by Patty Jansen
Chapter 7
JOHANNA SPENT most of the night worrying about Loesie and what to do. She could only try to imagine how scared her friend must feel, and this made her more determined to ignore the Shepherd’s advice to stay away from her. She couldn’t leave Loesie to her own devices, especially not now.
When Johanna came into the barn the next morning with breakfast, she found Loesie sitting on the side of the walkway, dangling her legs over the water. For a moment, it looked like she had been cured, but when she turned around, her eyes were still wide. She looked so thin and sickly.
Johanna knelt and put down the basket with food at a safe distance, never losing sight of Loesie. “I’ve brought you eggs and bread, a piece of ham, some butter and cheese.”
Loesie dragged the basket over.
“Do you need any more help? I can get you onto the river barge so you can go back home.”
“Ghghghghghgh!” Loesie shook her head.
“You don’t want to go home?”
“Ghghghghghgh!” More headshaking.
“You can’t go home? Where is your family?”
“Ghghghghgh!” Loesie made a sideways motion in front of her throat.
“Killed? All of them?”
She nodded. Her eyes glittered.
Johanna still hesitated to come any closer. The voice of the Shepherd said in the back of her mind, They seduce us with what we most want to see.
Loesie folded her hands in her lap. A tear ran over her cheek and hung at the angle of her jaw. Her shoulders shook.
“Just be strong, all right?” Johanna said. She wanted to hug Loesie, but at the same time, she could feel the magic that seeped from her friend.
“I’ll come back, I promise. I’ll find someone who can—”
“Ghghghghgh!” Loesie pointed out the open door of the barn.
There was a lot of activity of boats in the harbour. From here, you could see the far side of the quay where freight was being unloaded. The Burovian ship still lay there, all the windows and doors closed.
The space where the Lady Sara had been yesterday had now been taken by the Lady Davida. Adrian walked on the deck.
“What is it, Loesie? What did you see?”
“Ghghghghghgh!” She pointed, but Johanna couldn’t make out what she was pointing at. The Prosperity, one of the barges belonging to Master Deim, one of Father’s friends and competitors, was just coming in. Jakob, Master Deim’s sea-cow handler, yelled something to Adrian and Adrian laughed so loud that the sound carried all the way across the harbour to the barn.
“I don’t know what you mean, Loesie. I see nothing unusual.”
Loesie bent her fingers so that her hands resembled claws and mimicked attacking.
“I don’t see any demons,” Johanna said. “Why don’t I come back this afternoon and bring a slate so that you can draw what you mean?” She should have thought about that earlier.
“Ghghghghghhgh!” Loesie mimicked attacking.
“Yes, I understand.”
“Mmmmmmmm!” Loesie shook her head, spreading her hands in a gesture of frustration.
“I’ll bring a slate, I promise.”
