Under the Vale and Other Tales of Valdemar Read Online Free PDF Page A

close enough to go get. But there are likely to be complications. It might get physical . . . and we’d planned for me to be the one to deal with that except—”
    “So I take it you want me to go with Ardred and the walking gluepot since you can’t. Right?” I’d already figured something like this was coming. “I have an easy solution for things getting physical. We run.”
    “It might not be that easy,” she said dubiously.
    It was my turn to snort. “Trust me. Take it from someone who’s done a lot of running. You can always run.”
    :He has a point.: That, shock of shocks, was Destin.
    She sighed. “All right, then. Destin, you and Ardred take care of him and the Chosen.”
    Ardred raised his head suddenly. :She’s thinking ahout running.:
    “All right then. Get those saddles on and get out of here. I’ll be fine, you need to get!” To underscore her words, Millissa had me bring her everything in the Waystation that could be thrown. I admired her resourcefulness. And I shuddered a little when she hefted the frying pan.
    I got the saddles on both Companions and started to mount Ardred, but Destin shoved his way in between us. : He needs to be free for his Chosen. Mount up.:
    Once I was in the saddle, we were off, and I realized at once that we were heading for the road. They were pushing it, too. Even through the thick underbrush, they were almost galloping, and when we broke out into the clear, they did. And they were faster than any horse I’ve ever been on.
    : She’s running!: Ardred cried, his mental voice sharp with fear. :He’s coming after her!:
    We hit the real road, the one I’d left several days ago, and in the middle distance I could see what looked like a shabby wagon loaded down with household goods. Between us and the wagon was a girl, a child, really. She had nothing on but a shift, and as we pounded toward her, I could see there was a man chasing her, cursing. We got nearer and nearer. I could see her terrified eyes. Her thin little limbs.
    The bruises.
    Bruises, everywhere.
    Something snapped inside me, and I’ll tell you right now, I have no idea how I did this. I leaned down over Destin’s neck, held out one arm, and . . . I just begged that child to run for me, to jump for me. “Here!” I screamed, “Here! Jump!”
    She should have been terrified. She should have turned right around and run the other way. But something came into her face, a glimmer of hope, then determination, and as we rushed down on her, she did just that. She jumped into my arms. We thundered past the man. Thundered past the wagon loaded with stuff. Which . . . looked all wrong to me in a way I couldn’t put together at the time. We turned, and without a word or thought actually exchanged, I tossed her into Ardred’s saddle, where she stuck like a burr. “Run!” I urged him. “Don’t wait for us. Run!”
    He did. The man was on his way back toward us; he was a huge bull of a man, in a towering rage, and . . .
    I’m no fighter, but I knew it would be a mistake to leave him.
    There was a shovel lying under the wagon seat. I leaned down and grabbed it.
    :Are you thinking—: began Destin.
    “Go!” I shouted, because the man was closing on us.
    Destin launched straight into a gallop and was up to speed in a few paces more. I took a firm grip on the handle of the shovel, and as we charged down on the bastard that would beat a little girl black and blue, I summoned all my rage, stood up in the stirrups, and swung straight for his face.
    I hit him so hard the shock nearly knocked me out of the saddle, and it broke the handle of the shovel. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him go down.
    We kept going.
    I didn’t look back.

    Adred did wait for us, and the little girl clinging to his back looked at me with both hope and fear. “He’s never going to follow us,” I told her. “He’s never going to hurt you again.”
    I certainly hoped he wasn’t, because my arms were still tingling from the shock of