'You see,' he said, speaking as much to himself as to the girl.
'Things are not always as they first appear. Your friend was only
testing me. Now we are brothers, as we could not have been before.'
She nodded halfheartedly, not at all sure she believed him.
'You won't fight anymore, will you? Please promise me you won't.'
'We will not fight.' He continued his work.
There was a pause in which neither spoke. Finally Kalus broke the deadlock with a question. He truly wished to know its answer, but also disliked the awkwardness that silence had placed between them.
'Sylviana. You speak as one who comes from far away. Are you then from the Island?'
'What island?'
'The Island of Ruins across the water.'
'No….. No, I don't think so.' She struggled now, trying to find the words to tell him that she came not only from a different place, but from a different time as well. It didn't matter. She wasn't going to have the chance. In their preoccupation with themselves the three had forgotten the Mantis. Awakened by the noise of their scuffle, it climbed toward the inadequate shelter even as they spoke.
It was Akar who sensed his presence first. Though he could not be certain of the scent, the wind being in the opposite quarter, the low, scratching sound of hooked claws searching for footholds was unmistakable. He did not try to run, nor even to alert the others, but went without hesitation to wait for the monarch at the entrance of the niche. He only hoped the Mantis would remember him.
'What is he doing?' asked the girl. At the same moment Kalus heard a loosened stone sent plummeting to the bottom of the canyon. Its dry echo sounded sharp and clear below.