Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (z-lib.org).mobi
was done. I waited for him to return, but finally I fell asleep, alone beneath thestars.We spent the next few days in the areas surrounding Chernast, scouring miles ofterrain for signs of Morozova’s herd, drawing as close to the outpost as wedared. With every passing day, Mal’s mood darkened. He tossed in his sleep andbarely ate. Sometimes I woke to him thrashing about under the furs mumbling,“Where are you? Where are you?”He saw signs of other people – broken branches, displaced rocks, patterns thatwere invisible to me until he pointed them out – but no signs of the stag.Then one morning, he shook me awake before dawn.“Get up,” he said. “They’re close, I can feel it.” He was already pulling thefurs off me and shoving them into his pack.“Hey!” I complained, trying to keep back the covers to no avail. “What aboutbreakfast?”He tossed me a piece of hard tack. “Eat and walk. I want to try the westerntrails today. I have a feeling.”“But yesterday you thought we should head east.”“That was yesterday,” he said, already shouldering his pack and striding intothe tall grass. “Get moving. We need to find that stag so I don’t have to chopyour head off.”“I never said you had to chop my head off,” I grumbled, rubbing the sleepfrom my eyes and stumbling after him.“Run you through with a sword, then? Firing squad?”“I was thinking something quieter, like maybe a nice poison.”“All you said was that I had to kill you. You didn’t say how.”I stuck my tongue out at his back, but I was glad to see him so energised, and Isupposed it was a good thing that he could joke about it all. At least, I hoped hewas joking.The western trails took us through groves of squat larches and past meadowsclustered with fireweed and red lichen. Mal moved with purpose, his step lightas always.The air felt cool and damp, and a few times I caught him glancing nervouslyup at the overcast sky, but he drove onwards. Late in the afternoon, we reached alow hill that sloped gently down into a broad plateau covered in pale grass. Malpaced along the top of the slope, ranging west and then east. He walked downthe hill and up the hill, and down it again, until I thought I would scream. At last,he led us to the leeward side of a large cluster of boulders, slid his pack off hisshoulders, and said, “Here.”
I shook a fur out on the cold ground and sat down to wait, watching Mal paceuneasily. Finally, he sat down beside me, eyes trained on the plateau, one handresting lightly on his bow. I knew that he was imagining them there, picturingthe herd emerging from the horizon, white bodies glowing in the gathering dusk,breath pluming in the cold. Maybe he was willing them to appear. This seemedlike the right place for the stag – fresh with new grass and spotted with tiny bluelakes that shone like coins in the setting sun.The sun melted away and we watched the plateau turn blue in the twilight. Wewaited, listening to the sound of our own breath and the wind moaning over thevastness of Tsibeya. But as the light faded, the plateau stayed empty.The moon rose, obscured by clouds. Mal didn’t move. He sat still as stone,staring out into the reaches of the plateau, his blue eyes distant. I pulled the otherfur from the pack and wrapped it around his shoulders and mine. Here, in the leeof the rock, we were protected from the worst of the wind, but it wasn’t much forshelter.Then he sighed deeply and squinted up at the night sky. “It’s going to snow. Ishould have taken us into the woods, but I thought …” He shook his head. “Iwas so sure.”“It’s okay,” I said, leaning my head against his shoulder. “Maybe tomorrow.”“Our supplies won’t last forever, and every day we’re out here is anotherchance for us to get caught.”“Tomorrow,” I said again.“For all we know, he’s found the herd already. He’s killed the stag and nowthey’re just hunting us.”“I don’t believe that.”Mal said nothing. I pulled the fur up higher and I let the tiniest bit of lightblossom from my hand.“What are you doing?”“I’m cold.”“It isn’t safe,” he said, drawing the fur up to hide the light that shone warmand golden on his face.“We haven’t seen another living soul for over a week. And staying hiddenwon’t do us much good if we freeze to death.”He frowned but then he reached out, letting his fingers play in the light, andsaid, “That’s really something.”“Thanks,” I said, smiling.“Mikhael is dead.”The light sputtered in my hand. “What?”“He’s dead. He was killed in Fjerda. Dubrov too.”
- Page 119 and 120: “Should I? If I can’t help you
- Page 121 and 122: CHAPTER 14As winter drew to a close
- Page 123 and 124: beautiful people in their beautiful
- Page 125 and 126: How was it that Genya had fallen so
- Page 127 and 128: She examined the toes of her satin
- Page 129 and 130: leaning on a cane.“Duke Keramsov!
- Page 131 and 132: when the room was practically vibra
- Page 133 and 134: over the ribbons at my neckline.
- Page 135 and 136: “Forgive me,” I said. “It’s
- Page 137 and 138: imagine what it’s been like here.
- Page 139 and 140: CHAPTER 15Only when I was in my roo
- Page 141 and 142: “Then talk sense,” I said. “H
- Page 143 and 144: I would never help him do that.”
- Page 145 and 146: CHAPTER 16Baghra’s relief was unm
- Page 147 and 148: “For everything.”“Hmph,” sh
- Page 149 and 150: collar around my neck and make me a
- Page 151 and 152: pace. Once I’d passed them, I ris
- Page 153 and 154: For a moment, I thought my heart ha
- Page 155 and 156: my heels and toes. My miserable nig
- Page 157 and 158: CHAPTER 17Mal took both watches and
- Page 159 and 160: “I know I can find it.”“If th
- Page 161 and 162: came down, some of the worry had go
- Page 163 and 164: “So?” asked Longface.“So Riko
- Page 165 and 166: “It was a stupid risk. I should k
- Page 167 and 168: CHAPTER 18We saw shoots of new gras
- Page 169: drawing the furs tighter around my
- Page 173 and 174: been passed between us. “Mikhael
- Page 175 and 176: Around sunset, we emerged from the
- Page 177 and 178: The sound was like a soft whistle o
- Page 179 and 180: in his hand.I turned away, my stoma
- Page 181 and 182: “We’ll camp tonight and leave f
- Page 183 and 184: Fold.”Ivan shook his head. “The
- Page 185 and 186: as cold and smooth as ever. “We
- Page 187 and 188: I shuddered. I hoped that Baghra ha
- Page 189 and 190: CHAPTER 21I picked at my dinner and
- Page 191 and 192: asked, and for once, his voice was
- Page 193 and 194: hold back during my conversation wi
- Page 195 and 196: lips met mine.We stayed together th
- Page 197 and 198: in crimson silks, stood a delegatio
- Page 199 and 200: breathing, I thought in terror.The
- Page 201 and 202: most valued Grisha had just punched
- Page 203 and 204: Mal as I threw the light ahead of m
- Page 205 and 206: hurtling towards me over the dead r
- Page 207 and 208: AFTERThe boy and the girl stand at
- Page 209 and 210: ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThanks to my agent a
- Page 213 and 214: FOUND NEAR RAVKA’SNORTHERN BORDER
- Page 215 and 216: more, why I toss and turn, why my r
- Page 217 and 218: when I stand at the gates of the Gr
I shook a fur out on the cold ground and sat down to wait, watching Mal pace
uneasily. Finally, he sat down beside me, eyes trained on the plateau, one hand
resting lightly on his bow. I knew that he was imagining them there, picturing
the herd emerging from the horizon, white bodies glowing in the gathering dusk,
breath pluming in the cold. Maybe he was willing them to appear. This seemed
like the right place for the stag – fresh with new grass and spotted with tiny blue
lakes that shone like coins in the setting sun.
The sun melted away and we watched the plateau turn blue in the twilight. We
waited, listening to the sound of our own breath and the wind moaning over the
vastness of Tsibeya. But as the light faded, the plateau stayed empty.
The moon rose, obscured by clouds. Mal didn’t move. He sat still as stone,
staring out into the reaches of the plateau, his blue eyes distant. I pulled the other
fur from the pack and wrapped it around his shoulders and mine. Here, in the lee
of the rock, we were protected from the worst of the wind, but it wasn’t much for
shelter.
Then he sighed deeply and squinted up at the night sky. “It’s going to snow. I
should have taken us into the woods, but I thought …” He shook his head. “I
was so sure.”
“It’s okay,” I said, leaning my head against his shoulder. “Maybe tomorrow.”
“Our supplies won’t last forever, and every day we’re out here is another
chance for us to get caught.”
“Tomorrow,” I said again.
“For all we know, he’s found the herd already. He’s killed the stag and now
they’re just hunting us.”
“I don’t believe that.”
Mal said nothing. I pulled the fur up higher and I let the tiniest bit of light
blossom from my hand.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m cold.”
“It isn’t safe,” he said, drawing the fur up to hide the light that shone warm
and golden on his face.
“We haven’t seen another living soul for over a week. And staying hidden
won’t do us much good if we freeze to death.”
He frowned but then he reached out, letting his fingers play in the light, and
said, “That’s really something.”
“Thanks,” I said, smiling.
“Mikhael is dead.”
The light sputtered in my hand. “What?”
“He’s dead. He was killed in Fjerda. Dubrov too.”
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