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

then another, trying not to think about who or what had used the gourd before her. When she was finished, she handed the gourd back to the creature, who patted Annie’s head and smiled again.
    Now the other creatures were aware that Annie was awake. They came by one at a time to look at her and make quizzical grunts at their friend sitting beside her.Some of them made sounds that sounded like “Mara,” so Annie began to consider that her captor’s name. She wondered if Mara was a female; her movements were more graceful than some of the bigger adults and her gestures more refined.
    While Mara was occupied, Annie looked around for Liam. As far as she could tell, he wasn’t there.
    Annie turned back when a different creature brought a bit of brown fur and handed it to Mara. After examining it, she gave it to Annie, smiling. It was a crude doll made of scraps of fur. Another creature brought something small and white. Mara examined it as well before handing Annie a ring made of bone. Although other creatures brought other gifts, Mara rejected most of them; the only other one she passed on to Annie was a pretty blue stone shot with gold.
    Annie accepted all the gifts, examining them out of curiosity. She was looking at the stone when another creature gave something to Mara. Annie’s captor sniffed it and handed it to Annie. It was raw meat, still warm and steaming in the cold air.
    Shaking her head, she handed it back to Mara, who looked worried and tried to give it to her again. Annie refused to take it. She shrank back when other creatures came to stare at her and make soft grunts at Mara. Although they didn’t seem to mean any harm, it worriedAnnie. If so many were watching her, how would she ever get away?
    When Mara called out, a smaller creature came to see her, looking at her with bright, expectant eyes. It was eager to accept the piece of meat that Annie had turned down, and it gave Annie a quizzical look as it chewed. Annie noticed that the small one was about her own size and was covered with cream-colored fur, the same color as Annie’s coat. Its face was nearly as bare as Annie’s, with only a slight dusting of fur on the cheeks, forehead, and chin. Although its nose was flatter, its eyes were set farther apart, and its lips were very narrow, without the fur it might have passed for human. Annie couldn’t be sure, but she had a feeling that the little creature was a girl.
    When Annie looked around, she saw other smaller creatures. A thought occurred to her, and suddenly she knew it was true.
The smaller ones with cream-colored fur are children. The creatures think that I’m a child as well!
    But why would they carry off a strange child like this?
she wondered.
Perhaps they thought they were rescuing one that was abandoned or orphaned.
Watching the adults with the children, she saw how much the creatures treasured the little ones. Mara didn’t consider herself Annie’s captor; she was her protector! She’d beenmaking sure her friends were giving Annie only the choicest of toys and best piece of meat.
    Annie wondered if she could use this to her advantage. Holding up the fur doll, she showed it to the little girl. The little girl smiled and ran off, grabbed something from where she’d been sitting before, and brought it back to show Annie. It was a doll, just like the one Annie was holding. Mara looked on indulgently when the little girl plopped down beside Annie and made soft sounds while wiggling the doll, as if her doll were talking to Annie’s. They played like that for a few minutes, then the child jumped up and pulled Annie to her feet. They chased each other around the cave while Mara watched anxiously from the side. When Annie was in the lead, she ran toward the cave entrance, turning back just before she reached it when she heard Mara call out. She did this again and again, until finally Mara wasn’t looking and she was able to run out the