Nirrin (Forestfolk, Book 3)

Chapter 17a

When Kibi began slowing down, I hoisted her onto my shoulders. We had to put as much distance as we could between us and Camp.

"You okay, Kibi?" I asked.

No reply. The girl hadn't said a word since the attack.

I craned my neck to look at her. She tilted her head first one way, then the other, the little appendages on her head waving about.

"Kibi?"

She pointed in a direction different from the one we were headed.

I stopped walking, scanning the darkness. "You see something?"

Fen stopped too, and squinted in the same direction.

"Kibi, can you sense things?" I wondered what gift those wiggly things on her head gave her.

She shook her entire arm, emphatically pointing in the same direction.

She wants us to go that way.

Thanks, Tessia. Why isn't she talking?

I don't know. She's very sad.

I thought she was excited?

To not be stuck with Niralessa, yes.

And now she's back to being sad.

Yes.

I wished there was something I could do.

"You mind cluing me in on your little conversation?" Fen was watching both of us, waiting.

"Sorry. Kibi wants us to go that way, for some reason."

We both looked at her for confirmation.

Her head bobbed in the affirmative, and she pointed again.

"Do you know where we're supposed to go?" I asked Fen.

"Not really. But I do know they came from this direction that day. Not that way."

"Okay, well . . ." I honestly wasn't sure what we were supposed to do. We didn't even know where Niralessa had snatched the girl from. "I guess we keep going, then."

We resumed walking, but before long, Kibi began slapping the top of my head and kicking her legs against my chest.

I swung her off my shoulders and set her on the ground, crouching so I was eye level with her. "Kibi, that is not okay. We're trying to help you here."

She set her mouth into a firm line and pointed again. The antennae on her head wiggled in the same direction.

She still wants us to go that way.

"Yeah, I gathered that." I heard the irritation in my voice and tried to restrain it. "But the question is, why? Kibi, can you tell us? That doesn't seem to be the right direction to get you home. Plus, you were asleep when they took you. How could you know which way they went?"

Her lower lip protruded, and tears sprang to her eyes.

My heart squeezed, and I gathered her into my arms. "It's all right. We'll figure this out." I looked over to Fen, who shrugged. "Any ideas, Tessia?"

She doesn't understand why. She just knows home is that way. It's like a feeling she can't explain.

I couldn't even begin to fathom how the Gifted figured out what they could do, but it seemed like we should at least try. "Kibi, do you feel like your home is that way?"

She nodded vigorously, her antennae writhing faster.

"Fen, I think we should listen."

He pursed his lips and stared up through the branches at the sky, as if it held answers.

Just when I was about to prompt him for a reply, he said, "Okay."

Kibi perked up, gave us a glowing smile, and immediately scurried off in the direction she'd pointed.

"Okay," I said as I stood. "I guess we're following an eight-year-old through the forest."

What could possibly go wrong? Oh, I shouldn't say such things. Just vote and pretend I said nothing.