A Daring Sacrifice by Jody Hedlund

Author:Jody Hedlund
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2016-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

Pain radiated in my head, and I fought through the darkness to regain my wits. My fingers twitched against straw and the cold earth.

Where was I?

Voices penetrated the fog clouding my mind. I was tempted to open my eyes. Instead, I kept myself motionless and listened.

“You didn’t need to hurt him,” came a woman’s voice.

“You’re lucky I didn’t kill him,” answered another.

“I told you to be gentle.”

“I was.”

My chest expanded with sudden and overwhelming relief. I’d found her.

I lifted my lashes only slightly so that I caught a glimpse of Juliana standing several feet away in what appeared to be a dirt cave of some kind.

She stood before the same short, stocky man who had battered me, her hands pressed into her hips and her eyes narrowed in a glare. The man stared back with a scowl that would have made most girls cry.

When the sturdy peasant glanced in my direction, I let my lashes fall and feigned unconsciousness.

“I don’t trust him,” the man snarled in a low voice.

“Well, I do,” came Juliana’s quick, clear answer.

Inwardly, I smiled. Maybe I’d made more progress with her during our time together than I’d realized.

“I think he was being followed,” the man said. “He could lead us into a trap.”

I wanted to sit up in protest, but thankfully Juliana beat him to it. “Collin wouldn’t try to trap me.”

“He’s a nobleman”—the peasant spat the words—“and the only good nobleman is a dead one.”

For a long moment the cave was quiet, except for the crackling of wood in a fire across from me. I was close enough that I could feel the warmth of the flames, but far enough away that the dark shadows provided some privacy.

I peeked from between my lashes again and this time saw the young, thin accomplice who had ridden with Juliana the day she’d robbed me. Beyond the boy stood several other peasants, their shoulders stooped and heads bent under the low roof of the cave. Strangely, strands of what appeared to be roots hung from the ceiling. The light from several torches illuminated the crumbling dirt walls and a nearby tunnel.

I closed my eyes and breathed in the mustiness of damp earth that mingled with wood smoke. I dug through the straw until my fingers brushed against the soil of the floor. It was hard, almost clay-like.

Were we underground?

“Collin Goodrich might be a nobleman,” Juliana finally said, “but he’s kind.”

“And kidnapping you was kind?” the man retorted.

If the peasants made their homes in underground caves, that would explain why I’d lost track of her. She’d likely entered through some secret passageway they’d made impossible to locate.

“I don’t care what you think about Collin,” Juliana said. She was attired in men’s garments, and she’d tucked her hair up into her knit cap. Even so, now that I knew she was a woman, I didn’t understand how anyone could miss seeing her for the beautiful lady she was.

“I’ve had the chance to get to know him,” she said, “and I like him.

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