(Nov 18)
Auronachus
Shepherd’s End
Spring 11, Night
Returning to the barn, Xalati tells everyone of the situation at the ranch. Kibeth’s father insists on leaving and that the oldest have to go find Kibeth and Kaisi and Yev and warn them; Xalati and Salinger eventually accede to doing that first, letting the families go the lighthouse on their own.
At the lighthouse, Esmund and Aureya are trying to research the puddings, while Ava searches the countryside with her elven human eyes and sees little. The barn refugees arrive and share the news of the ranch, and they decide to use the lighthouse to signal anybody in the area to gather there. Julie, the keeper of the lighthouse, warns that a storm is due tomorrow, and it’s not big enough to shelter everyone.
At the railroad, Salinger and Xalati spy a birdlike/reptilian shape, and Salinger relates stories he’s told before of auronachus, predators that lurk on the edges of the swamp. Xalati finds the remains of snacks like their step-grandmother would make for the kids of the ranch, and rushes ahead, nearly getting stabbed by Kaisi as she emerges from the darkness; she takes no notice, preferring instead to yell at Yev. The auronachae attack, are fended off momentarily by the shield-gauntlet Salinger uses, and are scared away by dynamite Kaisi throws. Kibeth catches up to them, and they start to limp back to town, carrying the passed-out and bleeding Yev.
At the lighthouse, the kids there talk about how they agreed to stay together but don’t seem to be following that at all. Peach is persuaded to not split off as well. They give the survivors in the area an hour to see and respond to the signal, and toward the end of the hour start to see movement—survivors running ahead of a rolling wave of blue puddings.
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