Strange Land (The Young Ancients Book 15) Read Online Free PDF Page A

which was fresh, if a bit ripe, even after all the storms.
    "Yes. I shall do the same, Captain Debri."
    His version took less time, and his clothing was nicer in the end. Not that it wasn't magic too, but he had a much softer looking outfit on, if torn in places. It was all a smudged white tunic, and trousers. Then he decorated his forehead with a bit of ash. It was clearly a half measure, compared to what she'd done.
    To her surprise Mara, the saint, was the one that went next, wearing the same outfit, but decorating her face too.
    "We will go now and see that everyone is blessed by this bounty from above."
    That got the head man, the Day Leader, to shake his head. His voice was a bit sorrow filled, but his words still managed to be pompous at the same time. At least to Sara. No one else seemed to notice it.
    "Nay, girl. You are to stay here, and do your duty as a... saint." There was a direct and somewhat angry glance toward Mara. No one else could hope to run the device that had appeared, after all.
    The woman looked down, then back at the food device, which still had water flowing to it. Without waiting she started to make food, creating flour, sugar and a variety of fresh fruits and meats. Mainly mutton.
    They didn't have a lot to put it in, and no one else moved to help much at all. Addie, the girl, broke the silence that had come upon them all, as they carefully stood there not paying attention to Sara or Roget.
    "Es! Ya'lala empry set deh. Naho, simalula!"
    If it was a language, it wasn't one of the four that Sara recognized. She glanced at her crew and then Roget, but it was one of the other women that translated.
    After a fashion.
    "The All High speaks! We must go from village to city, across the land, delivering his bounty!"
    That was news to Sara, but she nodded anyway, getting that these two were using some kind of trick to get the others to go along with common sense. It was nearly brilliant of them, if that was the case. After all, her job was to do almost exactly that. It would be quicker if they could fly in, but the whole point of her being there was to get them help. Not make herself comfortable while doing it.
    "Praised be the All High?" She spoke the words plainly, not certain if it was the right thing to say, but Laroque threw his hands in the air, high over his head.
    "Praised be! All glory to Him!"
    Then he stripped his clothing off, except for a pair of rather stained looking undershorts, and smeared his face with sand and bits of coal.
    That got the rest of the crew to do the same, except for Sam from Vagus. He changed to match her, wearing a coarse sack. Suddenly they seemed well dressed. Roget practically seemed fussy compared to the rest of them too.
    The Day Leader did the same as her men did, and actually led them away, walking. On foot. Which was going to take a while. Especially going without shoes like they all were.
    Roget, getting that she wouldn't understand what was happening, or why, told her what the situation was. His voice was somber, as if it were all to be taken seriously.
    "The young lady, she spoke in tongues. The One using her as His vessel. The other woman, touched by His spirit, translated the words so all would know them. Given this, we must all go to the next village and start a walking campaign." There was emphasis on must . The clear idea being that they didn't have a real choice. Because that was fair? Sara nodded however, not letting her real thoughts show. She was good at that, wasn't she?
    Hiding what was going on inside her mind. She had to be, to work with all those wizards. Tor was the worst that way, too. Always trying to read her mind.
    To see if she really loved him, probably.
    Sara did , of course, which he knew. The sad thing there was that she didn't think he felt the same way. Not really. Oh, he was her friend, and would give up his life for her. There was that, without any doubt. The thing there was that he'd once gone to his nearly certain death... to protect