Free Deltora Quest #1: The Forests of Silence by Emily Rodda Page A

forcefully as he could. “Our quest to the forest is part of a plan to defeat them — to rid Deltora of the Shadow Lord. Help us, we beg you!”
    He held his breath as the girl hesitated, fingering the cloak she still held over her arm. Then, above their heads, the black bird screeched again. Jasmine glanced up at it, threw the cloak down onto Lief’s chest, and darted away without another word.
    “Come back!” cried Lief, with all his strength. “Jasmine!” But there was no reply, and when he looked up to the tree again, even the bird had gone.
    Lief heard Barda moan once, in helpless anger. Then there was utter silence. No bird sang. No small creature rustled in the grass. It was the silence of waiting. The silence of despair. The silence of death.
    The sun sank lower in the sky. Long, dark shadows striped the place where they lay. Soon, very soon, it would be dark. And then, thought Lief, then the Wennbar will come.
    The cloak felt warm on his chest. He could not lift a hand to touch it, but still it gave him comfort. He was glad that it was with him. He closed his eyes …

    Something gripped his shoulder. He cried out in terror and opened his eyes to see Jasmine’s face close to his.
    “Open your mouth!” the girl ordered. “Make haste!” She pushed a tiny bottle towards his lips.
    Confused, Lief did as he was told. He felt two cold drops fall on his tongue. A horrible taste filled his mouth.
    “What —?” he spluttered.
    But Jasmine had already turned away from him. “Open your mouth!” he heard her hissing to Barda.
    A moment later Barda made a choking, disgusted sound. Lief realized that he, too, had been given some of the vile-tasting liquid.
    “Poison!” Barda rasped. “You —”
    Lief’s heart gave a great thud. Then, suddenly, his body grew hot and began to prickle all over. With every instant the feeling grew stronger and more frightening. The heat became burning. The prickles became needle-sharp jabs of pain. It was as though he was caught in a flaming thorn bush.
    The warning screech of the bird sounded far above them. The sky was red through the leaves of the tree. Barda was crying out. But now Lief could hear nothing, see nothing, feel nothing but his own pain and fear. He began to writhe and thrash on the ground.
    Then, dimly, he realized that Jasmine was bending over him. She was pulling at his arms, kicking at him with hard, bare feet. “Get up!” she was urging. “Listen to me! Do you not see what you are doing? You are moving! You can move!”
    You can move! Gasping, hardly able to believe it, Lief fought back the pain and struggled to his hands and knees. Blindly he felt for his cloak. He was not going to leave it now.
    “The tree!” Jasmine shouted. “Crawl to the tree and climb! The Wennbar is almost upon us!” She had already turned to Barda. He was rolling on his bed of ferns, groaning in agony.
    Lief hauled himself towards them, dragging his cloak behind him, but the girl waved him back. “Go!” she cried furiously. “I will see to him! Go! Climb!”
    Lief knew she was right. He could not help her, or Barda. It was as much as he could do to help himself. He began to crawl towards the trunk of the great tree. His legs and arms were trembling. His whole body shuddered, swept by waves of heat.
    He reached the tree and pulled himself upright. There was a low branch near his hand. He grasped it, panting, and with the other hand pulled his cloak around him.
    Only a day or two ago he had climbed a rope to the top of a high wall without a thought. Now he doubted that he could even haul himself onto this branch.
    The clearing dimmed. The sun had slipped below the horizon.
    High above Lief there was a clatter of wings as the black bird left its perch. Calling harshly, urgently, itsoared down to where Jasmine staggered towards the tree with Barda leaning on her shoulder.
    “I know, Kree!” Jasmine gasped, as the bird flapped anxiously around her head. “I can smell it.”
    As