Thank you for letting me visit Two Ends of the
Pen! I’m excited to be here to share about my action and adventure novel, The
Collar and the Cavvarach.
Set in a world alarmingly like our own, The
Collar and the Cavvarach is the story of fourteen-year-old Bensin, a slave,
whose status is made obvious to everyone by the steel collar locked around his
neck. A martial artist who competes to win money for his owner, Bensin
fights in tournaments with a sword-like weapon called a cavvarach. But his
greatest battle is the struggle to protect his little sister Ellie from the
horrors of legalized slavery in a world where slaves have few rights. Desperate
to protect Ellie, Bensin struggles to find a means - legal or otherwise - to
arrange for her freedom.
Sound like a story you might enjoy? I’ve
discounted The Collar and the Cavvarach to just 99 cents between now and
February 12th. Click
here to grab your copy before the price goes up!
Want to get a taste of the story first? Read on
for a sneak preview of chapter one!
The Collar and the
Cavvarach
Chapter One: Before
You Get a Collar
Everything was quiet in the next room, had been
quiet for at least half an hour. Bensin pressed his ear against the wall again,
and this time he heard the sound he had been waiting for: faint, rhythmic
snores. Perfect. Mr. Creghorn always slept the soundest when
he was snoring, and that meant that Mrs. Creghorn would probably have her
earplugs in.
Bensin rose from the mattress he had been
kneeling on, stretching his stiff limbs. Fishing in his pocket, he pulled out
the two paperclips he had straightened and then re-bent near the ends. He felt
his way across the dark room to the door, ran his hands over the handle till he
found the keyhole, and inserted the first paperclip. Though he could hardly see
anything anyway, he closed his eyes to concentrate as he inserted the second
one, raking it in and out to work his makeshift lock pick the way Ricky had
taught him. The metallic clickety-clickety seemed horribly
loud in the quiet house, but there was nothing to be done except hope his
owners were truly sleeping soundly.
Finally he felt the last pin rise out of the
way. With the first paperclip, he turned the lock, and with a quick twist of the
handle, the door swung open.
I did it! Grinning in triumph,
Bensin tiptoed through the doorway, down the carpeted hall, past the bedroom
where Mr. Creghorn was snoring away, past the baby’s room, and into the living
room. As softly as he could, he slid back the deadbolt on the front door and
found the keyhole. The clickety-clickety seemed even louder
now, and he held his breath, wondering if anyone would hear.
But the only other sound was the ticking of the
clock on the wall above the couch. Turning the handle to make sure the front
door was really unlocked, Bensin dared to breathe again.
Pocketing his paperclips, he tiptoed back into
the bedroom and pulled the door shut once more. Then he hurried over to the
other mattress and shook his little sister gently by the shoulder. “Ellie, wake
up!”
In the darkness, Ellie rolled over. “Hmm?”
“Wake up,” he repeated softly. “We’re leaving!”
She sat up, catching the urgency in his voice. “What
do you mean?”
“We’re escaping. Here, put your shoes and
sweater on.” He was already wearing his own sneakers, uncomfortably tight at
the toes since the Creghorns didn’t believe in buying shoes for slaves very
often. He bent to pick up the light jacket he had left at the foot of his
mattress. Though it still got warm in the middle of the day, nights were cool
at this time of the year in Jarreon.
“The Creghorns are asleep,” he told his sister
as he thrust his arms through the sleeves, “and I’ve got the door open. You’re
going to be free tonight!”
“But it didn’t work last time,” she protested,
fumbling in the dark to put on the clothes he handed her. “And they were really
mad.”
“I know, but I have a better plan this time. And
with it being New Year, I figure most of the City Watch will have the night
off, so we won’t be spotted as easily.”
“But what if they catch us again?”
“Then you just look small and cute like you’re
so good at, and you’ll have nothing to worry about. You’re too little to lash.”
He hoped.
“Can I bring Bunny?” She reached for the stuffed
rabbit Mom had made before Ellie was even born.
“Of course. Here, I’ll carry him in my pocket
for you. Now come on, and be quiet.”
Her little fingers tightened around his as he
led the way out of their bedroom, pausing to close the door silently behind
them. They tiptoed down the hallway and through the living room, and he eased
the front door open. Outside, he led her down the steps and along the walkway.
The front gate creaked loudly, and Bensin
winced. Ducking, he pulled Ellie down with him into the shadows behind the low
fence and then froze again. But there was no sound from the house, and no
lights went on behind the Creghorns’ bedroom window. Last night they had stayed
up past midnight to welcome in the New Year, so he knew they had been extra
tired tonight. Good.
Bensin rose to his feet and he and Ellie slipped
out onto the sidewalk, a cool breeze ruffling their hair. From the tight clutch
of her fingers around his, he could tell that his sister was scared, but she
knew better than to make a sound.
The street was still and empty, but that didn’t
mean anything. You never knew when a City Watch officer might pass by on
patrol. The moon was hidden behind a thick layer of cloud, but the street lamps
gave plenty of light. Strings of colorful New Year’s lights twined their way
along fences and around the trunks and lower branches of trees, making it
harder to find dark places to hide in.
Trying to avoid the light as much as possible,
Bensin steered Ellie along the edge of the sidewalk, hugging the shadows of the
neighbors’ hedges, darting across the well-lit areas. At the end of the block,
he turned left. Partway down the street, he crossed to the opposite side,
quickly pulling Ellie across the open space. There were fewer shadows to hide
in here, but he knew a couple of the families on the other side kept dogs. The
last thing he needed was for them to start barking and alert the neighborhood
to the presence of two runaway slaves. When he was sure they were well past, he
led his sister back across the street, thankful for some unadorned trees that
gave some protection from the street lights.
“Where are we going?” Ellie whispered, breaking
the silence.
“To the park, first,” Bensin whispered back. “We
can talk there. Now shh.”
They hurried on in silence, Bensin darting wary
glances at the houses on either side. In addition to the glowing New Year’s
decorations, many had porch lights on for safety, with an occasional nightlight
gleaming through bedroom curtains. But as far as he could tell, no one was
awake; no one heard them pass. Probably they were all dead to the world in
their beds, sleeping off their New Year’s dinners, dreaming about the gifts
they had received from friends and family and their hopes for the coming year.
I know what the year 154 will hold.
Freedom for Ellie. Bensin could endure anything himself if only his little
sister could be free and safe. That was the best, the only New Year’s gift he
wanted.
Turning a final corner, they saw the
neighborhood park at the end of the block. Ahead, street lamps and houses gave
way to dark open space. “Almost there,” he whispered encouragingly.
They crossed the street one more time to avoid
another dog. Beyond the last of the houses, concrete became grass beneath their
shoes. There wasn’t much cover here, with trees standing only around the edge.
Bensin pulled Ellie after him at a run, aiming for the playground in the
center. He was thankful there were no lights, but anyone looking out a window
in one of those last few houses would see them darting across the grass.
The playground loomed before them, beckoning
like the safe haven he hoped it would be. He led Ellie past the swings,
drifting back and forth a little in the night breeze, to the tallest slide. The
platform at the top was covered; they could rest there for a few minutes and
not be seen.
“I don’t want to play right now,” his sister
objected, panting, at the base of the ladder. “I’m too scared.”
“We’re not going to play. I’m going to explain
our plan up there where no one will see or hear us.”
He followed her to the top, pulling his feet out
of the too-tight shoes as they sat across from each other on the narrow
platform. The twisty slide spun away to his right and the ladder dropped down
to the left, but here at the top stood a sheltered island of safety. The City
Watch, if they passed by on patrol, wouldn’t see them in the shadows under the
domed plastic roof.
Lightning flickered from far off across the
city, and Ellie scooted closer to him. “Is it gonna rain?”
“Probably not.” Rainstorms were rare in Jarreon.
Only slightly less rare were the dry storms that sent dark clouds roiling
across the usually clear sky, bringing thunder and lightning and unfulfilled
threats.
And change. Mom had told him that stormy skies
were a sign that change was coming. The weather had been just like this the day
Ellie was born.
“Your life is about to change,” he told his
sister as thunder grumbled in the distance. He grinned, knowing she would hear
it in his voice even if she couldn’t see it. “We’re going to make you free! You’re
going to live with a mom and dad who love you, and maybe some brothers and
sisters too; and you’ll get to go to school — real school, not slave school —
where you’ll not only learn how to read and write, but all sorts of other fun
things. You’ll never have to wear a collar or be lashed, and no one will ever
force you to wake up early to feed the baby or change his diapers, or yell at
you if he cries. And someday when you grow up, you’ll be free to get a proper
job — whatever kind you like — and earn money, and buy whatever you want, and
maybe get married and have your own children if you feel like it. They’ll never
be sold away from you, and you can do whatever you want with your own life!”
“That’s what you said last time.” Ellie refused
to be impressed. “But it didn’t work.”
“I told you, I have a better plan this time.
Last time we tried to go too far. The orphanage is miles away; I should have
known we wouldn’t make it before it got light and the Watch caught us. But this
time we’re only going to a City Watch station. I’ve been talking to Ricky, and
I know how it works now. When free kids have problems, they can talk to a Watch
Officer, and he or she will help them. If the Watch officers think you’re free
and you don’t have any parents, they’ll find foster parents for you.” At least,
Ricky had been pretty sure that was the way it worked. “We don’t have to go all
the way to an orphanage for that.”
“But I thought the Watch station is the other
way.”
“There are lots of stations in Jarreon. The one
they took us to last time is the other way, but we’re not going there. I don’t
want to risk anyone recognizing you. Besides, when they find out you’re gone,
that’s the station the Creghorns will probably call, ’cause they’ve talked to
the officers there before. So we’re going to a different one. I looked it up
when we were in the library the other day, and I know how to get there now.”
“But I don’t like the Watch. They lashed you
last time.”
“Yeah, but it didn’t hurt. You know that. When
you’re as strong as I am, hardly anything hurts.” Bensin pushed up the sleeves
of his light jacket, flexing his muscles for her to see. “Grr! You know how
tough I am!”
She giggled. “Okay, but what are you gonna tell
them when we get there? They’ll know we’re running away.”
“No, they won’t. Since you don’t have a collar
yet, they’ll have no reason to think you’re a slave. You’re going to tell them
that you have no parents and nowhere to live, and then they’ll take care of you
until they find a nice family for you to live with.”
“But what about you?”
Here came the part she wouldn’t like. “They won’t
see me. I’ll take you as close to the station as I can, but you’ll have to go
knock on the door without me.”
Ellie drew in her breath, and her next words
came out in a wail. “But I can’t do it by myself! I don’t wanna go without you!”
Reaching out, he took both her hands in his. “You
have to be brave, Ellie. This is the only way it will work.”
“But I want you to be free with me!”
“I know, and I will be.” Maybe. “But
not yet. The moment they see my collar, they’ll know I’m a runaway slave, just
like before. This is probably our last chance, because I heard Mrs. Creghorn
saying the other day that you’re old enough you should be wearing a collar too
now.”
Ellie pulled a hand free from his and reached
over to finger the cold circle of steel around his neck. “I always wonder what
it’s like to wear one. Is it that bad?”
“Yeah, it is. Before you get a collar, people
don’t always know if you’re a slave or not. But when you have one, it’s
obvious. Everyone looks at you different, talks to you different, like you’re
an animal and not a person. When free people ask your name or who your owner
is, usually they don’t even wait for you to answer before they grab your collar
tag to read it for themselves. Sometimes if they really want to be mean, they
even call you ‘collar’. And I can’t pick the lock on my collar; I’ve tried I
don’t know how many times. So if you’re going to escape, it has to be before
you get one.”
She nodded, but she still looked sad. “Don’t
worry, though,” he assured her. “Once you’re free and safe, I’ll work on all my
days off and save all my money — every last sliver — until I have enough to buy
my own freedom. Then I’ll come and find you, and we’ll both be free and happy
together.”
Ellie sniffed, and he could tell she was trying
not to cry. He squeezed her hand. “When you were only one day old, I promised
Mom that I would take care of you and that I would make sure you were free
someday.” He had also promised to teach her to be strong and brave, but he hadn’t
made much progress yet in that area.
She wiped her cheeks with her sleeve. “I’ll get
a job first thing and start saving up all my money too. And then I’ll buy your
freedom right away and we can live together again.”
Free kids don’t get jobs. At least not
when they’re five. But Bensin rose to his knees and reached over to hug her. “What
a great idea! I knew you’d think of something smart like that. Now come on, it’s
time to go.”
She scooted over to the slide and pushed off.
Though Bensin knew he was too big, he squeezed onto it and spiraled his way
down behind her.
He had often brought her to the park to play on
their days off. Something inside him clenched up at the thought that he would
never come here with his sister again, never hear her laughing and calling out to
him as she zoomed down the slides or while he pushed her on the swings. But he
couldn’t let himself dwell on that. If she ever came to this park again, it
would be as a free girl with a new family. I’m keeping my promise, Mom.
Taking her hand in his again, he ran with her
toward the shelter of the trees at the edge of the playing field as lightning
flickered once more. “And remember,” he told her in a low voice, “you can’t
ever tell anyone you were a slave. Don’t ever talk about it with a single
person — not the Watch Officers, not your new family, not your friends, not the
teacher in your school. If they find out, they’ll make you a slave again.”
The two of them hurried down another residential
street, still keeping to the shadows as much as possible. Bensin tried not to
let himself think about all that might go wrong. And even if everything
goes right, Mr. Creghorn will bring out the Motivator and lash me within an
inch of my life tomorrow. Of course Bensin would pretend he didn’t
know where his sister had gone, but of course his owner wouldn’t believe a word
of it. It didn’t matter, though. Let him do his worst. I’ll die before
I tell. No matter what they did to him, it would be worth it.
In the distance, he could hear the sound of
traffic. “The next street is a busier one,” he warned Ellie in a whisper. “There
will be cars, so we’ll have to be extra careful to stay out of sight.” Watch
Officers were more likely to patrol there, too. He would have to keep a sharp
lookout.
They crept along the new street, Bensin bent
nearly double, staying in the shadows of the low brick wall that ran along the
front of people’s yards. Every time he heard a car coming, he dragged his
sister toward the nearest bush or parked car, crouching behind it with her
until the vehicle had passed. If only there were another way we could
go. But the only other routes he knew would take them far out of their
way.
Three blocks down, they came to the little
shopping center where Mrs. Creghorn sometimes sent him to buy groceries. Most
of the buildings were dark, but the parking lot was well lit, and he could see
lights on in the all-night pharmacy. The Happy New Year sign
in their window was flashing red and gold.
“We’ll go around the edge,” he whispered,
thankful for the thick hedge that bordered the parking lot.
They were less than halfway around when he heard
footsteps approaching, loud in the stillness. Ellie gasped, and he turned and
slid his hand over her mouth before she could make a sound that would give them
away. “Get down,” he breathed, and pushed her gently to the ground at the base
of the hedge. He dropped beside her, shielding her body with his, and the two
of them lay there where the shadows were darkest, holding their breath.
The footsteps drew closer. Bensin didn’t dare turn his head,
but out of the corner of his eye he could see a pair of black boots below the
dark blue pants of a Watch officer’s uniform. The man was walking past the
buildings with measured steps, a flashlight in hand. From time to time he swung
the beam of the light back and forth across the parking lot.
If he shines it this way, he’ll see us
for sure. Bensin
squeezed his arm more tightly around his sister’s shoulders, willing her to
stay silent. He could feel her little body trembling.
The officer drew closer, and Bensin could see
the sidearm in its holster at his belt. I bet I’m a better fighter than
he is. But the thought gave him no comfort. If they both had
cavvarachs, he could probably beat the officer in a duel, but that wouldn’t
help him now. He was unarmed; and anyway, a cavvarach, perfect for
close-quarters combat, was no match for a gun. Besides, you couldn’t fight a
Watch officer. Not unless you were looking for a death sentence.
Of course, the death penalty was the consequence
for a slave who attacked any free person. Mr. Creghorn loved to remind Bensin
of that, but Bensin was sure that law wasn’t always enforced. Who wanted to
waste a valuable slave when you could just sell him to someone else?
“Is it the Watch?” Ellie whispered.
“Shh!” He should have kept a hand over her
mouth. Had the officer heard? The man turned toward them, but he was still some
distance away, and it was impossible to guess anything from his expression. The
flashlight scrutinized the parking lot, asphalt and painted lines and occasional
scattered trash appearing in its sweeping beam. Bensin waited for it to flash
across his face, but the officer pointed it the other way, examining the space
between two buildings.
And then he was gone. The blue uniform
disappeared around a corner, and the sound of footsteps faded.
Bensin released his grip on Ellie and rose to
his hands and knees. “Get up, but keep quiet. Yes, it was a Watch officer, and
he’s just around the corner. We’re going to stay in the shadows and crawl in
case he comes back.”
He led the way along the hedge, keeping its
comforting darkness at their right, the open parking lot stretching away to the
left, the buildings beyond. They reached the corner and turned, still crawling. We’re
halfway around.
“My knees hurt,” whispered Ellie from behind
him. “Rocks and things are poking them.” The officer was nowhere in sight, so
Bensin stopped to let her rest. “What if he comes back and sees us?”
“If he sees you, just tell him what I told you
to say: that you don’t have any home or parents. As long as he doesn’t see me,
you’ll be fine.”
“But what if he sees us both?”
“That’s why we’re staying in the shadows. Now
come on.”
Bensin breathed a sigh of relief when they
completed their circuit of the shopping center without spotting the officer
again. He must have gone off to patrol somewhere else. “We can stand up again,
as long as we stay away from the light,” he told Ellie. “We’ve got two more
blocks to go on this road.”
They were nearly to their next turn when they
passed a gate behind which a large dog stood, wide awake and watching the
street. Bensin didn’t see it in time, and it burst into furious barking.
They both jumped, and Ellie shrieked in alarm,
immediately clapping a hand over her own mouth. “Sorry!” she whispered through
her fingers.
“Run!” Bensin grabbed her arm and dragged her
past the gate, the dog still shattering the night with its barking. A van was
parked by the curb a few houses ahead. He dashed toward it, sister in tow. “Scoot
under,” he ordered, just as a porch light flicked on.
Flinging himself to the ground, he wriggled
forward on his belly, his dangling collar tag scraping over the asphalt and the
back of his jacket snagging against the van’s undercarriage. Ellie followed,
and the two of them lay there on the cold ground, listening. From inside the
house, a woman’s voice called to the dog.
Ellie reached for Bensin’s hand as a door
opened. “What’s the matter?” they heard the woman say. “There’s no one here.
You barking at stray cats again?”
The dog gave one last wuff and
went silent. They could hear its owner walking around her front yard, probably
checking for intruders, and then the front door opened and shut once more.
Bensin waited until his heart had slowed back to
its normal pace. “You’re doing great,” he whispered. “You’re so brave! Mom
would have been proud of you. Ready to keep going?”
“I guess so,” she whispered back, her voice
tremulous.
They crawled out from under the van and
continued down the street, darting into the shadows whenever a car drove by. At
last they reached their turnoff.
“I’m tired,” Ellie complained. “Are we almost
there?”
“Not really. It’s still a long way.”
“Can’t we stop and rest some more? I’m hungry,
too.”
“I’m sure they’ll give you something to eat at
the station. But I guess we can stop for a bit if I can find somewhere safe. In
the meantime, I’ll give you a piggyback ride.” He crouched low and hoisted her
onto his back.
A moment later, Bensin almost jumped out of his
skin when a ragged man who had obviously had too much to drink came stumbling
around a corner and bumped right into him. He leaped aside, nearly dropping his
sister, and wondered at the same moment what kind of kick would work best with
his hands occupied and the extra weight on his back.
But no. The man wasn’t wearing a collar, and
Bensin couldn’t afford to risk his life by attacking a free man, even a bum.
Not when he was already risking so much tonight anyway.
But the bum didn’t seem to care. He mumbled what
might have been a greeting and staggered on his way, clutching a bottle.
Still, Bensin didn’t want to chance the man
remembering them and telling someone in authority. He crossed the street at a
run, darted down another, and turned at the first corner. Ahead, he saw lights
and heard music. Probably the bar the man had come from, full of revelers
toasting the New Year.
“Are we lost?” squeaked Ellie in his ear, arms
clasped tightly around his neck.
“No, we just took a detour.” Bensin spied a dark
opening between two buildings. “Look, there’s an alley. I’m going to set you
down and check if it’s safe, and if it is, we can sit in there and rest a
little while.” He squatted down and gently unpried her arms.
Spying an empty beer can on the ground nearby,
he tossed it into the darkness. It bounced off something with a metallic
clatter, but there was no other response. Satisfied, Bensin beckoned his sister
forward. “Okay, let’s go in.”
The metal object turned out to be a trashcan,
which Bensin bumped into and nearly knocked over in the dark. Wincing at the
loud clang, he sat down behind it and pulled Ellie down beside him.
It smelled none too pleasant, and he didn’t want to think about how filthy the
ground probably was. But at least no one would see them. “We can rest for a few
minutes. Not too long, though.”
“Can I hold Bunny?”
“Of course.” He pulled the toy out of his pocket
and handed it over. Freeing his feet once more, he rested them carefully on top
of his shoes so he wouldn’t dirty his socks with whatever was underfoot. He
massaged his sore toes. I’m going to have blisters after this for sure.
Ellie settled the crocheted rabbit on her lap
and stroked it as though it were a real animal. “Don’t worry, Bunny,” he heard
her whisper. “We’ll be okay. At least me and you will still be together.”
She leaned against Bensin’s shoulder. In a few
minutes he felt her relax, and her breathing grew regular.
Lightning flickered overhead, illuminating
bulging layers of cloud. It must be a good sign. Ellie’s life is going
to change tonight, Bensin reminded himself. It won’t be much
longer now.
Several times he heard people walk past the
mouth of their alley, some talking loudly and drunkenly. Nobody ventured in,
though, and Bensin was confident he had chosen a safe hiding place. Still, they
couldn’t wait around too long. He had to drop Ellie off at the Watch station
and get home before morning.
Finally he pulled his shoes back on and shook
his sister awake. “Come on, Ellie. We can’t sit here all night.”
“I’m sleepy,” she protested as he pulled her to
her feet. “I don’t wanna go any farther. I wanna go to bed.”
“The Watch officers will give you a nice, warm,
comfortable bed to sleep in as soon as we get to the station. And something to
eat,” he promised, hoping he was right. “Now let me put Bunny back in my
pocket, and let’s go.”
“No. I wanna hold Bunny.”
He didn’t bother arguing. “All right, but if we
have to run and you drop him, we might not be able to go back.”
“I won’t drop him.”
At the mouth of the alley, he paused to glance
both ways before venturing out. Almost immediately, a flashlight beam from
across the street sliced through the darkness. Bensin jumped back, nearly
tripping over his sister. “Get back! Get back!” He pushed her behind the
trashcan once more.
“What is it? Is it another Watch officer?” she
whimpered, wide awake now.
“I think so.” Crouching, Bensin peered out from
behind the trashcan. He was horrified to see a uniformed officer crossing the
street toward them, his flashlight beam playing back and forth across the alley
entrance. “He must have heard us. We have to get further back. Maybe there’s
another way out of here.” He grabbed her hand and dragged her after him, still
crouching low. Another trashcan loomed, and he dodged just in time. Darting
behind it, he was dismayed to find that they had reached a dead end. Could they
climb the wall?
“Who’s back there?” called a stern voice from
the alley entrance. A beam of light illuminated the dirty ground just to their
right and the brick wall behind them.
We can’t get over the wall without him
seeing us. On his own, Bensin might be able to shimmy over and flee
down the next street without getting caught or shot. But with Ellie, his
chances were much smaller. Besides, there were probably more officers nearby,
especially considering that this was a neighborhood with a bar. He
could call for backup, and before we know it we’ll be in the middle of a
manhunt. Bensin had seen such things on TV when the Creghorns watched
the news.
There’s only one way out of this. “Ellie,” Bensin
whispered through a sudden terrified tightness in his throat, “it’s time for
you to do what we talked about. The man won’t hurt you. Go tell him your
parents are dead and you have nowhere to live.”
“You mean — go out there all alone?” she gasped.
“I know you’re there,” called the officer. “Come
out, whoever you are.”
Bensin clenched his fists in anguish. How could
he send his little sister to face a Watch officer by herself? The man had a
gun, for the emperor’s sake! If he couldn’t escape with her, his instincts
screamed that he had to protect her in any way he could — with his own life, if
necessary. Certainly not hide in the shadows and send her out to face an armed
man alone.
But Bensin couldn’t forget his mother’s words
that day he had visited her in the hospital. “Slavery is worse for girls,
Bensin. Their owners think they can do anything they want with them. Promise me
you’ll look after Ellie as much as you can. Teach her to be strong and brave.”
And Bensin, tears in his eyes at the frightening
sight of Mom so pale and weak on her hospital bed, had looked down at the red,
wrinkly bundle that was his little sister and promised. “I will, Mom. I’ll take
care of care of her no matter what.” As an afterthought, he had added, “And
someday she’ll be free. I’ll make sure of it, I promise. I promise!”
And this was his last chance to keep that
promise. The Creghorns would take Ellie to get her collar any day now, and she
would never escape after that.
“Come out with your hands in the air!” the
officer called. He sounded closer.
“Go, Ellie,” Bensin whispered, trying to make
his voice encouraging. “It’s time for you and Bunny to get a new home. Step out
where the man can see you and say what I told you to. And don’t let him know I’m
here.”
She gave a frightened little whimper but obeyed.
Rising to her feet, she took a shaky step forward, Bunny clutched to her chest
like a life preserver.
Bensin had never felt like such a loser.
Want to find out what happens to Bensin and
Ellie? Click here to download the ebook for just 99
cents!
About
the Author:
Annie Douglass Lima considers herself fortunate
to have traveled in twenty different countries and lived in four of them. A
fifth-grade teacher in her “other” life, she loves reading to her students and
sparking their imaginations. Her books include science fiction, fantasy, YA action and adventure novels, a puppet script, anthologies of her students’
poetry, Bible verse coloring and activity
books, and a fantasy-themed
cookbook. When she isn’t teaching or writing, Annie can often be
found sipping spiced chai or pomegranate green tea in exotic locations, some of
which exist in this world.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/princeofalasia
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/ADLimaOnGoodreads
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/anniedouglasslima
LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/ADLimaOnLinkedIn
Thanks so much for featuring The Collar and the Cavvarach! I hope your readers enjoy it!
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