Read Online The Protectors: Book 1 in the Protectors Saga by Paige Dooling - Free Book Online
Authors: Paige Dooling
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area of cleared
land covered with grass and dried leaves. In the middle, there was
a large water well made out of dark colored stones and covered with
a wooden roof supported by four stone posts. Towards the outlying
right end of the village, Avery could barely make out what looked
like three large tables and six benches. They looked as if they
could easily fit at least fifty people each.
Avery was still absorbing some of the sights of the
village, like the extensive vegetable gardens that lay beyond the
tree houses, a few farm animals in small pastures, and the swords
lying against the trunk of the Blacksmith’s tree house, when she
realized something was tugging at the pocket of her jeans. She
glanced down and saw Gumptin trying to pull her towards the
entrance.
“Lay off!” Avery hissed at him, smacking his hand
away.
That was the second time in an hour Avery had to
smack Gumptin away from pushing her around, Avery hoped this was a
habit they weren’t going to keep.
“We do not have time for you to stand here and try to
build up some nerve.” Gumptin scolded her, “Going back to your
village is the easy part, Avery.”
He pushed her hard in the small of her back, towards
the village, causing Avery to jerk forward, run into something, and
tumble over it. As she spun around and was falling backwards, Avery
was able to see what Gumptin had pushed her into. It was a wooden
post, a foot taller than Avery, with a sign on the top of it that
read. ‘Welcome to Havyn, Pop. 236’.
Avery tried to make a grab for the sign, but only
managed to graze it with her finger tips, which spun her body back
around so that she landed on the ground flat on her face instead of
on her butt.
“Son of a bitch!” Avery yelled at the top of her
lungs, picking herself off the ground and rubbing her throbbing
elbow that had landed on a small rock. She spun around to face
Gumptin, her mind set on killing the little man, “What the Hell did
you do that for?!” Avery shouted at him.
She felt sure she just might throttle him. Avery
noticed that as she was yelling at Gumptin, he was looking past
her. That only pissed Avery off more. He could at least have the
decency to look at her after what he had just done; so she could
properly scold him.
“Avery?” The voice came from behind Avery, and she
froze as it began to dawn on her what Gumptin was most likely
staring at.
Avery turned around slowly, still holding her wounded
elbow. She saw that the voice had come from a boy, not much older
than her. He had shaggy brown hair, and tanned skin smudged with
dirt. The clothes he wore, brown cotton pants and a blue tunic with
a belt cinched around it looked well worn. Just by looking at him
Avery could tell he definitely worked hard for a living.
The boy wasn’t the only one staring at her; he was
surrounded by five other villagers, and Avery noticed a multitude
of other people stopping what they were doing, coming out of their
houses, and making their way over to where she stood.
Oh, my God, she thought, the whole freaking village
is on their way to come see me.
Gumptin had come up to stand beside Avery, “I told
you I would bring her home.” He addressed the villagers, “She is
just as she was.”
Gumptin looked Avery up and down, scrutinizing, and
Avery had a strong suspicion he didn’t believe what he had just
said.
The boy who had said her name ran up and gave her a
tight hug, “Thank God, you’re back.” He said into her ear.
Avery gasped, not knowing how to deal with this
reaction. She lightly hugged him back.
When she pulled back from the boy the rest of the
villagers were waiting to follow suit, some hugged her, some patted
her on the back, and a few even shook her hand. There were a small
amount of them crying, but the rest looked as happy as if they were
receiving presents on their birthday.
Avery heard people say things to her like, ‘We were
so scared the Protectors wouldn’t return to us’ and ‘I knew you
were
land covered with grass and dried leaves. In the middle, there was
a large water well made out of dark colored stones and covered with
a wooden roof supported by four stone posts. Towards the outlying
right end of the village, Avery could barely make out what looked
like three large tables and six benches. They looked as if they
could easily fit at least fifty people each.
Avery was still absorbing some of the sights of the
village, like the extensive vegetable gardens that lay beyond the
tree houses, a few farm animals in small pastures, and the swords
lying against the trunk of the Blacksmith’s tree house, when she
realized something was tugging at the pocket of her jeans. She
glanced down and saw Gumptin trying to pull her towards the
entrance.
“Lay off!” Avery hissed at him, smacking his hand
away.
That was the second time in an hour Avery had to
smack Gumptin away from pushing her around, Avery hoped this was a
habit they weren’t going to keep.
“We do not have time for you to stand here and try to
build up some nerve.” Gumptin scolded her, “Going back to your
village is the easy part, Avery.”
He pushed her hard in the small of her back, towards
the village, causing Avery to jerk forward, run into something, and
tumble over it. As she spun around and was falling backwards, Avery
was able to see what Gumptin had pushed her into. It was a wooden
post, a foot taller than Avery, with a sign on the top of it that
read. ‘Welcome to Havyn, Pop. 236’.
Avery tried to make a grab for the sign, but only
managed to graze it with her finger tips, which spun her body back
around so that she landed on the ground flat on her face instead of
on her butt.
“Son of a bitch!” Avery yelled at the top of her
lungs, picking herself off the ground and rubbing her throbbing
elbow that had landed on a small rock. She spun around to face
Gumptin, her mind set on killing the little man, “What the Hell did
you do that for?!” Avery shouted at him.
She felt sure she just might throttle him. Avery
noticed that as she was yelling at Gumptin, he was looking past
her. That only pissed Avery off more. He could at least have the
decency to look at her after what he had just done; so she could
properly scold him.
“Avery?” The voice came from behind Avery, and she
froze as it began to dawn on her what Gumptin was most likely
staring at.
Avery turned around slowly, still holding her wounded
elbow. She saw that the voice had come from a boy, not much older
than her. He had shaggy brown hair, and tanned skin smudged with
dirt. The clothes he wore, brown cotton pants and a blue tunic with
a belt cinched around it looked well worn. Just by looking at him
Avery could tell he definitely worked hard for a living.
The boy wasn’t the only one staring at her; he was
surrounded by five other villagers, and Avery noticed a multitude
of other people stopping what they were doing, coming out of their
houses, and making their way over to where she stood.
Oh, my God, she thought, the whole freaking village
is on their way to come see me.
Gumptin had come up to stand beside Avery, “I told
you I would bring her home.” He addressed the villagers, “She is
just as she was.”
Gumptin looked Avery up and down, scrutinizing, and
Avery had a strong suspicion he didn’t believe what he had just
said.
The boy who had said her name ran up and gave her a
tight hug, “Thank God, you’re back.” He said into her ear.
Avery gasped, not knowing how to deal with this
reaction. She lightly hugged him back.
When she pulled back from the boy the rest of the
villagers were waiting to follow suit, some hugged her, some patted
her on the back, and a few even shook her hand. There were a small
amount of them crying, but the rest looked as happy as if they were
receiving presents on their birthday.
Avery heard people say things to her like, ‘We were
so scared the Protectors wouldn’t return to us’ and ‘I knew you
were
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