Thrown to the Wolves (The Faith in Peril Trilogy) by Holly Newcastle Read Free Book Online Page A

whistling, so Anna performed this task. We waited again, listening to the sounds of the forest, the resonance of crickets being the only noises in the vicinity. “Again.”
    This time Jacob called, while Anna whistled. We remained where we were, straining our ears. I thought I heard a branch breaking. “What was that?”
    “What?” asked Anna.
    “Was that her?”
    “I didn’t hear a thing.”
    “I’m going to kill that dog.” Rage and frustration fueled a growing sense of disquiet. “She’s useless! What’s worse is she might’ve led us in the wrong direction. She’s more than likely at the house without us right now.”
    “That would be unfortunate.”
    “Rebekah, let’s go then,” said Jacob. “I don’t want to stand here. It’s scary.”
    “Now you’re scared?” I fumed, barely controlling my anger. “You’re the one who ran off into the woods. You knew we shouldn’t go so far. Now you’re worried about the consequences?”
    “Let’s not do this,” said Anna. “Please don’t fight. What’s done is done. Let’s call her again.”
    “I say we keep walking. She’s hopefully in this direction.” I hated being stationary, feeling as if unseen eyes were upon me. Something buzzed near my ear. “I’ll have bug bites all over me tomorrow.”
    “MOLLY!” Anna’s whistling followed this. “You call her too, Jacob. All of us. Make as much noise as you can to get her attention. She’s out here somewhere playing, thinking we’re on a walk still. She needs to come to us.”
    I shouted her name at the top of my lungs, and we did this for long minutes, our voices echoing. We stopped to listen, hearing nothing but the sound of crickets. Then we began again, calling for the dog, yet we were not successful in the least.
    A loud, sharp crack made me jump. “It’s only me,” said Jacob. “I’m hitting a tree with the stick. Maybe she’ll come then.”
    Again tears threatened, as I began to feel an increasing sense of hopelessness. “What will we do now?”
    “We should wait here.”
    “I say we keep walking.”
    “But we don’t know if we’re going in the right direction,” said Anna.
    “We can’t just sit here all night.”
    “I know,” said Jacob. “Let’s make a fire. Let’s have a sleep out in the open.”
    “This isn’t a game!” I protested, angrily. “This isn’t fun! We’re lost in the woods without food or water or shelter. How do you propose we make a fire? Have you any flint?”
    “No.”
    “Have you two sticks to rub together? Do you know how to do that?”
    “Dat showed me once.”
    “How fortunate for you.” An arm went around my shoulder.
    “Rebekah, you must try to remain calm. I know you’re scared. I’m scared too, but we shouldn’t blame each other.”
    “Then whose fault is it? Shall I blame that irritating dog?” I knew I behaved unreasonably, but dread had left me in this condition. The possibility existed that we might have to sleep in the elements. “I say we walk. We walk until we can’t walk anymore. We’ll come out somewhere. Even if it’s a road or another farm, I don’t care. We’ll find a stranger’s house, and they’ll take us in. They’ll give us shelter, and, in the morning, we can go home.”
    “I second that,” said Jacob. “We should walk. I’m hardly tired at all. My belly’s full from supper, and I’m ready for adventure.”
    I wanted to throttle him. “Adventure? This isn’t a game. There are bears and wolves and other creatures out here. We’ll be eaten alive by bugs. Things could crawl in your ears—”
    “That’s enough,” said Anna. “We walk then. We’ll call the dog every five minutes, all right? I agree with you, Rebekah. There’ll be a way out somewhere. There’ll be a road we can follow.”
    “I’m happy to make a fire, if we stay,” offered Jacob. “If we go further, we might be lost even worse. Molly will find us when she’s finished sniffing out rabbits.”
    “No. We walk,” I