A Darker Forest- Legends of Nerin by J W H Agan

Author:J W H Agan [Agan, J W H]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781702816724
Published: 2019-11-29T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

After a couple hours of walking blindly through the dense trees and underbrush, Natalie found herself back at the large Gods’ Tree where she had met Helen. She sat down and breathed deep before she removed one of her boots and rubbed the sole of her foot while she rested for the moment. She was walking in circles. Natalie looked up to the large, gnarled, oak tree and wondered if the rumor that Helen had told her was true. If the forest really did hold some sort of magical power that drew the sad and depressed to itself in order for them to end their own lives. Natalie shuddered at the thought. She couldn't stay here, but she was lost now. The path that she had followed earlier appeared to be gone. Fear began to grip her when she heard the sound of a twig snapping to her right. She looked around the tree, startled, and saw a large white-tailed stag standing off to the side of the clearing nibbling on some of the remaining blades of grass that shot up from beneath the leaves. It turned its head to look at Natalie and then went back to its business, paying her no mind. She watched it, curious about its disinterest in her. Every wild animal she had ever seen scurried away when a person came near, even Dervis, when she had rescued him years before, had tried to scurry away before she caught him and helped him back to health. A few moments passed by and she heard a couple of sharp twangs from off in the distance followed by the buck screaming in pain before falling to the side, dead. Two arrows stuck from its neck. Natalie turned around and pressed her back as close to the tree trunk as she could, trying to keep out of sight. She closed her eyes and pressed even closer into the side of tree, wishing she could hide inside the thick trunk. She didn't know if the arrows would fly at her as well. She held up her sword and waited. And waited. No sounds came for a few moments, until a man's voice called out, rough, raspy, with a hint of uncaring.

"I know you're there. I'm not here for you, if I were, you'd be dead already." Natalie kept quiet. "Come on out. This is not a place to play hide and seek. Dangerous magics run amok in this forest." Natalie breathed out.

"I'm armed, if you try anything I'll fight back."

"You can try, miss," the man said with no humor. Natalie stepped from behind the tree with her sword raised. The man, who was kneeling next to the buck, picked up his bow and knocked an arrow in a single motion. He peered up at Natalie, just long enough to aim, and loosed the arrow. It stuck deep into the large, warped tree’s trunk close enough that Natalie could still hear the shaft vibrating.

"You missed," Natalie said, without thinking, immediately regretting it.

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