Page 81 of Wilds of Wonder
Wolf Man didn’t answer. He simply slipped a dagger from his boot and lunged at the tree. One of its long branches swept down toward him as he swiped at it. El brandished her own dagger and threw it straight into another branch. The tree flailed above me, shaking this way and that.
Driscoll rolled his eyes, then gathered an armful of rocks, pelting the tree with them. A few stuck to the trunk over my head.
“The branches,” Aron said through heavy breaths, driving his dagger into one of the tree’s branches. “You need to go for the branches, and whatever you do, don’t touch the trunk.”
“Yeah, I gathered that from the fact that Emory is currently stuck to it.” Driscoll aimed higher, launching rocks up at the branches.
One of the branches swung down, attempting to knock Driscoll off his feet, and Maverick jumped onto it, climbing up it and tearing leaves from it. Blood sprayed down over us as the leaves floated to the ground.
The tree shrieked, branches flailing harder, but Maverick kept his footing, staying away from the trunk and continuing to yank leaf after leaf away, letting the blood flow down. I thrust my body forward but still couldn’t move.
Around me, my companions continued to fight. Branches slashed and shook furiously. One hit El and she flew across the clearing and landed on her back with a thwack. My heart stopped, but she popped back up, a determined scowl on her face as she rushed forward with her dagger clutched tight and drove it straight into the branch that had just hit her. Leaves continued to pepper the ground, blood dripping from the trees’ branches in fat splats.
I wiggled my shoulders. “I think it’s working,” I called out.
“Thank the spirits.” Driscoll launched another rock at the tree. “My arms are killing me.”
Aron sliced at a thinner branch, the blow so forceful the branch cracked in two and came tumbling down.
I shoved forward with all my might, straining as the tree’s grip on me loosened. My shirt stretched from my back, and I dug my legs into the ground, screaming as I lurched forward and fell to my knees. I didn’t have long to rest before Maverick was grabbing my arms and launching me up, all of us running from the little clearing and back toward the flattened area around the lake.
We all collapsed, breathing heavy, chests rising and falling. None of us spoke, but Maverick reached over and grabbed my hand, squeezing it tight. Tears pricked my eyes as my heart slowly returned to its normal rhythm. I’d almost died. Again. It would be a miracle if we made it out of this place alive.
Maverick sat up, his white shirt completely unbuttoned, revealing his hard chest, gleaming with sweat. He rubbed his stubbled jaw, now splattered with blood. Everyone else sat up, too, all of us covered in dirt and grime, clothes torn, scratches adorning our bodies.
“We’re looking for my sister,” Maverick said abruptly.
I stiffened, and Driscoll shot me a questioning look.
Maverick took a deep breath. “If we’re going to find her, we’ll need your help.”
Aron crossed his arms over his chest, while El stared at the ground, then made a series of signs.
Maverick nodded in understanding. “She came here two months ago. It took a while before I could get here to find her. That’s all I want. To rescue her and escape. I didn’t trust you, which is why I never told you. But it’s become clear we won’t survive this place without help. We won’t find Annalee without help.”
“We’re looking for a girl also,” Aron said slowly.
“Why are you looking for a girl?” Maverick’s voice had turned from pleading to deadly.
El signed, motions fast and furious.
Maverick’s scowl dissipated the longer El signed. “So this entire time, that’s why you’ve been out here, away from your safe haven? You’ve been looking for her as well?”
El nodded.
“We’ve heard reports throughout the Wilds about a girl who suddenly appeared a few months ago. A girl with fire magic. We wanted to find her and keep her safe, though she seems to be doing okay on her own from everything we’ve heard.”
Maverick stiffened. “Have you heard what she looks like?”
Aron swiped the blood from his cheek. “Black hair in braids, comes up to my chest. Very social. Gets along well with many of the creatures here apparently.”
I laughed in disbelief. “Well that would make sense given how much she seemed to know about this place.”
Hope shone in Maverick’s eyes. “Do you know where she is?” he asked.
“We have an idea. El was tracking her before you arrived. Planning to find her and bring her to safety.”
“So you’ll help us?” The relief in Maverick’s voice was palpable, and it wrenched my heart. He wanted to find his sister so badly, and this was the first piece of good news we’d received since arriving here.
