Free Thrown to the Wolves (The Faith in Peril Trilogy) by Holly Newcastle Page B

rather well too.” Anna smiled kindly. “You look tired.”
    “I should be. I couldn’t sleep. I was awake most of the night.”
    “You poor thing. You should’ve said something.”
    “And ruin your sleep? No. I plan to have a nap in my own bed later. Why haven’t we heard gunshots yet?”
    “It’s very early. They’re still sleeping.”
    I shook my head, not believing this. “No. Dat’s coming now. I know it. He’s already awake. He must be out of his mind with worry.”
    Jacob knelt before the creek, lifting a rock out of the water. “Can we eat minnows?”
    “If you can catch them,” I said. “We can boil them in the bucket. I’m eternally grateful you brought that bucket with you.” I bent to cup water, bringing fluid to my face. I washed away the grime from the campfire. “It’s so quiet now.” The crickets had ceased to make noise, and the stillness seemed eerie.
    “I’m going back,” said Anna. “We need to start the fire again. Bring water with you. I’ll look for more branches to burn.”
    “I’ll do that,” said Jacob.
    Anna smiled at him. “Thank you.”
    “That’s a good idea,” I agreed. “Then we need to decide what we’ll do. I’m expecting gunshots any minute.”
    “Me too.” Anna approached, lifting the bottom of her dress over the rocks. Dirt had discolored the hem. “I wonder how far we came? We couldn’t have gone more than a mile. Maybe we went in one big circle?”
    “I haven’t a clue. I’m all turned around now.” I washed my hands and arms. Molly ambled over to the water’s edge, bending to drink from the stream. I glared at her. “I suppose we shouldn’t even bother to ask you for help, you irritating dog. You made everything so much worse.”
    “We can’t trust her in the least,” said Anna. “But there’s nothing we can do about it now. I’m going back. I need to say my morning prayers.”
    “I said mine on the way here.”
    “Jacob and I will say ours at camp while we boil water.”
    “Race you there!” Jacob broke into a run, which caught Molly’s attention, the dog chasing him.
    “He forgot the bucket.” Anna rolled her eyes. “For gracious sake.” She bent to retrieve it, dunking it in the water repeatedly. “This stream isn’t very deep.”
    “I’ll finish here, and join you.”
    Patting my shoulder, her smile was sympathetic. “It’s going to be fine. We’ll be rescued today and tonight we’ll be home.”
    “I hope so.”
    I gazed at my reflection in the creek, seeing a woman with clear skin and bright eyes. We did not have a mirror in our home, but I had observed myself in windows before. From what I had been able to ascertain, I wasn’t especially beautiful, yet my features were pleasing enough. My cheekbones were similar to Mam’s, arched and prettily shaped, while my mouth appeared full and my chin slightly pointy. My hair, which was hidden beneath the kapp , was dark blonde in color, with wisps of lighter shades throughout.
    A crack sounded in the distance, and I jumped to my feet. “Oh, Dat!” I shouted. “He’s coming for us!” I hurried to the campsite, where Jacob and Anna were, standing by the fire. “Do you hear that?” Excitement raced through me. “Where’s it coming from?” Another shot resounded, but it seemed to reverberate, echoing in all directions. “What do you think?” Jacob pointed to the left, while Anna pointed right. My shoulders slumped. “What does that mean?”
    “It’s this way,” said Jacob confidently.
    “No, this way.”
    “Oh, no.” I had been so hopeful gunfire would help.
    “It’s too far away.” Jacob’s mouth had formed a grim line. “We’ve gone further than I thought. I don’t think we went in circles.”
    “For Pete’s sake,” I muttered. “What will happen now?”
    “Dat’s far away, Rebekah.” My sister tied the strings of her kapp beneath her chin. “It’s impossible to tell which way the shot came.”
    “But it’s not towards the creek,”