Read Preserving Hope for Free Online

provided ventilation from the smoke.
    The woman herself was imposing. She was tall by the standards of the day, and she displayed none of the timidity Will saw from Elizabeth. “Good morning, Arthur. Have you brought Elizabeth?” Her gaze was cool at best. Will needed no Energy or Empathy to detect friction between the two. Given his feelings about Arthur, he suspected this woman might become a strong ally.
    “I have, Eva,” Arthur replied. Will expected some type of handshake, but instead the woman dropped a small silver coin into Arthur’s hand. Arthur pocketed the coin. “Elizabeth! Inside!”
    The girl scooted past Will and into the small building. She’d said nothing during the walk, though Will had detected her emotional reaction to the conversation he’d had with her father. Her contempt for the man was so strong that Will almost didn’t need Empathy skills to feel it. He sensed that she felt a strong rapport with him, though. Will puzzled over both Elizabeth’s hatred toward her father, and the transaction he’d just witnessed. He did detect a quick glance by Elizabeth in Eva’s direction, and for the briefest moment saw a flash of a smile. Eva’s steely gaze softened for a moment at the look from Elizabeth, and she patted the girl on the shoulder as the young woman stepped into the room. The look was brief, however, and quickly hardened again as she returned her full attention to Arthur.
    Eva’s hazel eyes fell on Will, and she perused him with a calculating, though not unfriendly, look. “And who might you be?”
    “My name is Will. I’ve recently joined the community.”
    Eva’s gaze snapped back to Arthur. “Really? And who was part of this decision-making process, Arthur?” It was quite apparent that these two were rarely in agreement. He also detected a faint hint of Energy at work; certainly more than a mere neophyte, not quite so strong as Elizabeth, but certainly something. He made a mental note of it.
    “He checks out, Eva. And he’s a former merchant. We need more Traders. You’ve said so yourself.”
    Eva looked at Will once more. “And what type of trade did you engage in, Will?”
    Will thought quickly, trying to determine which of his businesses and experiences from the future would best translate into this time. “Tools used in construction, and medicines.”
    Arthur gave him an appraising look. “Medicines, do you say? Intriguing. We have few injuries or illnesses requiring treatment here, but it’s best to be prepared. We’ll need to set you up as our village doctor.”
    Will, who knew only the basics of first aid, thought to protest, but then nodded. “I’ll certainly help out in such circumstances, but I merely sold them. I did not make them. I am willing to learn though.”
    “Nevertheless,” Eva said, “that knowledge will be useful for our next Trading mission. We will always have need of medicines in this community, and few have any knowledge of them. None of our number has a sense of how to price medicines; it is one of the few areas we suspect we are overcharged.” She glanced at Arthur. “I’m not sure how you found this man, Arthur, but you’ve lucked into someone who appears competent.” She extended her hand to Will, and gave him a warm smile. “Welcome.”
    Will took it, and the Energy the woman possessed was even more apparent. Her eye contact was steady, but it was clear as her grip loosened and then tightened, accompanied by a barely-perceptible facial twitch, that she’d detected the Energy from him as an electric shock. He had no idea what her level of understanding of Energy was at this point, but one thing was certain. The ride for his first Trading mission was going to feature some very interesting conversations.
    “Thank you,” Will replied.
    “Will shall reside in the open room next to you, Eva, so you’ll be able to easily teach him how we prepare for our Trading missions.” Arthur glanced to the building to his right, situated in