The New Guard (Crossroads Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

through
the forest their impulsive natures took hold. The youngest two, Mary and Dinah,
followed close behind David, but kept peeking ahead at the Beagle. Nearly
forty-five minutes had passed before they skipped ahead of David and trailed
closely behind the Beagle. David knew what they were up to and figured the
angel had brought this upon itself by speaking up when it did. The girls showed
remarkable self-control; another fifteen minutes passed before they began
pestering the Beagle.
    “Have you
always been able to talk?” asked Mary, being the braver of the two.
    The
Beagle looked back without breaking stride. It regarded David for a brief
moment and was rewarded with a smug look that said, “You’re on your own.” The
Beagle snuffed, then faced forward.
    “Yes,
ladies, I’ve always been able to speak,” the Beagle replied.
    A minute
passed before Dinah (who could no longer control herself) spoke. “Do you have
magical powers?”
    The
Beagle sighed and slowed, putting itself between the two girls. By this point
Ruth and Jeremiah were also hovering nearby, drawn by curiosity and the sound
of talking.
    “I,” the
Beagle began, “have powers that many might consider magical. However, a better
word is miraculous. All I can do is granted me by God and exists within the
boundaries of what He created when He brought the universe into existence.”
    “So,”
said Jeremiah, fascinated, “your power is based in science?!”
    “There is
more to science than you can imagine or understand in this existence.”
    The
response brought Jeremiah up short and he fell back, lost in the unraveling of
the thought. The others continued to press the Beagle.
    “Can you
fly?” “Can you disappear, invisible?” “Can you change your shape?” “Where are
your wings?” On and on the questions rained down, and they didn’t wait for
responses. This lasted for nearly ten minutes before the Beagle excused himself
and ran far ahead of the group, saying it was going to scout the area ahead.
    Within
moments Dinah fell back and took David’s hand. She was quiet for a moment and
then spoke ever so softly, “Daddy, where’s Mommy?”
    David had
been wondering when this would be brought up. He had spoken to the Beagle in
the night while the children slept, so he knew she too was here in this realm.
However, she was separated from them; something had fractured the crossing point
and she was miles away. He didn’t know where his wife was, though the Beagle
reassured him she was safe and being looked after, too.
    David
reached down without looking and grabbed up Dinah. He kept staring forward and
did not make eye contact with her.
    “Mommy is
here, too,” David replied soothingly. “She’s just not with us.”
    Dinah
laid her head on David’s shoulder and whispered, “I hope Mommy doesn’t see the
bad men.”
    David
hugged Dinah tight. “The Beagle said she was safe; there is an angel with her
as well.”
    “Does it
talk to her?”
    “I reckon
so. We have to trust the Lord to watch over her as He is watching over us.”
    With
that, neither of them said any more.

Chapter
4
    While
David had eleven of their children safe in hand, Rebekah had spent the night following
the small Owl. At some point, when she had to stop to catch her breath, she was
sure she’d fallen asleep. She was not sure for how long, though it must have
been a few hours because she woke up stiff from being on the log and leaning
against another tree. Now as the dawn was breaking, and the woods were
thinning, she was feeling the fatigue and hunger that her desperation and worry
could no longer hold back.
    Rebekah
had never thought of herself as weak. While it was true she didn’t have to fight
for much of anything as most of her ancestors did, she had her share of strife
and challenge. When she chose not to go into the family business but marry
David instead; she suffered her own set of trials. She was ostracized from her
father’s house and cut off from the