Aster Wood and the Blackburn Son Read Online Free PDF Page A

across the grass, and I pushed myself harder. I think if we had been under different circumstances, he might have laughed at the discovery that his new friend could run like the wind.  
    Finally, when there were miles between us and the army, I stopped, releasing his arms. He slid down to the ground, overwhelmed and weak with the excitement. I, myself, felt better about this mad plan, having been reminded that it might actually be possible.  
    “Where did you—” he panted. “How did you—”
    I shrugged.
    “It’s a gift I have,” I said. “Listen, I can get Cait out. I found out where they’re keeping her, and I think I can do it.”
    “You found her?” he breathed.
    “Well, I didn’t see her, but I saw another kid, a little one. I’m sure that’s where they have her.”
    He stared, struggling to decide.  
    “So if you get her out, then what?” he asked.
    “I have a link,” I said. “We can jump as soon as we find her.”  
    His face remained confused.
    “Jump?”
    I pulled the gray rock from beneath my shirt and showed it to him.  
    “This is called a link,” I said. “If I speak the command, it will take us far from here. All you have to do is hold my hand, and we can disappear. We can get free of them.” I inclined my head back towards the men in the distance.  
    He didn’t speak for several long moments, and when he did his voice was more cautious than before.
    “What’s your name?” he finally asked.
    “Aster,” I said.  
    “Aster, you’re crazy,” he said.  
    I burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it. It felt strange after so long.  
    “I understand why you’d think that,” I said. “But did you ever think a kid could run that fast?”
    “No,” he said, considering. “Doesn’t mean I should believe you.”
    I stayed silent. He was right.  
    “I want to help you,” I finally said. “I have a friend, a young girl, kind of like your sister. And I couldn’t save her. But maybe together you and I can save Cait.”
    “Why?” he asked. “Why do you care?”
    I kicked at the grass with the toe of my boot. The burning sensation I had felt in my stomach when I had first met Rhainn returned.
    “Because you’re brave,” I said. So brave. “It’s not your fault you’re not big enough to take them on all on your own.”
    He crossed his arms over his legs and looked across the darkness towards the camp.
    “What if we can’t get her out?” he asked. “What then? What if they catch you. What if they kill us all?”
    “They might,” I agreed, kneeling down before him. “It’s possible. But you’re getting nowhere on your own. Are you?”
    He shook his head.  
    “Would it be better to try?” I asked. “Or to stay until—until they’re done with you?”
    His eyes met mine, frightened, and he turned away again.  
    “My pa told me to protect her,” he said quietly.  
    “Before they killed him?” I asked.
    He nodded.  
    “What happened?” I asked.  
    In the dim moonlight, I saw his face scrunch tight as he fought back tears. I sat down beside him.
    “It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me,” I said, picking a blade of grass. I stared out over the plains, silvery blue beneath the cosmos. “I have stories that are too scary to tell, too. Even thinking about them sometimes makes me think I’ll go crazy.” I tore at the strip of grass with my fingernails. Piece by piece I dropped the tiny bits of green to the ground.  
      Rhainn sniffed, big fat tears now rolling down his cheeks. He leaned his head against my shoulder.  
    For a moment I stiffened, surprised. But then I recognized his trust, and I relaxed. I put my arm around him as he cried.  
    “He came,” he said between sobs, “right in the middle of the day. Everyone was in the fields, working. Nobody had seen him. But I saw. He was so tall. I kept thinking it was a joke. I thought maybe it was Pa wearing a mask.” He lowered his head again, overcome.  
    I waited for the wave of tears