Pilgrim Read Online Free Page B

possibility of being able to rescue
you is decreasing rapidly: now at point one percent.”
    She groaned and rolled her eyes. What good
were a spaceship and a robot if they couldn’t save you from a bunch
of savage children? Probably just as good as being able to reach
through time but not being able to control it. It had been months
since her run-in with the Ancients, and all she’d gotten was many
sleepless nights and closer to madness.
    She risked a glance back at the girl in the
once-white dress. The box at her feet was empty and she stared at
Nova.
    The drumbeat picked up tempo.
    She wanted to put her hands over her ears
and bury herself in a deep dark hole where light and sound couldn’t
reach. She was out of luck.
    The children began to dance. They hopped
from foot to foot as they moved around the circle and jumped into
the air. Some pulled out sticks and instruments and played them as
they danced, adding to the primitive music. The children chanted in
unison. Unlike their normal language, Nova couldn’t understand what
they were saying.
    Their feet dashed across the dirt as they
spun. Strange beads clinked at their wrists and necks, unlike any
beads Nova had ever seen. They weren’t made of clean plastic, but
of rattling teeth and bones. Down in the village, Nova saw a bright
fire and heard more children singing and dancing.
    A small light separated itself from the fire
down in the village and weaved its way towards them. It was a
bright spec of light in the darkening night. She looked to the
night sky, wishing for a sign of Cal and Crusader. It wouldn’t be
hard for them to take out the children now. Hell, if they convinced
the savages they were gods then all her problems would be over.
    The glowing light neared until it revealed
itself as an older boy holding a piece of wood lit on one end, with
a glowing flame. He knelt by Nova’s head and held the torch toward
her. Sora came out of the circle of dancers and took the torch. She
held it above her head and grinned at Nova. Her sharp teeth glinted
in the glowing torchlight.
    She gazed into the starry night sky. She
stomped her left foot and the gathering fell silent. Each of the
children stopped mid-dance and stood like statues. They stared at
the flaming torch, their eyes glazed over and their mouths
open.
    Sora closed her eyes. Her voice was deeper
than it should have been.
    “Many years ago, the great Rock became
lonely. He wanted to carve people in his image so that they could
live on Taive and relish in his wonder. So the great Rock carved
children from the dirt. He breathed into them the air from the sky
and covered them with the fur of the beasts. So it was he created
the Taiveans.
    “These people thrived with magical powers.
They could see over great distances and travel at great speed.
These people had no need for hunting because their food appeared in
magical silver boxes. The people tamed the land and built
structures which blocked out all of the great Rock’s gifts.
    “The great Rock grew angry at his children.
They didn’t appreciate his gifts and were obsessed with their
magical powers. It is said that some of these people lived for over
one hundred years! But their bodies were not meant to last for so
long.
    “The children’s hair went grey. They lost
the ability to see, even with their magic and eventually they lost
the air from their lungs and died. This was not the respectful
death we know of but an ugly slow death which left a lifeless
corpse. The living then had to bury the corpse in the hopes that
the great Rock would take care of it.
    “The great Rock became so angry at the
people’s ignorance, he fell from the sky and collided with the
ground with so much force it caused the people’s towers to crumble.
They were left with rubble and no evidence of their power.”
    Sora swung her torch through the air and her
sudden movement made the younger children gasp and step back. Her
eyes were cold and piercing as she regarded the children