Chapter 26
By the time Gran finally came into the room, the sun had been up for hours. Ruby had been on the verge of going into the armory to wake her up. But when Gran finally showed up, it wasn’t from the armory. It was through the back door.
“How long have you been up?” asked Ruby.
Gran had grass in her hair and stains on her dress. That wasn’t so unusual. She always worked outside in the dirt and flowers. What was unusual was that her hair was down. Her silver locks were tangled and cascading over her shoulders.
And she was barefoot. There was dirt and bits of dried mud on her feet.
“What happened to your shoes?”
Gran looked down at her feet. “Oh, I must have lost them somewhere.”
Ruby frowned. “Are you all right?” She steered her grandmother to sit on a bench.
“I’m fine, child
