Read Broken Forest: Book One of the Daath Chronicles for Free Online Page B

left, I inched a bit closer. “What brings you to Bogtown? This doesn’t seem like your kind of place.”
    “What do you mean?”
    I noticed her decorative bodice. “You’re dressed for castle life. Are you a noble?”
    She smirked. “I’m no one of importance.”
    “And you came all the way to this filthy town for…?”
    Lucy’s hand grazed my forearm. The sensation filled me with hundreds of inappropriate ideas. This wasn’t the time for flirtatious fun, but I couldn’t pull away, even though I knew I should.
    “Enough about me. I’m much more interested in you. Are you travelling alone?” Her delicate fingers trailed up my arm.
    I watched them, praying she’d never take them off. “No,” I said, glancing over at Derrick who stood between Rudy and Steven as they argued.
    Her gaze followed mine. “Quite a bunch you’re with.” She gently tugged on the tawny cloth of my shirt. “Where are you headed?”
    “I’m on a quest.”
    Her face brightened, and I regretted blurting it out.
    What’s the matter with me? I should be focused on Jeslyn.
    “Really, sounds exciting. What kind of quest? I find them exhilarating, especially when such a handsome man is involved.”
    Her floral scent surrounded me and I couldn’t help myself. I leaned in and whispered, “I don’t know if I can tell you.”
    “You can trust me.”
    I never wanted to kiss anyone as bad as I wanted to kiss her. The desire overpowered every other thought in my mind, but before I could act, Derrick appeared at my side.
    “We’re ready to head out,” he said.
    Lucy pressed her hand against my chest. “So soon? I hoped we could get more acquainted.” She swept away a lonely strand of hair covering my right eye and stared at me with an intense hunger.
    In any other instance, I would have said yes. “I wish I could, but I can’t. It was nice meeting you, Lucy.”
    “Wait,” she said, and stood. “For your kindness, allow me to thank you with a song before you go. It will be a blessing for your journey.”
    “I’d be honored.”
    Lucy smiled and waltzed into the center of the room.
    Derrick grabbed my arm as I headed to a table. “What are you doing?” he hissed.
    I nudged him away. “She wants to sing us a song.”
    “We don’t have time for this.”
    “Maybe it will bring us luck,” I said, sitting. “We could use it.”
    Derrick sat across from me and folded his arms. “Fine. One song.”
    The tavern was disorderly, but when Lucy opened her mouth, everyone quieted. Her hips swayed and the glow of candlelight highlighted her curves. Words from a strange language poured out of her petite lips, sounding like a hundred birds harmonizing at once.
    Her body moved, slow and seductive. Each graceful step matched the tempo of the song. The corners of her mouth curled up as she circled the room, her attention on me. She glided to me and sat on my lap, never once missing a beat.
    Sweat slid down the back of my neck, and a wave of exhaustion hit me. I blinked twice, my vision blurred for a brief second. I grabbed Lucy’s arm, trying to keep myself awake. Her soft hand caressed my cheek, and the last thing I saw was her wicked smile.

    Cold water slammed my face, waking me. Davin stood next to the table holding a bucket. I lifted my head from the table and pressed my palm against my forehead. Moving shot pain into my head.
    “What happened?” I asked, noticing we were all still in the tavern.
    Davin dropped the bucket and wiped his hands against his pants. “You’ve been out all day.”
    Derrick and I jumped to our feet.
    “We’ve been trying to wake you guys,” Nathaniel added. “I thought you’d be sleeping forever. That’s the fifth bucket we dumped on you.”
    “It was that woman,” Rudy replied. “She’s some sort of enchantress. Put us under a spell by that singing of hers. Knocked everyone in the tavern out cold!”
    Derrick kicked the table. “They could be days ahead of us!” He glared at me with that fiery