The War of the Witches by Zetta Elliott

Author:Zetta Elliott [Elliott, Zetta]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2024-01-09T00:00:00+00:00

I eat a couple of the fruits I packed while Mo tests the jerky Yula packed for us.

“How’s it taste?” I ask.

Mo has to chew for a while before they’re able to answer. “No real flavor,” they report, “but it is strangely filling. Which is the point, I suppose.”

Mo peels off a strip and hands it to me. Just as I take a bite, some creature in the distance lets out a long, eerie howl. I try not to panic, but Mo doesn’t bother to hide their fear. With one quick whistle, Mo summons Lex and Rex. They land not far from the fire and give their usual one-word report:

“Fur.”

“Hunt.”

Mo nods before stashing the jerky and scooping up handfuls of sand with which to douse our fire. “We better get going.”

In the human realm, there are no wolves in the desert—but there are coyotes. Jax and Vik met giant lemurs on their journey. I hope we don’t meet any supersized animals on ours! Whatever Lex and Rex saw is searching for its supper, and I definitely want to stay out of its path and off its menu!

The desert might be dangerous, but it’s also surprisingly beautiful at night. I count three moons in the starry sky, and together they cast a blue light over the pale sand. Plants that seemed spiky and menacing during the day open frilly blossoms that invite tiny white bats to sip on their nectar. We hear another howl, but it sounds much farther away this time. It seems Yula was right about creatures here in the desert minding their own business. Or as they say back in Brooklyn, “Don’t start nothing, won’t be nothing.”

There’s lots of nocturnal activity to observe, but we concentrate on heading for the raised ridge in the distance, which we assume must be the crater. Lex and Rex fly off and return a while later with two more words that confirm our hunch: “Hole” and “Bowl.” The road Mo and I were following dwindles to a narrow path and then fades altogether beneath the shifting sand. I see curious footprints and signs that snakes have crossed our path, but I’m not tempted to investigate. We watch out for the gassy plant Yula told us about and focus on reaching the crater.

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