The Unwilling Adventurer (The Unwilling #1) by Heidi Willard Page A
Authors: Heidi Willard
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back scraped up and his shirt torn. He twisted and turned in midair, but couldn't catch onto anything.
The tree crashed its way toward the other two and Pat pulled out her sword. The blade shone in the fading sunlight and she stood ready for a fight. At the sight of the slicing weapon the creature screamed in anger and its branches barreled down on the pair. Ned deflected the branches with his staff while Pat cut into them. The sliced branches spewed out green slime and covered them both with its blood. Their efforts kept the monster at bay, but did nothing to help Fred. The creature whipped him about like a rag doll.
They had another problem, the pair were getting tired. Pat realized she couldn't keep up the swinging of her sword for much longer, and turned to Ned. "Ned, your staff!" Pat shouted to him.
The old man was making a game of dodging the branches and pounding them into the ground where they stuck. "But you advised me to use it less," he countered.
Pat sliced another large branch and a smaller one caught her foot. She trapped the tip beneath her free foot and sliced it off. "Forget what I said! Just use the damn thing!"
The pair jumped apart to avoid a massive branch that pounded the ground where they'd just stood. They picked themselves up and hurried out of the way as the roots tried to grab them and pin them to the ground. Ned looked over his shoulder at Pat. "But I must show restraint!"
"Forget restraint, just burn this tree!" she shrieked.
Fred yelped when the creature twirled him around its head and raised him high above the ground. It meant to slam him down against the dirt which would have been the end of him. Ned pointed the top of his staff toward the creature, and a jet of fire spewed from the tip of the wood. The stream of flames hit the tree creature and lit the bark on fire. The creature roared with pain and anger, and dropped Fred the dozen feet to the ground. Pat slipped her arms beneath his and dragged him off while he pushed with his feet to scurry away. They watched the uneven fight between castor and tree from a safe distance.
The fire spread along the creature's branches and leaves. The flames consumed every part of its trunk, but not before the creature turned and vented its fury on Ned. The old man jumped back when the large limbs crashed down where he'd stood. Ned's face took on a seriousness Fred had never before seen; the mouth thinned to a narrow line and his eyebrows crashed down over hard eyes. Ned raised his staff into the air and a great wind swept up around him. The gales fanned the flames of the fire and the creature gave a final roar before it collapsed to the ground. The earth shook, and then there was only the sound of crackling flames.
Fred and Pat moved over to stand on either side of Ned, and they all watched the flames rise up into the sky as night came down on them. Ned wiped his brow, straightened himself, and glanced between his companions. "It makes for a very nice fire, doesn't it?"
CHAPTER 7
With the creature gone, and after they'd cleared and buried the remains of the campsite's previous occupants, the three settled down beside the burning tree. Fred leaned on his side close by the fire with his head on a piece of wood he used as a pillow. His shirt was pulled off and Ned and Pat were looking at his back. The skin was covered in flesh wounds caused by the grass and dirt, and deep gashes from a few loose rocks. Ned reached out and tapped on one of the gashes that was closed up with blood. Fred flinched.
"Did that hurt?" Ned asked him.
"Just a little," Fred replied through gritted teeth.
Pat shook her head. "This is what you deserve for getting curious again," she commented. "At this rate your curiosity is going to get us killed."
Fred whipped his head around and glared at her over his shoulder. "I was just looking around like you two and-"
Ned softly put a hand on Fred's shoulder. "Wait a moment. His curiosity saved us here, otherwise the creature may
The tree crashed its way toward the other two and Pat pulled out her sword. The blade shone in the fading sunlight and she stood ready for a fight. At the sight of the slicing weapon the creature screamed in anger and its branches barreled down on the pair. Ned deflected the branches with his staff while Pat cut into them. The sliced branches spewed out green slime and covered them both with its blood. Their efforts kept the monster at bay, but did nothing to help Fred. The creature whipped him about like a rag doll.
They had another problem, the pair were getting tired. Pat realized she couldn't keep up the swinging of her sword for much longer, and turned to Ned. "Ned, your staff!" Pat shouted to him.
The old man was making a game of dodging the branches and pounding them into the ground where they stuck. "But you advised me to use it less," he countered.
Pat sliced another large branch and a smaller one caught her foot. She trapped the tip beneath her free foot and sliced it off. "Forget what I said! Just use the damn thing!"
The pair jumped apart to avoid a massive branch that pounded the ground where they'd just stood. They picked themselves up and hurried out of the way as the roots tried to grab them and pin them to the ground. Ned looked over his shoulder at Pat. "But I must show restraint!"
"Forget restraint, just burn this tree!" she shrieked.
Fred yelped when the creature twirled him around its head and raised him high above the ground. It meant to slam him down against the dirt which would have been the end of him. Ned pointed the top of his staff toward the creature, and a jet of fire spewed from the tip of the wood. The stream of flames hit the tree creature and lit the bark on fire. The creature roared with pain and anger, and dropped Fred the dozen feet to the ground. Pat slipped her arms beneath his and dragged him off while he pushed with his feet to scurry away. They watched the uneven fight between castor and tree from a safe distance.
The fire spread along the creature's branches and leaves. The flames consumed every part of its trunk, but not before the creature turned and vented its fury on Ned. The old man jumped back when the large limbs crashed down where he'd stood. Ned's face took on a seriousness Fred had never before seen; the mouth thinned to a narrow line and his eyebrows crashed down over hard eyes. Ned raised his staff into the air and a great wind swept up around him. The gales fanned the flames of the fire and the creature gave a final roar before it collapsed to the ground. The earth shook, and then there was only the sound of crackling flames.
Fred and Pat moved over to stand on either side of Ned, and they all watched the flames rise up into the sky as night came down on them. Ned wiped his brow, straightened himself, and glanced between his companions. "It makes for a very nice fire, doesn't it?"
CHAPTER 7
With the creature gone, and after they'd cleared and buried the remains of the campsite's previous occupants, the three settled down beside the burning tree. Fred leaned on his side close by the fire with his head on a piece of wood he used as a pillow. His shirt was pulled off and Ned and Pat were looking at his back. The skin was covered in flesh wounds caused by the grass and dirt, and deep gashes from a few loose rocks. Ned reached out and tapped on one of the gashes that was closed up with blood. Fred flinched.
"Did that hurt?" Ned asked him.
"Just a little," Fred replied through gritted teeth.
Pat shook her head. "This is what you deserve for getting curious again," she commented. "At this rate your curiosity is going to get us killed."
Fred whipped his head around and glared at her over his shoulder. "I was just looking around like you two and-"
Ned softly put a hand on Fred's shoulder. "Wait a moment. His curiosity saved us here, otherwise the creature may
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