sa-at waited for Tal to finish his sentence but he didn’t. After a couple of minutes the other boy’s breathing became deeper, heavier, each exhalation ending in a sigh. Then, very slowly, his head began to loll sideways until it came to rest against Sa-at’s.

Somehow, things didn’t seem quite as bad as they were before. He was still scared. All of his problems remained, and yet his heart refused to stay heavy.

The other boy woke up with a start, lifting the stick as if to ward off attack. When it was clear there was no immediate threat, he lowered it again. ‘Did I go to sleep?’ Sa-at nodded and Tal looked appalled. ‘I’m so rubbish!’

‘Why?’

‘Because we’re in the Wild! You’re never supposed to sleep in the Wild.’

‘I do.’

Tal’s eyes widened and his mouth made a small pale circle. ‘Are you a demon?’

‘No.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes.’

He thought about that for a while and then seemed to slump. ‘I believe you. I probably shouldn’t but, well, I don’t have much choice do I? I, er, I wanted to thank you.’

‘Why?’