A piercing howl interrupted her thoughts and sent tremors through Liesel's body though, reminding her of why she was leaving. Though the room was warm enough, Liesel went to the wardrobe and pulled out her cloak. Wrapping it around herself, she huddled in her bed, attempting to get as close to invisible as possible under the covers.
The howls brought back unwelcomed memories of the last time she'd last heard such cries, not counting the night before. They were longer and more forlorn than they'd been that time. Tears slipped silently down the sides of Liesel's face as she scrunched her eyes shut. She had escaped the nightmare where wolves and men hunted her. She had spent four happy years in a comfortable house with adoring people. But what had become of Kurt? It was the same question she asked herself every night.
It was easier to block out thoughts of him during the day when there was always something to do, but the nights were hard. While she lay in bed, there was nothing to occupy her mind but memories. How many times would she be tortured by the smile on his face as he teased her, or even worse, the sadness that would often creep into his eyes for no apparent reason? She couldn't close her eyes without seeing him over and over again. She couldn't fall asleep without remembering how it had felt when he had kissed her softly on the cheek.
Aside from Fridric's sweet but overzealous obsession with horses, and Benat's awkward obsession with himself, there was a reason Liesel had never attached herself to any of the more eligible bachelors of Tag. And it wasn't for a lack of offers. It wasn't even because she was planning to leave.
The reason Liesel stayed alone seemed so far-fetched that Liesel was inclined to ignore its possibility. And yet, deep down, Liesel hoped and prayed like a little girl that Kurt would remember his promise to explore the world with her. Because deep down, Liesel truly missed the boy.
11. PURE BLOOD
"And where do you think you're going?" Ros eyed Liesel's cloak and basket suspiciously as she came down the stairs.
"I ordered a pair of shoes from the cobbler two days ago," Liesel sighed. "I was going to tell him not to make them after all." For a moment, she feared Ros would order her back upstairs. After the howling that took place last night, which allowed no one to sleep, Ely had specifically ordered that Liesel was to stay in the house until her caravan departed the next morning. Liesel had begged, however, for leave to say goodbye to some of her friends. She would stay in town, she had promised.
"Let her go," Ros had gently urged him. "She's not a child." It seemed Ely's concerns had gotten to his wife in the time that has passed since that morning though, because she now gave Liesel an uncharacteristically severe look. "You are to go nowhere near the forest," she warned. "Not even close to the edge of town. And here," Ros ran back to the kitchen and returned with the apple pie she had baked the day before. "Bring this to Mrs. Dunst. She's on the way." Smiling, Liesel gave Ros a quick kiss and turned and fled before she could change her mind.
The cobbler's shop was all the way across town, but Liesel didn't mind the walk. It was early summer, and the air smelled of honeysuckle. Children shrieked with joy as they raced after one another, some of them stopping to wave at Liesel as she walked by. The life where townspeople feared and avoided her seemed to be just a bad dream here. The people of Tag were mostly quite friendly, and had taken Liesel in, despite her secret past.
Many women were taking advantage of the lovely day to clean the outsides of their homes. Tall, with pointed, sloping roofs, the homes that lined the square stood proudly, like soldiers lined up for a king's parade. Tag citizens liked to boast of their architecture to outsiders. Built to withstand the large amounts of snow that fell heavily every winter, the buildings were much sturdier than anything in Ward had been. But then, Ward, because of its thick forest ceiling, had never gotten that much snow.
Bells jingled on the door as Liesel entered the cobbler's shop. A short, barrel-chested man greeted her.
"What did I tell you?" He shook his finger good-naturedly at the couple he was talking to. "I would know that red cloak anywhere! Your timing is perfect! When you were in the other day, I forgot to ask you which leather you wanted me to use." Liesel smiled apologetically.
"Actually, I came to tell you that I won't be needing them after all. I am leaving tomorrow to go back to my grandparents." The cobbler's mouth dropped open in surprise.
"Is that so? Well, it won't be the same around here without you, that's for certain." He gave her a long look over the rims of his spectacles. "This wouldn't have anything to do with the wolves now, would it? Put some Wolfsbane out on your porch, and when all is done, we won't hear any of this nonsense again for another twenty years or so. I promise you that." Liesel did her best to sound natural.
"In truth, I've wanted to return for years. The...opportunity simply arose sooner than I was expecting."
"Well then, we're happy for you, Liesel," the woman sweetly smiled. The mother of four boisterous boys, she understood the importance of grandparents, particularly on days when the boys were even more lively than usual.
"Say, who is the pie for?" The cobbler peeked into her basket. Liesel slapped his hand away and laughed.
"Ros wants me to drop it off at Mrs. Dunst's on the way home." To her surprise, the cobbler frowned a bit.
"I stopped at her place just this morning, but she wasn't there. See if she's in now, will you? Don't just leave it on her doorstep." Liesel nodded. Mrs. Dunst was rarely more than ten or twenty paces from her front door. It was indeed odd that the cobbler hadn't been able to find her. So after saying her goodbyes, Liesel headed to the old woman's home.
It was slow work getting to the widow's little house. News spread fast in Tag, and soon people Liesel didn't even know were wishing her farewell. By the time she arrived at Mrs. Dunst's cottage, it was almost time for supper, and Liesel knew Ros would worry if she wasn't home soon. She would have to make the visit quick. As she drew closer, however, she realized the front door was still open. Cautiously, Liesel went inside.
"Mrs. Dunst?" she called out. "It's Liesel. I brought you a pie." There was no reply though, and it made Liesel even more uneasy. Maria Dunst was the oldest woman in Tag. Over ninety years in age, she could be found every day sitting in her little garden, offering lunch and advice to anyone who would take it. Liesel had understood immediately why the cobbler was a bit suspicious when Mrs. Dunst hadn't come to the door that morning. In fact, if she had known about it earlier, she would have checked on the old woman first instead of on the way home.
Liesel went through every room of the house, but the woman was nowhere to be found. Tension brewed in her stomach as she went out and checked around the back. She called out again and again, but there was no reply. Liesel had nearly given up and gone to fetch Ely when she heard an odd scratching sound. The sound came from behind the house, but it wasn't until Liesel had followed it for a few minutes that she realized she had left the town behind her and she was at the edge of the woods. As if she needed another reason to worry, a single howl broke the silence of the evening. Liesel froze, suddenly wishing more than anything that she was back in the Beckes' home like she was supposed to be. Just then, low moaning came from the bushes, and a movement caught her eye, nearly invisible in the light of dusk.
"Mrs. Dunst?" Sure enough, the little old woman was hobbling along some invisible path with her cane, whimpering in low, woeful tones. Liesel hurried to her side. How long had she been out like this?
"They've taken her!" the woman sobbed. "They've taken Greta!"
"Who's Greta?" Liesel took her gently by the shoulders and tried to turn her back toward Tag. "And who are they?" But the old woman acted as though Liesel wasn't even there as she continued to try and wander deeper into the trees.
"My daughter has been stolen by the wolves!" she continued to cry. Fear tried to grip Liesel's heart, but she took a deep breath and forced herself to lead her charge back towards the town. It was not easy, for the old woman was convinced her daughter was nearby. Finally, after a fe
w long minutes of struggling, Mrs. Dunst quit fighting Liesel, and allowed herself to be led back towards her house. Another wolf howled, and Liesel prayed for speed for the old woman. She walked ever so slowly, leaning on her cane as she inched along the path. It didn't help that she continued to moan and sob until they were finally back on the cobblestone streets of the town. Only then, in the yellow flame of the street lamps, did Mrs. Dunst seem to notice or recognize the young woman. She turned to Liesel and gasped.
"Liesel! What are you doing here? You must go home! Don't you hear the wolves?" Liesel took a big breath of relief, happy the old woman was finally coming to her senses. Curiosity got the better of her, however, and as they continued to walk, she had to ask.
"Mrs. Dunst, did the wolves truly take your daughter?" She hoped deep down that the cries had simply been the mumblings of an old woman. The haunted look in Maria Dunst's eyes told Liesel otherwise though, even before she answered. And when she did speak, her thoughts suddenly seemed as clear as water. She motioned for Liesel to follow her into her little house when they arrived.
"My husband and I had just moved the family to Tag. We knew nothing of the rumors about Ward. We thought the other forest villages would be like this one." She gestured at the window. "My eldest girl wanted to be a dress maker, but we had no money with which to apprentice her here." That made sense. Liesel had wanted to apprentice with the new healer after Doffy had died in Ward, but it was too expensive. She would slow him down and he would lose money, he had told her. "A man came to Tag and said that the dress maker in Ward was looking for an apprentice, that he would charge much less than the one here. Greta was fourteen at the time. She wanted to go." A strange gasp escaped as the woman remembered. Liesel's own heart hurt, as she knew what turn this story would take. The old woman stiffly sank into her chair before continuing. Liesel had been in the house enough to know where the tea supplies were, so she began to gather them up as Mrs. Dunst sat. The old woman had an unhealthy pallor to her cheeks. As Liesel bustled around, Mrs. Dunst closed her eyes and resumed her story.
"She was there for a year before the letters stopped coming. My husband went to see her a few times, but each time they spoke, he knew something was wrong. But she wouldn't tell him what! And then, she just disappeared. And when my husband searched for her, it was as if she had never been there. No one would even speak of her!"
"But how do you know the wolves took her?" Liesel breathed. The old woman leaned in, as though she were sharing a secret.
"She always sent letters at the end of the month. The howling started three days before she would have sent her letter, after which we never received another."
Liesel studied the old woman. She felt a bit skeptical. There was no proof the girl had been taken by the wolves. But then, everything she had suffered in Ward made anything seem possible.
Upon finishing her story, Liesel finally convinced Mrs. Dunst to drink some tea. After a few sips, the old woman apologized.
"Sometimes I forget where I am, or even how old I am," she sighed. "But the wolves were so loud last night. I just knew if I looked hard enough, I could find..." Her eyes welled up with tears visible even in the weak light of the hearth. Liesel decided she had pushed the widow hard enough. By the sound of it, they all had another long night ahead of them.
It was very late by the time Liesel started home. Ely might have even gone looking for her by now. He never would have known where to look though, Liesel thought guiltily. She had been strictly instructed to stay out of the forest, and that was exactly where she had gone. She was twenty, after all, and far beyond the age of foolishness.
It was a few minutes into her walk that Liesel realized she was going the wrong way. For some reason, she had begun to head towards the east. Liesel shook her head to try and clear her tired mind. Tomorrow she would sleep on the caravan. Heaven knew she needed it. She had hardly slept in two days with all of the howling. Still, it was odd that she should have taken the wrong turn. She knew Tag too well for such errors. She was not lost though, and even with the misstep it wouldn't take long to reach the Beckes' home.
To her surprise, however, when she turned the corner, she once again realize she was still going in the wrong direction. Determined not to get lost in her thoughts once more, she pictured the next street she must turn down to get back to the Beckes' house. But to her dismay, each street took her farther from her destination and closer to the forest road. No matter how she tried, her feet acted with a mind of their own. Tears threatened to spill down as she tried again and again in frustration. What was wrong with her? She must stop, she decided, and wait until someone found her. She would not be bullied by whatever force was manipulating her. But when she tried to halt, even that was denied her. It was not long before Liesel was leaving Tag and walking directly towards Ward. And to her dismay, her right hand began to ache just above the scar.
Panic filled her chest, and she wanted to scream. But when she tried, nothing came. She couldn't even speak, only sob softly as her feet carried her away from freedom and back to the hell she thought she had escaped.
After more than an hour of walking, Liesel was spent. Wearily, she let the darkness draw her onward, too tired to fight anymore. It was as if she were watching her body from afar. She knew what she was doing, but there was nothing she could do about it. At some unseen marker, she abruptly left the road and headed into the woods. Kurt had taught her to walk in the deep underbrush quietly, but she was still out of control and tripped twice. Soon, as the woods were beginning to thicken and choke out the moonlight, she made out two shapes standing just ahead of her. As she neared them, she could see that that the taller shape was a man astride a horse. The other was a horse with an empty saddle. Stopping before them, she was startled to recognize her old horse, the gentle mare that pulled her family's cart all the way from Weit.
Without a word, the man climbed down from his horse and bent to help Liesel mount hers. At first, she wanted to icily reply that she could get on herself, thank you very much. But when she tried to mount, even with his help, she found that the walk had tired her more than she had thought.
Still silent, the man stiffly hoisted himself back up on his ride and then turned and began heading east again, ever deeper into the woods. Of course, Liesel's horse followed, and still bound to obey, Liesel did, too. Soon, however, she realized she was no longer mute. After trying repeatedly, she found that while she couldn't scream, she could talk.
"Why are you doing this?" she demanded through indignant tears. "What evil are you using to bind me?" The man slowly turned his head and looked at her curiously. Even in the darkness, he appeared older than she had first thought, at least as old as her grandfather. His hair was silver, and though he sat tall in his saddle, there was much sorrow carved into the lines of his face. He didn't answer her though. Liesel searched her mind desperately for something, anything that might make him at least slow his horse's steady pace towards Ward.
"If you don't let me go, my friend Kurt will find us! He lives deep in these woods! Then you will regret treating me like this!" The threat was nonsense, of course. Liesel had no idea where Kurt was, nor did she know what he could do to help her against such an evil, but it was all she could think to say. Besides, there was a small but very irrational part of her that wished it was true. He had been her only rock in all of her time at Ward. How she wished he was with her!
A low growl interrupted her wishful thinking, and Liesel nearly shrieked when she made out the nearly invisible silhouette of a wolf not three feet to her right. Another throaty grumble notified her to the presence of a second a few yards behind them. The further they went, the more wolves accompanied them. In her terror, Liesel recalled with stark vividness the day Kurt had saved her from his uncle and his wolves. A minuscule bit of hope rose within her. Could Kurt possibly be nearer than she thought? Could he save her again?
After hours and hours of riding, Liesel was so tired she nearly dozed and fell from her horse three times
. The aching of her scar was the only thing that kept her awake. It tingled so much that it hurt. But she eventually did begin to make out a small beam of light ahead of them through the trees. At first, she was sure her eyes were playing tricks on her, but as they drew closer, she could truly see the glow of a fire. The outlines of four men came into view, two older and two younger. And one of them, Liesel would have known anywhere. He stood hunched over the fire, his hands behind his back and his head bent as though deep in thought.
"Kurt!" Stiffness and exhaustion forgotten, Liesel's body finally obeyed her as she threw herself from the horse and stumbled into his arms. All of her self-control came crashing down as she sobbed into his chest, shaking so hard it felt as though she might burst. "Help me!" she clutched at his shirt. "They used some sort of magic to bring me here! I don't know what! Just help me, please!" As she cried, she felt his arms slowly close around her. His embrace was like heaven. When she finally stepped back to look up, however, his face was an odd mix of sadness and severity.
"I know." His voice was even deeper than she remembered it, no longer on the cusp between boy and man. She fell back a step.
"You know?"
"I'm the one that sent them."
Liesel gasped. The air suddenly felt too thick to breathe. She searched his face for any hint, any sign he might be sending her that all would be well. But his face remained stern, and his jaw was set tightly. She finally broke her gaze with him to look at the other men watching them. Liesel recognized Kurt's younger brother, Keegan, and with a shiver, his Uncle Lothur. The stranger could only be his father. And they all stood silently behind Kurt, waiting for her response. Liesel tasted bile in her mouth as she continued to back up. Kurt sighed.
Girl in the Red Hood Page 12
