Chapter 6: Tala

Chapter 6 draft of in-progress novel

Her eyes darted around as she took in the ash-ridden woods. The Woods of Glowsa were left open, desolate, and laid to waste. Tala stomped through the heated soil. Embers traced her footprints. Her skin brushed against charcoaled branches, etching maps of what was left. She rubbed her body, taking the woods into herself one last time.

Tala stood still. Body planted as the remaining tree. Her pulse calmed into rhythm. She moved her arms in an orchestrated way, gesturing into the air around her. Pulling for her hold on the home, but there was no response. The sky above drew swirls of remaining smoke and tears. Bodies lay naked and buried in the ground. Her breathing picked up pace as she mourned. Her tether was gone. She couldn’t hear the woods anymore.