Read Online Long Black Curl by Alex Bledsoe - Free Book Online Page B

Bliss is out looking for her.”
    Deacon nodded. Normally these First Daughter matters would stay secret, not just to men but to any women not part of the group. But clearly neither the return of Bo-Kate nor Mandalay’s disappearance could remain a First Daughter secret for long, and it was better to share the information than to risk something crucial getting missed.
    â€œYou want me to get the boys out to look for her?”
    â€œNot until Bliss says so.”
    He scowled. “Might not do to wait. It’s cold out there.”
    â€œIt’s Mandalay.”
    â€œI know, but … I mean, whatever else she is, she’s also a little girl. A lot of bad things can happen.”
    â€œI know. But we have to do it the right way. If Bliss doesn’t find her soon, I’m sure the word will go out.”
    He finished putting on his coat. “All right, if that’s the way it is.”
    â€œBe careful,” Chloe said as she stood. “It’s awful messy out there, according to the Weather Channel.” She kissed him, and he patted her backside.
    â€œGet a room, you two,” their teenage son Aiden said from the couch. If he’d followed the conversation, he gave no sign.
    â€œI’ll be careful,” Deacon assured her. “But I reckon it’s about to get a whole lot messier.”
    *   *   *
    Mandalay pushed through the snow toward the song. “I’m Nine Hundred Miles from My Home” was not exactly a staple in the Tufa repertoire, and while a lot of folks might know it, its sentiment didn’t really apply here where the Tufa lived; most of them stayed, and the ones who did leave came home one way or another.
    Then a strong blast of wind made her duck behind a tree. When it passed, the song was gone, and she was more lost than ever.
    How could this be happening? She was the leader of the First Daughters, the repository of their lore, history, and wisdom. Although it was difficult for her to access all that accumulated knowledge at once, in the past she’d always had the answer appear on its own, rising from her mind when needed. Now it simply didn’t happen.
    That meant one of two things. Either the night winds had taken it from her, which she knew they hadn’t done … or what was happening to her now had no precedent in the entire history of the Tufa.
    And that idea terrified her.
    Before she could give in to that fear, another noise rose over the wind. A male voice, singing.
    One morning, one morning, one morning in May
    I overheard a married man to a young girl say
    Arise you up, Pretty Katie, and come along with me
    Across the Blue Mountain to the Allegheny.
    Mandalay peeked around the trunk, toward the sound. A human shape emerged out of the snow, accompanied by a large dog.
    She sang out,
    I’ll buy you a horse, love, and a saddle to ride
    I’ll buy me another to ride by your side
    We’ll stop at every tavern and drink when we are dry
    Across the Blue Mountain goes Katie and I.
    The shape stopped. The dog barked once. “Who’s there?” the shape called.
    â€œMy name’s Mandalay Harris. I reckon I’m lost. Who’s that?”
    â€œLuke Somerville. Lord a’mighty, girl, how’d you end up all the way out here?”
    â€œLike I said, I got lost. Reckon I have a talent for it.”
    â€œYou sure do.” He came closer, and she could see his face. He was about the same age as her, black haired and big eyed. She’d seen him around school, but he belonged to Rockhouse’s people, and they tended not to interact with her folks anywhere but the Pair-A-Dice. She wondered if he knew who she was.
    â€œWell, you best come home with me and get out of this storm before you drop off into a gully and nobody finds you until spring. It’ll be full dark soon.”
    She didn’t realize he carried a rifle until he swung it up and rested it over his shoulder. She