Ecosystem by Joshua David Bellin
Author:Joshua David Bellin [Bellin, Joshua David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 1732185905
Google: VbKJtQEACAAJ
Amazon: B07C2HDF9G
Goodreads: 39663460
Publisher: Mostly Wind Books
Published: 2018-04-09T23:00:00+00:00
At first light of dawn, weâre up and moving. Iâve slept not a wink, and I suspect that Isaac, relaxed as heâs trying to appear, hasnât either. The Ecosystem has to be a creepy place for him, especially at night: the whirring of cicatrix and flapping of vampire bees, the gold-green glow of curious eyes just beyond the range of our torches, even the touch of the night wind must be disconcerting for someone whoâs spent his nights ensconced in stone. But in that respect, Iâm no different. For the first time in my life, I long for the protective walls of a home I no longer have, and I stay rigidly awake, jumping up to relight the torches the moment they flicker. I keep my Sense on a hair-trigger, but nothing threatens to breach our defensive perimeter except the fluttering of wind on flame. When dawn shows me the pale green underbellies of the ache leaves, Iâm first to stand and rouse the others.
I have three objectives for this morning: getting away from the horrornets, diverting the Ecosystemâs consciousness, and fashioning a blade to kill larger game. The first of these goals is easy; the second will be nearly impossible, so I skip it and focus on the third. I survived the past day on a sip of water from a clear-running stream and a handful of chokeberriesâwhich, unlike blueberries and blackberries and lots of other berries, donât actually choke you, though they do rot your stomach if you eat too many. But weâre all going to need a more substantial meal to keep going, plus Iâm determined to wrap Isaacâs feet and add to our stock of supplies. At some point, Iâm going to have to show my traveling companions how to eliminate what theyâve eaten without attracting the Ecosystemâs attention. But Iâm nowhere near ready for that lesson, so I stick with the more pressing need: finding a weapon.
I scan whatâs left of the dead zone for a fragment of rock I can shape into a blade, but thereâs nothing suitable, only the soft, chalky soil that nearly sent me tumbling into the horrornetsâ nest. Iâll need something tough, sandstone or chert, and that means time spent on blind searching: I canât Sense stone. Silently, I curse myself for not raiding the Sensorium before I departed the village. I long to wrap my fingers around the knife that was so briefly mine, a solid piece of flint, haft and blade, that fit my palm as if the two had been made for each other. For all I know, maybe they were. Aaron presented the weapon to me solemnly but without fanfare on the morning of my first hunt, and I was too nervous to ask him if it had once belonged to my mother.
Isaac stretches long arms above his head, hops from the creepers to the forest carpet. Heâs definitely favoring the injured foot, though heâs trying not to show it. âWhatâs our plan, boss?â
âI need a knife,â I say.
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