Silent Kingdom by Rachel L. Schade Read Free Book Online

material, his boots were muddy and worn, and his dark hair was cropped short. When he caught sight of me, he froze, a frown crinkling his brow as he stared. I wanted to run, to beg for help and food, but my body was too faint and I collapsed.

CHAPTER 3
    T he boy shouted words I couldn’t hear past the ringing in my ears. Coming to the front door, a man paused on the porch and stared me up and down. I lay in the grass trembling, my cloak and gown in a heap around me. The whole world blurred and teetered, and black dots obstructed my vision.
    “She needs help, Father,” the boy begged. He kneeled at my side and peered down at me, his deep brown eyes filled with concern. He felt my forehead with trembling fingers. “I think she came from the woods; she must be hungry.”
    Another friend? Shelter? Food? I hoped.
    Without a word, the boy’s father turned and slammed the front door. After several minutes he appeared again in front of me, shoving a slice of bread and a cup of water in my face. Somehow my senses sharpened at the sight of food and I found strength to snatch at them. I devoured the bread, not caring as crumbs spilled down my front, then gulped down the water, savoring every drop. My empty stomach growled for more; the water seemed to slosh in the vast empty space left inside me. The man lifted me into his arms and carried me, the boy trotting along behind him.
    Hating that I was not strong enough to walk myself, I blinked in the sunlight and clung to the stranger’s shoulders. My head lolled back against his chest and I closed my eyes. Too tired, too tired.
    Eventually I was aware of slightly less movement—the world still spun but the man had stopped walking. I cracked open my eyes and saw we were standing before another cabin, this one surrounded by a homey garden. Though it was dead now, I could tell it had been well-tended before the frosts came.
    The man pounded on the door. After a moment, it opened inward to reveal a middle-aged man with short, ruffled hair and brown eyes almost lost behind his spectacles. His skin was a softer tone than that of the others, the color of someone who spent most of his days indoors. He blinked in surprise and raised a hand to run through his locks. “Kyrin, what brings you here?” he inquired. He glanced down at me, then at the boy behind me. “Ah, Avrik. Good day. Who…who is this?”
    “I found her; I think she was in the forest, but—” Avrik offered, but his words were cut short by his father’s.
    “She’s ill, Rev,” Kyrin said gruffly. “As you know, I’m in no position to nurse a girl back to health. But perhaps you and Lyanna…”
    A round-faced woman popped her head over her husband’s shoulder at the mention of her name. Her pale face was dusted with flour that matched the white streaks adorning her ash-colored hair. “Oh!” she exclaimed, throwing a hand over her mouth. “The poor girl. Of course we’ll take her in, Kyrin.” She pushed her way past Rev and clasped me by both hands. “You’ll be fine, dear; we’ll get you plenty of food and rest.” She nodded to Kyrin to bring me in.
    Rev blinked and ran his hand through his hair again, though he made no protest. Kyrin carried me through the doorway into a warm living room with a large fire burning in the hearth.
    “Take her to the guest room; she looks exhausted,” Lyanna urged, and Kyrin followed her to the back of the cabin into a small room containing no more than a bed, a dresser, and a nightstand. He laid me down, and I promptly fell asleep.
    Hours passed before I awoke to the tantalizing scent of venison. My head felt better, but I was faint with hunger. Turning my head, I stared out of the sole window in the bedroom, watching the dying sunlight through the bare branches of a tree outside. I glanced around, taking in the blue and white quilt draped over me and the bedframe, hand carved with a simple floral design. The room’s walls were bare; the wood floor uncovered. It was