Blood Moon by Jana Petken Page B

a farm some twelve miles up the wetlands and wooded route. It was a difficult drive, she told Mercy, and not one she liked taking with a wagon. There was flat agricultural land for a few miles, but then they would encounter soggy ground thick with undergrowth. Seth would be handed over to Mr Garret, a man Lina knew well and trusted implicitly.
     
    So far, the journey had been smooth, without any major catastrophes. They had met some rough terrain, at times awkward to manoeuvre through bramble bushes, waterlogged marshes, and thickets. But the moon was almost full in a crisp and clear sky, which gave the land a stunning deep blue hue and afforded good visibility. They had but two miles to go, and not a living soul had been spotted since they had left the outskirts of Newport News; however, Lina decided to rest the horses after they’d struggled across a particularly difficult couple of miles of uneven ground.
    The wagon stopped at a riverbank. Mercy led the horses to a small pebbled area at the water’s edge and watched them drink. She then moved them and the wagon to a clearing just behind a coppice of bushes and rushes. She waited patiently until the horses had pulled and ground their teeth on the sparse grassy roots and then knotted the lead rope around a tree. She picked up a couple of oat pouches, slung one strap of each over each horse’s neck, and then secured the pouches under the horses’ mouths before returning to the river.
    Mercy was in an optimistic mood. They had made good time, and according to Lina’s calculations, they were only about thirty minutes away from Garrett’s farm. She took a handful of water and splashed it on her face. Her body ached, and she could not shake off the weariness that plagued her. Just before leaving the hotel, she had concluded that wearing a dress was a silly idea and had put on the breeches, shirt, braces, and jacket that she loved so much. As always, Eddie’s hat sat on her head, hiding her hair and half her face.
    She could not get Jacob out of her thoughts. She had promised him that she’d be good. She wouldn’t stray again or put herself in danger, she’d told him. He’d only been gone four days, but every minute of every day since then had seemed endless as she struggled to come to terms with his absence yet again.
    She dismissed her guilt as quickly as it had descended. They would be back at the hotel by morning. She would write to Jacob, telling him that she was going to the cabin, the safest place in Virginia, she thought. No one would be any the wiser, and another slave would be on his way to freedom.
    Mercy looked up. Lina was sitting a few feet from her, giving encouraging words to Seth. Mercy smiled. Lina could be crabby at times, but she had a kind heart and the gift of empathy. Lina was not complaining about being tired, Mercy noted, splashing her face again, so neither would she. 
    “Mercy, Seth here wants to know what freedom feels like and what he should do with it. I told him it’s a state of mind, no matter if a body’s a slave or not a slave. Ain’t no man can enslave another man’s heart and soul, ’cause them would be belongin’ to God almighty. How would you describe freedom?”
    Mercy pondered a good answer for just a second and then decided to say exactly what she felt. “Well, this might sound silly, but I felt free when I walked across a long bridge that stood high above a wide river running through London. I was forbidden to do that, but when I disobeyed my grandparents, it felt like the first time I had ever made a decision on my own. On that day, I chose to walk down any street I fancied and talk to anyone I wanted without permission. I even sat in a restaurant all by myself. I will never forget that feeling, Seth, and you won’t forget the first time you get to choose what to eat, where to walk, or where to sleep at night. You won’t have to answer to anyone. You will have to find a way to earn your living, though, no matter how