Warchild: Pawn (The Warchild Series) by Ernie Lindsey

Author:Ernie Lindsey [Lindsey, Ernie]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: JCL Publishing
Published: 2014-06-11T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ● FOURTEEN

As if he weren’t already angry with me before, James is absolutely furious with me now. The members of his group have put away their weapons, and they’re standing near the tall white pine, trying to care for Squirrel, attempting to get the arrows out of him without doing too much damage. Crockett is there with them—she didn’t apologize, but at least she ordered her men to help. Two of them are cutting down small saplings and they plan to stretch some deer hide across them to make a sling for Squirrel.

The plan is for Little Blake and Big Blake to carry him west. Crockett says there is a Republicon group about ten miles away, hopefully out of the main army’s path, with a healer amongst them where they can leave Squirrel until he can mend and then rejoin us—if he makes it. If we make it. He’s badly wounded, but we think his chances are good. Big Blake and Little Blake, who’s not so little at all, are good runners, and they should be able to catch up to us before we reach the capitol.

James towers above me, and he has to bend over to put his shaking finger in my face. His cheeks, the parts not covered with his beard, are red and his eyes bulge. “You’re crazy if you think I’m going to do that. No.”

“We could use their help,” I say. “It’s their land, too, and if they come with us, we’ll have that many more people for protection or to fight if we need it. More people to stand watch so we can rest.”

“Caroline, they killed Rawley! Don’t you understand that? She’s lucky I don’t walk over there and put a knife in her belly right now.”

I lay my hand on his shoulder. His friend is dead, and it’s an awful thing to ask of him, but it makes sense for them to come. I’m learning all too fast that leaders have to make some of the worst decisions that are the best for their followers. I still don’t consider myself their leader, actually, but they’re looking for me to guide them. A fourteen-year-old girl. I know I promised him a reward, but why he’s actually trusting me to get them somewhere, I don’t know. “I understand, and I’m sorry.”

“No, you don’t. If you did then you wouldn’t be asking this.”

We can’t stand here arguing all day. What I’m asking would be hard for anyone to accept, and I’m aware of that, but in addition to the DAV, time is also our enemy.

I say, “Within the next week or the next month, it doesn’t matter how long, you and all the rest of them won’t have a home. There won’t be anywhere to go. It won’t matter who killed who because these woods will be crawling with DAV soldiers. You don’t have anywhere to go. You can’t get into West Virginia, or Kentucky, or Tennessee, or North Carolina.

“Grandfather says—said they shoot Republicons the moment they try to cross the border.

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