The Scourge - Page 70

Once we had wedged ourselves inside the cave, Weevil obviously wanted to talk, but Della said, "I still feel terrible. Can we figure everything out in the morning?" I didn't hear Weevil's answer, for by then, I had already fallen asleep on his shoulder.

The scene we awoke to was so beautiful, it was hard to believe a violent storm had passed through only hours ago. The skies were blue, birds were chirping overhead, and the trees and bushes were bright and glistening.

Everything was still dripping wet, and it bothered me to realize that wherever we went, we would leave behind a trail of prints in the mud. When I pointed that out, Jonas suggested we walk on rocks whenever possible, to at least slow down anyone who tried to follow our trail.

Weevil snorted, and I knew he was thinking that Jonas had lived in the towns too long. No tracker with a week of practice and the common sense of a fly would be fooled by that. But it was the best idea we had. Hopefully, wardens were stupider than the average fly. I was pretty sure at least a couple of them were.

"How are you feeling?" Weevil asked me.

"My legs are sore, and my neck is stiff from leaning on your shoulder all night. Otherwise I'm all right. You?"

He grinned. "My shoulder is sore from having someone's head on it all night, but I didn't mind."

Jonas was helping Della, who seemed to be feeling a little better and was already chewing on more thrushweed. She looked up at us and smiled. Maybe she was getting a taste for it, despite her protests. Some food would help her too, if we could find any.

"Where do we go now?" I asked. "Even if there are any boats still at the Colony, it's not safe to return there. I suppose we could build a boat ourselves, though we have no tools and it'll break apart when we're halfway across the sea."

Weevil's grin widened. "There's a reason my plan was to get past the fence. While in that tree last night, I think I saw something at the far end of the island. I could be wrong, but in one of the flashes of lightning, I saw what looked like the mast of a ship. For me to have seen it this far away, it must be fairly large."

My brows furrowed. "Why would the governor send a ship to this half of the island?"

Weevil shrugged. "I'm just telling you what I saw. A ship that size is bound to have a large crew, who probably won't be interested in taking us home. And if it didn't leave port before the worst of the storm, then it probably san

k during the night."

"So," I said, "this isn't great news."

"But it's something," Della said.

She was right about that. It was, in fact, the only plan we had. Even a little hope was better than no hope at all.

So we set out walking southward, remaining cautious about whatever we might find once we reached the ship, but hopeful that it could prove to be an end to our troubles. Della was unable to walk for most of the time, but Weevil and Jonas worked together to carry her while I forged a little ahead, seeking out the best possible trails to follow.

As we walked, Della talked about her father's attempt to win the election against Governor Felling a year ago.

"He had great plans for Keldan," she said. "Ways to bring us together so that we can become strong again. He wants good things for everyone in our country." She turned to me. "Even River People, Ani. I'm so sorry for the names I called you before. My father taught me better than that."

"Our fathers worked together in an attempt to rescue us," I said. "When we find them, I think they'll be proud of us for coming together too."

Our conversation was cut short by the discovery of some food, which also provided a good opportunity to rest, something we all needed. The food wasn't much and certainly nothing tasty or filling, but the storm had unearthed some edible roots. If there was nothing better to eat, such as the crusty sole of one's shoe, for example, River People sometimes boiled these roots up and pretended they didn't taste like slimy dirt. But when I bit into one, I decided they were even worse raw. I offered mine to Weevil, who offered both of ours to Della, who said they weren't so bad and ate them down. The thrushweed must've numbed her sense of taste.

At our next stop to rest, we found several blueberries, which tasted perfect. The bush was cleared before any of us were ready to stop eating, but Della brightened up afterward and insisted on walking the rest of the way there.

"It's a relief not to carry her," Weevil whispered to me a few minutes later.

"Why?" I asked. "Are you afraid your muscles were getting too big from all that work?"

He grinned and brushed a hand down one arm. "I just didn't want these muscles to tear my shirt."

We laughed, and when Della asked why, Weevil quickly said, "Ani is jealous that I've been carrying you all day. She wishes it had been her."

That deserved an even louder laugh from me. And a sharp elbow to Weevil's side.

Hills gradually rose along the island's shores, particularly as we moved farther west. It bothered me to realize how well traveled our trail was. Had wardens carved out this path, beginning at the door Weevil found in the fence and leading to the ship? If so, why? And more important, when would they be on this trail again?

"Look!" Jonas said, pointing southward.

We had just rounded a bend in the trail, which gave us our first look at the southern end of Attic Island. We were higher in elevation than the shore but a wide beach opened up ahead. Until last night, it had probably been made of beautiful white sand, but now it was cluttered with fallen tree branches and whatever sea litter had washed ashore with the tide.

Tags: Jennifer A. Nielsen Fantasy
Source: readsnovelonline.net
readsnovelonline.net Copyright 2016 - 2024