Pathfinder's Way Read Online Free PDF

to
protest much more than they had.
    Without another word, the two set off on
their tasks. Shea watched them go.
    Please don’t let them get cold feet. The plan
required each of them to do their part. She took a deep breath,
releasing it slowly. She would need a miracle to pull this off. She
still couldn’t believe she’d agreed to this. Why had she decided to
stick her neck out? Especially since they’d blame her if anything
went wrong. If things did go right, everybody else would take the
credit. She couldn’t win. She knew that, but she couldn’t stop
herself from trying. It wasn’t in her to walk away. She didn’t want
any more deaths on her conscience.
    Shea walked to the edge of the building and
peeked around the corner. She was counting on the locals being so
excited about the impending bloodshed that they wouldn’t notice an
extra body among them.
    She sauntered confidently past house after
house, trying to look like she belonged. People had a tendency to
see what they expected. A stranger walking through town while they
prepared to execute two outsiders would fall under the realm of
unexpected. After all, nobody was that crazy.
    With her hood up, she hoped the villagers
would simply assume she was one of the herders just in from the
field for the execution.
    As she moved towards the center of the
village, butterflies took wing in her stomach. They’d never covered
last ditch rescues in pathfinder training.
    A man exited a building in front of her,
pausing at the sight of her.
    She froze and sucked in a sharp breath.
Please. Just keep moving. No need to start a conversation.
    It took effort to appear casual. Like she
belonged. He nodded a greeting and continued in the same direction
as Shea.
    She followed him at a distance, not daring to
duck away, afraid that would arouse suspicions.
    He wasn’t the only one moving around. Shea
had several similar experiences as she moved closer to the
village’s center. Each encounter got a little easier, though her
heart never seemed to settle back into her chest. It remained
lodged in her throat as she followed the crowd.
    Her senses became hyper alert as she moved.
Her hearing attuned to every sound. Beneath the hood, her eyes
darted around, looking for some sign that she’d been noticed.
    Did that woman’s eyes linger too long on her?
That man seemed to be paying unusual attention to her cloak. What
about the child she had just passed? Her back itched from the feel
of his eyes.
    The village square was framed by several
buildings and served as the village’s central hub. Four wide dirt
streets intersected at the square, making it possible to approach
from any direction. A wooden platform was front and center with
four posts rising into the air.
    That was odd.
    There should only be two. One for James and
another for Cam. Shea felt a shiver of foreboding run through her
at the sight. She hadn’t planned for the unexpected.
    She could only hope there were extras because
more outsiders had been caught and not because Witt and Dane were
last minute additions.
    She chanced a glance at the people chattering
near her. The men had clumped into several small groups as they
discussed business.
    The women had gathered in their own little
groups as well. Several held young children by the arm so they
wouldn’t wander off, while the older children were left to their
own devices. Some chased others through the crowd as the adults
caught up on the day’s happenings. If not for the ominous presence
of the platform, it could have been a regular village
gathering.
    Shea wondered if executions were so
commonplace that they were treated as social hour.
    As she’d said before, border towns were
crazy.
    These people’s clothes were simple, with men
wearing plain pants and undershirts covered by light jackets in
varying shades of color, though most were muted and faded. Some
wore hats, but most left their head bare. The women were almost
universally in dresses long enough to reach