Robinson Crusoe 2245: (Book 2) by E.J. Robinson Read Free Book Online Page B

was intoxicating. But it all felt wrong. He took her hand gently and pulled her around to face him.
    “Did Pastor send you or was it your father?” he asked.
    “If I’m not woman enough, there are others—”
    “Stop, please,” he said.
    She shuffled awkwardly.
    “Do you not find me … appealing?” she asked.
    “I think you’re one of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever seen. And some man is going to be so lucky to win your heart.”
    “But not you,” she said.
    “Mine’s already promised to another. But I saw someone at the table tonight who seemed to have an eye for you.”
    “Tomas. He’s just a boy.”
    “Funny thing about boys. They have a habit of growing up to be men, with the right motivation.”
    A smile crept onto her face.
    “Tomas would die if I walked into his bedroom.”
    She blushed and Robinson laughed. Then they heard the door open, and Pastor appeared.
    “Am I interrupting?” he asked.
    “No,” the girl answered. “I’m finished.” She quickly gathered her things and edged back for the door. “If either of you need anything, my parents’ home is two over.”
    “Very kind, my lady,” Pastor said. “You have our thanks.”
    She curtsied and left. The room descended into an awkward silence.
    “They’ve given me the master’s room,” Pastor said. “But the bed is too damned large. And soft. Do you mind?”
    He pointed to the second bed in the room, and Robinson nodded. Pastor plopped down and propped a pillow under his head.
    “Truth is, I’m used to sleeping outside these days. I miss roots in my bum and the sounds of the night.”
    “Which are usually drowned out by your snoring.”
    “Pfft. That’s the wine. I’ve had none tonight.”
    “You had two casks of mead.”
    “Ha! One, at most.”
    Robinson fell back onto his own bed and shook his head.
    “Where are the mutes?” he asked.
    “Who’s to say? Wandering the hills? Sleeping in trees? Those two would die before they slept inside.”
    “I’m the reason the girl was wounded.”
    Pastor’s head snapped toward him, ready to admonish, but he saw the guilt in Robinson’s eyes.
    “You are,” he said finally. “And the reason everyone here is alive.”
    “No,” Robinson said. “That was your doing.”
    “Bah. Tricks. Illusions. That’s all I can conjure. You’re the real magician. The way you fight—the way others follow you—it’s a rare thing. A rare and terrible thing.”
    Pastor blew out the light and rolled onto his side. Robinson was utterly exhausted but couldn’t immediately get to sleep. He couldn’t escape that fact that he was sleeping in someone else’s bed. That very morning, a child rose here with the light, and now his flame had been snuffed out. It reminded him that life was precious and never more than when it was at risk.
    There, in the dark, he reached for the one thing that gave him hope. Friday’s acorn. He ran it over his fingers, letting the ridges trill against his skin. It was like their love. Hard on the outside but full of life and promise within. One day , he thought. I’ll see it bloom. But not alone.
    Not alone .

Chapter Ten
Treachery!
     
    The rain fell steadily at an angle, buffeting the faces of those on deck. It was a cold night that the wind had given teeth, prompting each Flayer to bundle in heavy fabrics with only a narrow slit from which to see. Not that it mattered. The fog was so thick it made visibility beyond the ship’s balustrade impossible.
    They had dropped anchor in the cove of an island. A party had gone ashore to scout the area but returned with nothing to report.
    The Spinecrusher was the finest ship in the Bone Flayer fleet. Its dual masts and low hull also made it the fastest. But like every ship, it was not impervious to the elements. In one corner of the aft deck, water seeped down through nooks and crannies until it spilled over the rafters, drip by drip, and stirred Friday from sleep.
    Despite the chill outside, the hold was warm and