The Lost Knight (Volume III) The Lost World

Chapter 53: Forget It

We don't talk anymore. I want to be one of those people who can speak without thinking. Unfortunately, I'm the opposite of that: I overanalyze every word that comes out of my mouth. I'll go back years and dwell on the weird stuff I've said just to beat myself up. I hope one day I'll get over telling Missy Cooper that I scratched my butt in the art room. That was five years and another planet ago—and still idiotic.

I ponder a few more tidbits from my past until I get angry enough to shut down Memory Lane. I'm tired. Dealing with intense chronic pain is wearing me down. The stuff that Dathid kept slathering under my dirty bandages dulls the pain enough so I don't collapse into a weeping ball, but I hurt. Sometimes I reach up and try to pull whatever is hurting me out of my head. Like if I could just remove the knife, I'd feel better. But there's nothing there. Not even an ear.

My wrist is shattered. I've broken bones before, but they haven't hurt like this. My fingers go numb periodically, and if I took the splint off, my wrist would flop around as if there were no bones in it.

All of this, coupled with the hiking, keeps my mind off of Jonah. However, the walking is getting easier. The trees are sporadic, and the grass stretches to my thigh. Jonah's in front of me crushing it so all I have to do is follow him.

We stop at the edge of a meadow. It has odd-looking foliage that resembles the top of a tree canopy. This must be what he wanted to show me. It's pretty, but nothing like Vodujë Falls. It wasn't worth the hike here.

"Ready?" he asks.

I don't answer. He steps forward and descends the hill that was hidden by the trees. Once we're far enough in, the dense canopy blocks out the light.

We're descending a vast crater. The slope is steep but not unmanageable. There's not much to see except a bunch of trees. It's not overgrown and jungly like what I've been hacking through for however many days it's been. It's woodsy and calm. The canopy roof and the basin walls make me feel safe and comforted, and the trees hum a lullaby that adds to the security. Is this why he brought me here? I haven't felt safe since I left Cromsmead.

Movement in the corner of my eye makes me spring behind a tree with my heart pounding in my ears as I search for Jonah. He's staring at me curiously.

"Get down. I saw something," I order him.

He ignores me and scans the area. It takes my eyes a minute to focus on the movement. Whatever it is, it's camouflaged to match the leaves. Its movements are slow and varied. I'm seeing multiple beasts.

My pathetic broken sword slips around inside my sweaty palm. I don't want to fight anymore.

A twig snaps to my right, and I swing hard. Fortunately, Jonah can flatten himself instantly.

When he reemerges, he's smiling. "I never thought you'd develop reflexes like that."

"Sorry," I mumble, turning my attention back to the mass of slow, twitchy movement.

"Let's get a closer look," he whispers.

I take the lead, crouching slowly from tree to tree until I have a better vantage point. A ringing has developed in my ears.

"What is that?" I ask over my shoulder.

In front of us is a small herd of massive colorful beasts. Their stripes are like old- school military camouflage. I think so, anyway; remembering Earth stuff is getting hard. They're not green, though; their fur is blue and grey and salmon-colored, like the leaves. And they're bulky like elephants but much bigger, about four times the size, with long necks that fold when they're walking through the trees and extend to eat the leaves from the top of the canopy. Every time one takes a massive bite a pocket of sunlight appears, making the crater a little less dark.