Girl in the Red Hood (17 page)

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.

"Liesel, how far do you really think you'll
get running from the wolves?" For a long moment, she peered out
behind her into the blackness of the forest, and as her hand began
to burn once again, all hope of a quick escape died. Finally, she
turned and stood miserably, looking back into the golden-brown eyes
of her one-time savior.

"Come here, Child." The man she guessed to
be his father finally spoke, his order ringing with authority. She
stared at him, fear quickly being overcome with anger. Her hand
burned even more, a white hot pain, beckoning her to obey, but she
didn't budge. She could see displeasure in the man's face at her
defiance, and he drew himself up to his full height, which was
quite impressive. A small wave of fear rippled through her body.
What would he do to her if she didn't listen? As they continued to
face off, however, she decided she didn't care. She was beyond
caring. This awful family had caused her too much pain. Instead,
she glared at him.

"Father," Kurt said softly. "Give me a
moment alone with her."

"She needs to be-"

"That won't work with her," Kurt said,
giving him an earnest look. "Please. She has had a long night.
Ordering her about is the last thing she will listen to." His
father gave him a skeptical look. After a long moment, however, he
finally nodded and began to walk away, gesturing to the other two
men to follow him. Kurt's younger brother, now lanky and even
taller than Kurt, with stubble growing unevenly all over his young
face, didn't leave as quickly as his elders.

"Be careful," he whispered to Kurt as he
walked by. Kurt said nothing, waiting until they were all gone
before speaking. Then he took a big breath and looked at her with
an expression Liesel finally recognized. He'd worn it often when
they sat staring at her mountain.

"I know you are angry with me," he
started.

"Angry cannot even begin to describe what
I'm feeling right now," Liesel squeaked out through gritted teeth.
Betrayal. Lies. Secrets. Everything Liesel had ever trusted in Kurt
seemed to go up in smoke before her eyes. And it hurt so much. "All
those years," she hissed, "I thought you were trying to protect me!
But here I am, and I don't even know why I'm here, or what evil you
used to bring me!" As she spoke, she tried desperately to recall
the stories the women in Tag had told her, but she couldn't focus.
Suddenly more weary than she remembered ever being, she sat on the
ground and pulled her legs up to her chest, hiding her face in her
arms.

"The bite." She did her best to pretend to
ignore him, but Kurt continued to talk. "My father's youngest
brother bit you when you first arrived." Liesel risked raising her
head enough to send him a resentful glare. He had known all this
time. Then his words sank in

"Your
uncle
bit me?" She covered her
mouth in horror. Her words came out in a whisper.

"We're not complete animals," Kurt turned
toward the fire, disgust dripping from his words. It was a moment
before Liesel could speak again, but when she did, her voice was
ice cold.

"Then what are you?" Any being that could in
good conscience kidnap her and then kill her father was the very
definition of an animal. Kurt frowned and turned back to face the
fire. It was a long time before he spoke again, and when he did, it
was barely above a whisper.

"Two hundred years ago, there was a wizard
that lived in these woods. Often hunted by the townspeople for his
practices, he wanted a sure way to protect himself. So he crafted a
spell that would allow him the mind of a man, and the strength and
body of an animal. He even invited others to join him, petty
thieves, misfits, those who wanted to stay hidden from the king.
Not many joined him, but twelve were better than one. They would be
the superior creatures, he promised. Wolves with the minds of
humans couldn't be challenged.

"When he had gathered the people, he cast
the spell. It was a failure though," Kurt kicked a pebble in
annoyance. "So their descendants have been here for the last two
centuries, stuck between worlds. Everyone over sixteen is
constantly hovering between being man and wolf. The only thing that
has kept us from losing our humanity completely is the union of a
pure blooded human to the pack leader. Ever since, each generation
has had to send the townspeople of Ward out to find us new Pure
Bloods." Liesel felt as though she might pass out, but Kurt kept
talking.

"I know you always wondered why Ward was so
desperate to get your family to move here, and why it seemed
impossible to leave." He took a deep breath before continuing.
"When the steward found your grandparents' vineyard, he was looking
for girls around your age. He'd met a number of them along the way,
but you were perfect. Living outside of a large town meant your
disappearance would go largely unnoticed. Sure, your grandparents
might tell others, but you were far from the center of activity.
Your absence would soon be forgotten. When Izaak found out about
your mother's illness, it was too perfect. Your father was dying to
leave. All he had to do was convince your father that you would all
be better off here. Once you were here, you were marked, and all we
had to do was keep you here until it was time." Kurt swallowed hard
before finishing. "And now that my mother has died, it's your
turn."

It was a moment before Liesel could speak.
So the cowardice of a man who had lived two hundred years before
was to blame. All of the pieces were falling together. The misery
her life had been for so long had a purpose. When she thought about
it though, knowing the reason for her sorrows didn't bring much
comfort. But there was one question she had to ask, tears running
silently down her face.

"Why did
my
mother have to die?"

"That was the overzealous doing of Odo,"
Kurt sighed. "He wanted to make sure you didn't get away. If your
mother awakened, he was afraid she would convince your father to
return to your grandparents."

"And why does the town care so much?"

"That's the agreement. As long as they bring
us an acceptable Pure Blood, we leave their daughters alone." That
was why the baker had feared so for Karla and Mitsi. And now that
Liesel knew why, she couldn't blame him. But what was it exactly
that she has saved Mitsi and Karla from?

"And what does a Pure Blood do?"

"Marry the pack leader and continue the
line," A deep voice boomed from behind them. Kurt's father joined
them once again, but without Lothur or Keegan. Liesel's heart
nearly failed. Did he mean himself or his son? Kurt must have read
her stricken expression because he softly said,

"My father is stepping down. I will be pack
leader after we wed." His eyes were cautious as he studied her
reaction. Liesel had no idea as to what he saw though, because she
didn't even know what she felt. There was too much to take in.
Swallowing hard, she tried to clear the sudden lump in her
throat.

"And where will I live?" Her words were
barely audible even to her own ears. Kurt's face twisted in pain
and he stood up and turned away.

"Oh, Liesel," he groaned and ran his hand
through his hair. "Are you really going to make me answer
that?"

"You will be here, where you're needed,
protecting the pack," Kurt's father answered for him. His eyes were
flat. He had a square face, sharper and deeper than Kurt's. There
was a resemblance, but only just. Kurt looked much more like his
mother. But then, Kurt had never looked that cruel either.

"No!" Liesel stood clumsily and grabbed
Kurt's sleeve. "I cannot live like this forever! I can't live
without the sun!" She searched his face for a sliver of pity, some
sign of hope. But he wore a mask of resolve, suddenly looking far
older than twenty-one.