The Path of Decisions Read Free Page A

and ears. How was she going to fight three young men off?
She still held the flint and steel. “Have you been starting the fires on our
land?”
    “What if we did? What are you going to do about it?” The shorter
one said, grabbing for Christine’s hand. He caught her wrist and held tight,
yanking her forward and away from Lightning’s protection.
    “Let go of me! You have no right!” Christine yelled. The grip was
strong, and her wrist throbbed with sudden pain.
    The man reached his other hand toward Christine’s hand that held
their belongings. She put the pack behind her back. The taller one moved behind
Christine and grabbed for it. She kicked back at him but couldn’t get far
enough with the other man holding on to her wrist.
    With the shorter one holding her wrist, the other two moved in
closer around her, the leader having grabbed a large stick to beat Lightning
with. The taller one reached in and slapped Christine hard across the face,
sending a sting of pain. The similarities to her friend Thomas ended with his
tall physical build.  The man’s temperament was cruel, quite opposite of her
friend.
    “Her face looks as red as the fire did,” said the shorter one,
still holding her wrist.
    “Shut up,” said the leader. “You talk too much.”
    Christine straightened up at the talk of the fire. Her anger from
earlier resurfaced. “You started those fires? Why?”
    The leader stepped up in front of her face. “Because we heard
about your pathetic petition. You need to stay out of our business and our city.”
    “We’ve done nothing to you.” Christine’s face reddened further,
and her jaw clenched. She had never been so angry in her life. Her green eyes
flashed hot. “We grow your food and raise your cattle. You would die without
us!”
    “That’s your job, outsider.” The leader moved closer in front of
her.  She could smell his putrid breath. “You grow the food, and we eat it. You
live in the farms, and we live in the city. You do what we say, and we live a
happy life.”
    Christine tried to squirm out of the man’s hold. “You killed my
father!” Her mind flashed with her father lying in their home with burns and
scrapes, trying to breathe, giving his final sentiments to their family.
Christine and Lightning had rescued him from the fire, but the smoke and burns
were too much to overcome his already weakened body. In his dying words he
revealed to his family his upbringing in the city and his suffering at the
hands of his city-born ancestors. The same city these young men were from.
    The leader of the group stroked his goatee and faltered for a
moment, but quickly recovered and reached for her other hand. The shorter man
backed away now, giving control of the situation to the leader. Grabbing the
flint and steel pack, he pulled Christine’s arm around her and held her tight. “Now
what do we do with her, boys?”
    The gang of tormentors laughed.
    Christine, fall to the ground. The Cremelino’s command came swift and fast to her mind.
    Christine let her legs go limp. Her captor’s hand slipped
partially away. In that moment Lightning struck, wheeling around the group out
of reach of the sticks and rearing down hard on the back of the leader who
still had a slight grasp on her hand.
    Bones snapped, and the man screamed out in pain. The other two
moved to help him. Lightning reared again with her strong hooves pounding
against the shorter man, leaving only the tallest of the three still standing.
He moved around Lightning and grabbed Christine’s long hair. She shrieked and
jumped up on her feet in one quick motion. Her head slammed up under the young
man’s chin with a loud crack.  He screamed and held his jaw.
    Christine reached down and picked up the flint and steel pack the
men had dropped.  She swung up onto Lightning and steadied herself. The horse
barely waited for Christine to find a safe hold before speeding her away in a
blur of unbelievable quickness. One last glance showed