The Lamplighter (Lamplighter Saga Book 0) by C. Brennan Knight

Author:C. Brennan Knight [Knight, C. Brennan]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3
Published: 2017-06-22T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter　12

Pearl floated in a sea of darkness. With no horizon, sky and sea fused together as one. A lone star shone on Pearl. She couldn’t see him, but she knew the Grey King watched over her, bringing peace and safety. She said his name aloud over and over again, hearing the word leave her mouth and hearing nothing at the same time. The star’s light stirred a memory within her as she spoke his name. A forest grew around her and she stood next to a woman. She too knew of the Grey King’s power and grace, and took Pearl to him.

No, a voice within her said. Berries. We were looking for berries. Berries…That’s why Pearl had gone with Mrs. Graham and the others into the forest. But they had gone too far…

“Pearl!”

Pearl opened her eyes after what felt like a prolonged blink, and scanned her surroundings. The forest, existing as vast singular entity like an ocean, threatened to consume all intruders. In New Bethlehem, it always seemed ready to wash over their homes and erase all trace of the colony. This far from the town, it felt like Pearl and her small group had drawn the forest’s full attention. The trees, armored in gray bark, towered over them and reached out with limbs coated with thick layers of dark green leaves. Each was an exact replica of some primordial monolithic tree, though distinct by the scars the demons had left behind.

The foliage’s hungering shade marked the hunting grounds of the demons, which had preyed on the creatures of the woods long enough to drive them to near oblivion. The overlooked smaller animals survived as timid beasts, hiding whenever they heard or saw something larger than a deer moving through the trees. The natural predators, wolves, wildcats, and bears, had long since left the area around the town, so one could walk through the forest during the day without fear of running into one.

Not that anyone ever felt safe in the forest, regardless of the time of day, and these thoughts didn’t ease Pearl’s mind as she realized how far the village they had gone. Something didn’t feel right, an odd sort of memory permeating her thoughts. Had she been here before? Her hand squeezed the hilt of her sword, but once conscious of this, she let go, though her hand continued to hover over it. Stay calm, she thought to herself. Don’t show that you’re nervous. Stay calm for them.

“Is everything alright, dear?” Mrs. Graham asked. A soft woman, every part of her body cushioned by flesh, Abigail Graham retained some of the beauty the loss of her husband had drained from her. She never spoke ill of Pearl and would greet her with a smile when they crossed paths in town. Her own misery had taught her to see the misery in others, and she had no reason to add to their pain. It only made sense that Pearl enjoyed the woman’s company.

“Yes, Mrs. Graham. Just thinking about how deep in the forest we are,” Pearl reassured, her voice steady while her hands shook.

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.