Enchanted Forests (52 page)

David, a changeable number of ferrets, and a network of

writer friends on GEnie.

Sim held her breath and listened.

Was that her heart pounding so or the riders who followed her

and Julianne, her younger sister? A bush snapped. Then another.

It was riders, no doubt about it. For once the years of drought

worked in her favor. She quit holding her breath and gasped for

air. The two riders were getting much too close. Fear's acrid

taste was metallic in her mouth.

Fear is for the rabbits they hunt, not for me, she chided her-

self, pushing the fear aside. I've feared them since my first^iood

last spring. I won't fear them anymore!

She straightened from her crouch. Sneak and sprint, sneak and

sprint. That's how they had spent their night. The moon was now

long down and barren clouds hid the stars. Her eyes were tired

from peering back across what she knew were rolling grasslands.

Strain though she might, the blackness yielded no silhouettes for

her to see. She had to find someplace where she could talk to the

Goddess. They needed time.

"It will be light soon, Siir." The words were more gasps than

speech as Julianne fought to catch her breath, too. She was small

for her age and fragile from too many years of not enough to eat,

EVERYTHING HAS A PLACE

339

yet she was tough. Siiri gave her that much. Julianne didn't give

up easily- "They'll see us before we find shelter."

Jutianne pointed to the northeast. A pale gray at the rim of the

sky hid behind the rise of foothills and backlit the jagged tops of

trees that were their goal. Behind on the still-dark parched plain

was Lord Duncan's Keep and their family in graves, dead of

neglect, overwork, and starvation. Ahead was the only place left

to go.

"We need to find someplace for me to work," Siiri panted.

"1*11 only need a minute to buy us some time, but I have to get

my breath."

A sneeze and a curse from a masculine voice reminded her of

who followed and how much sound carried in the predawn hush.

As their path rose to meet the treeline, they were passing through

thicker and thicker brush that snapped at a breath. They had to

be careful. She grabbed Julianne's hand, pulled her forward, try-

ing to find a trace without making the same amount of noise that

had given their pursuers away. Julianne pulled her off to the left

behind a bush.

"This will have to do, Siiri. Hurry."

Siiri concentrated on her lungs and thought them quiet. Help

me, Goddess, she prayed. Help us.

There was no answer. After a moment she heard the faint

whisper that usually told her that the Goddess was listening and

ready to help her now. If she could just think of a way for the

Goddess to help.

Siiri thought for a moment of what the old Herbwoman had

taught her. "For the Goddess' magic to work, you must think of

things she knows," the Herbwoman had said. "The Goddess will

show you how to work with it, but you have to focus on some-

thing natural and show her what you need done. If it is some-

thing she understands and it is within her power, she will help

you. But be careful what you ask. What may be clear to you may

not always be clear to the Goddess. And don't expect her answer

to be what you expected."

/ know, Siiri thought with anticipation. She imagined them

rested, their bellies frill, and the day ahead a relaxed run in the

foothills on a goat path sheltered by tall brush.

"Let's go," she whispered, hoping the Goddess would see this

image clearly. She began to run.

The stitch in her side began to relax and her breathing evened.

Siiri's feet found the well-wom goat trace with no brush or dried

grass to give the girls away. Julianne's breathing grew quieter,

340 Barbara A. Denz

and her feet patted the ground more surely than before. Quietly

now, they ran on.

The next problem was the brothers who followed them. Siiri

let her feet move automatically as she thought of a small rock,

positioned so it would embed in soft hoof tissue. It would not be

enough to harm. The Goddess would not allow that. Behind her,

a horse screamed, tack jingling, and the man who rode it

thumped and whuffed on hard ground, brush breaking as he fell.

She heard curses and then ignored them.

Blessed Be, Goddess. She smiled and her parched lips cracked

anew. She promised to pray her thanks later and turned all focus

on the rise to the rocky foothills and the growing outline of trees.

They reached the edge of the thick evergreen wood just as they

could distinguish colors around them. The sky was turning the

heat-soaked dark gold of another rainless day. The needles on the

trees looked dull. The girls were tired and panting, but they were

as safe as possible until they were in Lord Edward's halls. The air

was thick with the day's heat when Siiri found a ring of six of the

biggest pine trees she had ever seen. On the far side of the ring,

against a rock outcropping, another of the huge trees had fallen

over, shattering at the base and creating a splintery tunnel to the

rock. The gap was just large enough for the two girls to slip

through. Limbs long dead seemed to beckon her.

"Over there, Julie."

"I don't like that, Siiri. If we're caught, there's nowhere to

go." Julianne stepped back and looked for some other cover.

"The Goddess will protect us. Trust her, Julie."

Julianne's look was skeptical. The eleven-year-old didn't much

trust in the Goddess' help. Why should she? The only family she

had left was Siiri. Julianne had only followed because her sister

had promised she would be safe and better off in Lord Edward's

Keep. She wished she could protect her little sister and not just

promise help of a Goddess who had seemed to forsake them in

the drought years.

Siiri had to tug on her sister, but in the end it was the sound

of brush cracking that encouraged Julianne to press her slender

body through the splinters and to hide behind and below the tree.

Siiri could barely see the ring. She hoped that no one out there

would be able to see them, either, once daylight shone through

the trees. For now, the light was mottled and it was much cooler

than they were used to. Brush cracked further away and Siiri re-

laxed a little. Maybe the brothers wouldn't be able to find them.

Siiri reverently pushed cobwebs aside to let her eyes get used

EVERYTHING HAS A PLACE

341

to the dappling. Two large burls sat free on the ground and held

water for the girls to share. Siiri thanked the Goddess again, set-

^   tied her back against the tree and drank. Julianne sipped cau-

tiously and settled against the rock, carefully unwrapping the

small trifold of cloth that carried the only food they had. She

broke off a small piece of hard bread and offered it to Siiri.

"No, you go ahead. The Goddess will take care of me,"

she said, sounding more confident than she felt as she thought of

berries and nuts she would like to eat. "I think I'll explore a little

and see if I can see the brothers to be sure they've lost us."

Julianne shrugged and broke off another bite of bread. Siiri

slipped out the side of the tree and looked for anything she could

eat. It was light enough for her to find berries she had hoped for.

But with each step she felt the heat press on her. Cautiously, she

surveyed the ring. If she was where she thought she was, there

should be seven trees in the ring and this glade should be ver-

dant. It confused her that the Goddess would let Her dance of sa-

cred trees fall into the dead, dull, desiccated area before her. Siiri

picked a few nuts off the ground, picked up a downed branch,

and smoothed over their dusty tracks in the clearing. She

munched absently on more nuts as she squeezed carefully around

dried limbs and cracked heartwood to return to her sister.

"Are they close?" Julianne asked.

"I didn't hear or see them, but they can't be far away," Siiri

said absently, still concentrating on the tree and the Dance. "We

can hope they won't find us, but it would be easy to follow our

trail." Siiri looked up at the dull, heavy sky. She took another sip

from the burl. It was full again, even though she had emptied it

twice already. She wondered if her thirst would ever be slaked.

She was tired and she wanted to sleep the day away.

"Have we reached Lord Edward's land yet?" Julianne whis-

pered once the food was gone and her belly swollen.

"I don't know," Siiri replied honestly. "Goddess lands are sup-

posed to be greener than this. I think so, but we won't know until

we meet someone from the household. The brothers shouldn't

hunt us here. If Lord Edward catches them, 1 heard it would be

a very unpleasant death. The Goddess led us here, so I think this

is sacred ground...." Her whisper trailed off".

Julianne scowled at her sister and waited for her to continue.

Siiri sighed. "I guess this could be the Dance of the Seven

Maidens," she said. "The Herbwoman said the trees would be

bigger than usual, and I suppose this could be the seventh." Siiri

ran her hand lovingly along the fallen tree. It felt cold and dead

342 Barbara A. Denz

to the touch. She wasn't used to having nature feel cold. Since

her firstblood, nature usually came alive at her touch. Without

knowing quite why, she began to cry quietly. "Such is the way

of these dry times," she told herself quietly. "Only the fittest sur-

vive."

"You're sure he'll take us in? With this drought, he'll not want

two more mouths to feed," Julianne said quietly after a moment.

Siiri realized that her sister had taken another meaning to her

comment.

The tears had already dried on Sim's cheeks, leaving a salty

channel to her chin. "I trust the Herbwoman," she said quietly

after another long silence- "She says I'll be safe and that Lord

Edward honors those who serve the Goddess and the old ways.

She says this drought is because so many now worship the new

Onegod. She doesn't think that His followers will believe much

longer if He doesn't fill their bellies. When the Goddess' lands

are strong again and Her ways are honored, then we will have

food for all. The Herbwoman said I could help now and that you

could probably help, too, if we can keep us both virgins, but

Lord Duncan and his sons have a reputation of leaving no hope

for the Goddess' ways to return. She said they mean to rape us

all." Siiri was quiet for a moment, letting her anger at the horrors

she witnessed subside.

Siiri looked around her again. "The Herbwoman said there are

many holy spots on Lord Edward's lands and he is careful to

keep them for the Goddess." Siiri stopped to think for a minute.

Then she giggled softly.

"What's so funny?" Julianne asked.

"I was just thinking. While we are both here, there is one

maiden too many in the Dance." As she said it, a cold breeze

blew along her spine. She looked over her shoulder. Nothing was

there except her misgivings. When she turned around, Julianne

was looking at her very strangely.

"Lord Edward will take us," she said softly, trying to regain

her composure. She had felt those cold chills before and didn't

like them. They always boded ill. "We can give him rain. God-

dess willing."

Julianne smiled- "You witch," she said softly, and tangled

slender fingers in Siiri *s mousy hair. Matched pairs of ice-green

eyes smiled at one another.

"Sleep if you can," Siiri whispered. She settled back, nestling

against the dead heartwood, and drowsed.

EVERYTHING HAS A PLACE

343

Siiri awoke with a start. It took a few seconds before her

,  pounding heart focused on what had jolted her awake. Before she

could cry out at the whuffling of horses scant paces from their

hollow tree and male voices shouting, a hand cupped over her

mouth.

"Shh," Julianne whispered "It's probably mid-moming, but

they're setting up camp on the far edge of the glade. There's no

way out if they don't leave. They're arguing about losing us.

They can't find trail marks."

Siiri nodded and tried to peek out without being seen. Her sis-

ter pulled her back. The sound of jingling tack alerted them to

the movements of the nervous horses.

"Don't," she whispered next to Sim's ear. "The glade is too

light now. It's Morgan and Robert."

"Just as I thought," Siiri whispered. "All he cares about is that

the youngest have some sport. So much is ruined in those inept

hands."

She fell silent as the young men stopped arguing with one an-

other. Siiri moved to peek around the edge of the tumble of rot-

ting roots. Into her field of vision stepped two lithe youths in

riding leathers. Morgan walked toward the horses- Robert was

setting a fire, despite the oppressive heat. She pressed against the

back of the tree and held her breath. Morgan returned to his

brother with a bulging skin and a ^ack of food.