The Whispering Trees Read Online Free

right, they whisper.”
    The wind stopped, silencing the trees and exposing the sound of snapping branches as something plowed through the forest, heading in their direction. A moaning wail echoed through the trees, followed by a chorus of high-pitched chitters.
    â€œSomething’s coming,” Taff said.
    And then the forest exploded with motion as creatures small and large rushed past, a whole world that had remained hidden beneath the underbrush and in the canopy above now fleeing in a crazed exodus. Kara watched in wonder as they passed, far too many to register at once: winged batlike animals with drooping silver faces, two-footed dragons no larger than squirrels, a flat circle of eyes pinwheeling its way along the ground. These were not animals accustomed to traveling together, but they were united in one basic need: to get away as quickly as possible.
    â€œHe knows you’re here,” said Mary Kettle.
    Neither of the children bothered to ask who she meant. They knew.
    â€œHow did he find me so quickly?” Kara asked.
    â€œThis is his Thickety, child. He knows all.”
    Above them the treetops crept together in huddled masses, darkening the forest to a false dusk.
    â€œCome with me. I know a place he cannot reach you. It’s safe there, for you and your brother.”
    â€œWhy should I trust you?”
    Another horrific wail filled the sky. Closer this time.
    Kara didn’t move.
    â€œDo as you will,” Mary Kettle said, eyeing the nearby ridge. “But I won’t waste my life waiting for your decision.”
    â€œWe’re not afraid,” Kara said. She wanted the words to sound brave and defiant, but she could hear the quiver in her voice.
    â€œNot afraid of what?” Mary asked. “Death? Is that whatyou think will happen?” Her gray eyes grew wide. “You’re even more foolish than I thought.”
    With that the woman threw her tinkling sack over one shoulder and started along the path, never once turning her head to check that the children were following her. What choice do we have? Kara thought. Seeing the same question in Taff’s eyes, she lifted him onto Shadowdancer’s back, and they quickly followed the old witch deeper into the Thickety.

T hey raced through the forest, spurred onward by a crescendo of footsteps and cracking branches. A muffled boom of thunder shook the treetops, and Kara glimpsed a flash of lightning through a gap in the canopy. For a heartbeat the black leaves sizzled green and revealed the Thickety in its entirety: monstrous tree trunks, gnarled roots bulging out of the ground like ancient veins, a pulsating patch of amber moss. Then the sky turned dark and once again their only lights werethe green eyes that dotted the false sky, watching them from high above like cursed stars.
    Mary Kettle and Taff rode Shadowdancer, while Kara followed them on foot. The darkness and uneven ground hindered the mare’s speed, allowing Kara to keep pace. A stitch was beginning to form in her side, however, and her legs shook with exhaustion. She would have to rest soon or collapse.
    â€œWe’re almost there,” said Mary, as though reading Kara’s thoughts. Given what she knew about the old witch, Kara supposed this was a possibility.
    They descended through a patch of knee-high weeds with blue bulbs that dangled low and whistled tiny puffs of steam as they passed, Kara’s feet soggy and cold in her soaked-through boots. What am I doing? she thought. We’re following an evil witch who’s as likely to steal our souls as save us . Kara started to lag behind, Shadowdancer now just a vague silhouette between the trees, the stitch in her side growing fearsome teeth. Then Mary leaned over and whispered something in Shadowdancer’s ear,and they came to a sudden stop.
    â€œHere,” said Mary. She slid from the mount and nearly lost her balance upon hitting the ground. Taff reached over to steady