Virginia Hamilton Read Online Free Page B

down again, swishing her tail.
    Going somewhere, are you, buddy? she traced to Thomas.
    The sentences Miacis was able to put together from words out of his own mind shocked him. Yet he wasn’t going to let their slangy accuracy throw him now.
    You stay back, dog-face. Yeah. I’m going someplace. She thinks she can run me. Either she leaves me be or I’ll stay out there and none of them will ever get home. You tell her that, dog. Tell Justice I don’t w ant to come here ever again! And if she wants to get back home, she’d better make some promises!
    Sure, what’s your game? Miacis traced. Brother, you are some tough guy for sure.
    She turned clear around so that her back was to him. She flicked her gorgeous tail at him just once. But before she turned, she had sensed something. Thomas was concealing something behind him—some form, some shape. Without having seen it, she knew it was important.
    That’s okay, man, Miacis traced. You get yourself a good headstart.
    Come after me, I’ll slice you up! warned Thomas. He was already running, putting distance between them.
    Justice came to with Miacis licking her face. She had a terrible headache and hurt all over. She knew at once what had happened. Thomas. He was gone, of course.
    “Why didn’t you wake me?” she demanded of Miacis.
    I waited for you to awaken, Master, traced Miacis.
    “Then why didn’t you stop him if you were awake when he ran?” Justice demanded.
    The Master didn’t command me to, traced Miacis. I was resting. Think I must’ve been sleeping, oh, yes.
    “Well, which?” Justice said angrily. “Or was it all three?” She got up to see about Dorian and Levi. Dorian was coming out of it as if from an uncomfortable, cramping sleep. Levi lay still, breathing softly.
    She returned to Miacis. “Answer me!”
    I … saw him leave. But I couldn’t go after him till you told me to, Master. But you tell me to and I’ll bring him on in. You just let me at him, oh, yes!
    Justice said nothing for a moment as she scanned Miacis’ thoughts.
    “So that’s why you didn’t try to wake me,” Justice said, probing. “You wanted to give him a good headstart. Why, you love a run, a good chase! What’s going on between you two? I bet he wants you to chase him, doesn’t he?”
    “You want me to wake Levi?” Dorian said, interrupting them.
    “No,” Justice said. “Give him time. He’ll come out of it like we did.”
    “Why did he do it?” Dorian asked, speaking of Thomas.
    “Part of it’s to get back at me,” Justice said. “And then, he’s planning some game on Miacis, I suspect. But mainly he hates coming here, so he’s showing me that none of us can get back home until he says so.”
    He say you better promise to stay home for good, too, Miacis traced.
    “Oh, he did, did he?” Justice said.
    I can bring him back, Master. Let me go get him.
    “I ought to go myself,” Justice said. She glanced apprehensively over at Levi.
    “I don’t get it,” Dorian said. “How can he run away when … when nothing of any of us is here to run?”
    “I don’t know,” she said. “But just look at us.” She was wearing a hooded robe and sandals. Dorian and Levi had on hooded tunics with pants that fitted tightly about the ankles. “There’s some unknown affecting things. Thomas did run away and we’ve got to get him back.”
    She looked over at Levi and knew she couldn’t leave him. She would need Dorian, the healer, if Levi was deeply hurt. Only time would tell.
    Justice turned to Miacis, not quite sure she had made up her mind. But Miacis was aware she had.
    Thank you, Master! Miacis leaped away. In seconds she was streaking across the Nolight of Dustland.
    “Wait!” Justice called. But Miacis was gone.
    How can Miacis bring him back? Justice wondered. Rarely now did she think of Miacis as an animal. She was rather more like a cousin. And she divined that somehow Miacis could do what she set out to do.
    We can’t get home. Bring him