1000 of You by Linda Mooney

Author:Linda Mooney
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: time travel, fantasy, curse, historical, futuristic, romance, slave, sorcery, body swap
Publisher: Music And Press
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Europe, 1350

Muam blinked. A yell came from behind him, and he reacted instinctively, whirling around to block what his inner self told him was another weapon. The piece of wood came down to strike him on the head, but he managed to deflect it at the last moment.

The young boy pointed a finger at him and laughed. “You flinched! You flinched! I win! I defeat you! I am the Emperor now!”

Muam stared at the slender tree branch he was holding. It was crooked and too supple to be of any use other than as a toy. Stripped of all leaves, the guard consisted of two broken limbs branching off. But it wasn’t the pretend sword that left him breathless. It was the small hand holding it.

His hand.

Muam touched his face. There was no mistaking the lack of a beard, or the thinner planes of his face. He glanced down to stare at the child body he inhabited. At the pronounced ribcage and the lack of musculature. He wasn’t a man. He couldn’t be more than seven or eight seasons old.

His opponent derided him again. Ignoring him, Muam threw his stick down and walked away. The boy seemed to have a change of heart, and ran after him.

“Horhesh! Horhesh, where you going?”

For the first time since the curse began, Muam had no idea where he was going. There was no purpose in his footsteps. No inner sense of destination telling him where to go. He stopped in his tracks and surveyed his surroundings.

This wasn’t a prosperous town. If anything, it appeared to have just suffered a devastating event, but it was impossible to tell what kind, or how long ago it had happened. The homes and buildings appeared ravaged, as if they’d been in the path of an opposing army, and this was the result. Most of the dilapidated structures lacked walls or a portion of the roof, thus exposing the people inside to the elements. Fireplaces were missing some of the chimney. But what concerned him the most was something that took him a bit longer to figure out.

Where are the people?

In the distance, a lone man limped on his way to somewhere. Nearby, a woman poked a small fire with a stick in the ruins of her home. There was no one else in sight. Muam glanced up at the sun. It was either early morning or long past the middle of the day. Regardless, there should be others. Where was everyone else?

“Horhesh.” The other boy caught up with him. “We are staying tonight at the mill.” He said something further, but he was drowned out by a loud baying.

Muam whirled around, his body tense. “What is that?”

“The dogs,” the boy replied. “That is why we are gathering at the mill tonight. We think it is the safest place when they come tonight.”

“Tonight?” Muam frowned at him. “Who is we?”

The boy looked confused. “You know. Me and you, and Tosha, and Karliff, and Bascoff.”

“Are all of us…young?” He didn’t know exactly how to ask the question.

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