Frey by Melissa Wright Read Free Book Online Page A

it but didn’t think it was the best
idea to be sneaking around the forest naked. I thought about
ripping the excess material off but Chevelle’s movement wasn’t
leaving me time for that.
    Just before nightfall, he approached a small
village. It didn’t look like more than half a dozen structures
scattered against the base of a large hill. He dropped the simple
pack he’d been carrying beside a tree and hunched down as he slowed
his pace. I wasn’t sure what he was doing until I recognized the
stance. It mirrored mine. He was sneaking.
    I couldn’t figure why he
would be stealing into the village as I watched him creep around
the back of a small hut, but I knew if he was hiding, I definitely didn’t
want to get caught. He leapt into a rear window and I followed as
low and slow as I could. When I reached the last tree I could use
for cover, I darted up against the hut and tried to peer through a
gap in the twigs. I heard whispers…
    “… you mustn’t let them find
you… shouldn’t have come…” It was dim inside, but I caught a
glimpse of a figure through the wall. Junnie .
    Chevelle was whispering to her. I couldn’t
quite hear him but he must have given her a short account of the
morning’s events. I moved closer to the window and found a larger
gap there.
    “ Were you able to track
her?” Junnie asked in a low voice.
    “ Not exactly,” he replied
smoothly. She looked at him questioningly as he glanced around the
room. “She’s following me.”
    Heat flooded my face. I couldn’t believe he’d
fooled me again. I didn’t care what else they had to say, I stood
and marched away. I didn’t make it far, I found an old oak tree and
slid down its massive trunk. I was tired, my legs ached from the
trek and my head throbbed from the gnarl of thoughts. But I didn’t
rest. I sat, leaned against the tree, probably looking like a bored
child. I held my hand up and flipped a flame, tossing it up and
down, turning it above my palm. And I was hungry, but I didn’t eat.
Too stubborn and angry to find food, too resentful I didn’t have
the magic to bring it to me. Yes, like a child.
     
    Bright sun and chirping
birds tore into my finally still senses. I squinted my eyes open
and resisted the urge to stop the birds. It was the first time I’d
slept away from my bed; disoriented, I glanced around. It didn’t
help. I’d never been far from home and the new landscape was
unsettling. I looked away. Beside me lay a neatly stacked pile of
fabric topped with a small loaf of bread. Grrr... stupid watchers .
    A large part of me wanted to burn the pile
right there but my stomach overruled that thought and I reached out
and grabbed the bread. Then, since I had already eaten the bread, I
figured I might as well accept the other gifts and get out of this
ridiculous dress. I listened hard and located the trickling sound
of water. I picked up the pile and followed the sound to a small
creek just a short distance away. I walked down to a little area
where the water had pooled and knelt, leaning over to splash my
face.
    Panic shot through me as I saw someone
looking back at me. I started to bolt upright, planning to flee,
but caught myself. The woman in the reflection was me, that was my
dark hair and flushed skin. I cautiously leaned back over the pool.
The water was dark and so I assumed it made the image more
frightening than it was. My eyes couldn’t have been that dark, my
hair almost black. I straightened and held a piece of my hair
forward to examine. It shimmered in the bright sunlight, glossy
black. I dropped my hand away from my hair in distress. Maybe it
was wrong; maybe I could wash it out. I stepped into the pool and
sank down under the water. Maybe I’d just stay under…
    The cold water didn’t bring back reason. I
did want to breathe, however, so I stood and walked out. I was
drenched and the water had made the long gown heavy and even more
uncomfortable. I loosened the corset and dropped the dress to