Read Online Threading the Needle by Joshua Palmatier - Free Book Online Page A

it, feeling the energies that surrounded them. “Yes. You can feel it. The energies aren’t quite in synch.”
    Artras crouched down at her side and she felt the older woman reaching into the eddies. “Something must have happened to the node at the other end, something to cut off the natural flow.” Artras stood, staring off into the northeast. “It’s pointing toward the Reaches.”
    â€œDunmara?” Kara asked. But she didn’t think so. The angle wasn’t quite right.
    Artras shrugged.
    A shout came from the direction of the abandoned town, faint with distance. Kara patted the stone as she said, “We should head back.”
    They climbed up out of the node’s bowl and entered the town to find Allan and the others already rolling out.
    â€œWe saw you coming,” Allan said as they emerged between two of the faded storefronts to join him. They began to follow the wagon. “Did you find what you were looking for?”
    â€œWe found the node. But it didn’t offer us any answers, only more questions.”

Four
    A F TER TWO WEEKS OF TRAVEL, Kara, Allan, and the rest of the group entered the edge of the sprawling streets of Erenthrall. Two of the Dogs loped out in front of the group, vanishing into side streets to scout the way. Kara and the Wielders stayed with the wagon.
    Kara eyed the buildings as they passed: windows gaped down at them, empty and hollow, their panes shattered; a few doors hung from hinges, some completely missing; shutters creaked in the wind coming from the east. But the streets were mostly clear, the buildings intact. The destruction of the Nexus hadn’t been felt as badly this far from the center. Kara swallowed back a bitter taste nonetheless. She knew this was far from the worst, but she could sense how much the city had changed since she’d last been here. It felt wrong. The streets should be alive with people, with activity, with
life
.
    One of the scouts returned and gestured to Allan. The ex-Dog motioned Gaven toward a secondary street, branching away from the main thoroughfare heading toward the city center. Gaven picked up the wagon’s pace, forcing Kara and the others into a trot to keep up. They reached their destination within five blocks, making two more turns at odd intersections. Kara didn’t even know what district they were in, much less what street they were on. But then, she didn’t know all of Erenthrall, only the few districts she’d been assigned as a Wielder and some of the surrounding areas, all located closer to Grass, inside the distortion.
    At a sharp whistle, Gaven slowed and cut left, leading the wagon into an alley. Kara, Artras, and the others followed it into the shadows, oneof the trackers lighting a torch, revealing an alcove and door cut into the building on the right. Everyone filed in, Kara glancing back to see Allan guarding the alley, turning to join them only after the other scout returned.
    Inside, the Dogs and trackers led them through a few hallways, then up stairs to the higher levels. They halted in a vacant interior room, doors opening off to either side into other rooms.
    Kara turned to Allan. “What are we doing here? There are still a few hours of dark left. Shouldn’t we head deeper into the city?”
    â€œNot until we find out what the situation is at the moment.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    Allan glanced toward Glenn and Adder, who ducked into two of the side rooms. Kent and Jack headed toward the stairs leading higher up. “Tim, Cutter, keep watch outside.” Both headed back downstairs as Gaven and Aaron returned from taking care of the horses.
    Only then did Allan turn back to her. “The boundaries of the groups still here in Erenthrall change constantly. The section we’re in right now is controlled by the Wolves. That’s why there’s no one around. We don’t know where the Wolves have holed up, but they roam the