Read Online Stolen Away by Christopher Dinsdale - Free Book Online Page A

was one of the support branches that connected the two arms of the frame. She felt guilty being so comfortable as Chocan guided the contraption from the fire pit to the edge of the glistening river. They joined the other band members who had already gathered by the water.
    Satisfied that everyone was now present, Nadie stepped carefully onto an elevated stump so all could see her. She raised her hands.
    â€œThis has been a good summer. The river once again supplied us with an abundance of fish. Our brave hunters have provided our band with leather, fur and meat for the winter months. We have also been joined by a descendant of the Teachers. We have much for which to be thankful! Praise the Great Spirit!”
    â€œPraise the Great Spirit!” roared the band.
    â€œI ask Chocan now to step forward and bless the ochre.”
    Chocan carefully lowered Kiera to the ground and stepped up to the stump, exchanging places with Nadie. He took a large sack from an elder and held it up for all to see. He closed his eyes.
    â€œGreat Spirit, we are thankful for your blessings. Your land feeds our children. Your sky gives us rain to drink. Your forests provide us with shelter. Now we ask that you bless this ochre and make it holy. Bless this, the blood of Mother Earth, so that your people may be safely led to the Meeting Place, and to our people!”
    The crowd exploded. “Bless the blood!”
    The crowd suddenly fell silent. All heads were bowed in prayer. Kiera scanned the gathering. A memory began to nag at her. This all seemed so familiar. Yes, the Church! It was a ceremony from long ago in her memory. The image of the communions she had witnessed as a child. That was it! Chocan was using ochre instead of wine for the blessing. It was certainly similar, but also very different from what she could remember of the event.
    Starting with the oldest, the blessed ochre mix was applied to the forehead of each band member in the sign of the cross. When it was Kiera's turn, Sooleawaa dragged her up to the front, and Chocan applied it to her forehead as well.
    As Kiera was pulled away, she turned to her friend. “Sooleawaa, Chocan mentioned the Meeting Place. Where is it?”
    Sooleawaa smiled. “You will meet the rest of our family. Wait, you will see. We must travel far inland. The Meeting Place is to the east, beyond those distant hills.”
    Kiera felt her heart sink. They would be leaving the coast and taking her further away from the sea. She sighed. There was nothing she could do. Her leg must heal first before she could hope to go anywhere.
    As the gathering left the summer site in an orderly convoy, she wondered how her new friends would react when she informed them that she intended to return to the Viking settlement. Would they be angry? Would they even help her find her way back home? If they refused to let her go, then she would somehow have to make it back to the Viking village on her own.

    The band followed the river away from the western shores of the great sea. Travelling backwards, Kiera could see the faint band of blue water kissing the distant horizon as they climbed higher into the hills. With each rise, the band seemed to thin until, on the third day, the ocean disappeared completely.
    Kiera's heart plummeted. Her mind swirled with thoughts of her Viking village. She knew that with their failed mission to find new land, the village leaders would have no choice but to abandon Vinland and settle once again in either Greenland or Iceland. Returning east with the Vikings would mean that she would be moving closer to home. It would be one step closer to Ireland. She needed to get back to the village before they left Vinland. But how?
    Sooleawaa and Chocan sensed Kiera's sombre mood, but they were too busy with their own responsibilities to talk. Chocan, of course, was busy hauling Kiera and his supplies along the increasingly rocky trail. Sooleawaa was directly in front of her, following the crowd.