Chapter Twenty Four
Working his way laboriously through a particularly bristling set of bushes, Tren almost tripped over the shortig that sat, panting, in the midst of the undergrowth. The dog grinned up at Tren, tongue lolling, with the air of a workman reaching the end of the day’s business.
‘What? That’s it?’ Tren stood still, looking in puzzlement at the self-satisfied creature. He couldn’t see any reason why the animal would consider its task finished. He hadn’t found Griel, or Ana, or Eva. He didn’t appear to have discovered anything.
Tren groaned. The absurd creature had probably been following the scent of one of the brightly-coloured tree beasts that Tren had repeatedly glimpsed as they journeyed. The dog hadn’t been tracking Griel at all. He exhaled slowly and sat down where h
