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, we’re up and moving. I’ve slept not a wink, and I suspect that Isaac, relaxed as he’s trying to appear, hasn’t 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 who’s spent his nights ensconced in stone. But in that respect, I’m 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, I’m first to stand and rouse the others.

I have three objectives for this morning: getting away from the horrornets, diverting the Ecosystem’s 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 chokeberries—which, unlike blueberries and blackberries and lots of other berries, don’t actually choke you, though they do rot your stomach if you eat too many. But we’re all going to need a more substantial meal to keep going, plus I’m determined to wrap Isaac’s feet and add to our stock of supplies. At some point, I’m going to have to show my traveling companions how to eliminate what they’ve eaten without attracting the Ecosystem’s attention. But I’m nowhere near ready for that lesson, so I stick with the more pressing need: finding a weapon.

I scan what’s left of the dead zone for a fragment of rock I can shape into a blade, but there’s nothing suitable, only the soft, chalky soil that nearly sent me tumbling into the horrornets’ nest. I’ll need something tough, sandstone or chert, and that means time spent on blind searching: I can’t 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. He’s definitely favoring the injured foot, though he’s trying not to show it. “What’s our plan, boss?”

“I need a knife,” I say.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.