The Executioner's Daughter by Laura E. Williams

Author:Laura E. Williams
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781250128751
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

CHAPTER SIX

Lily stood as still as a tombstone. She didn’t know if it would be better to run or hide.

“Lily,” the voice said again.

Without moving her head, Lily looked around, her gaze finally falling on John standing near her. Relief loosened her clenched hands.

The boy moved closer and looked up, giving Lily half a smile. “What are you doing here?”

She glanced around to make sure no one was watching them, then she quickly showed him the sack that held her purchases. “Now go away before you draw attention to me,” she said.

“Nay, I’m allowed to be here same as you.” He scowled at her. “Besides, I’m here to buy some gingerbread. Only I think the cakes over yonder look fine, too.”

“Cakes?” Lily said. Then she bit her tongue for sounding interested.

John grinned. “Aye, with sugar and cinnamon and whole nuts and—” He licked his lips. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

Reluctantly, Lily found herself following the small boy. But before they got to the cake seller, their path was blocked by a large crowd. John jerked his head for Lily to stay close as they threaded their way through the people. She’d never felt such a press of bodies. It was both frightening and exhilarating. A bit guiltily, she thought of the people’s reaction if they realized who was pushing by them. They would not be pleased to find themselves so close to her.

Before she knew it, she was in the center of the crowd, staring up at a large bear dancing on his hind legs. An iron cuff circled his neck and a long, thick chain was attached to it and held by a man dressed in crimson and green.

Lily glanced around at the laughing people, wondering what humor they saw in a shackled bear. She longed to set it free.

“Come on,” John said, tugging on her cloak. “The tumblers are this way. You’ll like them better.” He led her back out through the crowd and to another group of people who were clapping and cheering as boys dressed in tight leggings climbed on each other’s shoulders and tossed each other through the air.

Lily marveled at their performance. When the misty rain blew in, she barely noticed. When the rain fell harder, the tumblers bowed and the crowd dispersed. With no more to distract them, Lily and John tramped from one stall to the next, trying to decide what treat to buy. She finally settled on a warm piece of cake, which she ate in the pelting rain, laughing when it got so soggy that she had to shove nearly half of it into her mouth before it fell apart. John laughed, too, huddling his nose and hands over a cup of hot cider, the steam blowing in his eyes. For a moment she forgot who she was.

“John!” someone called.

The boy jerked his head up. His face turned red, and without even a glance at Lily, he hurried toward his pack of friends. Lily recognized them as the boys with the pointy sticks.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.