Kill the Wild by S T Branton

Author:S T Branton [Branton, ST]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781642029888
Publisher: LMBPN Publishing
Published: 2020-06-16T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

I tried to keep myself calm as I marched deep into the woods, combing the area I explored with Ally and heading toward the mark on the map. It wouldn’t do any good to get overly upset or vengeful or emotional about them taking her. All it would do is make me less focused and possibly get one or both of us killed.

I needed to be vigilant, and I needed to be clever if I wanted to get her back safely and get out of there alive. I knew what it was like to fight dryads, and what I was in for was not a fight I looked forward to.

Leaves crunched underfoot as I crested the hill leading to the clearing where they snatched Ally. A lump formed in my throat as the thought of them hurting my best friend ran across my mind, but I tried to shove it down. Deep down. I couldn’t let it affect me, not if I wanted her back. I had to approach this like any other mission, any other situation, and let my senses and my instincts guide me. If I thought too much, I could jeopardize everything.

I closed my eyes for a moment and tried to shove the thoughts filling my mind away. After breathing a long, slow breath out through my mouth, I opened my eyes and set my focus slightly beyond the clearing. According to the map, there was a barely visible trail there, and it would lead to a dense area of the forest.

There was a natural pathway there, but downed trees, thick brush, and hundreds of tiny streams populated it. It was hell to traverse, which was why Jonas hadn’t yet done so in the search for what was out here, but I was determined that I would. I sipped the water in my flask and screwed down the top, then hung it back on my belt.

The belt was new. Archie suggested it when I told him what happened and where I was going. Having a few supplies on me in case I ended up lost or wandering in the woods for a few days wasn’t the worst idea in the world, and a belt was easy to shed if I ended up in a fight and needed the freedom.

A few other supplies were tied to it, or in various pockets, and it made me feel a little more confident. No matter where this place was, I was prepared to stick it out until I found it. It even had a pocket for Splinter. Granted, it was supposed to be a pocket for something else, but Splinter fit so nicely in it and loved being rocked to sleep on my hip so I couldn’t take it away from him now.

As I entered the wooded area beyond the clearing, it seemed like the world got darker and more sinister. The trees were lush and thick and covered most of the sunlight, so it only came down in jagged patches on the leaf-covered ground.

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