Siena (Forestfolk, Book 1)

Chapter 4

As the fuzziness gradually gave way to consciousness, the throbbing beat a painful rhythm against my skull. I groaned aloud at the awful thump-thump-thump in my head and put a hand to my face.

I froze.

My head was wrapped in a bandage.

I pried my eyes open and found myself inside a wooden room. I lay in a bed pushed into one corner. The ceiling had a few beams running across it and seemed to be piled thick with branches and broad leaves. I rubbed my eyes, hoping to get a clearer view of my surroundings. When I opened them again, I nearly jumped through the roof.

The room was full of people I'd never seen before in my life. Had they been there the entire time? Just . . . watching me?

With the blanket in a death grip against my chest, I sat up, immediately noticing I was naked. Where are my clothes? Still clutching the blanket, I scooted back in terror until my back hit the corner. My eyes flitted wildly from one person to another, not registering facial expressions or even if they were men or women. My entire body shook, images of Grash pressing me against him flitting through my mind, and I shouted, "Leave me alone!" The sound was almost a sob.

"Come on, everybody," a woman's voice said. "Go on out. You're giving the poor girl a fright. Go on, shoo! You too, Nirrin. Out!"

My panic subsided only a little with the crowd's departure. I stayed where I was, huddled against the corner, breathing quick and shallow, gripping the blanket for dear life.

"There, there, little one," the woman soothed. "No one is going to hurt you here."

I struggled through the haze of hysteria to compose myself. She sat in a chair next to the bed, looking at me with gentle, gray eyes that reminded me of Nily. I briefly wondered if Nily was even still alive.

I finally found my voice and asked, "Who are you? Where am I?"

"My name is Bren, and you need to drink some water." She offered a wooden bowl to me, and I stared at it dumbly. "Go on, girl, take it."

I slowly took the bowl from her and peered inside. It looked like water. It smelled like water. I tasted it with my tongue, discovering that it truly was water. Without another moment of hesitation, I upended the bowl into my mouth, eagerly gulping down the liquid and feeling it wash away the coat of dust in my throat. Water dribbled down the corners of my mouth, and I swiped it up with my hands, sucking the moisture off so as not to waste a single drop.

"My, you are a thirsty one," Bren said, amusement in her eyes.

I sheepishly returned the empty bowl before I resorted to licking that clean too. She smiled, dipped the bowl in a nearby bucket, and handed it to me again.

I drank in a more civilized manner this time. The water worked its magic, lessening the throbbing in my head. "Where am I?" I asked again in between sips.

"You are with the Forestfolk."

I frowned. The Forestfolk? They were real? I'd heard stories about them from the Plainsmen. They were stories told to scare naughty children.

"Are you . . ." I felt silly for asking, but I wasn't exactly rational at the moment. "Are you going to eat me, then?"

Bren burst into peals of laughter, throwing her head back. Her long brown hair was laced with thick streaks of gray. "Oh my, that's a new one. Wherever did you hear that?"

I looked down at my hands, cheeks flaming. "They told us stories."

"Where are you from, child?"