6. A BOY’S PROMISE
Liesel managed to remain in bed until after her father left. She could hear him pause at the door before he went to work at his smithing shop, and she could feel his eyes on her, but she thanked the Maker when he said nothing and simply left. She didn't think she had the fortitude to smile this morning.
Finally, long after the gray light outside had signaled the rising sun above the forest, Liesel aroused herself and crawled out of her mattress. After splashing her face with cold water from her mother's old white and blue porcelain basin, Liesel left the cottage and headed for the forest.
It didn't occur to her until she was near their meeting spot that she was much too early. Usually, she was busy with all the chores she had chosen to ignore that morning, such as drawing water from the nearest well, making bread, and mending torn clothes. None of that mattered now, though. She had to find Kurt.
When she reached their meeting place, where she'd seen the first sunbeam, Liesel plopped herself down on a boulder to wait. As she sat, however, all the sounds that were usually indistinguishable seemed suddenly deafening. Liesel stood back up, and without thinking, began to walk in the direction that she thought Kurt usually came from. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Liesel wondered if it was really advisable to walk alone through the forest after learning she'd been marked to disappear, but she was too tired to give much attention to the warning. She was simply going to meet Kurt halfway, she told herself. Or at least, that was the best rationale for her impulsive behavior.
As she walked, the trees began to thicken, and it added to the gloom of the gray forest. Why would Kurt's family live so deep in the forest, she wondered. Then she remembered what the mayor had said. Kurt's family was comprised of hunters. Perhaps the big game only lived deep in the woods. It made sense, as Liesel had never seen any game large enough to hunt near the town.
She had been walking for what felt like hours before she was finally forced to stop and admit that she was lost. Without the sun, there was no way to tell which direction Liesel was going. She'd heard once that the moss grew on a certain side of the trees, but the moss in this forest covered everything. Tree trunks, stumps, and even the boulders had their lowest parts covered all the way around by the soft sheets of yellow-green.
She stopped and stared up at the distant forest canopy in frustration. No matter how hard she tried, though, there was no way to tell the time of day or one direction from another. Liesel considered calling out in hopes that someone might hear her, but that seemed just as likely to bring harm as help. Finally, unable to think of anything else to do, Liesel began walking again. Her legs were sore and her feet ached by the time the forest began to thin the way it did around Ward. She wondered if she might not have wandered around to the other side of the town until she saw the house.
It was rather large compared to most of the other homes she'd seen in the forest, nearly as large as her grandparents' house. Made of stacked timber, it sat at the top of a very gentle slope. Liesel didn't bother to look beyond the house, however, as she spotted a woman hanging laundry to dry on a line that was hung from the corner of the roof. She hurried towards the woman, grateful to have found help.
"Madam," she called out, hoping she didn't appear too disheveled. "I was searching for my friend, and I am afraid I got lost. Would you mind telling me where I am?" When the woman turned around, however, Liesel was pleasantly surprised. She had Kurt's deep golden-brown eyes and bark-colored hair. Instead of greeting her back, however, the woman's own eyes went wide, and she dropped the shirt she'd been hanging. An odd reaction, Liesel thought. She tried again. "My name is-"
"Heavens, child, I know your name!" The woman darted over to Liesel, and grabbing her by the arm, dragged her back into the trees, away from the house. Liesel opened her mouth to ask what they were doing, but the woman silenced her with a threatening glare. Liesel stayed quiet until they came to a stop.
"What are you doing here?" The woman no longer sounded severe, only frightened. "How did you find us?"
"I was looking for my friend, and I got lost...," Liesel stuttered anxiously as she watched the woman's face. She was still holding Liesel's arm, and her grip was tight. Someday, Liesel thought with a bit of annoyance, people would stop grabbing her as if she were a small child that might run away.
"You can't let them see you!" The woman whispered urgently. "They already think it's a risk allowing you to live with your father! Seeing you here would only give them the excuse they need to keep you here and now!" Liesel felt her mouth drop open in horror.
"Who are they?" But the woman was already shaking her head.
"There is no time! You must leave here!" She paused for a moment and closed her eyes to listen. "They've heard you," she whispered. "Get out of here! Go home as fast as you can!" Liesel didn't need to be told twice. Gathering up her skirts, she began to run in the opposite direction, but she stopped and looked back.
"Which way?" Before the woman could answer, two gigantic wolves bounded up and began to circle her, and they were followed by a very tall, lean man. Something about him reminded Liesel of Kurt, but in her fear, she couldn't say what.
"Lothur, no! She is too young!" The woman called out angrily. "Garrit said so, and you know it!" The tall man said nothing at first, simply walked towards Liesel with a strange, smooth stride. It was then that Liesel realized that he had Kurt's gait, animal-like and silent. Finally, he stopped and spoke, his voice quiet and composed.
"But she's already here."
"P...," Liesel's voice was hardly more than a breath. She swallowed with some difficulty and tried again. "Please, just let me go home! I promise not to make any trouble. I just got lost, and-"
"No," the man shook his head, a few strands of silver in his otherwise dark hair glinting in the low light. "It's too risky. Surely Garrit will agree with that." Seeming to speak more to himself than anyone else, he began to walk again, circling around Liesel the way the two wolves were. They took turns growling at her. One even snapped at her heel when she stumbled backwards.
"Liesel!" The girl nearly began to cry with relief when she heard Kurt's voice from the top of the ridge that separated them from the house. To her amazement, he ran down right between the wolves without hesitation and drew her behind him, glaring at the man. The man slightly frowned.
"This is the one that believes in magic, is she not?"
"It doesn't matter," Kurt growled through clenched jaws. As he did, Liesel realized his voice was really beginning to get deeper. If she hadn't been so frightened, she would have found it quite impressive. "I will take her safely home. You need to return." The man looked as if he was about to protest, but Kurt interrupted him. "I will tell him that you disobeyed his orders. Is that really what you want?"
"You're rather cocky for a boy," the man said in a flat voice. Kurt didn't blink as he continued to glare.
"And you are disobeying orders." After the man and the boy had scowled at one another for what seemed like an eternity, the man inclined his head just slightly and gave a short whistle. The wolves immediately turned and followed him over the ridge and back towards the house. Only when they were gone did Kurt look at the woman. They shared a sad smile before she climbed back over the ridge as well.
Liesel felt her knees buckle. Kurt caught her awkwardly just before she collapsed on the ground. As he held her awkwardly, Liesel realized she felt oddly even dizzier than before.
"We need to get away from here," he muttered tersely. "Can you walk?" Liesel was trembling so hard and felt so dizzy she could barely answer.
"I don't know." When he started to pick her up, however, her embarrassment was greater than her fear and disorientation. If Kurt hadn't thought her addled before, he certainly must now. "Let...let me see," she tried to stand again. This time, her legs wobbled, but she was able to walk on her own. He kept a hand on her elbow though, as he led her away from the ridge, and she saw him sneaking worried glances at her often as they went.
&nb
sp; It was only half an hour later that they made it back up to the waterfall. Liesel realized with dismay that she must have walked in circles before finding the house. Kurt said nothing as she sat down and caught her breath. She tried to read his expression through glances she sneaked when she thought he wasn't looking. Was he angry with her for venturing into the woods alone, despite his warnings? How did he know the man named Lothur? When she finally looked enough times, however, she was surprised to realize that he looked...sad. He stared out at her mountain quietly, the look on his face much too old for a boy of almost fifteen years. A piece of hair fell over his right eye, and Liesel could have sworn there was a tear glistening in its corner. Guilt burned down the back of her neck, and she could suddenly stand the silence no longer.
"I am sorry." He finally turned to look at her, looking genuinely surprised.
"What for?"
"I didn't sleep well last night, and I just needed to see you, so I tried to find where you lived." Kurt shook his head, stood up, and kicked a rock absentmindedly.
"None of that was your fault. My family is...different from most other families. It is why we live so far from Ward."
"You mean with the wolves?" Kurt raised one eyebrow, so Liesel explained.
"Lothur had wolves that listened to him. You ran right past them, and they didn't even notice. They nipped and growled at me though." Liesel trembled at the memory. It suddenly made sense. Kurt's family must be able to influence the wolves. It was why he'd scoffed that first day at the thought of wolves attacking him, and it must have been why he could run past the wolves without blinking. "But what do they want with me?" she finished with a whisper. Why had she been marked?
"Liesel, I told you before. The magic here is not good magic like you have in your stories. It's dark, and it seeks to do evil."
"How do you know there is dark magic here?" Liesel whispered.
"You keep forgetting. This is my home."
"But why did the wolf bite me? And why won't anyone talk about it?" Liesel was getting angrier the more she thought about it. None of it made any sense. It was like a confusing dream from which she couldn't awaken. Everyone knew. The peddler, the mayor, and even Kurt's mother knew. Everyone but her. And yet, she had the awful feeling that she was still being hunted, and they were just watching, waiting for her to stumble.
"That's how the magic works. They're not allowed to talk about it. They might want to, but most of them can't. Not to you, at least."
"But the peddler!"
"What peddler?" Liesel related to him all that had happened the evening before. As she spoke, Kurt's face paled. "Kurt, what's wrong?" He grabbed her by the shoulders.
"Liesel, you cannot tell anyone about any of this! Do you understand?" When she was too frightened to respond, he gave her a shake and asked again, "Do you?" Liesel would have been angry with him for the shake if it hadn't been for the terror in his eyes. She had never seen him frightened. He was often oddly quiet, and he sometimes liked to strut around the way most boys his age did, but now all the playfulness and bravado was gone. "Liesel," he whispered tightly. "I am trying my best to protect you. There are things going on here that you've never imagined, not even with that book."
"Tell me," Liesel breathed in fear. "Tell me what's going on! Tell me why that wolf bit me, and why the peddler said I was in danger." Kurt shook his head.
"I can't." She glared at him.
"You are just as bad as the rest of them!" The look of hurt in his eyes was unmistakable, but she was too frustrated to care. Neither of them spoke for a while. She stood next to the roaring waterfall, just at the edge where it plunged over, and she stared at the outline of her mountain. She wanted to look at him, to see if he was still sad, but her pride wouldn't permit it. She remembered some saying her mother used to quote about the danger of pride, but she ignored it. The pride was all that was holding her together. Without the indignant fold of her arms and raised chin, she would crumble to pieces. The knowledge that Kurt had known and not told her was jarring. He had been her rock. He finally spoke again, his quiet words interrupting her thoughts.
"I can't tell you, but I can promise to do my best to keep you safe." Liesel finally turned and looked for a long, long time into her friend's anxious face. His brown eyes were repentant, and she was reminded that he was not yet a man. He might be rather proud sometimes, and could act as if he owned the forest, but in reality, he seemed no more in control than she was. She sighed.
"How can you promise that? You're just a boy." She didn't miss the flash of annoyance that moved across his face.
"I promise!" he moved closer, his expression suddenly fierce. "I can't make it all stop, but I can keep you safe. Would you just believe me?" Still feeling a bit resentful and defiant, her first impulse was to say no. But the longer she looked at him, the more she remembered. He was the one who had found her. He'd brought her as close to her mountain as she could get. He was the one who found her in the forest and saved her from the unnerving man and his wolves. He was all she had. And deep down, she somehow knew that would be enough. Against her will, a small smile crept to her lips. As she nodded, she felt a foreign sensation wash over her. It took her a moment to realize it was peace.
They stared out at the massive ocean of treetops for a long time before she remembered a question she couldn't shake.
"What did that man mean when he said I was the one who believed in magic?" Kurt frowned in disgust.
"My uncle has always been far too obsessed with magic for his own good, my father says."
"Your uncle?" Liesel shivered. How Kurt could be related to that frightening man was beyond her. But Kurt didn't seem to hear.
"We've had enough of that around here, thank you very much!" He muttered underneath his breath. The look on his face was so ominous that Liesel didn't dare ask what he meant. Instead, an idea formed, and where there had been none before, hope suddenly surged in her heart. Aside from her mother's healing, she knew instantly that she had never wanted anything more in her life.
"Come with me!" She grabbed his hands without thinking.
"Where?"
"Away from here! Anywhere! We can see the mermaids! We can climb the mountain and see what lies beyond it. We can go anywhere we want...together!"
"Now?" He was looking at her as if she had lost her mind.
"No," she shook her head and gripped his hands more tightly. "When we are older. We'll escape this place and never look back at! No dark magic, no more secrets. We can see the world!"
"Leave the woods?" He shook his head, his golden-brown eyes sorrowful. "Liesel, I can't. My father will need me to help with the family."
"Your brother can help!" Liesel was desperate. She had seen this imagined future so clearly, as if the fairies had crafted a vision made just for her of Kurt walking beside her as they left the forest behind, their faces pointed towards the sea. And although it had existed for just a moment, Liesel clung to the scene like the air she needed to breathe. For in a way, it was her air. She couldn't bear to live trapped in this existence, forever in this wood haunted by secrets. Liesel needed hope. And, she realized, she needed Kurt as well. He filled the void she hadn't known was there until that moment.
"You deserve more than this," Liesel whispered up to him, suddenly very aware that his breathing has sped up as well. After an eternity of staring into her eyes, he finally have her a small lop-sided smile.
"Very well," he said softly. "I promise."
7. MY FRIEND’S KEEPER
Liesel sat back and wiped her forehead on her sleeve. For a forest without sun, it could get strangely hot. Nevertheless, her garden looked wonderful, and Liesel was proud of her work. The plot was small compared to the one she had shared with her mother back in the city, but it would keep them fed through the next winter.
Liesel wished again that Kurt's father would let him visit her garden. She didn't get to see him as much as she had the year before, now that she had her garden to tend and his father kept him bu
sy with the family. Still, she would have liked for him to see it. After all, it would not have been there at all if it hadn't been for Kurt. Liesel and her father wouldn't have made it through the winter if it hadn't been for Kurt, either.
The winter had been a hard one, and it had come without warning. The supply wagons that always brought in grain had been unable to make it through the ice storms with any regularity. Though the forest ceiling was too thick to allow much light through, it certainly let the ice in uncontested. Everyone in the town was assigned rationed amounts of grain, but Warin was often in the tavern on the days it arrived. And by the time he made it over for their share, it was all but gone.
For Warin, it was simply an inconvenience. The tavern keeper had stored much ale, but that didn't help Liesel any. When the first ice storm had finished, she'd wandered outside breathless at its beauty. The icicles had hung from every branch, roof, and window like ornaments of crystal, gleaming white and blue in their glory. But as the ice came again and again, and the food came through less and less, Liesel found her will to leave the cottage slipping away. The constant ache in her belly and the fatigue of her muscles had made her lethargic and unable to travel far from the cottage. She'd spent most of her days leaving her mattress only to do what she must, making the bread, on days they had enough grain to make any, and warming weak tea on the fire. The cottage, she soon discovered, was riddled with cracks and holes, and though she tried to stuff them with rags and mud, they continued to blow cold air all through the house.
Warin had spent more time than ever in the warm tavern, and only ever seemed home when it was dark and difficult to see. The only exception was on holy days, through which he slept, and Liesel lacked the strength to wake him. It was on those days that Liesel missed Kurt the most. He couldn't enter the village, and she couldn't make it into the woods to meet him. She missed reading her stories with him, and she missed planning their adventures. She wanted so much for him to take her by the wrist and drag her through the woods once again, and she longed to see her mountain. Oh, she missed her mountain.
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