Winterwood Read Online Free PDF Page B

gestured at the village.
    â€œThen we have to go get them,” Anna said.
    â€œNo. We have to find shelter. You’re not dressed for this weather.”
    But where? Simply hiding behind a tree wouldn’t be good enough. And they certainly couldn’t go down into the village. As he peered out at the forest, Anders noticed several of the tree houses were dark inside.
    Does that mean the owners aren’t home? The village seemed busy enough. Perhaps everyone was hard at work, preparing for…
    The feast. He didn’t want to think about it, but he couldn’t stop the words from appearing in his head. The following night would be the annual festival of the solstice, when the Holly King and his men celebrated the end of another year and enjoyed the spoils of the Hunt, while Winterwood closed itself off from the world until the following fall.
    A festival whose menu included anyone captured during the Wild Hunt or by the Yule Lads.
    No. I won’t let that happen to my grandchildren.
    Anders put a finger to his lips and then motioned for Anna and Paul to follow him. Crouching as low as his age-stiffened back allowed, he moved from the shadows of one tree to the next until they reached the nearest darkened home. He peered into the single window and saw a small room with a lone candle stub burning on a table, its feeble flame nearly gone.
    â€œHurry,” he whispered, thumbing the iron latch on the rough-hewn door. It opened easily, and they rushed inside, ducking to pass through the arched entrance. Anders shut the door then frowned. No lock, which meant they weren’t as safe as he’d have liked.
    Anders looked around the small room. The ceiling, although low, allowed them to stand at their full height, with a couple of inches to spare. A fireplace sat cold and dark along one wall, an iron pot hanging over a bed of smoldering embers. A small table occupied the center space, its two chairs the perfect size for children but impossible for an adult to use without risking total collapse. A single pewter mug sat on the table, next to a wooden bowl. The walls were bereft of decorations, save for a few kitchen utensils and animal hides hanging off metal spikes. At the far end, a staircase led up to another level.
    The inside of the tree turned out to be warmer than Anders expected, enough so that he found himself able to take off his hat and gloves. Anna and Paul had stopped shivering, and the color was returning to their cheeks and lips.
    â€œYou’ll be safe here,” Anders said, checking his watch. Not even eleven yet. How had so much happened in less than an hour? Their trek through the snow alone had seemed to take half the night. “I’ve got to get going. I need to find Jake and Nick before the night passes and we end up trapped here forever.”
    â€œWait.”
    Anders stopped and looked at Paul, alert for any signs the man was going to freak out, as Anna’s generation liked to say. But despite the frantic look still lingering in his eyes, when he spoke, his voice was calmer, with just a hint of a tremble in it.
    â€œYou said that whoever took our children has them in that village.”
    Anders nodded. “Yes. And if we don’t get them out before dawn, we never will.”
    Paul rubbed his eyes, reddening them even further. With his hair mussed and wet from wind and snow, he appeared more like an escaped lunatic than a bank manager. Next to him, Anna let out a soft moan and put a fist to her mouth. A few tears ran down her cheeks, but she kept control.
    â€œWe’re going with you.”
    Anders shook his head, wishing he could accept the offer. But any potential help would be offset by their having no idea what they were dealing with. He couldn’t rescue the children and babysit his daughter and her husband at the same time. “No, you can’t. It’s too dangerous.”
    â€œToo dangerous? Those are our kids, Anders. And it can’t be