Nick looked at Abraham, disbelieving. “No way.”
“Yup, and if you think that’s way out, dig this: Sekeu has been here since the pilgrims. She was a slave of the Delaware tribe. Peter stole her right out from under their big fat noses.
“Abraham told me that when he first arrived, this whole forest was still teeming with all sorts of magical little beasties, even the wee folk. Looking at it now, man, that’s hard to believe.”
Nick saw something move in the mist, a dark, skittering shadow about the size of a rat.
“That’s a darkling,” Redbone volunteered. “From what I’m told, they’ve always been a part of Avalon. Nasty life-sucking things. But pretty much the only life you find around here, now. Hell, these days, even the darklings are starting to fade. With all the wee folk gone, they only got each other to eat.”
Nick saw another one duck away into the hollow of a log. It looked like a spider but was the size of a cat.
They passed a clump of dead bushes, then rounded a bend, and a shallow valley opened below them where brown foliage sparsely littered the trees. As they trekked along the trail, the landscape gradually began to shift and the trees and bushes to fill in. But it wasn’t until after about an hour of hiking that Nick finally caught sight of any real greenery.
They forded a wide, lazy creek, crossed a field of tall brown grass dotted with a few wilted wildflowers, and shortly thereafter entered a forest of thick, sprawling trees.
“This is Myrkvior Forest,” Redbone said. “It’s the oldest woods on Avalon, the very heart of the island. Its magic is strong, but man, look at that.” Redbone pointed at the scraggly limbs and gray-and-brown leafage. “Man, even here the damn scourge is choking the life out of everything.”
Nick found no signs of magical creatures, and only heard the occasional lonely birdcall.
The troop halted while Sekeu and Abraham inspected a line of prickly bushes, poking and prodding among the brown leaves.
“Find anything?” Abraham asked.
Sekeu held out two shriveled berries.
“Now that be a pitiful sight,” Abraham said, shaking his head.
The group moved along, farther and farther into the tall trees, checking one cluster of bushes, then another, then another. A couple of hours later they halted beneath a grove of short trees. Redbone pulled a limb down for Sekeu to pluck a couple of berries. She dropped them into Abraham’s bucket.
Abraham looked into the bucket. “Well now we’re getting somewhere. Why that makes eight berries and about twenty acorns so far.”
“Enough for my breakfast,” Redbone said. “Don’t know what the rest of you jive turkeys are gonna do for grub.”
Abraham let out a long, defeated sigh. “Once you could’ve filled all our buckets up from just this one bush here. If this keeps up we’ll be eating thorns sure enough.”
“What the fuck?” Dirk said. “Last week there were plenty of berries here.”
“Shit,” Redbone said. “It’s like it’s going faster. Every time we have to search farther and farther into the forest. Man, what’re we gonna do when we run out of forest?”
“Enough talk,” Sekeu said sharply, her face tight. She walked quickly away, continuing down the trail.
The rest of the Devils exchanged somber looks and followed.
A SMALL DEER broke cover. It was thin and mangy. It leaped across a wide, shallow creek, up a slope, and disappeared into the brambles.
Redbone snatched Danny’s spear away from him and started after the deer.
“
Redbone ignored her.
“
Redbone stopped. He looked up and down the creek, his face confused.
“Oh, good Lord,” Abraham said, his voice incredulous. “She’s right. That’s Cusith Creek. Why, I didn’t even recognize it. Not with all them leaves and flowers gone.”
“Impossible,” Dirk said. “The scourge in the Lady’s Wood?”
“If we don’t bring something back we’re gonna starve,” Redbone growled. “I say we go after it.”
“You go,” Abraham said. “I’m in no mind to throw my life away for a spot of venison.”
Redbone stared after the deer.
“The elves will kill you,” Sekeu stated with certainty. “The trees have eyes and ears.” She pointed to three bird-size faeries watching them from a high branch.
THEY FOLLOWED THE dark creek downstream, stopping occasionally to examine the bushes along the banks. The sun never came out from behind the clouds, but the day had grown warm and humid.
“Hey,” Danny huffed, wiping the sweat from his brow. His face was bright red, his T-shirt soaked. “Any chance of a break?”
Sekeu kept plodding onward, her eyes relentlessly searching the bushes and underbrush.
“Y’know,” Abraham said, “break might not be such a bad idea. Be a mite awkward if we were to kill the New Blood on their first day out.”
Sekeu stopped, took a hard look at Danny, then scanned the surrounding tree line. “Rest here. I will go check oak grove. Dirk, come.”
Nick collapsed atop a large, flat stone next to the shallow creek and watched Sekeu and Dirk disappear into the woods. He let out a tired sigh and joined the rest of them in dousing his head and getting a long drink. The sweetness of the water still amazed him.
“Can’t believe the scourge has spread to the Lady’s Wood,” Redbone said. “Man, I would’ve never dreamed that possible.”
“Seems to me, it’s accelerating,” Abraham said. “I do wonder if Peter has any idea.”
“Y’know,” Dash said, “Peter should’ve been back by now.”
“Just hope he ain’t got himself in a spot he can’t get out of,” Abraham said.
“There’s no such thing as trouble that dude can’t get out of,” Redbone said.
“I just hope he brings some more Snickers,” Dash said.
“Man, there ain’t much I miss about the world,” Redbone said. “But I gotta say I sure miss the food. Remember that time Peter brought back six boxes of Ray’s pizza?”
“Do I ever,” Abraham said, and a big smile lit up his face. “Why I dream about that most every night.”
Danny’s eyes grew big. “Pizza! Wow, that’d make my decade.”
“Don’t tell me you’re getting tired of acorns and mushrooms already,” Redbone said, and nudged Danny. “Man, you gotta wait ’til you’ve been here as long as me before you start griping about the food.”
“So where
“Catching kids,” Redbone said with a laugh.
Nick couldn’t believe they were laughing. “That’s funny?”
Redbone’s smile faded.
“It’s not right,” Nick muttered, half-under his breath.
“What’s not right?”
Nick didn’t answer, he just shook his head.
“I said, what’s not right?”
“What do you think?” Nick said. “The bastard kidnapping kids. That’s what’s not right.”
Redbone struck Nick. He moved so quickly Nick didn’t even see it coming, hit him in the chest, knocking him into the creek.
Abraham was up and between them in a blink, holding Redbone back. “Whoa. Ease back now. Let it go. He’s New Blood, remember?”
Redbone glared at Nick then glanced around at the other New Blood. “Let’s get one thing straight. I don’t want to catch any of you badmouthing the