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Creeping into the common room, more confident of the route now, she was unsure how much of the night had passed. Her tired, itchy eyes made her believe she’d not been asleep for long. But, as she neared the curtain, a sound like a shuffling footstep rang out. She stopped, hardy daring to breathe, even while her heart pounded loudly enough she was sure whoever was in the common room would hear it.

She strained to catch the sound again, but there was nothing aside from her panting breaths. Still, she waited and waited. It was so silent, Sereh was sure she’d hear any noise that meant someone remained awake, but she remained hesitant. She didn’t want to give herself away. Finally, legs shaking from the strain of crouching, she moved forward. She stood, ear pressed to the curtain to listen. There was nothing. Cautiously, she reached out a shaking hand and pulled the curtain open wide enough to scan the room with one eye. No one was visible. The fire had burned low and cast creeping shadows into the corners as she slid inside and glided to the spot she’d noticed earlier, which Elen had been within when they’d returned from the warren.

She crept behind the curtain and made herself as comfortable as possible on the hard black rock, which was filled with furs, blankets and pieces of fur not yet worked into clothing.

‘I’ll wait until he arrives. No matter how long it takes. I don’t know how early Jon will begin his day or even if he’ll visit the common room before leaving. But, I have to hope he does, I’ll be ready for him.’ Her words were whispered, but she said them aloud to stiffen her resolve, even as she yawned again.

Now she was hidden, exhaustion threatened her plan. She blinked and blinked again, trying to find something to keep her awake. For a long time, she recited the Chronicles she’d read to Rankil, or learned under her father’s tutelage, speaking barely above a whisper. But, they were hardly exciting, and she feared she was getting the list of names which preceded each entry in the wrong order. Tiring of the tedious task, for she knew many entries by heart, her thoughts tumbled to Erann’s journal. She’d never had the opportunity to speak to him about it. For all the time they’d spent together in the cave, recovering from their respective injuries, it had never been right to ask him for more details.

However, she’d thought about it a great deal, and she’d made some possible deductions, especially because of the delayed start to the Long Day. Just like the Chronicle entries, she had a good memory for the length of recent Long Days and Long Nights. It was difficult not to keep track of the days of each Long Day when she was held in servitude by Rankil.

Did the list after list of numbers really reference the same thing? Did the numbers correspond to the length of the Long Night and Long Day? And if they did, were they showing the Long Night was only going to get even longer, if it followed the pattern she’d glimpsed within the pages. Already many had died from the extreme conditions, how many more would die if the precedent continued? How would the crops grow? She felt so useless stuck in the caverns with Emma and her people who knew more than they were prepared to share.

Now, fear kept her awake, as she tried to remember the exact lengths from the last seven rotations of her captivity.

The night dragged. Time and again she felt her head nod and she lapsed into a brief sleep only to wake, shaking and convinced there was a noise from the common room. Eventually, the hungry cries of the baby roused her. She held her breath for so long when she saw Emma wander sleepily into the common room holding the screaming baby, her head swum. Where was Jon? Had she missed him? She could hardly go and look for him while Emma sat before the smouldering hearth fire.

At last Jon arrived, calling sleepy greetings to Emma. And Emma was in the way. She still couldn’t creep out of her hiding place and follow him when Emma was right there, feeding the baby.

‘By the Gods,’ she grumbled silently. Had it come to this? She’d be denied now even though she’d sat and shivered all night long, fighting her fatigue.

She watched Jon and Emma, hoping neither approached the storage alcove she crouched within.

‘Is Pal fretful?’ Jon asked Emma, and Sereh realised this was the first time she’d heard the baby’s name.

‘Yes, and I’m exhausted. It’s been a long time since I cared for such a young child.’

Sereh noticed Jon’s wince and wondered why.

‘Here, have a drink. It might wake you up,’ he suggested. Jon handed Emma a drink of warm tea from the pot resting on the massive hearth and then busied himself. She had to assume he was sorting out supplies for the day.

‘By the Gods,’ Sereh cursed again. She should have brought her backpack to fill with food for her journey. She hadn’t thought of that. She’d go hungry once she escaped the caverns. If she did.

Her feet itched with impatience as she watched Emma and Jon.

Sereh heard Emma yawn, and had to duck low to smother her own yawn in the pile of furs. When she looked again, Jon had taken the now sleeping baby and placed him in the cot near the fire.

‘You should ask Elen to watch him, and get some sleep,’ Jon suggested. Emma shook her head, but then, she stood.

‘You’re right. I need to be less stubborn. I must get some sleep. With Sereh here, it’s imperative I don’t let anything go wrong.’ She stumbled from the room without the baby, and Sereh felt a spark of frustration. She didn’t even want to be here.

Jon bent to watch Pal, seemingly absorbed in the sight of him. Impatience warred within her. Where was Elen? When would Jon go to the hunting grounds?

But only a few more moments went by before Elen came into the room, yawning widely. She stooped over the cot, picked up the sleeping baby and walked out again, without saying more than a mumbled ‘good morning’, to Jon.

Jon quickly snatched his backpack and disappeared into the passageway she and Finn had taken when visiting the warren.

‘At last,’ and Sereh slipped from behind the curtain and hastily snatched a handful of peat cakes sitting on the table, as well as a water flask left there. ‘I need to keep him in sight, but not let him see me.’

Not that she immediately followed him. She paused at the second curtain, leading towards the warren, and watched Jon march down the long, straight passageway, cut into the rocks. She’d not considered this. How was she to follow him when, he’d see her easily if he looked back, and that’s if he didn’t hear her footsteps first? She paused, unsure how to follow without being seen, only for him to stop and pull aside a curtain just after the door leading to the hares. She’d not gone that far long the tunnel and so hadn’t seen it earlier.

The curtain swished behind him. Waiting for a few heartbeats, she slipped into the passageway and followed him. When she reached the second curtain, she bit her lips.

‘What if he’s just there, and sees me?’ But, there was nothing for it. ‘It’s now or never,’ she exhaled. She reached out tentatively, listening intently, before pulling the curtain to one side, decisively.

Jon was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was a stairway cut into the deep black rock which led sharply downwards, once more illuminated by a pleasant orange glow. From somewhere below, she heard the shuffling of feet.

‘This must go to the base of the mountain,’ she whispered, hope flaring. ‘This is the way to escape.’ Excitement thrummed through her, but she paused, and thought of Arrow. But no. Arrow’s claws over the rock way would be very distinctive, and Jon would discover her and bring her back to Emma.