Chapter 2
With these thoughts in my head, I went through all the stages of grief in a split second. I'm going to die. I don't want to die! Oh well, I guess there's not much I can do about it now. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the fatal impact.
As a little girl, I used to dream of flying. I'd just lift off the ground and hang, suspended in the air, until I felt like moving on. once again, I had that sensation...of hanging in mid air. I peeleda singleeye open. Shadow leaped through the air in one fluid movement, and we landed with a thud of hooves on a–dirt road?
How–but I had no time to ponder what had happened to the paved road that used to run in front of the property. A low lying branch from a huge oak was about to lift me out of the saddle. I think I screamed, but I can't be sure. I ducked, hugging my body to Shadow's neck. In the process, I lost my hold on the reigns. With a burst of pent up energy, Shadow picked up more speed.
"What are you doing, you crazy horse!" I managed to grab the reigns, but by this time Shadow knew he was in control. And that's when I noticed I wasn't alone. Two men on horseback rode on either side of me.
"Take my hand, lad," the man to my right yelled.
"How? I can't. I'll fall off." I glanced at him but a second, then returned my petrified gaze to the road ahead of me.
The man steered his horse closer. Our legs were almost touching. He leaned to the side, then I felt a strong arm go about my waist. "Come on, boy. Let your horse go. I've got you."
For the second time, I squeezed my eyes shut, expecting the worse, and grabbed frantically at the neck of my rescuer. What came next all happened so quickly, I can't recount the details. I just know that when I finally opened my eyes again, I sat behind a stranger on a now still horse, my arms about the man's waist, holding on for dear life.
"Are you all right?" I heard another voice, speaking from below me. In reality, it was only then I truly opened my eyes, and I saw red. Bright scarlet, just like the coats of–I shook my head. Nah. Couldn't be.
"I think he's stunned." Therider who'd been on my left came trotting back toward us, leading that rebel, Shadow.
"We're stopped now," said the man I still held in a death grip. "You may loosen your hold on me."
"I'm sorry," I mumbled, and felt the heat in my face take over my entire body. How embarrassing!
"Come on down from there." Another red-coated man reached up toward me. I allowed him to lift me down, then stumbled as my feet made contact with the ground.
My rescuer dismounted and stepped in front of me. He placed his hands on my shoulders.
"Steady now. That was quite a scare, wasn't it?" He gave what I suppose was meant to be a smile. It spread the corners of his lips just a bit, but never reached his eyes. And what eyes. Ice blue. I could feel my bottom jaw begin to fall open. All thoughts and the words I'd been about to utter–Thank you–disappeared from my mind. 'Iceman' arched an eyebrow, amusement briefly putting some light into those two shards of blue crystal.
"I-I'm sorry. Th-thank you. I might have di–"
"Never mind." He lifted a gloved hand. "You didn't." His eyes narrowed and he cocked his head to the side, studying me. "Very odd attire. Where are you from?"
"From that farm–" I turned to point back toward Uncle Dave's farm, but I could only see trees, and a long stretch of dirt road. "Well, goodness. We must have run a long way."
A rumble of whispers drew my attention to the fact that there was a whole group of men, all mounted, and all wearing the same red coats with green facings. I turned back to the one before me, obviously their leader.
"Something is wrong." I frowned, realizing that although the temperature was still cold, it now felt like a normal South Carolina winter. What had happened to the gray skies? The icy dew? The violent wind?
"Where were you going at such a break-neck speed?" Iceman took a step closer, all amusement and smiles wiped from his face. I swallowed hard.
"I-I was just taking Shadow for a run. My Uncle Dave wouldn't let me ride him. Said he was too much horse for me to handle." I looked down, unable to stand the man's hard stare. Nervousness made me give a sheepish grin and shrug. "I guess Uncle Dave was right, huh?" I hoped when I looked back up that he would have softened his expression.
"Where did you get such a fine horse?" he snapped. So much for softened expressions.
"He belongs to my uncle. At the farm just back there." I pointed behind me.
"Looked to me like he was trying to escape." The man who still held Shadow by the reigns spoke to the leader, then turned his gaze to me. "Did you steal that horse?"
"No! Of course not. Look, I know, I shouldn't have taken him out. Uncle Dave said he was too much and I didn't listen. But I'm a good rider and I just wanted to prove that I can–"
"Enough!" Iceman barked. I gulped and shut my mouth. He stared at me for a moment that felt like an eternity. A mixture of emotions flickered in his eyes. Curiosity, confusion, indecision, determination. "You will mount your horse, and you will come with us. If you try to leave us, I will shoot you." He stepped back a pace, pulled out a pistol from somewhere at his side and pointed it at my head. "Understood?"
"Yes. Of course. No way not to understand." I offered him a shaky smile and nodded.
He gave me a quick up and down scan as he replaced his pistol in his side, frowned, then turned and mounted his horse.
With legs that felt like rubber, I swung up onto Shadow. Who were these men, and why were they dressed like British soldiers from the Revolutionary War? A band of re-enactors, maybe? They certainly took their re-enacting seriously. But this thought soothed my mind, and helped put me at ease. We'd get back to their camp, and I'd find a bunch of 21st century people milling about with these who were dressed in 18th century clothing. I even decided to play along for awhile.
As we trotted along down the road, I inched my way closer to the intriguing man who had saved me from certain death. Now that I had myself convinced he was just a very good actor, my original fear melted away.
"So where are you from?" I asked, offering my friendliest smile.
He glanced at me, an almost startled expression on his face. "From where do you think?"
"By your accent, I'd say you're British. But those accents are so easy to fake nowadays." He didn't speak a word, so I went on. "Are you really from England?"
He snorted. "And where else would I be from? Certainly you don't think I was born in these backwoods colonies."
"How cool is that! I've never met a real Englishman before." I laughed to punctuate my words.
"You Americans are a funny lot."
"Why's that?"
He paused, looking me full in the face, and squinted. "You have no idea who I am, have you?"
"I don't remember you telling me your name." His eyes slanted, and it seemed his gaze pierced right into the depths of my soul. Sobering, I shook my head. "No, sorry. Should I know you?"
My admission seemed to frustrate him. His jaw clenched.
"I don't usually have to tell anyone my name. I take it you're not from around here."
"Not originally, but I've been living here with my Uncle Dave for eleven years."
The only answer I got was a snarled humph as he kicked his horse into a canter.
We must have ridden about an hour when we finally reached their camp. Iceman shouted a few orders, then nodded to one of his men, and jerked his head at me. He rode off toward a white tent, dismounted, and tethered his horse beside the tent.
"Come, you," said my escort. "Get down from that horse, and pray the colonel doesn't decide to hang you for a horse thief."
"Horse thief!" I slid to the ground and quickly found the reigns yanked from my hands. "I've already told you, I didn't steal him. He belongs to–"
"Your Uncle Dave, from the farm just down the road." The soldier looked at me through slanted eyes. "See, the problem is, there is–er–was a small farm in the vicinitywhere you mentioned, but the owner is not named Dave."
I laughed and sighed with relief. "Oh, well, then you must have the wrong farm in mind."
He didn't return my laugh, but grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the tent where the colonel had just gone. "Colonel Tavington wants to ask you a few questions."
"C-Colonel Tavington?"
"Oh, so now you know him, eh?" The soldier snickered.
"I have heard the name." And for some reason, it struck fear to the very core of my heart. I just couldn't quite pinpoint why.