The Shattered Mountain

17

SHE has barely gone from sunshine to shadow when Teena thrusts a bowl of stew at her. Mara is stunned for a moment as she breathes in the scent of venison. It’s so thick, with huge chunks of meat. Even carrots. And suddenly Mara’s lips are on the side of the bowl and warm, generous stuff is sliding down her throat, filling her stomach. It leaks past her mouth, smears her cheeks and chin, but she doesn’t care.

“That’s what I did!” Teena says, laughing. “But then my belly hurt.”

Mara forces herself to stop and take a breath. Stew drips from her chin to the ground. She looks around to find the other children slurping with equal abandon, especially tiny Marlín, who sits cuddling her bowl, her eyes closed in perfect ecstasy. For the first time in days, Mara smiles.

“They’ve already assigned huts to us so we can rest,” Teena says brightly. “You get to share with me. They even gave us some blankets. Do you want me to take you there?”

A hut. Rest. Blankets. Words that feel like home.

Mara takes another, less hurried sip of stew. Across the cavern, the beautiful girl Cosmé is tending to Hando’s arm, preparing it for amputation. Belén, the boy she briefly loved before she met Julio, interviews the children, trying to find matches with friends or relatives who might already be in their camp. Mara was relieved when he left the village last year, but she’s surprised at how glad she is to see him now.

Even the princess is busy, carrying buckets of water from the pool to the infirmary area.

These rebels are people of accord. Of purpose.

Mara throws back her shoulders, as if by doing so she can shake off their long journey, her father’s abuse, Julio’s death. It’s not enough. The memories will cling stubbornly, maybe forever, but she finds that she can stand under their weight after all.

Teena peers at her questioningly, for she has been silent too long.

She takes a deep, cleansing breath. Her hope can’t come from Julio anymore. She must nurture it inside herself, and she must fill it with purpose. Mara says, “Thank you, Teena, but not just yet. Do you know where the kitchen area is? I want to get to work right away.”