Pathfinder's Way Read Online Free PDF Page B

their feet and sleeves
that went past their elbows. The patterns were simple and most were
one or two colors. Blue seemed to be a favorite.
    She noticed that few wore a cloak similar to
hers and none had the hood up. Perhaps she should put hers down.
She hesitated, fearing that she’d be discovered immediately as the
village, at only a few hundred adults strong, wasn’t that big. All
of whom would have grown up in Edgecomb. Surely, they would notice
a stranger in their midst, even with all the excitement.
    She lingered on the edge of the square to
avoid notice, trying to blend in and fought against looking at the
roofs. She really hoped the others hadn’t bolted or else she might
be joining James and Cam up on the platform.
    Silently, she urged the people to hurry.
Every second she stood there was a second closer to discovery.
    More than one person had begun to give her
curious glances, a few even looked like they were about to approach
when a cheer rose.
    Thank God. It was starting.
    The captives stumbled out of the building
next to the scaffolding, blinking at the sunlight.
    Hisses of anger, quickly followed by boos
greeted the men. The children weaving through the crowd hurled
rotten pieces of fruit.
    Shea’s lips tightened with anger when she got
a glimpse of her men.
    James looked lost and confused with his hands
bound tightly behind him as his captors prodded him forward. Cam’s
face was one giant, swollen bruise. He could barely stand upright
and had to be supported by one of his captors.
    Two dark haired men, hands bound in a similar
fashion, marched behind them with straight backs and lifted chins.
They looked neither left nor right, showing no signs of fear.
    By contrast, James looked terrified and
struggled against his captors at the platform’s steps as if
suddenly realizing what was about to happen. The men guarding him
grabbed him roughly by the arms and wrestled him up the steps. He
fought as they tied his arms to the post, even as his jailors
rained blows down on his body. The fight seemed to have already
gone out of Cam, and they bound him easily.
    The strangers took their places stoically
before staring coldly at the crowd as it cheered for their
blood.
    Shea felt a hint of admiration for the
strangers’ poise. Not many could face certain death with that
amount of dignity.
    She took a deep breath. It was time.
    She ventured deeper into the crowd, winding
her way between the heaving bodies. She needed to be as close as
possible before Witt set off the distraction. It’d be best to be
standing by the platform when it happened. She’d just have to avoid
being identified as an outsider as she moved.
    Easy.
    Ducking her head, she tugged her hood down as
she walked into the crowd. Several startled exclamations followed
her as she shoved her way forward, trusting that her companions
hadn’t abandoned her.
    She felt a slight tug on her cloak. Her hood
jerked back.
    For a brief moment, there was no
reaction.
    “Outsider! She’s with them! There’s another
outsider.”
    Several people close to Shea craned their
heads to look at the shouter, their eyes coming to rest unerringly
on her. At first just a few, and then others took up the cry as
space opened around Shea.
    She froze for just a moment.
    Too late to turn back now. Too late to
escape.
    She darted forward.
    For a long moment, Shea thought Witt and Dane
had abandoned her. Left her to face the mob on her own. Her eyes
lifted briefly to her goal, the platform, and were caught by the
fierce whiskey-colored gaze of the stranger.
    A hand caught her arm, spinning her around
and breaking the connection. Her eyes widened with fear as a man,
his face a mask of hatred, raised one heavy fist.
    This was it. She was dead.
    The ground shook slightly under her feet. At
first, she thought it was a tremor in the earth, like the small
quakes that occasionally plagued the area. Then a scream rent the
air.
    “Stampede!”
    Several screams followed and suddenly there
was