Free Bandits by L M Preston Page A

the direction he spied Faulk go in earlier.
    Nickel laughed while running alongside Daniel. “Whew, I’m glad those things were spread out.”
    “Me too. They mixed the Deadly Wills in with the har m less willow trees.”
    “That’s why they looked normal?”
    “Yeah. I just hope Faulk is still alive.”
    “ Our cousin isn’t used to Merwin. He’s kind of soft, you know.”
    “Yeah, definitely soft - but he’s family. We’re stuck with him,” Daniel confirmed.
    “Like I’m stuck with you.” Nickel laughed and punched Daniel in the arm.
    A scream sounded ahead of them. They picked up speed and ran to edge of the willow jungle.
    Daniel saw Jade throwing darts at the willow in front of her. “Where the hell is Faulk?” he asked, coming up to her with his knife in hand.
    Jade pointed. “The willow has him. See up there.”
    Daniel shook his head. I sent the sap to save her. What the hell happened? He took a deep breath and withdrew his knife. “Aim at the trunk. I’ll get him.” He hesitated, his eyes trained on the tree ahead. “Jade, keep aiming them at the tongue e x tended from the branch, so you can cut him loose.”
    He took off in a run and grabbed onto an attacking branch. Its pink flowered tip opened up, and its tongue whipped out to wrap around his wrists. He pulled another knife free from his pack that hung tightly on his back and used it to work his way up the branch so he could leap to the willow that held Faulk. He found a bare spot and wrapped his legs securely around the bark while dodging some of the attacking branches from above, luckily, their thick base wouldn’t allow them to bend enough to grab Daniel.
    Faulk continued to struggle. “Ugh! It’s got my arms.”  
    “No kidding.” Daniel stabbed up into a wiggling branch above him. It twitched and then fell limp.
    The pink tongue of the willow snaked around Faulk’s neck. It yanked him back and forth. He struggled against cho k ing by turning his head from side to side. Jade aimed at the tongue surrounding Faulk’s neck and struck it within an inch of Faulk’s skin. “Watch it… to close… to my head.” He was jerked back, and took a gulping breath at his slight freedom. The tree’s tongue tightened its grip, refusing to let its meal go.
    Daniel took out his gun and squinted as he aimed at the moving branch. He raised his gun and growled with frustration. “Stop moving!” Daniel howled.
    Faulk held still, and the rubbery tongue slinked out fu r ther to tighten around his neck. As the vicious plant-monster choked him, his face started to turn purple and his eyes watered from its attack. Daniel’s gunshot cut smoothly through the branch. The branch wiggled wildly and then snapped, releasing Faulk. He fell several feet to the ground and shook his head in bewilderment. Bracing himself against the sand, he laid his head back down, feigning a faint before he stood up.
    A thunder of crackling branches sounded around them. “Stop playing around. Grab and go! Now!” Daniel demanded.
    The surrounding Deadly Wills attacked them all at once, their success hindered by the dead, unmoving willow trees littered within. Daniel cut a tongue that lashed out at him and then he jumped down. Landing on one foot and bended knee, he took off running behind the others. The branches of the weeping willows were left whipping behind him in the wind.
Chapter 11
    Daniel laughed and slapped Faulk on the back. “Let’s take the shortcut. The long way is too dangerous for Faulk here.”   
    With the willow forest behind them, they headed across the sand. Faulk’s curiosity pulled his head in various directions. Taking in the green sands, golden red undergrowth, and mongo trees with their blue trunks and hanging deep red leaves, his eyes lit up in wonder. Large gray and green veined rocks li t tered the path to the sandy expanse before them. Daniel eyed him, smiling at his awe.
    Daniel slapped away a wide red hanging leaf and caught a red mongo