The Thirteen Hallows Read Online Free PDF

someone directly ahead of him. Sarah turned and immediately spotted the silver-haired old woman who was his intended target. Even before the skinhead grabbed for her and the woman screamed and swung her bag, Sarah had been moving toward them, drawn by a sudden, uncontrollable, and completely inexplicable urge to help the woman.
    The bitter tang of espresso brought her back to the present. Sarah blinked, blue eyes watering, wondering what she was doing here…wondering where here was.
    “That was a very brave thing you did.” Judith wrapped both hands around the thick cup to keep them from trembling and breathed in the rich aroma before sipping delicately. Although her head was bent, she could feel Sarah’s eyes on her. “Why did you do it?”
    “I just…just…” The young woman shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’ve never done anything like this before,” she admitted. “But I couldn’t just walk away and allow them to assault you, could I?”
    “Others walked by or looked away,” the old woman said quietly. “I guess that makes you my personal savior,” she added with a smile.
    Sarah blushed, a tinge of color touching her cheeks, and in that instant she reminded Judith of her brother Peter, standing proud and tall in his green uniform, his cheeks flushed with pride. Although she’d been only a child when she’d last seen her older brother, on the night before he went off to fight in the war, the vivid image of the blushing eighteen-year-old had remained with her. She had never seen him again; Peter had been among the first British casualties of World War II.
    “Are you sure you won’t let me make a report to the police?” Sarah asked.
    “Positive,” Judith replied firmly. “It would waste a lot of time—yours, mine, and the police’s. I assure you such assaults are not unusual. This is London, these people often target the elderly, considering us easy marks.”
    “They picked on the wrong woman this time.” Sarah grinned.
    Judith lifted her bulging bag. “I think this is what they were after. And I’m afraid they would have been sadly disappointed. I’m not hiding the crown jewels in here. Just some books and notes.”
    “Are you a teacher?” Sarah asked curiously, biting into her cannoli. “You look like a teacher. At least the kind of teacher I would have liked to have,” she added shyly.
    “I’m a writer.”
    “What sort of books?”
    “Children’s books. What were once called fantasies, but are now categorized as urban fantasies. No vampires, though,” she added with a quick grin. “I don’t do vampires.” Judith finished her coffee in one quick swallow, grimacing as she tasted bitter dregs. “Now, I really must go.” She stood up quickly, then groaned aloud as a slender needle of agony lanced through her hip and she sank back onto the metal café chair.
    “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” Sarah came around the table to kneel by her side. “Did they hurt you?”
    Blinking away tears of pain, Judith Walker shook her head. “It’s nothing. Honestly. My replacement hip is acting up, nothing more than that. I’ve been sitting for too long, that’s all.”
    Sarah spotted a black taxi that turned onto the street and automatically raised her arm. “Come on, let me get you to a cab.” She hooked an arm beneath the old woman’s shoulders and eased her to her feet.
    “I’ll be fine,” Judith hissed.
    “I can see that.”
    Judith wanted to be left alone, wanted nothing more than to go home, climb into a scalding bath, and wash away the skinhead’s touch. She could still feel his blunt fingers in her hair, gripping her shoulder, hurting her arm. She dabbed absently at her cheek, where his spittle had stung her flesh. She knew why they’d come for her. She knew what they wanted. She also knew that they would be back. She looked at Sarah again, and for the briefest instant, the bag on the ground beside her leg pulsed a beat of heat.
    The young woman’s dramatic appearance was an