Blood Sacrifice by JennaKay Francis

Author:JennaKay Francis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: Writers Exchange E-Publishing
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Thomlin woke before the sunlight had pierced the cool gloom of the forest. Even so, Tobbar was already awake. He sat, huddled in his blanket, his dark eyes darting about anxiously at every noise. He had his fist clenched about something that he worried with his thumb, and when Thomlin sat up, he breathed a loud sigh of relief.

"What's that?" Thomlin asked, gesturing to his hand.

Tobbar looked down at the object as if he'd forgotten he held it. "Oh," he said quietly, "oh, it's nothing." He slipped the small vial into his vest pocket.

Thomlin stared at him in shock. He had a fairly good idea what was in the vial. It was apparent that Tobbar had been serious about the poison. He looked pale and worn, with dark circles under his eyes. Thomlin wondered that he hadn't noticed before. "Have you been awake all night?" he asked.

Tobbar nodded. "I was afraid they'd come for us. Thomlin, can we start walking? Sitting still gives me the chills." He rose.

Thomlin got to his feet, snagging his pack, and followed Tobbar. He reached into his pack and fished out some more of the food they had dined on the previous night. It wasn't great fare, consisting of all of the things Thomlin disliked--roots, nuts, dried berries and his most personally detested, mushrooms. But after Tobbar told him the food served in the village was bewitched, Thomlin had been more than satisfied with what he did have.

Tobbar had explained he had put the packs together the night Thomlin had arrived, in the hope the two of them could escape together. His incessant chatter had been for one purpose only--to make sure that Thomlin was not just another Nydiri. Now, Thomlin looked over at the boy, once more marveling at Tobbar's tenacity in surviving at the village for two years.

"Tobbar, are there any other children at the village who are prisoners?"

"No. The rest of them are Nydiri. There have been others, but they all went away."

"Where did they go?"

"I don't know," Tobbar murmured. "Dukker said he found homes for them. I want to believe that."

Thomlin swallowed hard. "But you don't, do you?"

"I don't know what I believe anymore. The Nydiri make it hard to know which thoughts are your own." He was silent for a few moments, before continuing. "The last one to leave was Chal. He was my friend. I hope that he's all right but..." He trembled and shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it. I just want to get out of here."

But Thomlin couldn't let it go. He had to know the purpose of the Nydiri, had to know what he fought. "Do you think Chal's dead?"

"I don't know!" Tobbar snapped. "I said I don't want to talk about it!" He quickened his pace.

"Tobbar, I have to know," Thomlin replied, hurrying to catch up. "I have to know how desperate the Nydiri are, what they'll do to us if they catch us."

Tobbar stopped so suddenly that Thomlin stumbled several paces past him before he stopped, too.

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