Read Online The Guardians (Book 2) by Dan O'Sullivan - Free Book Online

Kelian and Immosey.
    ‘ Our turn to stand watch,’ she said firmly. She was pleased there were no objections, and Borgulnay and Gilgarry unbuckled their knife sheathes and belted them firmly around the girls waists. Kelian picked up his sword and scabbard.
    ‘ Why don’t I get a sword?’ asked Immosey. Borgulnay glanced uneasily at Gilgarry who shrugged and gave his sword to Immosey. She held the sword awkwardly, but raised her chin and walked determinedly from the room. ‘We’ll wake you if anyone is trying to kill us all,’ Immosey declared as she went down the front steps and into the yard.
    Louisa dashed down the street until she reached the well. There was only one house opposite , so she rushed over and thumped on the door. It opened almost immediately and a small woman appeared in the doorway.
    ‘ Please,’ said Louisa anxiously, ‘I have a message for Ethan from Colonel Mulgrew.’ The woman’s eyes opened in surprise and she grabbed Louisa by the hand, dragged her into the house and slammed the door behind her.
    ‘ Ethan!’ she cried as she pulled Louisa down the hallway. ‘There’s a woman here who has a message for you from Colonel Mulgrew!’ she exclaimed.
    A small muscular man appeared in a doorway. He stared at Louisa with an expression of curiosity and disbelief. ‘What message?’
    ‘ Colonel Mulgrew said to send reinforcements. That was all he told me to say.’
    Ethan moved towards her like he was in a dream. ‘Lilly, I want you to take the grandchildren and go up to your brother’s farm. You know what I have to do.’ Lilly dashed down the hallway and disappeared through an open doorway. ‘We’ll need to go down to the tavern,’ said Ethan, leading Louisa back to the front door.
    The tavern was crowded and noisy. ‘To Ethan!’ a combined salute of voices cried and everyone inside raised their glasses and drank as Ethan and Louisa pushed their way through the crowd. ‘And some other beautiful stranger!’ one voice commented loudly and everyone laughed merrily and raised their glasses again. ‘Beautiful stranger!’ they cried and they drank in salute. Ethan frowned as he stared around the noisy room then he turned to the tavern master. ‘Where’s Simon?’ he asked looking through the crowd who were now raising their glasses to the next person who had walked in the door, then to the weather they were having, then to someone called Joe Leroy who did his wife the wonderful kindness of leaving town. Louisa took it they didn’t like the man and she couldn’t help but smile when she saw that the biggest salute to the man came from a small, beaten looking woman in the middle of the crowd. ‘And to Mrs. Leroy!’ they all shouted raising their glasses once again. ‘Who is now in the market for a new husband – may he be better than the last bastard!’ Laughter followed this observation and Mrs. Leroy drank deeply in agreement. The tavern master handed Ethan and Louisa mugs of ale.
    ‘ Over in the corner, drinking himself under the table as usual,’ the tavern master observed jokingly and Louisa turned to see a thin, completely sober man sitting quietly in the corner nursing a pewter mug of water. Ethan made his way over and sat opposite the man.
    ‘ You’re not going to believe this, Simon, but the Colonel just called for reinforcements,’ Ethan stated.
    Simon ’s mug slipped through his fingers and dropped to the floor, and he leapt to his feet as an expression of perplexity and shock rushed over his face. ‘You’re not joking are you Ethan?’ he asked.
    ‘ Had too many Simon?’ a voice called out cheekily and the crowd laughed merrily.
    ‘ Quiet!’ Simon shouted, banging his hand on the table. The crowd turned to stare at him and all fell silent. ‘Tell them,’ he said to Ethan, gesturing to the crowd.
    Ethan gazed around the silent crowd. ‘Colonel Mulgrew just sent me a message.’
    ‘ What message?’ someone in the crowd called.
    Ethan turned to Louisa.