Earth Roars by Kara Jaynes

Author:Kara Jaynes [Jaynes, Kara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-03-11T22:00:00+00:00

17

Stella

I don’t notice any change until Eldaren snaps his head up, eyes widening, nostrils flaring.

“What?” I ask, scowling when the prince makes a shushing motion with his hand.

“The birds,” he breathes.

I then realize that the woods are silent.

Dead silent. I have only spent a small amount of time here, but even I know that it’s odd to have the forest so quiet. It’s a place full of life, and in some ways as busy as Liberty.

We wait. And wait. There’s a faint buzzing in my hands and feet, and I stifle a frustrated growl. Eldaren was right. I shouldn’t have snarfed those pellets. I was hungry, though, and they aren’t particularly filling. How was I supposed to know how I’d react?

One by one, the birds begin to chirp again. Eldaren’s shoulders visibly relax.

“What was that?” I ask.

“I don’t know,” Eldaren says. “But it is very fortunate for it, that it chose not to come any closer, or I would have destroyed it.”

I nod in response.

Eldaren eyes me. “Are you afraid?”

I blink at him. “No. I’m with you. Should I be scared?”

“No,” he agrees, and he sounds pleased. “You are right not to be afraid. I will protect you.”

“You’ve only said that a million times since we’ve met,” I say.

“I have not said it that many times. And anyway, it’s still true.”

“What are we going to do when we find the gaia?” I ask.

“You are going to do nothing,” Eldaren says. “I shall explain to her the logical reasons for my coming here and what she must do. If she will not listen to logic, then I’ll simply command her to obey me, for the sake of the Earth.”

“That will go over well,” I say, rolling my eyes.

“Thank you. I believe it will.”

“I was being sarcastic.”

“I think she will see the sense in it,” Eldaren says. “After all, she is a gaia. She will want what is best for the planet.”

“Okay,” I say. I’m not sure I agree, but whatever. If he wants to put his foot in the fire, that’s his choice.

The path has grown narrow here and occasionally branches off onto other trails, but Eldaren never hesitates, his steps confident. “Where are we going?” I ask.

“I’m not sure,” the prince replies, “but we are walking a path that is often used. I hope it will take us to a settlement of sorts. There, we will ask questions, and hopefully, figure out the whereabouts of the gaia.”

“And if they don’t know?”

“Then we keep looking. But she is here, somewhere on this island. I am confident we will find her, eventually.”

“Why didn’t you bring more elves?” I ask. “Like, a hundred or something? You’d cover a lot more ground and probably find her sooner.”

“Two reasons. One, with Liberty in its current state, I don’t find it wise to relieve it of too many elves. Two, I don’t want to frighten the gaia into hiding. There’s no need to scare her. She’s probably afraid as it is, after our last encounter.”

“Well, she’s already run off once,” I muse.

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