Wicked Path (The Daath Chronicles Book 2) (33 page)

“What is that?” Jeslyn jumped as a loud screech rang through the air.

The high-pitched sound emanated from the jungle. Whatever creature created the noise, it wasn’t alone. The screeching varied in pitch and tone, all of it loud and ear shattering.

I pulled Jeslyn deeper into the alcove of rocks, shielding her from the threat in the darkness. She didn’t pull away from me or speak.

With our backs to the stone, we sat and waited.

The screeching went on for most of the night. We never saw what beasts created the noises. With the flies biting and the loud sounds, I was surprised I fell asleep at all. The days at sea must have exhausted me.

In the morning, Jeslyn and I headed back into the jungle to look for food. Most islands carried some form of fruit. I could last a few days without food, but I feared Jeslyn would be too weak, and I needed her alert. Constructing a boat would take the both of us.

We walked back to the part of the jungle with the tall trees. The random bird chirps and forest noises didn’t reach this grassland. I walked no more than a few steps when I noticed a large carcass, nearly bones, on the ground. From the shape of the body, it appeared to be a large sized cat, which made me wary of its attacker.

Jeslyn covered her nose. “It smells.”

From the heat of the day, the fumes from the decaying creature were intensified. The flesh had been ripped apart, making it difficult to determine how many creatures had attacked it.
Where’s Romulus when you need him?

The giant leaves of the trees had fallen in one area. Leaves I didn’t remember seeing there the day before.

“These should be good.” I pointed to the scattered green. “We’ll gather what we can.”

“It’ll take a few trips.”

While I began gathering the leaves, Jeslyn walked to another tree.

“Where are you going?”

“I see something.” She took a cautious step and tilted her head. “I think it’s an egg, but it’s enormous.”

I walked to where she stood and spotted the shell on the ground. An egg—a rather large one, at that. I would have thought it a large rock if it didn’t have a blue speckled coloring.

“Maybe it fell from there.” Jeslyn pointed up.

High in the tree, almost hidden, was a nest, but not an ordinary bird’s nest. The nest took up the entire top portion of the tree. Any nest that size would house a very large bird, or a beast much more dangerous.

Jeslyn picked up the egg.

“What are you doing?”

“I can make a soup from this. Aren’t you hungry?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s grab what we can and go back. I’m starving.” Jeslyn cradled the large egg in her arms as she wobbled back to our leaf pile.

We wandered about, collecting leaves into one big pile, which I carried back with us to the shore. The leaves weren’t heavy, but were extremely awkward to carry, and while I carried an armload of leaves, she carried a single item.

When we arrived at the alcove, I dropped the pile on the ground. Jeslyn placed the egg on the sand and stared at it.

“How are you going to cook it?” While I could survive on my own by hunting and foraging, I didn’t have the slightest idea on how one would make a soup out of an egg that large.

She ignored me, lost in her examination, tapping the egg and putting her ear against it.

“Jeslyn?”

“Huh? I’m sorry. I think there’s something inside.”

“Of course there’s something inside.”

She glared at me. “No, I mean
alive
. I can hear movement.”

“Does that mean I need to find another source of food?”

She turned her back to me and sat on the sand, moving the egg in front of her.

“Please, sit, I’ll serve us dinner.” I shook my head and ran to the water, eager to get away from her.

I dove into the ocean, relishing in the cold. It seeped into my skin, clearing my mind. Schools of gray fish swam by. They were too small to kill for food. Pushing forward, I dove deeper, looking for a suitable meal.

My Reptilian side allowed me to stay under water for long periods. It was one of our body’s natural gifts. In Mirth, the clear waters appeared red due to the sand, like swimming in a pool of blood. I preferred them to the blue water here. Blue was a powerless color.

A large fish with a sharp long nose swam below me. It would make a fine meal and, based on its size, an interesting fight.

atching the egg, I wondered what kind of creature lived inside. I folded my legs underneath me, perched my head onto my hands, and waited.

And waited some more.

With a sigh, I searched the beach for Lucino.

The leaves lay splattered across the white sand, and I decided to start weaving them together. I wasn’t sure what Lucino planned to use them for, but they could provide us with a better covering by the alcove, especially if it rained.

Mother used to weave baskets. She’d take the long reeds by the lake and weave them in and out. Grabbing the leaves in my hand, I pictured her hands and their movements, remembering the over and under crisscross.

I wondered how long Ms. Gen would wait before contacting my family. What would my parents do once they discovered Grandfather and I were missing? They would be worried, confused, and eventually start a search that would lead them nowhere.

How I prayed they wouldn’t find out. They already had enough to worry about. I hated that these terrible things kept happening to my family. If only Avikar had returned home. He should’ve returned home when Derrick and I had left. Daath was a beautiful land, and I saw how he smiled around Raven, but Father needed him.

Avikar assumed Father hated him. He didn’t realize Father loved him the most.

My eyes turned to the sea—still no sign of Lucino.

Lucino…

When he had held me last night, the warmth of his arms melted me. Even though he only held me, the touch sent my insides into a scramble. I wished I wasn’t attracted to him. I wanted to hold onto my anger, but our days at sea had changed everything. He was gentle. It reminded me of how he treated me in Daath and why I had fallen for him.

Crack.

My hands stilled as a fissure appeared on the shell. I placed the woven leaves on the ground and inched closer to the egg, curiosity bubbling inside my chest.

Pieces of the egg broke, revealing a white film. Blue peeked through the cracks as the egg fell apart. I dug my hands into the sand, eager and anxious. I wanted to help free the bird, but I wasn’t sure if I should interfere.

The side broke off, exposing part of a wing, then the head. Once the head was through, the little bird pushed against the egg, breaking the rest apart, then plopped onto the sand.

Caw, Caw, Caw.

“It’s okay, little bird, I won’t hurt you.”

The bird titled its head and waddled over to me. Sticky goo covered its aqua wings. I held out my palm and the bird fell onto it. It was already the size of a crow, and only a baby! Its beak was white, and silver streaked the blue of its feathers.

It cawed again. A hungry cry, but I had no idea what this type of bird ate, and I didn’t have any food. It snapped at my free hand, drawing blood.

“Ouch.” I pulled my hand back. “I guess I better find you food.”

With the bird in hand, I stood and started walking into the jungle, searching for anything edible.