Page 1 of Running to the Mountain Man

Chapter One

Goldie

“Stay close to water. You’ll have tree cover.”

My advice is laughably inadequate, but this is the best I can come up with on such short notice for Louisa.

“But what about camping in the mountains?”

I look at my friend with helplessness. “Let’s face it, pumpkin,” I say. “You’re not cut out for roughing it.”

We hug each other tight, and she lets herself cry for just a moment. Me? I’m not crying; I’m internally screaming.

Seconds later, Louisa leaves me forever.

I watch my friend get smaller and smaller as she trudges away over the rugged pasture, her oversized boots squelching in the mud. She hugs her chocolate-brown cardigan close around her thin frame. The skirt of her wedding dress floats in the cold breeze like a ghost.

I could go with her.

But I need to stay and let the elders focus their energies on punishing me instead of looking for the women who flee. Any logical cult leader would simply let people leave instead of causing a ruckus. The way Prophet Orlyn and Elder Nevyn drew attention to us by trespassing, threatening, and shooting at our neighbors was truly not in the church’s best interest. It’s all about male ego.

“I’m gonna kill ’em. One of these days. With my bare hands, if that’s what it takes.”

I sound insane. I know.

There’s never been anything logical about the Celestial Order of Covenant Kinship, though.

Since Orlyn rose to power and gave our little band of weirdos that name, and instituted all kinds of stupid laws, everything’s gone to hell.

And things are getting worse and worse. They’re marrying us off faster and faster, at an alarming rate.

We used to have choices.

Now, with the Prophet in exile, everything has become more strict.

The flat valley leaves me wide open to suspicion. I’ll be spotted by some snitch soon enough.

A sane person would be worried, but I’m happy to stay here and get caught, so I can throw sand in the works. I’ll do whatever I need to do to buy my indoor girl some time to get to safety.

I can tough it out. And I’m sure Olivia is fine. That one can ride a horse, shoot a gun, and take life by the balls. Louisa is tender and bookish, but she’s smart, and I’m confident she’ll make it by sheer force of stubborn optimism. My plan is to head to the mountains. My brother, Theo, was working as a custodian at one of the fancier lodges up there, last I heard. I’d like to track him down and make sure he’s okay.

Too many brothers have been shunned from the compound. We have too many men and not enough women, according to The Prophet. The younger men are seen as competition and are often cast out simply for being younger and more attractive to the young women of the church. It’s despicable.

Louisa’s wedding dress billows one last time before she disappears into the dormant thicket along Darling Creek. And then, she’s gone.

First Olivia, now Louisa. Both of my best friends are gone, and I’m alone.

I feel as though something huge has been ripped away. It feels like a death. It feels like I’ve lost both my legs.

At least she won’t be too cold for long. The trees have not yet started to bud along the water that snakes through the valley, but the sun is shining, and at least the ice has melted now. Still, I hope she gets to town soon; there’s no way Louisa can live off the land.

Me, on the other hand? It won’t be easy, but I can do that.

Once Windgrave Mountain is green again, I know where I’m going. With my knowledge of foraging and survival skills, I can hide in the bush for weeks until the elders give up and stop looking for me.

I know what mushrooms to eat and what to avoid. I know what side of the mountain the bears live and where the best berries grow.

I turn my face down and wipe my eyes. When I clear away the stupid tears, a sign of spring greets me right below my feet. A friendly bit of green peeks through the mud.

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