The Sage Seed Chronicles: The Unraveling Read Online Free Page A

calmness to Erin that
had helped her to rest. She felt as refreshed as the land seemed to
be after a storm. The day was clear and bright. It was good weather
for traveling.
    Ree replenished the food stores in Erin’s
pack. After hugs and promises to keep in touch through bird
messengers, Erin left Ree’s home. She forded the river at the bend
and left the peaceful clearing. The land due south would steadily
rise and the forest would gradually thin. She had been
contemplating what to do. After conferring with Keir, she decided
to make a wide circle back to the town near her old home and see
what she could learn. The idea was that if someone was trying to
find her, they wouldn’t expect to look near the town. Also, by
directing her travels further south of her previous path and
heading back in an easterly direction, she could try to get a sense
of whether there was anything that felt out-of-kilter in the area.
She hoped that the time would allow her to increase her skills. One
of the things she needed to work out was a simple but effective
disguise. It would come to her as she traveled. She had time.
    The distance from her home to Ree’s cabin had
been five days of steady walking. The wild forest was beautiful and
ordinarily she would have enjoyed the sights and sounds of her
trek. The scents of the evergreens, the songs of the birds or calls
of the mountain elk were things she loved. But the numbness of
grieving, compounded by the urgent need to escape, had driven her
blindly toward Ree’s home. Now she felt her focus returning. Erin
left Ree’s clearing thinking about the journey since she had fled
her childhood home. Because most of it had been through rough
wooded terrain, she hadn’t been able to use the paraglider in her
pack. Neither could the person following her use one, which gave
her an advantage. Ree had told her of a bluff one day’s travel to
the south that would be a good glide launch spot. She would use
that to put more distance between her and the ‘seeker.’ It would
also foul up any tracking.
    All day, Erin moved up hills thick with trees
and underbrush. Keir flew ahead, scouting out trail hazards, which
helped minimize her time in the unfamiliar woods. The little falcon
directed her around difficult ravines and recent rock slides, but
still she had to negotiate slippery windfall piles that could break
the leg of an incautious traveler. She was used to carrying a lot
of weight on her back. Even though it was common practice, there
were times it was cumbersome, especially when scrambling over rough
terrain. Along the way, she gathered whatever edibles she could
find so she wouldn’t deplete the food in her pack too quickly. She
stopped for a break just after mid-day. Shedding her pack with a
sigh, she sat down to eat. Ree had been right. Though she was
strong and had been active her whole life, she needed to build up
her endurance.
    Keir had also been hunting and joined her
after consuming his meal. Erin watched with affectionate interest,
appreciating the wild beauty as his swift flight brought him from
the depths of the shadowy woods into her small clearing. The
sunlight softly highlighted the charcoal feathers on the crest of
his head and across his shoulder to the leading edge of his wings.
He landed on her pack and spoke to her silently. ‘Ree was correct
about two other things. We need to always communicate in our
thoughts,’ Erin nodded in agreement, ‘and you need to reach out for
more allies. You have to have watchers at night and animals that
can travel wherever you travel. If you had several friends, we
could switch off and not be as noticeable. You haven’t tried
‘calling.’ Either call in your mind for a specific animal, or call
to them when you see them. If they are interested in becoming your
friend and aiding you, they will approach. All of them do not need
to be included in your travels. Because of your gift, some will be
willing to aid you while you are in their