Chasing Ravens by Jessica E. Paige

Author:Jessica E. Paige [Paige, Jessica E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Booktrope Editions
Published: 2014-12-16T00:00:00+00:00

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Anouk woke to see Pip’s nose just a few inches away. He thumped his tail on the ground and she smiled, running a hand down his side. As she pressed herself up, she felt her back, stiff and sore.

She heard a squeak and turned to see several mice on her pack, busily chewing. She swung an arm in their direction and Pip leapt up in pursuit. As the little herd scattered, Anouk could see they had small stunted wings on their backs. They squeaked loudly, flapping their wings as they ran, but never left the ground. Scrambling up the trunk of a birch tree, they looked down from the safety of one of its limbs.

Anouk examined the holes in her pack and was relieved to find only a small portion of her food eaten. She scowled at the mice, still squeaking at her from above. Lifting her bag, she took a few steps and found that the pain in her calf was almost completely gone.

She called to Pip, still sniffing at the base of the birch, and he ran to catch up. “We need to find Elena the Rusalka,” she said, reaching down to give him a pat on the side. She could see a hill in the distance, covered in a rich mass of green. As a young girl she’d heard stories of a Rusalka, the spirit of a drowned maiden, who dwelled by a pond deep in a hollow. It was said that those who passed by at night had seen the girl weeping. Many pitied her, and on holidays Anouk and her mother would join the other women hanging gifts of scarves and linen on nearby trees.

The morning grew pleasantly warm as the leafy canopy allowed a dappled sunlight. Anouk kept a good pace, following faint trails left by the creatures of the forest. She often checked for Lord Gerasim’s soil in her pocket, and it soon became a habit, the feel of the rough cloth bringing her comfort.

Along the way she snacked on mushrooms and berries to preserve her meager supply of food. While many plants were familiar, Anouk marveled at those that were strange. She came upon flowers so large they held small ponds of rainwater with fish swimming inside. As she walked through a grove of trees with purple bark, she plucked a silver leaf. It broke into dust, releasing a scent like a thousand apple blossoms that lingered on her fingertips.

By the afternoon she reached the base of Navki hill and began to climb. The farther she went, the thicker the moss grew, enveloping tree trunks and logs sprouting ferns. Lichen shrouded the branches of trees, hanging in lacy curtains.

They had made it more than halfway up the hill when the light of day began to slip away. Anouk built a crude shelter of pine branches and then searched for dry wood while Pip hunted for squirrels. Before long, she had built a fire and made a strong brew of bearberry leaves to wash her blistered feet.

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