Bridgebreaker (The Echo Worlds Book 2) Read Free Page B

her relationship with Cendan when her cart banged against another shopper’s.
    “Oh sorry!  Wasn’t looking where I was going,” she called out before locking eyes with the other shopper.  It was a young woman, attractive enough looking, except for her hair which was red with a long streak of blue.  The eyes, though, locked onto her and she couldn’t move.
    Goosebumped arms and the tingle down her spine at first confused her, but then with growing awareness she knew.  This woman had the power.  She was one of those outsiders that she had long been warned of.
    Bridgefinders had long been aware of those few humans who could see and understand the Bridges between this world and the echo.  The few who could do so, but yet weren’t Bridgefinders, and in fact would deal with the creatures of the Slyph in return for power and knowledge.  Officially they were thought of as almost misguided children.  Marcus found them disgusting, but Marcus was full of prejudice these days.
    Jasmine found herself unable to speak, and a weak croak was all she could manage as she tried to say something.  Eyes narrowing, the other woman gave a small nod, and left, pushing her cart away slowly.  Jasmine tried to follow but was stuck to the spot, her legs also not wanting to obey her. A few minutes later her voice returned; a croak escaped her.  Pins and needles rushed up her legs, as if they had been asleep, cut off from circulation.
    She tried to find the other woman, but she was gone as far as Jasmine could tell, and her legs were still weak; wobbly.  She grabbed a bottle of water from her cart and opened it, drinking it down while trying to figure out what had just happened.  Why would one of the others, the outsiders, a witch if you wanted to call her that, come here?  Come here and find her?
    There was no doubt this hadn’t been an accident.  Those who dealt with the Echo weren’t welcome here and hadn’t been for an extremely long time.  It hadn’t been a formal agreement, not a grand sit down and signing of a treaty, but many generations ago, those outside the Bridgefinders found it better and safer for them to not be here.  There was a lot of resentments too, over EVA, since EVA could act as a sort of Bridge magnet that limited those outside of the Bridgefinders from gaining access to the Echo world and its creatures.
    That had led to the slow reduction of those who claimed to be witches and warlocks, wizards and soothsayers.  Normal people, those who knew nothing of the Echo, just thought that the stories had just died off; that enlightenment and knowledge had eventually ended the superstitions of the old eras.  But the truth was that the Bridgefinders had cut them off from their power for the most part, and so they had died off.
    This of course made for a highly frosty relationship.  Sure, the occasional Bridge could form outside the influence of EVA.  Rumors had come sometimes of ways to form a Bridge from this world to the Echo world.  Those stories had always been treated as rumors and lies by the Bridgefinders, though in light of Cendan’s recent proclamations about magic, maybe they shouldn’t have been.
    Jasmine continued to look for the woman as she shopped, but didn’t see a sign of her anywhere, and in fact the rest of the shopping trip continued without incident.  Leaving the store and loading her car, Jasmine kept feeling like she was being watched, however; that prickling on the back of the neck; the slight tension in the air.  But glancing around she saw nothing.
    Returning the cart to the store, she was just about to get in her car when a voice came from behind her.
    “So you’re a Bridgefinder, huh?  I’m not impressed.”
    Jasmine whirled around to see the same woman from inside the store standing there; same red hair; same blue streak.  The only thing different this time was what she was holding.  A wooden circle, twisted almost.  One look at it and Jasmine knew: that was a focus.