Tentacles and Teeth by Ariele Sieling

Author:Ariele Sieling [Sieling, Ariele]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Scifi, serial, apocalypse, Adventure, land of szornyek, Science Fiction, YA fiction, monsters, post-apocalypse
Publisher: ArieleSieling.com
Published: 2019-03-27T16:00:00+00:00

Minda halted on the edge of the village, breathing heavily. Harcos collapsed against a tree, and Shujaa bent over with her hands on her knees to breathe more easily. Askari took a few deep breaths, coughed once, and then turned toward Minda.

“What’s the plan?” she asked, heart still racing.

“I’m going to lead you far enough away from town that you don’t have to worry about the kover or the pok or the hulla,” Minda said between breaths. “But then you’re on your own. You can go back to wherever it is you came from.”

“Who are you, anyway?” Harcos asked, looking up from his spot on the ground. Sweat dripped down his face, and his hands were covered in dirt.

“Minda,” she replied.

Shujaa frowned. “As in Minda Byrd? Doctor Minda Byrd? From the book?”

Minda sighed. “Yes, from the book. Now if you’ve all caught your breath, we should get moving.”

Askari had not made the connection earlier, but it made sense. Minda Byrd, the person who drew the pictures of monsters, put them in books, and left them for people to find, was living in the town where the books were supposed to be. She must know a lot about the monsters if she spent all her time drawing them and writing down how they lived, what they ate, and how to kill or avoid them.

“Doctor Minda Byrd?” Harcos repeated, a huge smile building on his face. “I might have some questions for you, if you don’t mind.”

“We need to get going,” Minda pressed. “Later.”

“Of course, of course.” Harcos offered his water bottle all around, and after everyone had taken a drink, they started moving through the forest, this time at a much slower, more reasonable pace. The woods were silent—all normal activity of squirrels, birds, and other forest dwellers had been suspended, likely due to the battle that was raging a few miles behind them. Periodically they heard a screech or a rumble, or they saw a hulla rise high above the trees for a moment before diving back down. Hulla were known to try to interfere in monster fights if they thought they could guarantee a meal—Askari figured that was probably what was happening.

They broke through the thick undergrowth onto a trail and the going became much easier. Minda was leading them away from the city, north. It wasn’t exactly the direction they needed to be going in, but if Askari was visualizing the map in her head correctly, they were walking parallel to the river, which ended at an enormous lake. That would make for a good place to camp and regroup; then they could head south again toward where the Baratok community should be.

“Stop,” Minda said suddenly. She looked up, craning her neck in all directions. Askari looked up too, while Shujaa and Harcos turned back-to-back and focused on the forest around them. They all stood as still as possible and listened.

Something dropped through the trees ahead of them, crashing and grunting the whole way. Askari readied her bow, notching an arrow and scanning the trees.

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