"We're going to need a fire tonight," said Hina, clipping the lid onto the cooking pot. It was early, the sun only a little over the horizon. "Unless you want to eat dry beans, anyway," said Hina. They'd been walking for almost a week, and were nearly through their fresh food.

She was ready for a hot meal tonight. Kai had been setting out "rabbit snares" for the last few nights, but Hina wasn't sure that he knew what he was doing. They hadn't caught anything, anyway.

"Hina," Kai sounded thoughtful. "Do you know how to make a fire?"

"You've waited this long to ask?"

"We haven't needed one yet. But do you?"

"I've read a couple of books on the subject."

"The Art of Firelighting?" Kai grinned. "Noble Pursuits of the Firemaker? What about: The Campfire Guide?"

"Cooking with Fire, by Miles Keene."

Kai snorted.

"Do you know how to make a fire?"

"Yeah, of course. That's one of the things they taught us in the militia training."

"Good," Hina said. "So if my way doesn't work, we have a backup plan. You're plan B."

"I bet..." Kai was smiling. "I bet you the last plum that you can't make a fire without using, hmm, more than five matches."

"You've still got a plum?"

"I was saving it. What do you say?"

"Why do you still have a plum? Are you hiding food from me?"

"Don't change the subject. Five matches, or I get to eat the plum."

"Fine. I'm pretty sure I can do it with one, maybe two."

"Gotta be roaring—it doesn't count if it goes out right after."

"That's okay."

"So you're in? You're taking the bet?"

"Yeah, you're on. But," she said, "if I win, you're cooking dinner."

"But it's my plum!"

"It's our plum, Kai. Or are you chickening out?"

"Fine, fine," Kai said. "The beans are already soaked, right? All I gotta do is boil them?"

"Yep. And watch to make sure they don't burn. I don't want to eat burnt beans."

"Then I'm in."

"Good. We need to find a really good spot for the fire, somewhere out of the wind, and out of sight of the road. And we're going to need to find some dry wood. Keep an eye out, yeah?"

"Pity we lost the axe."

"We'll manage. We've got a knife for making kindling, and we can break the bigger bits up with our hands. We don't need to chop down any trees."

Around mid-morning they came to a fork in the road, which continued to the south east and the south west. Across the road and into the distance was another great hedge like the one around Grambe, only this one had gaps where it had been burned to the ground in several places. Through the gaps were overgrown fields.

"Atherton," said Hina, shaking her head. She had stopped walking, the better to look.

"What happened?"

"You didn't hear?"

Kai shook his head.

"About four or five years ago now—I suppose you were pretty young, so it's no surprise you don't remember, but it was a big deal at the time—

"A group of traders carrying... iron back in from Hacurymock. Somewhere along the way they attract the attention of a greater beast—the man in the inn described it as a stone giant without a head, taller than a house—a monstrosity. They say that it breathed fire from a face in the middle of its chest."

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"And what happened?"

"Well, the traders were out of their depth. They'd lost some of their guards in an encounter with a flock of monstrous birds and didn't have a chance of dealing with the thing. They fled towards the closest town." Hina gestured. "Atherton."

"And that was it? There was nothing they could do?" Kai was staring at the gaps in the hedge. "It burned the whole town?"

Hina shook her head. "The beast burned through much of the hedge and fought the guard. The militia was called in. The battle attracted other beasts—nothing quite so big, but enough. They say that the town guard killed it, but not before it had broken great big holes in the town walls."

"And then what happened?"

"The townsfolk were evacuated at the first sign of trouble, of course. The guard and the militia fought until everybody got away, and then they retreated too.

"Atherton was bigger than Grambe, with a much larger garrison, but thirty or forty people died in the fighting. And then the town was abandoned.

"They've been talking about rebuilding it, about resettling Atherton for years. But Tenbury has other priorities—or that's what they say, anyway."

"But they took all of their stuff? The buildings in there are empty?"

"Thinking about looting?"

"Is there likely to be anything in there?"

"Nah, I don't think so. It's been years. Anything of value would be gone by now."

"Aw."

"Now, the fields are another story. Atherton was known for its fruit trees, apples and plums and pears. They say that the trees are still there, grown wild now, brambles and weeds all over. Might be worth a look?"

"Are there beasts in there?"

"Might be. But there's nobody living here, so it doesn't seem likely. Why live near a hedge if there isn't anything good to eat?"

"I could go for a quick look. We don't need to go all the way into town."

Hina led the way, down the slope to the road, and then walking along the road towards the hedge.

As they walked, the fields beyond the hedge came into view, thick and overgrown plants stretching towards the sky. Here and there trees grew, their branches dotted with red and yellow and white fruit.

"Looks like we're in luck," said Hina. "There are still some trees here."

"But where are the orchards?"

"Hmm."

"I'm not wrong, right? There should be rows of trees?"

"Maybe they're just not visible from here. Or this side was crops, and the other side was orchards."

Hina led them through the hedge, feet crunching on the blackened ground. The passage was almost a hundred meters wide, but nothing grew in the space where the hedge had been.

"Look," said Kai, grabbing Hina's arm. "A house." He pointed to an old stone building that stood near the hedge, visible now that they had come around the corner. "It's still standing."

The building was a single story, with a thatched roof and a stone chimney. The walls were covered in ivy, and the roof was sagged in places. But the vegetation had been cut back around it—it was standing in a little clearing of its own. The door looked sturdy, and the windows were intact.

"The caretaker's cottage," said Hina. "And it's still standing."

"Think someone lives here?"

"Who would live in a place like this?" Hina wondered aloud. "Plenty of food if you know where to look, but no protection from the wild."

"Let's have a look," said Kai. "Maybe it's abandoned."

There was almost a little path that led from the road to the cottage, where the grass had been worn down by the passage of feet. Hina and Kai walked along it, and then stopped at the door.

"Should we knock?" Kai asked.

Hina hesitated and then rapped her knuckles on the door three times. There was no answer, but the door swung open, just a little, moving smoothly on well-oiled hinges.

"Not latched?" Kai asked.

"Not locked either." She pushed on the door to open it the rest of the way. There was a faint smell of rot, and a buzzing. "Hello? Is anyone here? We saw the house from the road. We thought someone might be living here."

There was no answer.

Through the door was a simple room, with a wooden table and chairs. The walls were stone, lined with brightly colored woven tapestries, and the floor was covered by a thick rug. A small stack of wood stood by the empty fireplace. The buzzing continued. Two clay bowls were on the table, cutlery laid out neatly to either side.

"Where are they?" Kai asked, standing by the table. "Oh, ew." He put a hand over his mouth.

Inside the bowls, the pulsing white bodies of insects squirmed and writhed.

"Maggots," Hina said, grimacing.

"Where are the people? And hmm." He picked something up off the table.

There was a door set into the wall behind the table. Hina moved towards it and the buzzing grew louder. She reached out with a fingertip to push it open. The smell was strong now, rot and sick and—

The door opened. After a glimpse, Hina grabbed the door handle and pulled it firmly closed.

"Let's go—let's get out of here," she said, voice tight.

Hina walked out the door of the cottage and kept walking. Kai picked something up out of the corner of the room, then pulled the door closed behind them.

"What happened in there? Did you see anything?"

"Dead, all dead. Been there for a while."

"Oh."

"What did you find?"

Kai put a hand into the paper bag he was holding. He took out something pale and took a bite, then smiled.

"Dried fruit—apples, I think," he said. "But—" He hesitated. "Shouldn't we... go back and deal with them? A prayer? Burn the bodies?"

"No. We can tell a priest when we get into the next town, maybe."

Kai grunted. "I'd want someone to do it for me. Better than feeding some bogle."

"Yeah," Hina said. "Me too. But I don't think—" She stopped. "We can, if you want to. If you think we should. It'll take most of the day, I think—build a great big fire, drag the bodies out. Say something."

Kai stopped walking, turned to look back at the town, which was just a smudge of hedge rising in the distance. He sighed. "They've been fine for this long, maybe it's okay if we tell a priest in the next town."

"They'll know what to do."

They walked on in silence for a while, and then Kai spoke again. "I found this," he said, "on the table?" He held up a small yellowed piece of paper.

Hina took it and read while she walked.

> Anders,

>

> This is your final notice. We have shared the bounty of The House with you and your family, and now the bill is due.

>

> We can find you, no matter where you try to run.

>

> Repay your debts. Or I will come to collect with interest.

>

> - G

Hina looked up at Kai. "What do you think?"

"Someone sent this note," Kai said. "Killed them when they ignored it."

"All of them." Hina shivered. "Even the children. Doesn't that seem a little much?"

Kai grunted. "Horrible."