Viator (The Viator Chronicles Book 1) Read Free Page A

night, piercing through the sound of the wind and waves. Its cold blackness and stench poured out like vapor, faded, and were gone.
    Moonlight brightened the moor, and Erin dashed to the cliff again, searching for the girl. She rubbed her cold arm and called out, “It’s gone—you can come back.”
    The girl below didn’t answer, but Erin could see her form against the face of the cliff. “Try to climb. It’s gone now. You can come up.”
    “I can’t climb. It’s too slippery.”
    Erin stretched out her arm and rubbed it again, sensation creeping back into her fingers.
    “Hold on, I’ll be down.”
    She eased over the edge of the cliff. The slick rocks were muddy and treacherous, but Erin found many small handholds, and with care, she climbed to the spot where the girl clung. When she reached her, the girl asked, “What happened to that thing? What did you do?”
    “It was an evil shadow, nothing more, and it’s faded away now,” Erin said. “Let me help.”
    “I’m afraid to move.”
    Erin took her by the hand, placing it carefully upward a little, then moved the other hand and guided her feet. They slowly made their way back to the top.
    The rain had stopped, and they both scrambled over the ledge and lay on the muddy grass. Erin stood and helped the girl to her feet. She stood as tall as Erin, and she wiped her hands on her clothes and smoothed her hair from her eyes.
    “Think of a place you love—a place where you feel safe,” Erin said.
    The girl looked at her with questioning eyes. “What do you mean?”
    “Do you remember a favorite place, somewhere with good memories?”
    The girl nodded, and the sky slowly brightened. The sun broke through the clouds, which rolled away to the horizon. The girl’s eyes opened wide, and she looked around as the moor became a meadow. Willow trees lined a small creek. The wind softened to a light breeze, barely stirring their hair, and they heard the creek bubbling over its stony bed.
    They walked to the creek and sat down on soft grass dotted with buttercups. The sunshine warmed their hair, and Erin closed her eyes and inhaled the fresh, clean air.
    The girl trailed her hand in the water, and a smile crept over her face. “I know this place. This is where I came for picnics when I was small.”
    “This is beautiful. It could be my safe place too. What’s your name?”
    “Carolyn.”
    “Remember this place, Carolyn. If you are afraid a shadow is coming, think of this place.”
    Carolyn scrambled to her feet, fear in her eyes. “I thought you killed that thing. Can it come back? What will I do?”
    Erin stood up beside her and put her hand on the girl’s arm. “You tell it to be gone, and it will. You think of this place, and you’ll be here, safe.”
    “I just tell it to be gone? But why didn’t you do that? Why would that work for me?”
    “Because this is your dream, not mine.”
    Carolyn nodded and lay down on the grass, and Erin lay down beside her. When she looked toward Carolyn again she was gone, and Erin relaxed, knowing the girl had wandered into an ordinary, restful dream.
    She closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the sunshine. A breeze rustled the leaves overhead, and Erin opened her eyes again. She had left Carolyn’s place and was lying on the grass in front of the library near Aleesha’s shop. The sunshine was still bright, and the wind blew a few white clouds across the sky. The street in front of Erin was empty—no cars, no people. Not even a seagull flew overhead. All she could hear was the wind and distant waves.
    The sudden approach of footfalls made her sit up straight. A man was walking along the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street. He was tall, dressed in black with a long sword hanging from his belt, and he hadn’t noticed her. Who could he be? She kept still. He walked past, and Erin relaxed. Just then he stopped and turned, looking directly at her. He brushed his dark hair from his forehead and slowly drew his