Siena (Forestfolk, Book 1)

Chapter 18b

I looked back to the shadowed outline of the sleeping men. A man and a boy, I corrected myself, though Remi was practically a man already. He took on adult responsibilities and, I had to admit, had well-developed muscles. I blushed at that second thought, glad no one was awake to see it.

I meandered back to the tree's center. The moon was higher now, and I could see their sleeping forms a little better. Galen was on his side, using his bag as a pillow. His breathing was slow and even, his face handsome in the glow of the moon.

Remi was flat on his back, eyes closed in peaceful slumber. I wanted to touch the planes of his face, but I just studied him instead. He wasn't chiseled and handsome like Galen was, but something about his face just drew my eyes to him.

I shook myself out of my trance. I found it creepy when people watched me sleep, and I certainly didn't want to be creepy myself, so I tore myself away from the two sleeping figures and resumed my watch.

That's when I noticed the torches in the distance. There were at least two of them, which meant at least two, probably more, people. They bobbed up and down as they walked, and they appeared to be heading in this direction.

I ran and touched Galen's shoulder. He immediately sat up, on alert with wild eyes. I pointed to the moving torches and he squinted at them. His mouth tightened and he looked at me while pointing at Remi. He rolled up his bed and hid it in the shadow of the tree while I went to touch Remi's arm.

He blinked and smiled at me. "My turn for watch?"

Alarmed, I covered his mouth with my hand and pointed to the slowly advancing torches. Under different circumstances, I might have been keenly aware of his lips against the palm of my hand.

Remi's eyes widened, and he scrambled to drag his belongings to the dark side of the tree. I did the same. We covered them with leaves and grass, then Remi climbed the tree. Galen scaled up after him and then gestured for me to follow. I looked up. The enormous trunk was so much wider than me, like a monstrous beast. I imagined branches snapping under my weight and dropping me again.

I looked back at the approaching torches, hoping they might change direction.

They didn't.

I had to climb.

I found the footholds they had used to boost themselves up and made it about four steps up when a slab of bark slid away from my hand, and I felt myself careening backward, about to crash to the ground.

Again.

A strong hand grabbed my wrist, stopping my descent. Remi had scrambled within reach and caught me while still remaining as sure-footed as ever. Galen offered another hand, and they both hoisted me to the safety of a large branch.

There was no time to climb any higher because they were soon close enough to hear our movements. Remi did not let go of my wrist, and I soon felt a very strange sensation in that hand, as if my skin was crawling. I looked at him and saw that he had activated his camouflage. His skin and clothes blended in with the tree, and to my surprise, the camouflage was creeping up my arm. I stared as it advanced up to my shoulder. The crawling sensation spread all over me, and I had to fight the urge to let go and shake off imaginary spiders.

I waved my free hand in front of my face and watched with fascination as the camouflage rippled across my skin. Galen was not far above us, and I grasped his ankle. He jerked at my touch, but settled when he saw it was my hand. The camouflage worked its way up his leg, and soon we were nearly invisible.

Four men appeared below us, swiveling their heads around. They were large and muscular with dark hair. "I know I heard something," one of them said. "Someone spoke." The man looked up into the branches, right at me it seemed.

I held my breath, not daring to move a muscle.

"Maybe you heard a coyote," another man suggested.

The man peering up into the tree held up his torch, searching around. My hand unconsciously tightened in fear around Galen's ankle. If they found us, we were doomed.

To my relief, he eventually gave up and joined the other three in walking a wide circle around the tree.

"There's nobody here," said an annoyed man. "We're wasting time."

"Borga said to keep patrolling. He's convinced some Aberrations escaped."

"Borga's nuttier than a squirrel's nest," the annoyed man retorted. "I don't like Aberrations, and I don't mind hunting them, but why are we taking orders from one?"

"Because he can kill you with his bare hands without even trying."

"Aberrations shouldn't be chieftains. It isn't right."

"Well, unless you're prepared to take him on yourself, I suggest you shut up and keep patrolling."

A grunt. "Let's go."

The men stomped onward, and we waited in the tree until the torches were tiny points of light in the distance. I let go of Galen's ankle, and Remi let go of my wrist. A noisy whoosh of air rushed out of Remi's lungs and he began to breathe raggedly, as if he had just been sprinting. I had been so caught up in my own fear that I hadn't noticed the effort it had taken for Remi to camouflage all of us.

We climbed down from our perches in the tree, and Remi landed shakily on his feet. He must have sustained our concealment for at least twenty minutes. I knew exactly how exhausting that could be. I wordlessly placed a hand on each of his arms and gave him some of my energy. I looked into his eyes, which glinted in the moonlight, and watched as they widened with astonishment. His mouth fell open, and when I pulled away, his breathing slowed.

"Siena," he murmured, "it flooded through me like . . ." He shook his head, at a loss for words.

A smile curved my lips. "I know," I said softly and went to retrieve my bedroll.

Fortified by my energy boost, Remi took the next watch. The moon was high overhead when I closed my eyes, and I was soon fast asleep.

Whew, close one. A vote for their brush with danger?