Free Treespeaker by Katie W. Stewart

Maden he couldn’t go, so it had been a great relief to find the roof fixed when he got home.
    He smiled. “You know boys. They go off to do one thing and end up doing another. They think it’s a big adventure. No thoughts for those who might worry about them.”
    “Still, I worry!” Kelsha’s high cheekbones were flushed and her bloodshot eyes showed the obvious signs of lack of sleep. “They were only supposed to be going to Pridan’s Glen to seek rabbits. They shouldn’t be this long.”
    Jakan nodded. “It does seem strange. Let me sit for a while and I’ll see what I can tell you.”
    He moved to the edge of the path and sat on a log. Kelsha stood motionless, her hands clasped in front of her. Jakan relaxed and shut his eyes. He could hear a crow cawing in the distance and a sparrow twittering in a branch above him. The breeze whispered through the treetops. Gradually the sounds of the forest receded and he found a place of total silence. In that silence he searched. If anything had happened to Maden or the others, then there would be vibrations of it. There was nothing. The silence flowed through his mind like a misty stream. Abruptly, he tensed. A ripple formed in the flow, as if something pushed against it, something opposite to it. He could feel the tension it caused, like a sudden loss of breath. Jakan opened his eyes.
    “Who’s with Maden?”
    Kelsha jumped at the sudden question.
    “He’s with Ferad, Galok and - ”
    “Beldror?”
    Kelsha nodded.
    The cold stone of dread in Jakan's stomach turned colder.

Chapter 9
     
     
    Only an hour after he had sent two men in search of the young hunting party, Jakan heard a commotion down by the Meeting Hall. Through the gathering dusk, he made out four figures emerging from the forest. The missing hunters had returned.
    He dropped his armful of wood by the door and strolled towards the Hall. Other villagers also gathered, watching. Jakan frowned. The return of hunters would not normally evoke such interest. What was different this time?
    As the young men stepped out from the trees, his heart quickened. Between two of the boys, strung onto a branch, was a young doe, her head lolling, and her soft brown eyes lifeless.
    The small crowd stopped by the Meeting Hall and stood, waiting for the young men to come to them. They nattered amongst themselves. Jakan stood, stony-faced, amongst them for a few moments before they noticed him. They fell silent as he pushed his way to the front of the group and halted, arms folded. The two men he had sent out searching approached first. He nodded his thanks at them and they moved away.
    The four young hunters looked pleased with themselves. They wandered in chatting to each other, their bows hanging over their shoulders. Then they saw Jakan and their faces flushed with uneasiness. Beldror alone maintained his look of calm.  They came to a halt a few yards away, obviously waiting for Jakan to speak first. He stared at them without speaking for a few moments. He wanted to give himself time to quell his own anger, but also to let them squirm in their guilt.
    “Your mother will be pleased to see you, Maden,” he said at last. “She’s been worried.”
    Maden scuffed at the ground with his foot, his face turning pink. He said nothing.
    “Your mother told me you were hunting rabbits. I don’t recall ever seeing a rabbit that looked like that.” Jakan jerked his head towards the doe.
    The three boys continued to stare at the ground in silence. Beldror still wore a smirk and Jakan again found himself clenching his fists.
    “It’s a fine animal, is it not?” Beldror smiled around at the villagers, obviously looking for approbation.
    “It is indeed.” The voice came from behind Jakan, who spun to glare at the speaker. Grifad shrugged and looked away.
    What’s wrong with the man? Jakan thought. He’s an Elder, yet he does nothing to condemn blatant breaches of the law.
    Jakan took a step towards Beldror and spoke in a