Keeper of the Books (Keeper of the Books, Book 1) by Jason D. Morrow Page A

somewhere. At least, I think he is.”
    “You think he appeared somewhere just like you did?”
    “I suppose so,” Nate answered. “But I haven’t seen him here.”
    “So, you were in this Texas place,” Marum said, “and then you all of a sudden wind up in a jail cell in Galamore, correct?”
    “That’s more or less the case,” he said.
    “Did you fall asleep? Did you travel through some magical portal?”
    Nate thought about it a moment as he stepped over a downed tree, his boot splashing into a muddy puddle. “More like the portal thing, yeah.” Nate didn’t see the harm in telling her. What difference did it make whether she knew about the book or not? The story was crazy to Nate, but so was the idea of walking through the forest with a creature called a gray elf who was supposed to be dead. “It was a book. I was hired to get it. Me and my brother looked at it. We were pulled into it. Next thing I know, I’m on death row and I’m breaking you out.”
    Marum stopped suddenly and turned to look at Nate. The look on her face was wild, wilder than Nate had seen it. “You said a book?”
    Nate’s eyebrows turned down when he looked at her. “Yeah. You know about it?”
    Marum thought for a second then shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. I just…” She was about to say something else when both of them turned their attention to a nearby ridge to their left.
    Nate and Marum both ducked low and Nate drew his pistol. They had never strayed too far from the road, and now Nate was beginning to think they should have traveled deeper into the woods. There were more soldiers on horseback from Tel Haven. He couldn’t tell from here if they were the same ones, but they surely had the same mission.  
    Marum leaned in close to Nate and whispered, “Those are the president’s Rangers.”
    “The president’s what?” Nate whispered back.
    “Rangers,” she said again. “They are ten in all, though I only see four of them here.”
    Nate could hear one of them giving out orders, though he couldn’t exactly catch what the man was saying. Marum had her head turned, listening intently.  
    “He’s leaving one of them to stand guard at the road,” she said.  
    “You can hear that?” Nate asked, shaking his head. He turned his head leaned in to try and get a better listen, but all he could hear were muffled sounds.
    “The others are continuing the search farther.”
    “That’s good,” Nate said, giving up his attempt.  
    Marum shook her head. “I would be able to go through the woods silently, but with your heavy steps, a Ranger is sure to sense you moving.”
    “I can be stealthy,” Nate said.
    “Not like I can,” she said. “I know this one. He’s a new Ranger. His name is Devlin Mannix. He isn’t trained like all the others yet.”
    “What’s your plan?”
    “I need your gun,” Marum said.
    Nate looked at her like she was crazy.
    “You’re going to get his attention and I’m going to come up behind him.”
    “Easy as that,” Nate said with a cocked eyebrow.
    “Easy as that,” Marum said.  
    Nate let out a deep breath from his nose and shrugged. “You’re the boss.”   He handed her his pistol and shook his head. He didn’t much like the idea of purposefully getting a lawman such as Devlin to chase after him. Nate also wondered if this was a way for Marum to get her hands on a weapon and use Nate as a distraction so she could get away. He let the thought slide. For some reason he trusted her. But trusting the wrong person could get him killed.  
    Marum nodded at him. “Go.”
    Nate hesitated only for a second before he jumped out into the open. He didn’t think he needed to let out a yell or to make a lot of noise. The Ranger would surely see him within a second. Sure enough, he did and came charging down the ravine toward Nate. Nate stopped in his tracks, not daring to reach for his rifle as the Ranger approached.  
    “Hold it right there!” Devlin belted