Spiritwarrior (The Colemans’ Legacy #2)
Prologue
T hey were the first settlers. The woman, heavy with child, was unable to go on with the others who had been driven from their homeland. Her husband, determined to save his wife from their merciless demands, had snuck them away from the military officers to escape through the heavy wilderness.
Once they were out of sight, he had tugged her up the mountain, and they had made it halfway to the top when, auspiciously, they had found themselves in a clearing, having just enough time to make a hasty shelter before their son was born. The husband held his son in his arms as both of them listened to mounted soldiers starting up the mountain in pursuit. The frightened snorting of the animals indicated they were being spooked away.
It was only near dawn, after hours had passed in silence, did they venture to speak.
“What should we name him?” she asked, attempting to put on a brave face.
The father thought of the lone military officer who had taken pity on his wife’s condition and had made sure she was never whipped liked the others, who had given them part of his rations so they weren’t forced to either eat tainted rations or starve, and who had slipped him money from his own pocket before turning a blind eye to let them slip away after telling them there was a trading post nearby in the valley, between the sky-high mountains.
“Calian.”
The woman’s lips trembled in a smile. “Warrior of life,” she stated. “He will have to be to make it out here.”
“We all will have to be. It will not be easy,” he warned.
A small laugh escaped her as she laid her head back down wearily. “To give her credit, she did warn us.”
“Yes, she did,” he said grimly. “When you are strong enough for me to leave you alone, I will go find the trading post. Officer Coleman gave me enough money to buy supplies.”
“Will they sell to you?”
“He also gave me papers and some of his clothes.”
“What kind of papers?”
“Identification papers. Jace told me he could get more for himself when he returned home.”
“What is your new name?”
“Jace Coleman.”
“So, we are Colemans now?”
“Yes.”
“Calian Coleman,” she said softly, staring at the child snuggled against his father’s chest. “I like the sound of it. Are we going to stay here or find somewhere else to settle?” she asked, looking around the forest surrounding them.
“We are staying.” His steely tone disclosed his determination.
“What if this land belongs to someone?”
“This mountain is mine.”
She shook her head at him. “You cannot claim a mountain.”
“Watch me. I claimed you, did I not?”
“I am not exactly a mountain.”
“Look around. Before I am done, I am going to own as far as you can see, and then some. No one will ever be able to drag us away again.”
She believed him, as he never said anything he did not mean.
Reaching out, she took her son back into her arms. “I have been gifted a son and a mountain in one day.” Taking the little fingers in her hand, she stared down into the sleepy gaze blinking up at her.
She pulled the infant closer as she shivered in fear. Would they be able to protect their child from the hardships ahead of them? Other than a fire and what items her husband had managed to accumulate and keep hidden in anticipation of their escape, they had nothing. Even the shelter was just a horse blanket tied between two trees.
Seeing her shiver, her husband lay down next to her to share his warmth.
“It is starting to snow,” she whispered, not wanting to wake her sleeping son.
“As soon as it is light, I will build a place to keep us warm—there are enough broken limbs I can use. I will not go to the trading post until you and the baby are safe enough to be left alone for a day.”
As the bright moon shone down on them, the worry and fear she had been feeling since their journey had begun inexplicitly ebbed away.
“We’ll be safe while you are gone—the mountain will protect us.” She didn’t know how she knew that, yet she did. “That is why the horses would not let them follow us. Mother wanted us to find this place. She wanted to make sure we would survive.”