Read Online Arissa's Fate (Redemption Trilogy) by Amanda Daul - Free Book Online

way. The lifestyle of the territory had quickly become a “save yourself” battle of survival.
                  Finally, she could see the back of the building that had once been very familiar to her. The small, dark shed that hung crookedly from the back of the house looked the same, covered in a harsh dust from the blazing fire that was almost always flaming. Long rods had been attached to the walls, a few inches away to leave a gap and they were hung with new and old horseshoes of all sizes. A large woodpile filled the back corner, and there was a heap of metal chunks that had been damaged or discarded for one reason or another.
                  Arissa had spent a good deal of her collective memory around this house, but she couldn’t remember a time when she had been more excited to see it, as unwelcoming and shabby as it appeared from the outside.
                  Without even bothering to knock or call in, Arissa opened the door more forceful than necessary, repeating to Cayl over and over, “We’re here, Cayl. We made it. You’re going to be okay.” She couldn’t decide if it was more for herself or Cayl. Again, she realized a part of her had never expected to make it this far. She yanked the cloak hood off her head to be able to navigate better into the crowded room.
                  Hurried footsteps echoed through the frail house from the room beside them. It was dark and hard to see where they were, except that Arissa knew everything about the house like her own hand. She expertly reached into the darkness to grasp the back of a chair, pulling it away from the table that had a block of wood jammed under one of the broken legs. Guiding Cayl to the chair, she got him seated precisely as Landon burst into the room, loaded rifle in hand, ready to fire.
                  “For God’s sake, Arissa! Do you have any idea how close you came to getting shot?”
                  “No, I wouldn’t. I got stabbed instead. Cayl’s the one who got shot,” Arissa retorted back, sharply, pulling the hood off of his head, revealing his soaking wet hair and red, sweating face.
                  The look on Landon’s taut face was shadowed by the dim lamplight that lit the room as he gazed down at the weak and injured man. Both shock and horror appeared on his face at the same time. He quickly set down the rifle, leaning it against a corner and rushed forward to them, his brows knitting together over squinted eyes.
                  “You found him,” he gasped, almost in disbelief.
                  “He was already shot when I found him yesterday, but it got worse overnight. You were the only place I could think of that we could go without getting ourselves killed. I need Yasmine.” Arissa spoke fast and now that she was finally in a safe place where she could relax and recover for a few days, she was beginning to quiver and shake as well, feeling unnerved.
                  Without a word Landon nodded, the surprise and initial shock leaving his expression. He darted out of the room, calling out the name of his young wife, a skilled healer.
                  Arissa continued talking to her partner, but he was becoming more unresponsive, hardly able to hold himself upright. The sight of him so weak and helpless made her feel sick in the deepest pit of her stomach.
                  Only a moment later, Landon returned with Yasmine, a petite, pretty woman who was at least a few inches shorter than Arissa. Her dark auburn hair was pulled back into a braid, her dark brown eyes zeroing in immediately on Cayl, ignoring Arissa.
                  They took over from there and now Arissa only felt as if she was in the way. Landon lifted Cayl and carried him into the next room, Yasmine following directly behind him, already rattling off different things to Landon about what she needed to