Blue Ridge: Vol. 2 - The Search Read Online Free
Author: Sophia Gray
you mean?” Foster watched her scurry from the room. He looked at Warren and could see concern etched on his face.
“Oh, hell.” Stefan whispered. Foster and Warren looked across the room and saw Diana standing in the doorway holding a tiny sleeping baby. Foster felt his gut clench, as he walked cautiously towards her. She held the baby out towards him and he took it gently in his arms. It was a perfect little baby boy. He had smooth black hair that shone like diamonds. Foster looked at her pleading eyes.
“If I help you find your chosen will you tell my chosen to come see his son?”
*****
Nadia tried to keep up with the unrelenting pace that Garth had set for them. He came into the little room at dawn and pulled her to her feet. He didn’t speak, and when he thrust her outside she saw two other men, both armed with bows and swords hanging from their belts. She was sure she had stepped into a medieval story of some kind. Their clothes had to have been made in part from animal hide. It reminded her of some of the deerskin clothes the Native American workers wore when she visited the living museum. The shirts could have been made other ways. After all the colonists made their own clothes, no one had a Wal-Mart back then. Such trivial details helped keep her mind from exploding.
The forest they were in was beautiful and menacing at the same time. Nadia loved the woods. She loved the outdoors as a general rule, but this was too much. Her senses were heightened in this place. The air was warm and full of too many smells to name. She kept her eyes on the ground as much as possible and tried to determine where the gentle hum was coming from. It was under her, over her, but more importantly it was coming from within her own body.
“Who are the other men?”
“Guides.”
“Do you not know where you’re going?”
Garth grunted and pulled her roughly over a fallen log. Nadia heard her jeans rip and looked down to see a hole over her left knee. “Hey! Do you have to be so rough?” Garth eyed her smugly and said nothing. “Where are you taking me?”
“Court.”
Nadia looked back at the men following. Their eyes held no emotion.
The dense trees were beginning to thin and Nadia could hear sounds in the distance. It reminded her of the mall or grocery store. Different voices mingled with an occasional laugh. Metal touched metal. There was the gentle thunk thunk , as an ax chopped wood nearby. They walked another hundred feet and entered a large clearing. Nadia had been to a Celtic festival and a Renaissance fair, and those things couldn’t hold a candle to what was before her here.
There were stalls lining the road as far as her eyes could see, with brightly colored canvas tops. Merchants were selling everything from buttons to coffee to pots and pans. She could hear a friendly argument near her between an extremely round and short man, and an equally round and short woman.
“No! We cannot put the puff pastries next to the dried meat!”
“Why not?” he asked with both fists planted on his hips.
“The sweets will pick up the odor!” They both laughed and he told her she was right and a good wife. Nadia watched them with wide eyes. The couple noticed her and smiled until they also noticed the men with her. Their smiles faded, and they went back to setting up their stall in silence.
The very next stall was the same way. A little woman who was eighty if she was a day, called out for all to hear, “Human books! I have human books!” Once again she stopped and remained silent as the group passed.
“Why are they staring?”
“Because you are human.”
Nadia frowned. Weren’t they human too? “Maybe it’s because you are this giant person that’s dragging a human through this market, and your lynch guides are following!” she said and jerked her arm free from him. Garth grabbed it again and kept walking.
“You have a tart
“Oh, hell.” Stefan whispered. Foster and Warren looked across the room and saw Diana standing in the doorway holding a tiny sleeping baby. Foster felt his gut clench, as he walked cautiously towards her. She held the baby out towards him and he took it gently in his arms. It was a perfect little baby boy. He had smooth black hair that shone like diamonds. Foster looked at her pleading eyes.
“If I help you find your chosen will you tell my chosen to come see his son?”
*****
Nadia tried to keep up with the unrelenting pace that Garth had set for them. He came into the little room at dawn and pulled her to her feet. He didn’t speak, and when he thrust her outside she saw two other men, both armed with bows and swords hanging from their belts. She was sure she had stepped into a medieval story of some kind. Their clothes had to have been made in part from animal hide. It reminded her of some of the deerskin clothes the Native American workers wore when she visited the living museum. The shirts could have been made other ways. After all the colonists made their own clothes, no one had a Wal-Mart back then. Such trivial details helped keep her mind from exploding.
The forest they were in was beautiful and menacing at the same time. Nadia loved the woods. She loved the outdoors as a general rule, but this was too much. Her senses were heightened in this place. The air was warm and full of too many smells to name. She kept her eyes on the ground as much as possible and tried to determine where the gentle hum was coming from. It was under her, over her, but more importantly it was coming from within her own body.
“Who are the other men?”
“Guides.”
“Do you not know where you’re going?”
Garth grunted and pulled her roughly over a fallen log. Nadia heard her jeans rip and looked down to see a hole over her left knee. “Hey! Do you have to be so rough?” Garth eyed her smugly and said nothing. “Where are you taking me?”
“Court.”
Nadia looked back at the men following. Their eyes held no emotion.
The dense trees were beginning to thin and Nadia could hear sounds in the distance. It reminded her of the mall or grocery store. Different voices mingled with an occasional laugh. Metal touched metal. There was the gentle thunk thunk , as an ax chopped wood nearby. They walked another hundred feet and entered a large clearing. Nadia had been to a Celtic festival and a Renaissance fair, and those things couldn’t hold a candle to what was before her here.
There were stalls lining the road as far as her eyes could see, with brightly colored canvas tops. Merchants were selling everything from buttons to coffee to pots and pans. She could hear a friendly argument near her between an extremely round and short man, and an equally round and short woman.
“No! We cannot put the puff pastries next to the dried meat!”
“Why not?” he asked with both fists planted on his hips.
“The sweets will pick up the odor!” They both laughed and he told her she was right and a good wife. Nadia watched them with wide eyes. The couple noticed her and smiled until they also noticed the men with her. Their smiles faded, and they went back to setting up their stall in silence.
The very next stall was the same way. A little woman who was eighty if she was a day, called out for all to hear, “Human books! I have human books!” Once again she stopped and remained silent as the group passed.
“Why are they staring?”
“Because you are human.”
Nadia frowned. Weren’t they human too? “Maybe it’s because you are this giant person that’s dragging a human through this market, and your lynch guides are following!” she said and jerked her arm free from him. Garth grabbed it again and kept walking.
“You have a tart
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