Wendigo Wars by Dulcinea Norton-Smith Read Free Book Online

all a mystery, but there is nothing to worry about. I’ve planned the journey well and only two of us are going,” she said. “We’ll travel by day and sleep in shifts at night, we’ll be fine. There will still be ten of the Protectorate here to look after the settlement so there is nothing you need to worry about.”
    Mathilde sighed. There should have been eleven Protectors to stay but she still had not had the heart to look for a replacement for Jack even though it had been two weeks since his death. Anya had begun to recover but Mathilde could have sworn that she caught her glaring at her out of the corner of her eye once or twice. She couldn’t blame her. She still felt as if it were her fault so Anya wasn’t alone if that is what was going on in her head.
    “I know that Mathilde. That isn’t what I’m worried about. I know that you’ll be fine. You were born to be a survivor.”
    Mathilde wished that people would stop saying that. She had heard it her whole life and still didn’t believe it was true.
    “I’m worried about Seb.”
    “Ha!” Mathilde burst out with an incredulous laugh. “Are you kidding me? He is about a mile taller than me and as wide as a grizzly bear. Why on earth are you worried about Seb? I agree he would probably be a good main meal for a wendigo but when it comes down to it the poor creatures would never get to him anyway. Have you seen him with that axe?”
    “Mathilde are you really so blind that you don’t know what I’m talking about?” Amelie rubbed her temples and looked exasperated. Mathilde stared at her blankly before eventually shaking her head in frustration.
    “I guess I must be. Is he ok? Is Seb ill?”
    “Lovesick maybe. Have you never seen the way he looks at you Mathilde?”
    “What? You seriously have to be kidding me. Seb doesn’t see me like that. He is a friend, my best friend, that’s all. He feels the same.”
    “I don’t think that he does. I don’t know, maybe he hasn’t even realised it himself yet but I once had a soul mate, a true love, and I know that look.”
    “I think you are completely wrong but I will be careful ok?” Mathilde tried not to get annoyed at the pointless conversation. She knew that Amelie was only talking like this because she cared but she was way off the mark on this one.
    “Ok. That is all I can ask. I just love you both so much. I don’t want either of you to get your heart broken”
    Mathilde stood and gave Amelie a kiss. “I will be careful,” she said, confused at whether the new flurry of butterflies in her stomach were due to the task ahead or the fear of Seb’s feelings.
     

Chapter Six
     
    “What’s up Tilly? We’ve been riding for two hours and you haven’t said a word.”
    Seb stared at Mathilde as they trotted, each on a large, dark brown horse. They hadn’t spoken since they first set out and the only noise which had christened the air was the crunching of snow under the horse’s feet and the puffs and snorts as the horse’s breath misted into the air.
    “Nothing,” Mathilde said, glancing at Seb, as big as a lion in his many layers of clothing, the sun glinting off his hair. She tried not to look him in the eye, afraid of what emotion she would see there. “I’m just thinking about this General Zhu,” she lied.
    “Yeah that one is weird,” Seb said, visibly cheering up. Battle talk always got Seb in an energetic mood. “So how is a human controlling wendigo? It can’t be blackmail, they have nothing to be blackmailed about. Fear maybe?”
    “That would make more sense,” said Mathilde, happy to shake off thoughts of how Seb might feel about her and concentrate on the safer topic of wendigos. “But what would a wendigo be scared of? Maybe he has figured out some sort of mind control or a way of training them.”
    “Hmmm, or he has offered them something they can’t resist.”
    “I don’t know Seb. It just doesn’t make sense that anyone could control them. It’s against their