Princess between Worlds by E. D. Baker Read Free Book Online

the mountainside shelteredthe meadow from the wind, allowing plants that could stand the cold to flourish. Annie recognized the bobbing white heads of snowdrops, but the rest were all strange to her. She knelt down to examine some pale yellow flowers while Liam searched for rock dodger tracks.
    â€œI found some!” he said after a minute or so. “They’re huge! Rock dodgers may be like rabbits, but they’re rabbits the size of goats! I’ll be right back. These tracks look fresh. I’m going to follow them. I won’t go far, so I’ll be only a few minutes. Will you be all right?”
    â€œHmm?” said Annie. “Oh, yes. I’ll be fine. I’ll be right here when you come back.”
    The fur coat’s hood muffled sounds, so Annie didn’t hear Liam leave. She lost all track of time while she examined the flowers, going from one patch to another. Although the air was cold, the heavy fur coat along with the borrowed boots and gloves kept her warm and comfortable. She tried pushing the hood back because it limited her vision, but her ears became painfully cold right away.
Better to have tunnel vision than to have my ears freeze
, she thought, and pulled the hood up again.
    Annie was bending over a tiny blue flower when she heard a high-pitched yowl behind her. She turned quickly just as two enormous, furry white arms snatched her off the ground. Annie squirmed, shouting, as whatever held her straightened up and started walking. She beat at thearms and tried to pry them off her, but the only response was a gentle squeeze and a muffled grunt.
    When her captor turned enough that Annie could look behind her, she saw a group of tall, white-furred beings who looked like oversize, fuzzy humans crossing through the meadow. One that was well over eight feet tall had a snow leopard in its arms and was squeezing it into submission. Spitting and snarling, the leopard fought the embrace. Suddenly it went limp and the creature dropped it on the ground, where it lay still. Annie stopped struggling then, afraid she’d receive the same treatment. Thinking that the creature holding her might put her down if she went limp, she relaxed and closed her eyes like the leopard. Instead of putting her down, however, the creature changed its grip so that it was cradling Annie like a baby and started walking.
    After a few minutes, Annie opened her eyes just enough that she could see her captor’s face. Its features were coarse and covered with fur, but it had kind eyes when it glanced down and saw Annie looking up at it. The creature began to hum and rock Annie in its arms. Although she was terrified and worried about what might have happened to Liam, Annie felt herself growing drowsy. Before she knew it, she had drifted off to sleep.

    When Annie woke, she was lying on a bed of soft, driedgrass. One of the creatures was seated beside her with its back to her. Annie had no way of knowing if it was the same creature that had carried her or not. More frightened that she’d ever been in her life, Annie didn’t move. It wasn’t long, however, before her curiosity grew too strong to ignore. Without sitting up or letting on that she was awake, Annie looked around. She discovered that they were in a cave filled with furry, white creatures, all of whom seemed to be waiting for something. When she glanced at the cave opening, she saw that it was snowing, but still daylight.
Perhaps they’re waiting for the snow to stop
, thought Annie.
    It occurred to her that Liam might have been captured, too, but she didn’t hear him and couldn’t see much as long as she was lying down. She grew more anxious as time passed and finally couldn’t stand it any longer. As soon as she sat up, the creature beside her turned her way and smiled. Making soft sounds in its throat, the creature handed her a hollowed-out gourd filled with water. Annie was too thirsty to turn it down. She took a big sip,