Page 14 of Beasts of Briar
We didn’t move. We didn’t speak. We lay like that for a long time until Leoni finally gave the signal that we could sit up. We’d avoided the threat for now, but things were only going to get worse from here.
Chapter Eight
BELLAMY
We trekked through the jungle for hours, hiding every single time we heard a flutter in the air, which made the journey that much longer.
I didn’t see any sign of my brothers, and I hoped they were safe, but with the pixies looking for us, I couldn’t go searching for them now.
My back ached, my feet throbbed, and my dress was soaked with sweat. We didn’t say a word, none of us daring to draw the attention of the pixies.
Finally we approached two towering trees with thick knotted trunks, a sheath of vines hanging between them. I looked back and forth between Leoni and Driscoll, both marching forward and straight toward the vines. I grabbed their arms to stop them.
“What’s on the other side?”I tensed, preparing for some kind of trap. Maybe they’d brought me here to hurt me, to take my satchel, to stop me from enacting my plan.
In that case, I’d fight, and they’d regret trying to get in my way.
“We’re not tricking you, okay?” Driscoll rolled up the sleeves of his green tunic. “Through those vines is safety.”
“Not permanent,” Leoni mumbled, glancing over my shoulder into the distance, no doubt keeping an eye out for the pixies. “But for at least one night? We could have food, water, and somewhere to sleep.”
That sounded tempting. I slowly let go of their arms, wondering if I was being an idiot by agreeing to this. Probably. But I desperately wanted all those things Leoni had just mentioned, so I swallowed and followed them through the vines.
I sucked in a sharp breath when we got to the other side. Stars dotted the night sky, and a clearing spread out before us full of tents and a big crackling fire in the center of it all. Boys danced around the fire, whooping and hollering. Singing. Chanting. Some of them wrestled on the ground. Others were already dozing off in the soft grass.
“What is this place?”I asked.
“Welcome to Neverland,” Leoni said. “These are all boys whose shadows have been taken by Spirit Shadow. Many of them have been here for a long, long time. This is the community they created. A safe place for them, especially during the day.”
She gestured up at the wide expanse of sky where the sun no doubt shone bright during the day.
A few of the boys took notice of us, then took off running toward Driscoll and Leoni. “Who are you?” one of them shouted, eyes straying to our shadows that stretched out in the moonlight.
A few of them picked up spears that leaned against the trees, pointing the weapons straight at us.
“Wait!” Driscoll held up his hands. “We’re friends of Lochlan and Mal Aster.”
The boys slowed. “Are they back?” one of them asked, excitement dancing in his eyes. “Where are they?” He arched his neck.
I had no idea who Lochlan or Mal was or how they were connected to the boys, but it had seemed to calm them, some of them already lowering their weapons.
“Nope.” Driscoll laughed nervously. “Just us. I swear I’m way more fun than Lochlan or Mal.” He glanced at me and Leoni. “Them? Not so much.”
Leoni rolled her eyes and elbowed Driscoll. “Can we stay here for the night? We need a place to hide out and maybe to wash our clothes.” She gestured to her muddy trousers and blue tunic, which was pocked with rips and mud.
The boys looked at each other while all the others by the fire were starting to take notice, stretching their necks, some creeping closer to hear our conversation. I looked up, boys crouching in the trees. Bridges stretched between the branches, and little tree houses perched on them. What a peculiar place.
One of the boys scratched his head through his mop of curly red hair. “For Lochlan and Mal. We’ll help you because of everything they did for us.”
Driscoll breathed out a sigh of relief.
The boy with the curly hair raised his spear, the tip close to Driscoll’s neck. “But just one night, and then you have to leave. We don’t want no trouble. Last time a bunch of strangers came, we lost a lot of our own.”
Driscoll’s face fell, and Leoni’s eyes welled with tears. I wondered what had happened here. What they were referencing. Who this Lochlan and Mal were. So many questions, and maybe now that we had a safe place to stay for the night, I’d have a chance to get some answers.
We sataround the fire much later into the night, nearly all the boys now asleep in various locations around us. Some lay on the bridges above that connected the trees, others lay in the grass, others inside the tents. Driscoll and Leoni had told them we were here to learn more about the shadow king, and then distracted the boys with tales of their recent adventures—including Driscoll’s trip into the Wilds, where he met me.
It worked. The boys had all gathered around, sharing their rabbit stew with us while being entertained with stories of wonder, danger, and excitement. Now they’d finally passed out, and even though my eyes were heavy with sleep, I needed to get some answers about why Driscoll and Leoni had followed me, why they wanted that bolt, why they wanted to stop me from my pursuit of the shadow king.
