Let Freedom Ring by Al Lacy

Author:Al Lacy [Lacy, Al]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-78041-6
Publisher: The Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2011-05-04T00:00:00+00:00

Thirteen

Traveling was smooth across the floor of the broad valley which presented the Petrovnas and the Tambovs with frozen lakes to veer around as they aimed toward the high trail that would lead them to Kuwalt Pass.

On both sides of the valley were giant cliffs, standing inscrutable and silent with gleaming snow cornices on their lofty crests.

The wind whipped across the valley for the rest of the day, and just before darkness closed in on them the travelers pitched their tents on the edge of a frozen lake in a thick stand of junipers. The wind howled around them and plucked at the tent walls all night long, making everyone think about the cave they had used the night before and wish they had another one like it.

When they climbed aboard their sleighs the next morning, the sky was clear and the temperature below zero. Frigid blasts of wind picked up fallen snow along the trail, tossing it in the faces of horses and travelers.

As the white silence pressed in around the occupants of the sleighs, they huddled beneath their blankets and thought of summertime with its warm breezes, colorful wildflowers, and green grass.

It was almost noon when they reached the west side of the valley and once again began to climb the steep trail. Always trailing the Tambov sleigh, Vladimir found himself turning to look behind periodically as if he could almost feel the breath of a relentless Cossack unit on the back of his neck.

Olecia’s heart was heavy as the sleighs continued on, knowing she was moving farther and farther from Barny. She would not know until she got to heaven if her prayers had been answered and Barny had been saved. So far, she was successfully covering the pain of her heartache from the others.

When the sun was lowering toward the mountaintops ahead of them, heavy clouds were beginning to prowl over the jagged peaks like beasts of prey, and the wind was growing stronger. Murom twisted in the seat with Oksana beside him and called back, “Looks like there’s a storm coming! Everybody keep your eyes peeled now. It’s time to make camp. We’ve got to find a cave.”

Hardly had the words left his mouth when Kadyn called from the rear seat of the Petrovna sleigh, “Uncle Murom! There’s one right up there ahead of you!”

Murom looked back to see where the boy was pointing, as did everyone else. He then followed the boy’s extended finger off to the right about fifty yards ahead, and saw the gaping black hole in the side of the mountain.

“Good, Kadyn!” called Murom. “We’ll check it out!”

Moments later, when both sleighs had come to a halt in front of the cave, Murom hopped out and said, “Everybody sit tight till I make sure there aren’t any big black bears hibernating in there.”

“Darling,” said Oksana, “I wish you had a gun. I don’t like you going in there without some protection.”

Murom chuckled. “Only the military and the police have guns in Russia, honey.

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