Wherever Jeanne was taking her, it was a long,cold trek. And a painful one. After about fifteenminutes Maggie's arms began to feelasif they werebeing pulled out of the sockets, and a hot spot of pain flared at the back of her neck. Her sweat wasclammy running down her back and her feetwere numb.
But she wouldn't give up, and Jeanne didn't either. Somehow they kept going. They had traveledfor maybe about forty-five minutes, with breaks,when Jeanne said, "Here it is."
A clearing opened in front of them, and moonlight shone on a crude little shack made of weathered wood. It leaned dangerously to one side andseveral boards were missing, but it had a ceilingand walls. It was shelter. To Maggie, it looked beautiful.
"Runaway slaves built it," Jeanne said breathlesslyas they took the last few steps to the cabin. "The Night People hunted them down, of course, but they didn't find this place. All the slaves at the castle know about it." Then she called in a slightlylouder tone, "It's me! Open the door!" A long pause, and then there was the sound of awooden bolt sliding and the door opened. Maggiecould see the pale blob of a small face. P.J. Penob scot, with her red plaid baseballcap still on backwardand herslightbodytense,wasblinkingsleepy, frightened eyes.
Then she focused and her face changed."Maggie! You're okay!" She flung herself at Maggie like a small javelin.
"Ow-hey!" Maggie swayed and Cady's limp bodydipped perilously.
"I'm glad to see you, too," Maggie said. To herown surprise, she found herself blinking back tears."But I've got to put this girl down or I'm going todrop her."
"Back here," Jeanne said. The back of the cabinwas piled with straw. She and Maggie eased Arcadia down onto it and then P.J. hugged Maggie again.
"You got us out. We got away," P.J. said, hersharp little chin digging into Maggie's shoulder.
Maggie squeezed her. "Wellwe all got us out,and Jeanne helped get you away. But I'm glad everybody made it."
"Is she...all right?" P.J. pulled back and lookeddown at Arcadia.
"I don't know." Cady's forehead felt hot underMaggie's hand, and her breathing was regular butwith a rough, wheezy undertone Maggie didn'tlike.
"Here's a cover," Jeanne said, dragging up a pieceof heavy, incredibly coarse material. It seemed asbig as a sail and so rigid it hardly sagged or folded."If we all get under it, we can keep warm."
They put Cady in the middle, Maggie and P.J. onone side of her and Jeanne on the other. The cover was more than big enough to spread over them.
And the hay smelled nice. It was prickly, butMaggie's long sleeves and jeans protected her. There was a strange comfort in P.J.'s slight bodycuddled up next to herlike a kitten, Maggiethought. And it was so blessedly good to not bemoving, to not be carrying anyone, but just to sit still and relax her sore muscles.
"There was a little food stashed here," Jeannesaid, digging under the hay and pulling out a smallpacket.
"Dried meat strips and oatcakes with salalberries. We'd better save some for tomorrow,though."
Maggie tore into the dried meat hungrily. Itdidn't taste like beef jerky; it was tougher and gam ier, but right at the moment it seemed delicious.She tried to get Cady to eat some, but it was nouse. Cady just turned her head away.
She and Jeanne and P.J. finished the meal offwith a drink of water, and then they lay back onthe bed of hay.
Maggie felt almost happy. The gnawing in her stomach was gone, her muscles were loosening up,and she could feel a warm heavinesssettlingoverher.
"You were going... to tell me about Bern ..."Jeanne said from the other side of Cady. The wordstrailed off into a giant yawn.
"Yeah." Maggie's brain was fuzzy and her eyeswouldn't stay open. "Tomorrow ..."
And then, lying on a pile of hay in a tiny shack ina strange kingdom, with three girls who had been strangers to her before this afternoon and who nowseemed a little like sisters, she was fast asleep.
Maggie woke up with her nose cold and her feettoo hot. Pale light was coming in all the cracks inthe boards of the cabin. For one instant she stared at the rough weathered-silver boards and the hayon the floor and wondered where she was. Thenshe remembered everything.
"Cady." She sat up and looked at the girl beside her.
Cady didn't look well. Her face had the waxyinner glow of somebody with a fever, and there were little tendrils of dark hair curled damply onher forehead. But at Maggie's voice her eyelashes fluttered, then her eyes opened.
"Maggie?"
"How are you feeling? Want some water?" Shehelped Cady drink from the leather bag.
"I'm all right. Thanks to you, I think. Youbrought me here, didn't you?" Cady's face turnedas if she were looking around the room with herwide, unfocused eyes. She spoke in short sentences, as if she were conserving her strength, but hervoice was more gentle than weak. "And Jeanne, too.Thank you both."
She must have heard us talkinglast night, Maggie thought. Jeanne was sitting up, straw in her red hair, her green eyes narrow and alert instantly. P.J.was stirring and making grumpy noises.
"Morning," Maggie said. "Is everybody okay?'
"Yeah," P.J. said in a small, husky voice. Therewas a loud rumble from her stomach. "I guess I'mstill a little hungry," she admitted.
"There're a couple oatcakes left," Jeanne said."And one strip of meat. We might as well finishit off."
They made Cady eat the meat, although she triedto refuse it. Then they divided the oatcakes solemnly into four parts and ate them, chewing dog gedly on dry, flaky mouthfuls.
"We're going to need more water, too," Maggiesaid, after they'd each had a drink. The leather bagwas almost empty. "But I think the first thing is tofigure out what we're going to do now. What our plan is."