The Moon Stealers and The Children of the Light by Tim Flanagan Read Free Book Online

in the forest the previous night. If that level of destruction had
continued whilst they were in the Underworld, any human survivor would naturally
be scared and confused.
    ‘We won’t hurt you,’ he added, trying to sound
reassuring.
    On the embankment, the camouflage sheet moved slightly
and a pair of eyes peered out from beneath a hood. The skin around the eyes was
dirty and streaked from tears. At first there was a connection when the
survivor’s eyes locked onto another human being. For all they knew, that moment
could have been the first time that survivor had seen anyone alive for some
time.
    But then the eyes looked down to the swords the two
men were holding and the connection was quickly broken, replaced by fear and
panic. The survivor turned away from them and began to run.
    ‘Wait!’ called Edgar, but it was too late. From where
they were in the riverbed, they couldn’t see over the embankment to where the
survivor had fled. Edgar stepped forward ready to move after him, but Lady
Flora placed a hand on his arm.
    ‘Leave him. Humans have an amazing instinct for
survival. You need to find Avalon,’ she said.
    Edgar knew she was right.
    They walked cautiously, keeping together as a group
and following the dried up riverbed as it cut between the forest and snaked
downhill. Lady Flora collected berries as they went, distributing them evenly
between them all. As the morning wore on, small trickles of water joined the
river from the hills above until they had collected to form a little stream
that cascaded over grey rocks. Edgar took the lead as they picked their way
down a steeper part of the forest, following the path of the water, but being
careful not to slip on the green algae that covered some of the stones. Mosses
and ferns grew happily beside the water, enjoying the humid atmosphere that the
spray created. As they moved further and further downhill, more streams joined
from the land above creating a violent river that gained speed as it tumbled
downhill. They didn’t encounter any more human survivors, and continued to keep
a careful eye on the sky, checking for any signs of the creatures.
    Eventually the forest thinned and one side became
bordered by a lush green field. Now that they had come out from beneath the
canopy of trees, they could see further into the distance.
    The Grey Man stood and looked over the rolling hills
and smiled to himself. He allowed a small tingle of happiness to well up inside
him, satisfied that he was back in the familiar landscape of his own country.
    Further down the hill they could make out the roof
tops of a small village. To the left of them the river continued to increase in
force as it tumbled over a series of rocky steps, before flowing over a
shallower riverbed, where the water widened.
    Finally they reached a row of quaint grey stone
cottages that were perched on a ledge above the river. The river swung to the
right and then left again where it opened out. Ahead was an old stone bridge
that would normally have taken cars over the river, but today it was silent. To
the right an old stone wall held back a row of cottages, whilst to the left, on
the brow of the hill stood a church. The river had become wider now and the
only way to continue forward was by jumping from stone to stone. They reached a
large group of boulders that provided them with enough height to allow them to
climb over a low wall and onto a footpath.
    ‘Let’s head to the church. From there we might be able
to find out where we are,’ said Edgar.
    Moving away from the river, they leapt over a wall onto
the other side of the path then an embankment of grass which sloped upwards
towards the church.
    They rounded the side of the church and tried the
first door, but it was locked. Moving towards the front they pushed on a large
wooden door recessed beneath a stone arch, but that was also locked.
    ‘Let’s see if we can find somewhere else,' said Edgar.
Despite what had happened in the world since the