Read Online Shepherd Hunted by Christopher Kincaid - Free Book Online Page A

are you, Timothy?” She took a deep breath and coughed. After this, she would never be able to even look at an onion the same way again. She cupped her hands. It wasn’t like she couldn’t handle anyone that nun sent.
    “Timothy!”
    His named echoed down the street. She uncovered her ears and listened.
    Yes. There was something beyond the sound of the cart. Her ears flicked. Over there. Kit slipped her hood back on and ran. Kit skid around a corner and saw Evelyn standing on the edge of a fountain with her black dress stark against the white stone. A group of people gathered around her. Sick children drooped in their mothers’ arms.
    So Timothy did see her! What is she doing here?
    “Make willow tea.” Evelyn gestured. “And pray to be forgiven for the promises you make and break. Only death is a promise we all keep in this life.”
    “What can I do to keep my other children from getting sick?” a woman called.
    “Make no promises,” Evelyn said. “Smoke chases away illness, but punishment comes to those who break their word. Isn’t that right, my Timmy? Yes. We will be together.” Evelyn swept the crowd with a hand. “You too shall be together in heaven after sin is burned from you.”
    People fell to their knees. Evelyn muttered so quietly that only Kit’s ears could hear it. “Joseph. We shall be together. You broke your promise, but not me. Not my son. Together. But first we must burn with fire within. God’s punishment upon this town and me.
    “Clean!” Evelyn’s shout made Kit jump. “Clean your homes, filthy sinners. Clean away the illness. Dirt. Filth.”
    Kit moved closer to the woman, thinking, I have to try. “Evelyn.” The woman turned toward her. Kit pushed back her hood enough to allow the woman to see more of her face. “Evelyn! Where is Timothy? Have you seen him?”
    Evelyn frowned. “At home, eating dinner. He is not allowed to play outside today. Not with a dirty girl like you. My sweet, filthy boy needs to rest and be healed.”
    “So you know where he is!” Kit took a step toward Timothy’s mother. People glanced at Kit. She didn’t care what they thought. “Where is he?”
    Evelyn’s gaze cleared. “You look familiar. My Timothy is here but not for long. It is no concern for you.” She turned to the people. “Come. Let us go to where we can get well in our souls.”
    The mad woman walked through the fountain, ignoring the streaming water. People glanced at each other before following through the falling water. Only a few went around the fountain. One or two people went the opposite way, shaking their heads.
    Kit tapped her chin. She had to restrain herself from chasing and strangling the woman. I need to stay levelheaded. Evelyn seemed to know where Timothy was, but the woman was out of her mind. She could very well have not even seen the fool man. Why were those people paying attention to her anyway? Kit’s stomach grumbled, but she ignored it. Her ear twitched under the hood. Another cart approached. Oiled by the sounds of it, her hunger died when the wind shifted. As much as she didn’t want to look, she had to be sure.
    “You better be alive, shepherd.”
     

Chapter 5
    Voices pulled Timothy out of the darkness. His crusted eyes blinked against the morning light, and he groaned as pain swept him. Even his hair seemed to ache.
    “At least I am alive even if I hurt.” His voice scratched the air.
    It took three tries before he could lift his head. He lay on a crisp, once-white sheet. A matching robe clung to his damp chest. The room around him was simple. A rough-hewn desk and chair butted against the wall. A chipped pitcher and mug waited on the desk. The room shimmered in the light streaming through the window, and smoke reached through a hole in the cloudy glass. Its thin, acrid fingers brushed against the ceiling.
    Timothy sank back to the yellowed pillow. He laid a heavy arm across his sweaty forehead. Memories drifted from his wool-stuffed mind. He knew