Jabberwocky by Daniel Coleman

Author:Daniel Coleman [Coleman, Daniel]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Daniel Coleman via Smashwords
Published: 2011-07-23T10:59:30+00:00

Part III

He took his vorpal sword in hand:

Long time the manxome foe he sought --

So rested he by the Tumtum tree,

And stood a while in thought.

Elora studied the strange diagram on the ground next to the spot where she had awakened, still attempting to clear the fog from her mind. She should be able to make sense out of the scrapings in the dirt. It reminded her of a wheel. Protruding from the center was a tall wooden stake with a dark blue bandana attached to it. A small branch stuck out of the ground not far from the center, close to one of the spokes of the wheel. The diagram was large and had been carefully etched deep into the dirt. If she stretched she could reach from one side to the other.

No matter how hard she focused, the surroundings were unfamiliar and she had no idea how she had arrived. She blinked and shook her head, but still felt befuddled. Studying the strange clearing around her didn’t help. The woods surrounding her were as thick as a wall, and in the center of the clearing was the largest tree she’d ever seen. It was as big around as a house, and three times taller than any other tree in the forest.

Where am I? How did I get here?

Elora remembered traveling with an Elite escort toward Shey’s Orchard. They made camp, ate dinner. And then… She couldn’t remember. Did I feel sleepy after dinner? The image of a tent came to mind, but it might be from the trip to Palassiren. Her father and Mikel were in the camp with her. She ate dinner and…now I’m here.

Where is here?

She didn’t feel like she’d slept. For one thing there were no dreams, only blackness. Struggling to puzzle through the situation made her head throb. It was useless.

Hunger gnawed at her belly. It could have been days since she’d eaten. Weeks. Examining her sore body, she found broad, but minor, bruises, and her muscles felt as if she’d been working them.

It can’t be the same day. It was night when I was in camp. But…how many days have passed? Her confusion and the odd surroundings were beginning to scare her. She had to do something.

The enormous tree stood in the middle of a large clearing, twenty paces from the crowded woods which formed a circle around it. Other than the diagram, there were no signs of humans in the clearing. It was entirely free of life, both animal and plant. At first she saw no roads leading out of the clearing, but after walking around the massive tree she found a small path, just big enough for a horse and rider, leading into the woods. Judging by the sun’s position, the path either led east or west. It would take some time to figure out if the sun was rising or setting.

Apart from its size, the tree itself was nothing special. Being unfamiliar with forest trees, this one resembled many of those she’d seen on the road to Palassiren.

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.