Isaura Read Online Free PDF Page B

town,
glancing to the far right and seeing Henry sorting through the rubble at his
feet. He eyed me, shaking his head. Nothing yet.
    I couldn't see Rane or Gavin. They must have been farther to
the right. The rubble was higher in spots with buildings that hadn't fully
fallen to the ground but their foundation had become weak. Could Joshua have
been in there? It worried me. If I went in, it was possible I wouldn't come out
again.
    I headed across the rubble, scraping my legs and arms, but
ignoring the pain as I made my way past Henry. “Where are you going?” he asked,
keeping his voice down in case Craynor was close. We didn't want to alert him
we were nearby.
    “See what's in there.” I pointed towards the building that
had shifted its balance months ago and no longer looked three stories but an
oddly shaped two as it slanted to the side.
    “That doesn't look safe,” Henry remarked. “Let me go in
there first.”
    “I'll be fine.” I wasn't afraid. It still stood after months
it wasn't likely to fall on me today. At least I hoped so as I climbed over one
last pile of rubble and walked inside.
    It was dark inside and I wished I’d had more light, a
candle, something to help me maneuver through the floors.
    “Olivia?” I heard Henry's voice calling out from the
entranceway.
    “You're blocking my light,” I called, glancing back at him. “Do
me a favor and check out the building across the street.” I gestured towards
the other similar structure left standing. “If he's anyplace, it'd be somewhere
he could lock Joshua up.”
    “Sure,” Henry agreed and disappeared. I breathed a sigh of
relief, finding a little more light as I wandered through the building.
    Joshua? Again there was no response. I hadn't had an
answer from him for hours now. I'd hoped as we reached Haven we'd be in close
enough contact to connect. It worried me now that I hadn't heard from him and
he didn’t respond.
    “Joshua?” I whispered, trying to keep my voice down but
unsure what else to do. Maybe he couldn't speak with me telepathically. I
walked from room to room, searching the entire building, careful as my arms
gripped the wall as the building slanted and I slid further downhill. “Joshua?”
I called again, this time louder. I heard a creak and glanced around, wondering
if it was the building making the sound or me.
    He didn't seem to be in here and I needed to get out before
more damage was done, with me inside. By now, my eyes had adjusted to the
darkness and I moved towards the door of the small room, trying to find my way
through the entrance where I'd come in. I'd barely reached the foyer when I saw
Craynor standing there with a knife in his hands.
    “Where's Joshua?” I demanded, staring hard at him. My eyes
noticed blood on the knife and my stomach somersaulted with the thought of
something terrible having happened to him.
    “You'll find out soon enough.” Craynor smiled wickedly,
throwing the knife in my direction. It came at me and then stopped mid-air as
Joshua had done that one day in training. The blade fell to the floor. “How the…”
his words trailed off in shock. The surprise gave me enough of an advantage as
I ran past Craynor, trying to escape.
    “Help!” I screamed. “Craynor's here!” My voice betrayed me
as I croaked and felt a blade cut into my back. My body slumped to the floor,
and before I had time to crawl away, he covered my mouth with a towel as it
welcomed me to darkness.

CHAPTER 7
    Slowly I began to wake, unsure how much time had passed. My
back ached but I was still alive. My stomach grumbled in protest. It had been
awhile since I'd eaten. Fruit and water wasn't satisfying enough for an only
meal. I tried to move realizing my arms were bound behind me. I was tied to a
chair. “Joshua?” I breathed, opening my eyes and glancing around as I saw Josh
tied to a chair with his back to me. “Josh, wake up.” I nudged the chair
forcing him to move slightly as he grimaced.
    “Owww, stop