Feral Destiny (Feral Phantom Book 3) by Brooke De Lira

Author:Brooke De Lira [De Lira, Brooke]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Brooke De Lira
Published: 2021-08-16T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Day 3: Morning

Thunder rolled overhead as a fine mist swept over Poondi Lake. Nanda had never been a fan of the rain, but today, she didn’t mind. The gray veil provided them some much-needed cover as they lay on the wet grass. Nanda’s eyes were fixed on the donkey cart overflowing with plastic bottles and aluminum cans. Barely visible through the leaves and branches, two men waited by the cart. Their shirts were riddled with holes, their pants stained with mud and grease. To the average Tamil citizen, they looked like a couple of simple workers trying to make a living. But she knew better.

“Look.” Max pressed a pair of small binoculars to his eyes as he lay belly-down on the grass.

A group of five boys and girls scampered up to the cart with squeals and smiles. The men spoke a few words to the kids, then opened a hidden compartment at the bottom of the cart. They pulled out plastic soda bottles filled with the familiar greenish chemical.

Once the kids had strapped the bottles to their ankles with clear tape, the men poured water from an old Coke bottle over their hands, as if that would protect them against the dangerous poison. When the children ran off, the men scoped the area. Seemingly satisfied, one man slapped the flank of the tired donkey, who began to drag the cart forward.

“It’s time,” Yasmin whispered.

Nanda nodded. She closed her eyes, reaching out with her Gift of Empathy. She filtered out the emotional noise of cheery songbirds, anxious mice, and contented frogs. As her head began to throb from the effort, she reached further, honing in on her target.

“Okay, I can feel the cattle. The herd is grazing about a quarter mile ahead, just before the dirt road turns onto the main avenue.”

Max sucked in a deep breath, getting up from their hiding place. With ninja-like stealth, he began trailing the cart. Nanda and Yasmin followed, sneaking under the cover of dense trees along the dirt road.

As Nanda trudged through a puddle, a peculiar smell struck her nose. She crouched down, dipped her fingers in the water, and breathed in the scent. It was already infected with the chemical poison. She shook the droplets from her hand, vaulting over a fallen log to catch up with her teammates.

When she reached Max and Yasmin again, the cart was barely visible through the woods. After what seemed like an hour—probably more like fifteen minutes—Nanda finally glimpsed the herd of Hindu cows grazing along the roadside. Just where she’d predicted. Their big neck flaps and floppy ears waved as they meandered through the grass. Nanda’s Gift may have been glitching lately, but it hadn’t failed her this time.

Now, it was Max’s turn. She gave him a nudge.

He nodded. “Come my pretties,” he murmured in his best Wicked Witch impression. With a more serious look, he trained his eyes on the cream-colored cows. The cattle lifted their heads, as if hearing the call of their master.

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