Veracity (The Seven Cities Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

shriek along with it, ducking with every groan and rumble, the wind whipping me to and fro in the icy rain.
    Somewhere deep in the forest, a tree crashes to the ground, uprooted by the fury of the wind. The sound sends shivers down my already frigid body, and I fall to my knees in fear. Another flash tears through the sky, and I lurch to my feet, stumbling blindly through the thick sheets of rain. I turn a corner in the road and before me is a small brick building holding its own against the fury of the storm.
    I cry out in relief and run for the shelter, slipping on the oily black pavement. I hear another tree crash in the forest beside me and I pick up the pace. I am only ten feet away from the building when I hear a loud crack, and everything goes dark.

5 – Ruth
     
    I wake to a pair of big brown eyes staring intently into my own. I scream, scrambling to the top of the bed in an effort to escape from the very dirty, very tan . . . little girl. Standing beside the bed, she cocks her head quizzically to the side, her thick mop of unruly brown hair contrasting sharply with the stark white room around us.
    "You certainly are a strange one, even for a highborn," she laughs.
    I look her up and down, from the top of her matted head to the bottom of her bare feet. No weapons, and barely dressed, I don't think this girl, who looks about nine, is a threat.
    "Who are you?" I ask her.
    "I'm Ruth."
    "Where am I?"
    "My house."
    "Where is your house?"
    "In the village."
    "What happened to me?" I ask, rubbing the throbbing knot behind my right ear.
    "You got knocked smooooth out!"
    "Why did you call me a highborn?"
    "Well you sure ain't a human."
    "I am pretty sure I'm human," I laugh.
    Ruth gives me a funny look before reaching out a dirt-streaked hand to pull down the collar of my shirt, exposing my left shoulder.
    "Ohhhh," she says with awe. "You ain't marked. You must be tough. It aint easy gettin' out of the city when you're so young."
    "Marked? What do you mean marked?" I ask.
    “Oh, yeah!" she cries, hitting her forehead with the palm of her hand, "I'm supposed to bring you to my Papa when you wake up."
    Ruth grabs my hand, pulling me off the bed and toward the door, giving me my first good look at the room. White, clean, and full of windows, the room is completely made of wood. Leafy ferns crowd the windowsills, and dried flowers hang from the ceiling. Two twin beds are jammed into the cozy space leaving just enough room to walk between them.
    "Your Papa isn't going to hurt me is he?" I ask nervously.
    "Of course not!" she laughs. "Humans won't hurt nobody. Who doesn't know that?"
    She gives my arm a good yank, and resumes dragging me down a short hallway into a living area. Thick rugs and colorful pillows are strewn in a semi-circle around an ornate fireplace, creating a lavish, but crude, decor. A man is sitting in front of the flames pushing around red-hot coals with a long stick. He is tall, lean, and tan with brown eyes and hair to match his daughter's. He puts down his stick as we walk in, motioning for us to have a seat amidst the hodgepodge of cushions.
    "Nice to see you're not dead," he says casually.
    "Oh, uh . . . thank you," I say nervously. "I'm happy to be alive. My head aches a bit though."
    "That was a nasty storm to be running around in," he says, raising an eyebrow.
    "It kind of snuck up on me."
    "And then knocked you clean out!" Ruth laughs.
    "Ruth," her father warns, "Don't be rude."
    "Sorry Papa."
    "I think I must have been hit by branch or something," I say.
    "More like a whole tree," he says. "You are very lucky to be alive. We weren't sure if you would wake up there for a few days."
    "A few days? I've been out for a few days? How is that possible?"
    "You . . . got . . . hit in the head . . . by a tree," Ruth says slowly. "Geeze! I thought these highborn ladies were supposed to be smart."
    "Ruth!"
    "Sorry, Papa."
    "My daughter is actually the one who found you," he says, eyeing the little girl. "She may