leaves one day, trees rotting until all that’s left are husks. We went and cleared out a bunch of them hoping to preserve the woods. Not sure if it helped. It certainly hasn’t done us any favor for catching game. Hunting has been poor all autumn, and there’s nothing to be found living in my neck of the woods. I’ve been finding carcasses rotting out in the sun like they just keeled over where they stood. Got to face the fact that the entire forest appears to be dying.”
The spoon slipped out of Diana’s hand, clanking against the side of the bowl, stew splashing on the table. Her breath caught in her lungs as she stilled, listening in on the conversation. The fur on her body prickled as if an electric current ran through it. It was starting already. She had been warned, but she had naively believed that she would have more time before they started seeing the effects of it in the human world.
“Might be a good thing considering the way it expanded with the mists. Maybe it’s just nature correcting itself.”
“Maybe, but damned if it isn’t the eeriest of things. Everywhere I go in the woods just reeks of death. Come spring I may just work on developing some of the nearby land for crops. If the forest does die away, I can’t risk my family going hungry. We’re managing with our small number of livestock and the chickens. I think this is just it for the forest.”
“Good riddance. That place is evil since the mists took it. Grow the crops, just stay clear of planting orchards would be my advice. We’ll all be better off when that evil place dies.”
Diana forced herself to her feet, her body trembling uncontrollably. She was seized with the need to see to the trees around her home. She hadn’t checked them closely since the onset of autumn when the hamadryads had settled down for their slumber. She needed to take another look and make certain that the sickness hadn’t reached her corner of the forest yet. She had to get out of there.
“Are you okay, Di?” the waitress asked, glancing up from the men she was serving.
Diana nodded in her head in a jerky fashion and stumbled back away from the table, her fingers wrapping around her sack. “Yeah, I’m fine Stace—just not feeling well today. Perhaps best to head home and get some rest.”
Stacy pursed her lips. “I don’t blame you. Winter has been rough on all of us since the ravaging, perhaps more so this year than before. You get plenty of rest and I’ll catch up with you when you’re next in town.” She hesitated. “It’s been a while. Everyone is worried about you.”
“Sure,” Diana mumbled as she buttoned up her heavy winter coat and pulled on her thick wool gloves. She had no intention of getting cozy with her childhood friend or anyone else. Not after the majority of the people in town had applauded when a troll had been beheaded when he stopped in to trade for supplies the month prior. In retrospect, she was thankful that Raskyuil had slipped away when he did.
Throwing her sack of goods over her shoulder, she hustled out of the warm building into the snow. Although she was well bundled up like everyone else, the cold barely affected her even though she could see her breath fogging the air. Standing there at the entrance of the tavern, she scanned the street and grimaced as she saw Devlin, her latest and most persistent “suitor.” There was hardly a week that went by without him visiting at least once. She didn’t want to risk him seeing her.
Dropping her head, Diana adopted the forward momentum of the winter shuffle, her body drawn into itself as she slogged through the snow in a far less graceful manner than how she had walked when she arrived earlier that afternoon. As anticipated, he looked right past her as he hustled to the tavern, whether to catch a warm meal or because he had caught word that she was there and was hoping to intercept her, she didn’t know.
Muttering a thanks to the gods under her breath, she quickened her pace, her strides becoming longer and lighter as she left the town behind her. Not for the first time she dwelled on just how much easier her life would be if she had brought Keena with her. Not that the townspeople would have allowed the crocotta