Siena (Forestfolk, Book 1)

Chapter 19b

Not liking how wet hide stuck to skin and chafed, I removed my trousers and laid them on dry ground, then waded into the pooled part of the stream. Feeling confident that the reeds gave me privacy, I removed my shirt and washed it. Then I washed my hair. The cold water felt wonderful against my overheated skin. I wanted to stay there all day.

Feeling refreshed, I found my companions settled among a small copse of trees by the stream. I was squeezing water out of my hair when Remi saw me.

"You remind me of cooked crayfish," he said with his lopsided smile.

"Just what every girl wants to hear," I replied, flicking my dripping hands at him.

Galen grinned and tossed a piece of jerky to me. I caught it and handed it to Remi.

"Siena, you need your strength," Galen admonished. "Have a little meat."

I thought about which was worse, eating flesh for energy, or taking it from plants. "I don't need it yet," I said, hoping he wouldn't press the issue.

Galen cast one more worried look at me, then shrugged and bit into his jerky. I scooted closer to Remi so I could talk to him more privately.

"What you did when we were in that tree," I said in a hushed voice. "I didn't know you could do that. It felt so strange. How does it work?"

"When my skin takes on colors and textures, things that I touch are also affected, like my clothes or other people. When you touched Galen, I wasn't sure if that would work, but it did. That was new for me. Exhausting, though. Camouflaging myself doesn't take much effort."

"I found it fascinating, but my skin felt like it was covered in ants. Is it like that every time?"

"You get used to it." He pulled a shred from his hunk of dried meat. "I didn't know your gift went beyond healing. You can energize people too?"

"It's something I learned recently while working with Sember." I absently stroked a tuft of grass near my foot. "I think all the Gifted should spend more time talking with each other. As we learn about each other, we learn more about ourselves, don't you think?"

Remi nodded. "You're right. I think most of us tend to isolate ourselves because, even though we're accepted in Foresthome, we still feel different. Like no one really understands us."

"That's exactly how it feels," I said, reveling in the kinship I felt with this boy who was so easy to talk to. "We understand each other."

He nodded in agreement and smiled contentedly. "We should get some rest," he said and leaned back against a tree.

Instead of unrolling my bed, I chose a patch of low-growing grass and lay in it, enjoying its tickle against my arms. I gazed up through the thin canopy of leaves at the dappled and ever-changing patchwork of blue sky peeking through. A hawk circled overhead, looking for prey. A squirrel barked from a tree nearby. The stream gurgled its fluid melody. Best of all was the soft rustling of leaves and the whispers of the breeze through tall grass. It cleared my mind, centered me. Birds sang a chorus, and I felt myself soaring into the branches with them.

I felt connected, like I was nature itself. A familiar tingling flowed through me, though I was not consciously trying to absorb energy. It was gentle and soothing, and I felt like I might start glowing. I closed my eyes and saw flutters of color beneath my eyelids. At that very moment, as I lay there stretched out in the grass, everything was right in the world.

***

When I awoke, I found Galen resting against a tree, keeping watch. He inclined his head in greeting, and I smiled back at him. I felt even more refreshed than I had after my bath. I sprang to my feet and began foraging for edibles. By the time I came back with fistfuls of nuts and dandelion leaves, Remi was getting up.

"You're awake!" he said with some measure of astonishment. "And you're not red anymore."

"I'm not?" I didn't recall healing myself. I looked down at my arms and found them back to normal. "Huh."

He walked up to me and tapped my nose. "This was about to blister earlier today. Now it's back to perky."

I swatted his hand away. "I don't think I've ever healed in my sleep before. Healing drains me, and sleep is when I get it back."

"Thus the near-comatose sleeping habits," he teased.

I ignored him and looked up at the sky. I couldn't have slept more than a few hours. "But . . . I feel like I slept all night! I kind of feel great." I looked back down at where I had lain, expecting a patch of dead grass the shape of my body, but there was only the impression my weight had left. Could it be that I had somehow absorbed life energy from . . . my surroundings? From everything at once?

A thought occurred to me, and I cast a worried glance at Galen who was packing, then at Remi. "How do you feel?"

His brows scrunched a little and he shrugged. "Fine, I guess. Why?"

I guess I hadn't drained them after all. The worried tension left my shoulders. Then I realized that Remi was still examining me. "Um." My eyes flitted back to my impression in the grass. "I might be discovering something new."

His expression transformed into comprehension. "There's nothing in the world like uncovering something you didn't know about your gift." His voice held a sense of wonder. "It's like discovering new lands, within yourself."

He described the feeling so perfectly that a huge grin spanned my face.

He grinned back, and our eyes locked in that moment of clear understanding. For several heartbeats, I gazed into his forest-colored eyes. Then those eyes dropped to my lips, and my heart began to race.

The sound of Galen clearing his throat dashed the moment to pieces, and I blinked rapidly, trying to pull my mind out of its haze.

"The sun is setting," Galen said from afar. "We should get ready to head out."

Reluctantly, I stepped away from Remi as he turned to pack.

***

This time Remi led the way. He scouted ahead, often disappearing and then returning with a course correction. I walked with Galen, our pace not so frantic anymore. My eyes followed Remi's lithe body wherever he went, until it became too dark to see him anymore.

"Are we taking turns scouting ahead?" I asked Galen.

"No. He knows this territory like no other," he replied. "He used to live with the Krat tribe."

"He did?" A brief moment of betrayal flashed through me. "He never told me that."

"I think he prefers not to talk about it."

I looked out ahead of us, not seeing any sign of Remi. "How could a tribe be so cruel?" I murmured. "Murdering innocent women and children . . ."

"Siena, when we were at the Zurbo compound"—Galen broached the subject carefully, watching my face for reactions. Watching my face for hysteria, probably—"I noticed there weren't any children among the . . . bodies."

I looked at him with surprise. I actually hadn't noticed. "There weren't?"

He shook his head. "No, it was mostly women and a few men."

My brow furrowed. "You think they took them?"

"It seems likely."

I adjusted the strap on my shoulder while this realization trickled through me. "Why would they do that?"

Galen faced the darkening horizon ahead of us. "I wish I knew."

It's the calm before the storm... vote please? Pretty please? :)