The New Guard (Crossroads Book 1) by Matthew M. Johns Read Free Book Online Page B

strange plant with broad purple-green leaves.
To the right, the fields yielded what could easily be identified as maize, and
just beyond the farm house fields of wheat swayed with the light breeze.
    The children
were now all walking on their own. Dinah, the youngest, kept poking her head
into the strange purple and green leaves. Mary and Jeremiah kept running from
one side of the road to the next, touching first the maize and then the broad
purple-green leaves. While the rest of the children looked around in silent
awe, Ruth and Hannah ran up to their father and asked about the unknown plants.
    “They are
called chap. They are a root crop resembling carrots, but blue. That is the
part you eat. The leaves and stalks are turned into a paste which is used to
seal wounds and prevent infection.”
    With this
new knowledge, the two girls ran to their siblings and talked at length about
the many uses of the alien carrots. As they were explaining this to Jeremiah
and Mary, who were still running from one side of the road to the next, the
group reached the farm manor where David was already talking with an elderly
gentleman wearing a broad straw hat.
    When the
children gathered around their father they all quickly realized they could not
understand what either man was saying. Just then the Beagle arrived from
guarding the rear and began rubbing up against the children. One by one, as the
Beagle touched them they became aware of what their father and the elderly man
were saying.
    “. . .
the crossing is shifting and we became separated,” their father was saying.
    The
elderly man responded, not at all surprised. “Been doing that more and more
lately. One end of the crossing will be stable, and then both will shift.
Sometimes it will be minor; other times it’s like you experienced. She’s
probably clear in another kingdom. The whole system is becoming fouled. While
we’ve always had to rely on ourselves out here, we’ve not even seen an avian in
over a decade. Insur is still purported to rule over the Central Kingdom, but
we’ve not had official word or courier out in these parts for a couple of
years. All we get are the travelers’ stories, and they are getting worse.”
    The old
man stopped talking and shook his head. He clasped David on the shoulder and
then smiled broadly. “However, it is great to see you back. Please, come in and
introduce me to your family.”
    David
motioned for the children to follow him and they all entered the farmhouse
through a set of broad double doors. Upon entering, the children were astounded
to see a large gathering room which nearly covered the whole distance of the
house. Two opposing stairs led up to a second floor, with many rooms visible
along the open hallway that wrapped around three of the four walls. Circular
wooden tables with matching chairs were set up all around the main floor.
However, only one of the tables was occupied. At it sat three men with russet
red skin and dark hair. Behind the men sat a large hearth with two doors beside
it. The hearth would have afforded a good view of the kitchen because it was
double sided, but it had a roaring fire going in the half closest to the
kitchen.
    The
children only had a moment or two to take in these details as they were led to
an alcove between the set of stairs. There, a larger table than the rest was
set up, allowing them all to sit comfortably. As they were sitting, the elderly
man took off his large brimmed straw hat to reveal short-curly-salt and pepper
hair and ear lobes that lay completely flat against his head. Several of the
children began to stare, and as they did they also noticed his eyes were
different than theirs. Whereas their eyes were white with colored retinas and
black pupils, his were black orbs with white retinas and light purple pupils.
    Before
any of the children could begin to comment, David moved beside the older man.
“Pardon my forwardness, Brother Oswald, but my children have yet to learn not
to stare at