The Scorching by Libbi Duncan

Author:Libbi Duncan [Duncan, Libbi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Published: 2016-03-10T00:00:00+00:00

. . .

She woke late the next afternoon and found Torian still snoozing. His arm was wrapped around her and she was curled up on his broad chest. Madi bit her lip and inhaled sharply, embarrassed at how giddy it made her feel. Don’t be stupid, it’s not like he did that on purpose.

A horrible groan from outside interrupted her thoughts. Madi slid out from under Torian’s arm and tiptoed over to the entrance, knives at the ready. She screamed as she peered outside and came face-to-face with a huge, terrifying beast.

“What the—?” Torian jumped up and rushed over to her.

“What the hell is that?” She screamed.

Torian peered out of the trunk and laughed. “Madeline, really? It’s just a deer. It’s impaled itself on our spears.” He pulled out a knife. “You might want to look away.”

She turned, but the sound of the knife putting the deer out of its misery made her sick to her stomach.

“I’m going to go clean it. We could use the meat. No telling how long we’ll be out here looking for your flyer.”

Madi rolled up their blankets and packed their supplies, trying not to listen to Torian at work. She went outside to get some air, avoiding the smell of fresh blood. A few rays of sunlight streamed through the thick foliage, giving the forest a warm, golden light. She walked farther away. She was still sore from all of the hiking, so she stretched her arms and legs before practicing with her blades. Her aim had improved and she hit the trunk of a nearby tree on her first try.

The tree shook and yelled “Ow!”

I must be half-asleep, she thought. She pinched herself. I’m awake. She searched for signs of an attacker. She had to be under the influence of someone using mind control. Trees can’t talk, can they? I mean, I guess that might be a weird Earth thing I haven’t discovered yet… She crept closer. Sap dripped down the bark where her knife stuck, or was it blood? The closer she got, the weirder it looked. At one point she even thought she saw a face, but that was impossible.

Before she could decide if she were crazy or not, a pair of rough hands grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth. Her screams were muffled. She fought to break free, but they were too strong. They bound her in thick vines and heaved her over their shoulder. The tree moved again, this time to pull the blade from its bark.

Her captor took long, lumbering steps and carried her back toward the hollow trunk. Three more humanoid tree-creatures moved about the camp. One of them was rummaging through their supplies. Another inspected Torian’s weapons. Torian was bound and slung over the shoulder of the largest of the tree people. They made eye contact for an instant before the Silvagens placed blindfolds over their heads.

“Bark-skins. I’ve never seen them this… tree-like before.

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