The Moon Stealers and The Children of the Light Read Online Free PDF Page B

at the ports to make transportation
easier, the fortress may have been left unoccupied,’ said Tracker. ‘If we can
get to Hurst , we may be able to transfer over to one of the bays
around the coast.’
    ‘To cover every bay and port he would need to stretch
his community too thin. It makes sense that he would concentrate his resources
at the main port as well as his headquarters.’
    ‘It’s still going to be risky crossing the water in a boat.’
    ‘It’s the only way of getting there unnoticed,’ said
Steven. The look of doubt and concern went unnoticed by the other two, hidden
in the deep shadows cast by the flickering lamp light.

5. The Mind of a Moon
Stealer

 
    In the embankment beside the dried up riverbed, the
occupants slept lightly beneath the gentle light from the glow-worms. It was
early morning and the darkness of the night was beginning to fade.
    Lady Flora woke with a start and felt disorientated
for a few seconds, before she finally recalled where she was. She remembered
escaping from the creatures into the embankment and staying awake listening to
them trying to break through the root and vine doorway. But every attempt only
made the tangle of plants even denser. After several hours the creatures gave
up and headed back into the forest to look for easier prey that still hid
amongst the trees.
    Instinctively, Lady Flora placed her hand on the
ground to establish a connection with her environment, a gift she inherited
from her mother. Through her hand she received information about the creatures
in the forest outside, as well as the animals that were hidden within. As her
mind raced through the forest, jumping from nervous animal to spoilt plant, she
found her way back to the marshy clearing where they had been surrounded by the
creatures the previous night. The ground was wet; pond skaters darted across
the surface of small stagnant pools of water that had collected around the base
of some plants. Moving into a fern, she felt the breeze across her face and smelt
the acidic decay of the creatures that had pursued them. Aware of an animal’s
presence, she slipped out of the fern and into the head of a buck hare. It
crouched low amongst the long grass at the edge of the clearing, still hidden
in the shadows of the trees. The hare’s eyes darted at the slightest sound,
flicking from one patch of grass that blew in the breeze to a creaky branch of
a tree on the other side of the clearing.
    Lady Flora sensed another animal approaching.
    She was just about to move out of the hare and into
something else when she hesitated. The hare had just seen some black shadows
moving awkwardly on the opposite side of the clearing.
    Curiosity made her stay and watch. She was familiar
with the tree line on the opposite side; it was the same one they had watched
the Moon Stealers come crashing through when they were being hunted. Although
there was darkness in the area between the trees, she was sure that the shadows
were moving.
    The clearing appeared to be empty.
    The hare’s long ears were alert, rotating on its head
as it locked into sounds that floated on the breeze. Mainly it was just the
sound of wind blowing between the trees or brushing the tops of the grass, but
occasionally a faint chirp of a bird could also be heard. But there was something
that wasn’t right.
    Lady Flora waited.
    The hare’s mind was not totally his. Lady Flora willed
the hare forward. Not quite understanding what was happening, it took a nervous
hop forward out of the safety of the overhanging trees and into a more vulnerable
position. It crouched low, pressing its stomach down against the ground. Its
eyes and ears strained to keep alert. After a few seconds of silence, the hare
found itself bursting forward between the long grasses and over to the rotted
remains of a tree stump. It crouched low once again, relying on its brown fur
to blend in with the colour of the wood and hide it from sight.
    The birds continued to chirp.
    The hare