Read Online Flight of Fancy: Cora's Daughters by Mercedes Keyes - Free Book Online

Indians. He thanked God that most men thought like him. No way would they believe a lone woman, a slave could have done this. Even if by some chance, her reputation from North Carolina traveled to Virginia – few would believe she had a hand in this.
     

Chapter Five
     
    She found them, they made sure of that as frightened as they were. She, Asiza had become their savior as it were, and they were now too afraid to take a step without her. She went searching for them, wanting to make sure the small family made it safe and sound to their destination.
    Huddled now with them in the darkness of the woods, they whispered back and forth, in shaky tones and trembling voices. The young man was trying to tell her about the place where runaways could go. It was their only chance if they were going to make it out of the south to be free. “Shhh, I get you there, I got a horse – we’ah get there, I promise we’ah get there.” Asiza swore to them.
    “You save us! We be dead, our baby be dead…” the young woman, Dana wept – she could not believe how they’d been saved. “…da’lawd sen’ you to us, da’lawd sen’ you to’us.”
    “Shhh – I get my horse, you and the baby ride, we run alongside-…”
    “No… we all gonna ride.” Broc’s deep voice came at them from the dark, startling the young couple. Asiza knew that he would be there.
    “Who dat?” the young man, Samuel called out.
    Exhaling, Asiza whispered, “He – wit’me.” She hated to say it, didn’t want him to hear it, but she knew it was so. She also knew that they needed him if they were going to get anywhere.
    “Tell me you two can ride?” Broc asked speaking low.
    “Sa’ – promise you, put us on a horse, we ain’ comin’ off.”   
    “Good, once we get ridin’ – that’s it.”
    “We firs’ needs to figa’ out where they goin’.” Asiza spoke up.
    “I know where they’re goin’. Got your saddle too – you ride with me, they ride together – let’s go.”
    “Huh? Oh no – I ain’-…”
     

“You tryin’ t’get us all killed Asiza?” He asked bluntly.
    She snapped her mouth shut.
    Fifteen minutes later, they were riding with Broc’s horse in the lead as he held the reigns to Flower with Samuel, Dana and their young one sandwiched between – safe and secure. Realizing the value of their mounts and making sure the horses remained together, they kept to a careful trot, not willing to go so fast they would tire them out, nor cause them to misstep. It was going to be a long night – but they would not stop until they reached the meeting point.
    Asiza sat behind Broc, reluctant to lean against him, she kept her hands on her thighs sitting back, but that position was not going to work for long, with the back of the saddle digging into the upper portion of her rump.
    He knew that.
    “Lean forward agains’ me.” He instructed in a low murmur.
    “Don’ wan’ to.” She whispered back. “You bes' be takin' us where you say, don' gimme no reason t’kill you.” She warned, still suspicious.
    Broc sighed long and deep, “You'ah see, I'm takin' them, right where they trying to go.”
    Asiza made no sound, trying to find an instinct or feeling inside as to whether it was right or wrong to trust him.
    Whereas Broc was thinking of her and that he’d finally gotten her to respond to him, even if in a tiny way, “Not a good idea you ride that way.”
    “I'm jus' fine thank you.”
    “You en’up sore, in pain, can’nah move right, or fight if we need to, you’ah be sorry. Don’t let yer stubbornness get you, one of them or me killed… not that you care if I’m killed or not.” He mumbled that last part.
    It only took her a moment to see the right in what he said, she leaned forward against him, putting her arms around his body. Their proximity to each other, gave her a good measure of him. He was a big man for sure, sitting so close, his size dwarfed her. The power of him – feeling it in his back, did