Page 47 of Sinful Curses
“My ma and pa must miss me terribly… if they’re still alive,” the female brownie said.
The other two male brownies nodded.
“I also had a girl I planned to marry,” the quiet one of them said. “She was beautiful.”
Orin doubted that. From what he’d seen, the brownies all looked alike, which meant they resembled overgrown mice, but to each their own.
“She’s probably moved on by now and found someone else,” he murmured.
“I miss my siblings,” the other one said. “There were fifteen of us. You’d think we wouldn’t really know each other, with our age differences and the fact there were so many of us, but they were my best friends.”
Orin could understand that. He’d fought endlessly with his eight brothers but also laughed, partied, and loved every one of them. And when he lost five of them, it changed him. It changed all of those who remained.
He wouldn’t lose any more of them, but for all he knew, he already had. According to Sahira, Brokk still hadn’t returned from Doomed Valley when she arrived here.
Cole and Varo could also be dead. He doubted much could kill the Shadow Reaver, but he had no way of knowing what had become of his brothers, and hehatedit. It had also been far too long since he’d seen his mother and sister; while they were most likely safe, he wanted to confirm that for himself.
His hands fisted as he studied the vast, endless field. He had to get back to his family; if Brokk still hadn’t returned, he would find his brother.
“I want to be free,” the female brownie whispered.
“We all do,” Orin said. “We wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
“If someone was coming from the other way, then there’s something on the other side,” Sahira said again.
“What if they were coming from this way?” Elsa inquired. “What if it was someone from Belda’s town who’s been wandering out here and just started across the field?”
Zeth rubbed his chin as he answered. “Before us, it had been a while since anyone left our town.”
“But it would be easy enough to get lost out here,” Sahira said. “They could have been out here for years, surviving on what little they found to eat and drink.”
“We haven’t found any water outside the brownie town,” Orin said.
The female brownie looked at him. “You’re the first to come through our town in centuries.”
“I’m sure there’s a way to get here without going through their town first,” Sahira said. “It’s so easy to get turned around out here.”
“True,” Orin agreed.
Elsa huddled deeper into her cloak as she shifted from foot to foot and rubbed her hands together. “I don’t think they came from Belda’s town. It would be too difficult to survive out here for this long.”
“I think she’s right,” Zeth said, “but it is a possibility. I think it’s more likely there’s something on the other side of this field.”
“Which means we have to cross it,” Sahira said.
“We’ve come this far,” Elsa stated. “I’m not turning back.”
“Neither am I,” Orin said.
“That settles it then.” Zeth turned away from the field to survey the rocky land behind them. “We should probably wait until morning to leave. The field will be easier to navigate in the daytime.”
One of the brownies jerked his thumb toward the still-smoldering remains. “Why didn’t they wait until daytime to cross?”
“Maybe they just came across this field and decided to keep going,” Elsa suggested.
“Or maybe they did start in the daytime, and the field is so big night descended by the time they got this far,” Sahira said.
Orin hoped that wasn’t true. “Whenever they started, they almost reached the end, which means we will too.”
