Read The Light of His Sword for Free Online

night we tried to escape, but we didn’t get
far.” Alyssa’s voice caught in her throat. “I believe they killed
my father that night. I never saw him again. My mother was never
the same after that night.”
    Gabe nodded and said, “Your father was a
brave man. He died trying to save his family.”
    “I miss him so much,” Alyssa whispered, “And
my mother too.”
    Gabe reached out and touched her hand. “What
will you do once you reach the farm?”
    “I don’t know,” Alyssa answered with a
frown, “I haven’t thought that far ahead, but my grandmother says
we will be safe.”
    “What kind of farm is it?” Gabe said.
    “She has a sharecropper who farms 300 acres
of her land. Mother told me it’s a working farm. She has sheep,
half a dozen pigs, chickens, a handful of dairy cows, a sheepdog
and about a dozen cats.” Alyssa laughed as she spoke. “It sounds
wonderful!”
    Gabe chuckled and added, “The perfect place
to raise a child.”
    “Do you have any children?” Alyssa asked,
gazing into the darkness before them.
    Gabe concentrated on the dark road before
them. They traveled on the same narrow two-lane highway as before.
The sky twinkled through a haze of clouds. Yet the sliver of a
crescent moon could not offer light to the farm fields and forests
around them.
    “I was not blessed with the privilege of
having a child.” He said turning to gaze at her.
    When their eyes met, Alyssa felt the
familiar pang in her stomach. “Are you married?” She asked.
    “My work is my life.” Gabe’s eyes seemed to
change to a darker shade of blue as he stared at her.
    The sun sank toward a horizon filled with
tall evergreens and distant hills. Gabe pulled his truck into a
large truck stop and said, “Why don’t you two go inside and grab us
a table in the restaurant while I fill up the tank?”
    When he strode into the restaurant, the
waitress was at their table with glasses of water and silverware.
Gabe smiled at the tall, thin waitress with curly dark hair and
said, “Hi Julie, how are the kids?”
    “Gabe!” Julie said with a high-pitched
squeal and gave him a quick hug. “They’re doing great, Lexi’s rash
has cleared up and Skylar is doing much better in school now that
he has a new teacher.”
    “Good to hear,” Gabe answered sliding into
the booth next to Samantha. “Did Frankie find a job?”
    “He did,” Julie smiled down at him, “You
were right; the sporting goods store snatched him right up. He
loves it, and the steady cash is really making a difference.”
    “Good to here, tell him I said hello.” Gabe
added glancing at Alyssa.
    “So, the usual?” Julie asked poised with her
pen to write his order down on her notepad.
    “Yes, Ma’am.” Gabe grinned, still looking at
Alyssa.
    Julie turned to Alyssa and asked, “And for
you two ladies?”
    Alyssa glanced at the large menu before her.
There were so many pages filled with all sorts of food, many she’d
never heard of before. She had no idea what to choose. Samantha
climbed onto her knees and leaned over the table asking, “How about
hot chocolate and soup?”
    Gabe chuckled and added, “Why don’t we give
the lady the pot roast dinner and Samantha a grilled cheese
platter?”
    Alyssa nodded anxiously at Gabe and gave the
waitress a shy glance.
    “Sounds good,” Julie smiled back at her,
“And a hot chocolate?”
    “Oh yes!” Samantha answered with a giggle,
“With marshmallows?”
    Alyssa laughed and said, “You don’t even
know what a marshmallow is.”
    “I know,” Samantha answered, “But it sounds
delicious.”
    The waitress disappeared, and Samantha
colored on the paper placement with crayons the waitress brought.
Alyssa glanced around the restaurant watching the other patrons.
She was fascinated by the families eating together smiling and
talking.
    Gabe watched her in silence as she gazed
from table to table. When she turned to look at him, she blushed
realizing he was looking at her. She glanced down then