CHAPTER 23When the flash of light receded, Mara found herself standing in a knot of vines wound under her arms and between her legs, effectively binding her in place. She panicked, thinking it a bowraith, and became disoriented as she struggled against the restraints, which trailed from her body to nearby branches, where leaves rustled with her efforts. Not too far away, a rumble drowned out the noise, and she froze.
Peering through the thick foliage that came up to her cheeks, she detected movement to her right and pressed her head against the thicket in that direction, opening up a small hole in the brush. She was inches away from the trail but completely wrapped in a patchwork of vines and branches. Ahead, a buggy rumbled past her, carrying three acolytes, two of them seated and a thir
