Read Online Secrets of Moth (The Moth Saga, Book 3) by Daniel Arenson - Free Book Online
Authors: Daniel Arenson
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she snorted.
"Well then keep up! According to Koyee's book, the number nine
is all the way in Til Natay, a temple miles and miles from here. We
have to hurry."
He jumped over bulging tree
roots, raced around a boulder, and reached her. He leaped back as her
sword swung; she nearly sliced through him as well as the vines. They
kept moving through the rainforest.
Torin had grown up in the
northern, temperate valleys and hills of Arden, then spent over a
year in the night. Naya seemed to him just as strange as the endless
darkness. The canopy hid the sky, rustling and raining leaves. Vines
and bushes grew everywhere, tangling around him. Water dripped and
flowed and mist hung in the air. The insects were not the only
animals; frogs trilled in streams, birds of every color flew
overhead, and furry critters Torin had only read about in
bestiaries—monkeys, he thought they were called—hooted and swung
from branches above.
"Are you sure you know
where you're going?" Torin could barely see a dozen feet ahead;
the greenery obscured everything.
Bailey nodded. "Of course.
Koyee's book said that Til Natay rises at the end of the Great Nayan
Escarpment. We're walking atop that escarpment right now." She
smiled and took a deep, dreamy breath. "When I was a girl,
Grandpapa would say that the escarpment was the spine of an ancient
giant who had collapsed atop Naya. His blood seeped out, feeding the
rainforest which grew upon him." She pointed northward where the
land sloped down. "See how we're walking atop a cliff, moving
westward? Down there the forest is much lower. It rolls all the way
to the Sern River and to our own homeland of Arden." She turned
back west. "We just keep walking atop the hilly spine, and we'll
get there."
Torin groaned. "I don't see
an escarpment. I don't see west, north, or south. I just see, well .
. . trees everywhere."
She glowered at him. "That's
because you're an empty-headed, winky-eyed boy. If I shove you down
the escarpment, I bet you'll see it."
Torin groaned and made his way
over a slippery boulder. "That's assuming Tianlong dropped us
off at the right place. We could be walking atop an unrelated
mountain."
"An escarpment ,
you woolhead, not a mountain. And the dragon did. Dragons always know
these things." She swung her sword, forcing him to leap back. "I
know a lot more about dragons than you do, Winky, so be quiet."
She was about to swing her sword
again when Torin caught her wrist. He stared at her, holding her
fast, planting both feet firmly on the ground. "You don't know
everything, Bailey."
Slowly, she turned her face
toward him. Her eyes narrowed and a dangerous light filled them. "Let
go of me."
He tightened his fingers around
her wrist. "You've spent the past few hours tugging me, twisting
my arm, and nearly lobbing off my head every time you cut a vine.
I've had enough. You don't know everything about dragons, and you
don't know everything about escarpments, and you don't—"
She shoved him. She shoved him
so hard he slipped in the mud, let go of her wrist, and reached down
to catch his fall. Before he could even hit the ground, Bailey
pounced onto him, growling like a rabid animal. She shoved a knee
into his belly and he grunted. He tried to knock her off, but she
pinned his arms to the ground, knelt above him, and sneered.
"Don't ever talk to me like
that again." She glared down at him, her face a mask of rage.
"Don't ever grab my wrist like that. You're . . . you're just a
ba—"
"A babyface, yes."
Torin stared up at her. He could barely breathe with her knee in his
belly, but he wouldn't tear his gaze away. "I've heard it a
million times. Only I'm not. I've got scruff on my cheeks now. And
I've fought in battles and I've killed men. And you will stop
treating me like a child. Do you understand?"
He expected her to scream, to
slap him, to storm off into the wilderness without him. Instead she
lowered her head, and her cheek pressed against his, and her eyes
closed.
"I don't
"Well then keep up! According to Koyee's book, the number nine
is all the way in Til Natay, a temple miles and miles from here. We
have to hurry."
He jumped over bulging tree
roots, raced around a boulder, and reached her. He leaped back as her
sword swung; she nearly sliced through him as well as the vines. They
kept moving through the rainforest.
Torin had grown up in the
northern, temperate valleys and hills of Arden, then spent over a
year in the night. Naya seemed to him just as strange as the endless
darkness. The canopy hid the sky, rustling and raining leaves. Vines
and bushes grew everywhere, tangling around him. Water dripped and
flowed and mist hung in the air. The insects were not the only
animals; frogs trilled in streams, birds of every color flew
overhead, and furry critters Torin had only read about in
bestiaries—monkeys, he thought they were called—hooted and swung
from branches above.
"Are you sure you know
where you're going?" Torin could barely see a dozen feet ahead;
the greenery obscured everything.
Bailey nodded. "Of course.
Koyee's book said that Til Natay rises at the end of the Great Nayan
Escarpment. We're walking atop that escarpment right now." She
smiled and took a deep, dreamy breath. "When I was a girl,
Grandpapa would say that the escarpment was the spine of an ancient
giant who had collapsed atop Naya. His blood seeped out, feeding the
rainforest which grew upon him." She pointed northward where the
land sloped down. "See how we're walking atop a cliff, moving
westward? Down there the forest is much lower. It rolls all the way
to the Sern River and to our own homeland of Arden." She turned
back west. "We just keep walking atop the hilly spine, and we'll
get there."
Torin groaned. "I don't see
an escarpment. I don't see west, north, or south. I just see, well .
. . trees everywhere."
She glowered at him. "That's
because you're an empty-headed, winky-eyed boy. If I shove you down
the escarpment, I bet you'll see it."
Torin groaned and made his way
over a slippery boulder. "That's assuming Tianlong dropped us
off at the right place. We could be walking atop an unrelated
mountain."
"An escarpment ,
you woolhead, not a mountain. And the dragon did. Dragons always know
these things." She swung her sword, forcing him to leap back. "I
know a lot more about dragons than you do, Winky, so be quiet."
She was about to swing her sword
again when Torin caught her wrist. He stared at her, holding her
fast, planting both feet firmly on the ground. "You don't know
everything, Bailey."
Slowly, she turned her face
toward him. Her eyes narrowed and a dangerous light filled them. "Let
go of me."
He tightened his fingers around
her wrist. "You've spent the past few hours tugging me, twisting
my arm, and nearly lobbing off my head every time you cut a vine.
I've had enough. You don't know everything about dragons, and you
don't know everything about escarpments, and you don't—"
She shoved him. She shoved him
so hard he slipped in the mud, let go of her wrist, and reached down
to catch his fall. Before he could even hit the ground, Bailey
pounced onto him, growling like a rabid animal. She shoved a knee
into his belly and he grunted. He tried to knock her off, but she
pinned his arms to the ground, knelt above him, and sneered.
"Don't ever talk to me like
that again." She glared down at him, her face a mask of rage.
"Don't ever grab my wrist like that. You're . . . you're just a
ba—"
"A babyface, yes."
Torin stared up at her. He could barely breathe with her knee in his
belly, but he wouldn't tear his gaze away. "I've heard it a
million times. Only I'm not. I've got scruff on my cheeks now. And
I've fought in battles and I've killed men. And you will stop
treating me like a child. Do you understand?"
He expected her to scream, to
slap him, to storm off into the wilderness without him. Instead she
lowered her head, and her cheek pressed against his, and her eyes
closed.
"I don't
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