Day Five, Fifth Moon, Hunting Year Five Hundred and Four
Sasha is missing. Mags only realized she was gone when she didn't come home last night. They didn't wait until morning -- instead, they made the oldest kid, Ciara, in charge of the rest of us and went straight to the lean-to of the nearest council member to raise the alarm. Then, they went to Janet and Mina who will be ready to adopt her in only a few days, when their home is finished.
The search started overnight. The sound of Haven-dwellers calling her name and the sight of passing lanterns kept most of us awake. Eventually, we clustered by the window of the dormitory with the curtains pulled back and the cool night air caressing our faces. Some people searched the settlement itself, peering through the rustic barns and corrals and knocking on lintels to implore people in their night clothes to make sure she had not found her way into their property unnoticed. Others coordinate bands that patrolled the settlement in expanding circles.
The sun rose softly through the windows before Mags came home to herd us to breakfast.
YOU ARE READING
The Wood
FantasyLike every other girl in her village, Kyla has been taught to ward off curses with the right concoction of herbs, but when a new plague falls upon the village, the elders begin to hunt for the witch who caused it. Kyla becomes the next target after...
