Sacred: Eslura's Calling by M.C. Beeler

Author:M.C. Beeler [Beeler, M.C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Half Sun Press
Published: 2021-06-23T22:00:00+00:00

17

A Knower of Many Things

Bea, Alpin, and Barnaby ran across the flat plains, dodging shrubs and jumping over patches of wildflowers until they reached a dense forest. Birds whistled in the branches, critters scurried in the underbrush, and swarms of bugs buzzed around their heads. One flew straight into Bea’s eye, and she rubbed and rubbed until it finally fell out in a tear.

They hiked into the woods for what Bea thought was about an hour until they came to a circular clearing where a herd of florahorses grazed in the orange tint of the fading sunlight. They reminded Bea of the grass horse that Alistair had swept them away to Alpin’s house on. It already seemed so long ago. The beasts perked up when the threesome—croak! foursome—passed by. They flicked their flower-woven tails and chewed mouthfuls of sticks and long grass. One whinnied and the noise almost gave Bea a heart attack.

After the clearing, they passed back into the trees and tramped along. Bea started to tire and felt like she was walking in her sleep. Soon after the trees dwindled, and the path entered a forest of giant mushrooms even bigger than the trees. Their wide caps formed a canopy that blocked much of the sun, leaving them walking in a shadowy twilight. Vines dangled down like tangled hair and curled on the ground. Bea wiped away the sweat that dripped down the side of her cheek and tugged her sticky shirt off her skin.

They paused a moment to catch their breaths, sitting on the cool forest ground. Bea looked to Barnaby, who nursed his oozing wound and flinched each time his finger brushed over one of the wolf’s teeth marks. It was the first time she had seen the boy frown, and she couldn’t say she liked it. She wanted to get up and help but didn’t know how. She specialized in drawing up escapes, not soothing shadow wolf wounds.

Alpin sighed and stood. He walked over to a bush taller than Bea and jumped up to rip a leaf from it. “Come here, boy,” he said. He struggled to hold the leaf, which was almost as large and wide as his entire body, between his paws.

Barnaby looked up from his wound and glanced around as if he were searching to find another boy that the gopher could have been referring to.

“Yes, you,” Alpin confirmed. “Come. Don’t make me wait any longer with this thing.”

Barnaby clambered to his feet and made his way over to the gopher’s side, and Bea wondered all the while what the gopher had up his sleeve this time.

“Give me your arm,” Alpin said. Barnaby did as he said and offered up his arm, wincing when Alpin wrapped the large leaf around the wound, completely covering the oozing teeth marks beneath it. “Keep it on there, you hear?” Alpin pointed a claw at the boy. “It’s a pavlosia leaf. It’ll numb the pain.”

“Oh,” Barnaby said. “Well, I think it’s already working. I can’t feel anything under there! Thank you, Mr.

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