Read Online Relic by Renee Collins - Free Book Online Page B

Bobby close behind.
    “Thank God you’re all right,” she said, out of breath from running. “We feared the worst.”
    “Where you heading?” Bobby asked Landon.
    “I’ve got to get my sister,” I said. “We have to hurry.”
    Bobby nodded. “We’ll come with you.”
    We rode into the night, two horses galloping as fast as they could go. Landon and me astride his horse Titan, with Adelaide and Bobby close behind. I hesitated to put my arms around Landon’s waist at first, but as we bounded over the sagebrush and red sand, I found myself holding tighter. I buried my head into his shirt and whispered again and again, “Please. Please let her be safe.”
    When the dim, moonlit outline of St. Ignacio’s rose unscathed over the horizon, my heart nearly burst from my chest. We weren’t safe yet, but at least I hadn’t come too late. I jumped from the saddle before Landon had slowed Titan to a full stop, not even bothering to look back. I didn’t greet any of the friars, who clustered in a panicked mass in the main courtyard. I didn’t stop until I reached Ella. She was sitting on one of the benches in her nightclothes, afraid and alone—but safe.
    She spotted me and let out a cry, jumping to her feet. We met halfway in a colliding embrace. With my arms tight around her, I dropped to my knees.
    “I’m here,” I whispered. “I’m here.”
    “I thought you’d been burned,” she said, her tiny body shaking.
    “No. Never. I’d never leave you.”
    I stroked her head, kissed her face. It felt like it had been weeks since she did so much as look at me. This newfound tenderness made my heart burst. “We’ll be okay,” I whispered. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
    She wiped her nose on her sleeve. “The fathers said Burning Mesa is going to be burned like Haydenville.”
    I didn’t know what to say to this, so I pulled her back into my arms. “Whatever happens, we’ll be okay.”
    Behind us, the chaos of the friars reminded me that St. Ignacio’s was far from safe. We had to get out of there, head for the mountains or something. The fleeting thought came that I should try and find Yahnuiyo, the Apache brave who’d saved us the last time we’d faced these mysterious fires.
    But then the idea seemed crazy. The Chinese man had said the Apaches were the attackers, like he’d seen them with his own eyes. Suddenly, I didn’t know what to believe.
    I looked up at Landon, who stood back with Bobby and Adelaide. They watched the doors, antsy to leave. Reluctantly, I broke out of my embrace with Ella.
    “I have to talk with these folks here. But you stay right beside me.”
    Landon approached me as I stood. “One of the friars is saying the attack is already contained.”
    I frowned. “How can that be possible?”
    Landon shook his head.
    “I still say we get out of here,” Adelaide argued. “You boys ought to know some places we can hide. Somewhere along your trail.”
    “It’s too risky,” Landon said. “Those Apaches know the mountains better than we do.”
    “Well, it beats staying here and being burned to death.” Adelaide crossed her arms.
    Beside me, Ella whimpered, and I pulled her closer. “No one is going to be burned,” I said firmly. “We’ll go on foot if we have to.”
    “We need to wait and see what’s happening,” Landon insisted. “The friars said they’ve sent a man into town to find out what’s going on.”
    Bobby rubbed his forehead grimly. “I don’t know…”
    But at that moment, the decision was made for us. One of the younger friars burst into the courtyard, red-faced and dripping with sweat.
    “It’s over,” he cried, panting. “It’s all over.”
    “It’s over?” I asked, filled with images of Burning Mesa as nothing but a smoldering pile.
    Father Cortez stepped forward. “Tell us what you know, my son.”
    “Those Apaches attacked the Chinese excavator’s camp. But Sheriff Leander got there before it spread to Burning Mesa. There’s