Dawn by Marcus LaGrone Read Free Book Online

about thirty seconds out from that. I was hoping to avoid that since I know how much that hurts you.”
    “ It’s okay,” he smiled as he looked over to Dawn. “You pulled me through a gate. That is pretty fascinating.”
    “ Uncle, three bad guys behind you!” replied Dawn with some urgency.
    Llewellyn just nodded and smiled, “It’s okay. They are terrible robbers, not an ounce of skill among them.”
    Well that seemed to bust one of the highwaymen loose from his state of shock, and he rushed the unarmed Llewellyn. Llewellyn just waited for the thrust and carefully and gracefully sidestepped it before firing a powerful roundhouse into the man’s head, sending him sprawling and unconscious to the floor. Llewellyn bowed to the remaining two and smiled.
    They briefly looked at each other and then charged Llewellyn at the same time, with both of their weapons swinging wildly. Llewellyn dexterously slapped a thrust wide as he sidestepped the man and then pushed him into the second. The second accidentally struck his companion in the arm with sword. As the first man reeled in pain, Llewellyn struck him to the side of the head hard enough that he bowled over the second man with the limp body of the first.
    “ If you stay laying down, it’ll hurt less,” offered Llewellyn.
    The man just looked up at him in awe while Allrich lumbered over to hold the man at sword point.
    “ Ouch! We need to get you back and have that looked at.” Llewellyn turned to Dawn. “We are halfway between realms; you need to send us home, Dawn.”
    “ How?”
    “ Same way you got us here.”
    “ I don’t know what I did. I just panicked and thought about you.”
    Llewellyn smiled, “Then clear your mind and think about home.”
    Dawn just stared at Llewellyn. Who was she to be controlling a gate? Well, she had gotten them there. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Calm, calm, home… As she opened her eyes she watched the barbican fade into being around her again.
    “ Excellent!” smiled Llewellyn.
    “ And you didn’t think you could talk to a gate!” laughed Maria. “I’ve opened gates, but never anything like that.”
    Dawn just stood there in shock. She didn’t know how she had done it, and she wasn’t certain if she liked it.
    “ Dawn is awesome!” belted Heather.
    Dawn couldn’t help but smile at that; Heather was just too cute for words. “Awesome or not, I think I’ll leave the gate to Maria.”
    Maria smiled and hugged Dawn, “Fair enough, you’ve done enough for today.”
    “ We still going to go by the dress shop on the way home?”
    “ Of course!” beamed Maria.
     

Chapter 5
     
     
    The next morning Dawn found herself sitting in a kitchen chair while Maria fussed over her. Dawn’s skirt had several tears and she sported several bruises and a mild gash on her head which Maria carefully dressed.
    Ivy burst into the room, short of breath, “What happened?”
    “ She was playing in the meadow while Heather and I were down by the stream,” began an equally anxious Maria. “She took quite a spill!”
    “ Did you fall off the bridge?” Ivy blurted.
    “ No, ma’am, a tree,” Dawn said half under her breath.
    “ A tree? You were climbing trees at your age?” demanded Ivy.
    “ I never had a chance before. No trees on starships,” Dawn muttered.
    Now it was Ivy’s turn to have her fur stand on end. She bit her lip and tried regain her composure, “Um… Okay then. You are trying new things, I understand. But, please, in the future, do so with Maria close by?”
    Dawn nodded obediently. She’d dodged that one! Suddenly her heart started to race as Llewellyn entered the room. He was carrying a large black feather.
    “ Oh, ouch! Someone had quite a spill,” he observed as he fidgeted with the feather. “By the way, I saw you at the practice field on Tuesday. Do you suppose you could come out again day after tomorrow? I want to see if the boys can keep their cool this time.”
    Dawn had no