Enchanted Forests (53 page)

"We can spend the rest of the day here. It's pleasant enough.

They'll be easier to find in an hour or so when the sun is over-

head." Morgan's voice broke, betraying his youth. He had filled

barely twelve summers and was inches shorter than Julianne, al-

though she was a year his junior.

"Father will understand," said Robert, his uncertain voice not

as convincing as the words. He settled down on his heels, stirred

the newly lit wood, and set about fixing their meal.

The sound of sizzling meat had stopped, the fire's heat had

subsided, and the brothers had quit speaking in slurred tones be-

fore Siiri could figure out how to get at the leftover food without

being seen. She had almost thought of a way to envision it for

the Goddess to help them when she felt Julianne move. Siiri

grabbed at the tattered clothes and Julianne tried to pull them

free.

"We need the supplies, Siir. Why they brought all that mead,

I will never know, but they can't still be awake. And I'm hungry

after smelling that"

"The Goddess has provided so far. Why won't you trust her?"

344 Baroara A. Denz

"If the Goddess is going to provide, then she might as well

protect me while I get their food."

"JuUe, no. If they wake up, they'll kill you."

"They won't catch me if you're quiet. At least let me try. The

Laws protect me while I'm not yet a woman. I'll be back

quickly. I promise." And with that, she was gone.

"Sweet Goddess, help my sister," Siiri prayed, but before she

could envision a safe path for her sister, a cry told her it was too

late.

"There," shouted Morgan.

"Get her," yelled his brother and she heard her sister scream.

A resounding slap and a grunt in her sister's voice told her

what she already knew. The brothers were not honorable men. At

least while they were slapping Julianne, Siiri had time to plan.

Where was the Goddess? Why wasn't she protecting Julianne?

Such desecration in Her Dance was unthinkable. Didn't the

brothers know that? The chill cascaded down her spine again.

"Where is she," Morgan yelled. "We have to bring back both

of you or father will torture us. We'll find her anyway- You

might as well tell us." Another slap followed that echoed in

Siiri's head.

"I don't know," whispered Julianne, her speech slightly

slurred. "She left me hidden and ran deeper into the forest to get

Lord Edward's men. They will be waiting for us by now. But I

got hungry. - -." Siiri could hear tears in her voice. The rock face

behind her would not let her retreat any farther. Morgan's voice

was followed by the crack of a hand on face. Julianne no longer

cried. She didn't even whimper.

"Answer me," screamed Morgan.

"Give it a rest," his brother said quietly. "You've slapped her

unconscious."

No, Siiri cried. The Goddess must have deserted them for this

to happen to Julianne. Unless she has made some pact with her

unfortunate words.... She shook her head fiercely. No. The

Goddess wouldn "f do that! If the Goddess had indeed let them

stand alone, then it would matter little if Siiri lost her virginity.

"The witch sister can't be far," said Robert. "They were to-

gether at dawn. I saw them both enter the wood." Silently, Siiri

cursed again. They had been sloppy.

"If Father finds out we left our lands to go after them ..."

Morgan's voice trailed off.

"It will be nothing compared to what we'll get if Lord Edward

catches us here in the wood. We'd be hanged for poachers, sure,

EVERYTHING HAS A PLACE        345

and no questions asked. Unless this is one of Edward's Holy

Woods- Then we would really be in trouble." Robert's derisive

laugh chilled Siiri. How could they joke so nonchalantly about

me sacred places?

"Maybe we should just take the one and say the other died

in the running," Morgan pleaded.

"Maybe you should let me do the thinking. Father would want

the body. And I think I want the other. Father promised."

"If you get the other, then I want this one. I've never had an

Underage."

Siiri choked back the gorge that rose to greet the thick-voiced

sound of lust and desire. They had no intention of obeying The

Laws and didn't seem to care if they were caught. Maybe the

Dance could help her somehow. Maybe she could fall on them

from above. Maybe, maybe, maybe! There's no time/or maybe!

she chided herself. If you're going to move, do it!

She tried to squeeze out the side entrance she had used before-

An arm-thick branch she did not remember blocked her path. As

she tried to climb under it, roots twined around her ankles and

pulled tight. The more she struggled to get free, the more the tree

came alive to stop her. Only her sister's scream stopped her

struggles. She knew what had happened, but she couldn't believe

that it could be done so quickly. Her sister's racking sobs and

screams mixed with Robert's laughter and Morgan's panting

grunts.

"You bastard," her sister screamed. "By the maidenblood you

have spilt on Her floor, I entreat the Goddess to rot that thing

you just used on me. May you and yours die and rot in hell!"

"Shut up," yelled Morgan. Flesh echoed harshly against flesh

through the glade. "Shut up," he repeated, his voice rising with

each resounding whack. And again. And again, until Julianne's

sobs quieted.

"Get off her, you idiot," yelled Robert. "You don't want her

dead, do you?"

Siiri tried to cry out, but could find no voice. Her sister's

death as well as her virginity was exactly what Morgan wanted.

She knew it was true as soon as the words came out into the

Dance. Frantic, Siiri struggled against the tree. Another branch

wrapped around her, twigs and heartwood that should have been

dead were tearing at skin and clothing. Siiri tried to break off the

dead branches, but they were supple and held her fast. This

couldn't be! The tree was dead!

Morgan's howl of rage told her she was too late.

346 Barbara A. Den%

"Stop stabbing her. She's dead, can't you tell? Why did you

do that?" Robert demanded, hysteria in his voice. "You fool.

You've killed her on Lord Edward's land. They'll kill us, Mor-

gan. They'll kill us both. Aye, we're in trouble now."

"We were dead anyway," Morgan's voice cracked. "You heard

the witch. I couldn't let her live after she cursed me."

Sobbing, Siiri clawed at the branches, which now parted eas-

ily. She wasn't sure if she felt more anger or anguish as she

stumbled from behind the tree and across the glade. She was

slipping in her sister's blood before she could stop herself. The

slender youngest son still stood poised, dagger held high. From

it, her sister's lifeblood dripped, now falling on her as she folded

Julianne into her arms. The smalt pool of congealing darkness

was dark on the ground. The dry forest floor drank it up. Siiri

felt a rage consume her, its strength growing as the blood soaked

in.

"Well, well," Robert said, calmer now that they had Siiri, too.

"Look who you scared up, Morgan."

"Aye. Looks like we'll both get what we want this night. Shall

I hold her for you?" Morgan chuckled and moved toward Siiri.

"You'll not have me. The Goddess may not have protected

Julianne, but I can protect myself."

From within her came a mix of a wail and a warrior's cry in

a voice that was not her own. She turned, lunging for a burning

branch from the fire behind her and fended off the two. She did

not know when the cry became audible to them. Rage poured

through her like the fire she wielded as she swung again and

again, tiny firefly sparks hissing as they found tinder to ignite.

Arcs of flame were drawn on the inside of her eyes.

"Stop her before she bums the forest and us with it," she

heard Morgan scream.

Stars burst in front of her eyes and a pain centered just above

her ear exploded. She remembered a moment of bright light and

then nothing more.

Morgan's icy monotone penetrated her haze. Somewhere in-

side her, a high, piercing wail jolted her awake. She wasn't sure

which chilled her most.

"... kill this one, too?"

"Not till I've had her as you got yours," countered his brother.

"At least this one's of age. And not till we get off Lord Edward's

land."

Siiri ventured to open her eyes and regretted it. When two

EVERYTHING HAS A PLACE        347

blinks cleared me bloody haze, she was inches away from the

open, dully vacant eyes of her sister. She rolled over, retched

t1 violently and then could not roll back. Her hands and feet were

bound tightly behind her back.

"She's awake and already commenting on her plight," chuck-

led Robert.

"You bastards," Sim's strange voice hissed as she tried to

steady racking sobs.

"Now, now," Morgan said ominously. "Those were your sis-

ter's last words. Don't let them be yours, too."

Robert let out a low, throaty laugh and leaned over Siiri. She

tried to kick him, struggling against the cording that bound her.

Feeling it cut into her skin didn't bother her. That pain was better

than what she felt inside- She screamed in frustration and regret-

ted it as her head exploded in pain.

"Now there, we'll have none of that," Robert said soothingly,

and then grabbed her hair and pulled her head back hard. "I'll

have you before day's end, don't you worry. But for now, I want

to ready myself for the enjoying."

He flung her back so hard that she saw stars again. The broth-

ers' laughter mingled with a roar in her head as she faded first

to white and then to black.

When Siiri next awoke, she was ready for her sister's fate. The

wail was still there, and its melody was more insistent than ever.

She wished it would leave her alone. She squinted at me sun-

light, trying to tell how long she had been unconscious. It must

not have been very long—shadows hadn't moved much since all

this began. How could her whole life be destroyed and the day

not notice?

As the throbbing subsided enough for her to concentrate, she

realized that her hands and feet were untied and mat her back

was against the fallen tree. Her head felt thick- She surveyed

body parts without opening her eyes- As her mind itemized an

ache, something ... someone? .... prodded at it. As each sore

part was touched from within, it felt warm and its pain disap-

peared. Siiri let the healing continue until she itemized the ache

in her heart at the loss of her sister. The healing touched stopped.

Angry now, Siiri confronted her Goddess.

Why didn't you save Julie? she demanded. Why didn't you

come when I called? Julie didn't deserve to die, did she?

The voice inside her was quiet so long that Siiri was afraid she

had offended the Goddess, not that it mattered anymore. As she

began to wonder if the Goddess had gone, she felt mat warm

348 Barbara A. Denz

assessment of wounds again, and the healing chill-warmth. She

didn't have to envision anything. The Goddess was working on

her own now. Siiri tried to regain control, but the Goddess

wouldn't let her think. It frightened her.

In Siiri's mind came pictures. First was the Dance of seven

trees, strong and huge, and a glade lush with foliage, flowers and

wildlife. Then one tree crashed, cracking from roots to top nee-

dles. The same cries she had heard from Julianne were echoed

by the dying tree. Then six trees shrank as the woods became dry

and brittle. She watched herself and Julianne run into the wood

and the image of two tall and six small trees stood before her.

Colors shifted to odd grays and oranges until one tree fell over

and turned into Julianne again. The seventh tree stood tall and

strong. As blood drained from Julianne, the six other trees grew

to join the seventh.

Oh, no. The chill. I knew it. That was my baby sister you let

die. Siiri choked back a sob. Wasn't it enough/or her to lose her

virginity? Couldn 't you have stopped there? I dian 't mean for her

to die. What must I do to get her back?

For a long time there was no response. Then the Goddess just

showed the seven tail trees in a Dance again and the forest grow-

ing green.

Siiri was devastated. If I stay, will I get Julie back? she began

then halted. Seven tall trees transformed into seven maidens who

joined hands and danced in the glade. Julianne did not reappear,

but the Goddess did not say no either. Siiri placed all her hope

that the Goddess would be fair.

She must have moved, for someone sat on her stomach.

"She's awake, Robert," Morgan yelled. "Come lake her now

so we can get out of here. We dare not stay after dusk."

In her mind, she saw the seven maidens in a Dance arid two

naked male bodies from which blood drained into the ground,

which drank thirstily. Her muscles tightened and her jaw

twitched. Just as quickly, the Goddess prepared the muscles to

spring, smoothed her jaw.