Wild Magic (19 page)

CHAPTER
FORTY-FIVE

The head nodded and the thin lips spoke: “You have chosen well, young hero.”

Through the trees came a beam of pure sunlight. It struck the well, gilding the gray eyes, and from them sprang two dazzling rays of golden light that flew like arrows toward Marianna.

As they struck her, she felt herself beginning to change. There was no pain, just a strange woozy sensation, and when she shook her head to clear it, she felt curls brushing her cheek. She was a girl again. She was even wearing the dress she had worn back in Hamelin.

“Mari!” cried Jakob. He threw himself upon her and hugged her again.

“I tried to call out to you,” said Marianna breathlessly. “All the time I've been a fox, I've been able to speak, but I couldn't do it then. I don't know why.”

“Rules!” laughed Jakob. “I had to win you, Mari, and so I have. Sir Jakob of the New Legs triumphs again!”

Marianna held him at arm's length and looked at him in wonder. “Yes, you
do
have new legs! I couldn't believe it when I saw you walking toward me. How did that happen? And where did you get this amazing staff ?”

“I'll tell you later,” said Jakob. “I think we need to get out of the forest. We're not supposed to be in here.”

Jakob helped Marianna to her feet. It felt strange to her, being upright again, but she knew her body would remember and adjust. She smoothed the creases from her dress while Jakob returned to the well.

“Thank you,” he said. “For everything.”

The head smiled. “Travel well, my young friend. May your journey be swift and—” It paused and turned in the water, as if sensing something.

“What is it?” asked Jakob quietly.

“Something comes.” There was a new expression in the pale gray eyes. Jakob didn't like it.

“Go,” said the head urgently. “Go now. And may Fortune watch over you.”

Jakob quickly returned to Marianna, took her hand, and led her away.

“What's wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing.”

“You're pulling my arm out of its socket! You can't tell me there's nothing wrong! Did the head say something? Jakob?”

“It may be nothing,” said Jakob, “but the head thought there was something coming.”

“Oh, dear Lord,” said Marianna.

Now it was Jakob's turn to feel frightened. The color had drained from Marianna's face.

“What is it, Mari?”

“I don't know for sure,” she replied, “but I suspect it's the Piper.”

Jakob instantly slowed down. “Well, that's all right! I thought there was some kind of monster coming for us.”

“There is,” said Marianna. “Please, Jakob—you must come on. There isn't time to explain now. We have to get out of the forest.”

“Why?”

“Please, Jakob! Just come!”

Jakob said no more, simply followed his sister through the trees. But Marianna didn't know the way out of the forest and neither did he. Hours went by, they were hopelessly lost, and the light was fading.

Marianna stopped and threw her hands up in despair. “I don't know where we are and it's going to be dark soon.”

“I can help with that,” said Jakob. His staff began to glow with a warm amber light. He sat down on a nearby stone. “Let's rest awhile, Mari. We've been walking all day.”

“There's no time,” said Marianna, but she sat down anyway. And once she was down, her whole body seemed to collapse. Her shoulders slumped and her head hung low.

Jakob thought he had never seen anyone look so broken. “It's all right, Mari,” he said. “I'll protect you.”

“No,” said Marianna. “I'm supposed to protect
you
and I don't think I can. I can't even find a way out of the forest.” She closed her eyes—and suddenly pictured her father, back in the lane. She remembered the look on his face as he realized he couldn't hold her. A terrible blend of despair, anger, and fear. And she understood he wasn't being useless. He was doing his best. It wasn't his fault that his best wasn't good enough. Right now, her best wasn't good enough either—and Jakob might die because of it.

“There must be something we can do,” said Jakob.

Marianna shook her head. “I can't think of anything.”

“Let me try.” Jakob closed his eyes and concentrated hard—but nothing happened. “I'm sorry,” he said. “I thought maybe I could leave my body and fly up above the trees, but I can't.”

Marianna turned. “Why on earth would you think you could do that?”

Jakob shrugged. “I've done it before.”

Marianna went cold. This wasn't what she wanted to hear.

“Back at the well,” he went on. “I left my body, flew through the air, and went up your nose. I read your thoughts. That's how I knew it was you.”

“Have you done any more . . . magic?” said Marianna in a whisper, as if she didn't want the trees to know.

“No. Except for the staff, of course.”

“The staff ? Are you saying that
you
made it glow just now?”

Jakob grinned. “I think it's this place, Mari. Everyone can do magic here.”

Marianna said nothing. She couldn't—her heart was in her mouth.
It was true.
Everything Papa had said was true. Jakob did have magic powers. He
was
the one the Piper was looking for.

She had to get Jakob to safety. Had to protect him, even if it meant risking her own life. But right now the most important thing was to keep calm. If she started to panic, so would Jakob. She didn't want that. They would need to be quick and clearheaded to get out of the forest alive.

“Come on,” she said lightly, standing up. “Let's keep walking.”

They hurried on, but it wasn't long before Marianna saw what she was dreading: the full moon. A sliver of silver, cutting through the tree canopy. Her heart froze at the sight of it, though she said nothing, just urged her brother on.

Was there no end to the forest? The trees seemed to be gathering together. Huddling close, like chickens when the fox comes. It was so quiet, every footfall thudded into the forest floor. Twigs snapped, leaves rustled, stones rattled. It was impossible to move quickly without making a noise.

And then they heard the howl. A skin-chilling, blood-stilling, hope-killing howl. It flew into the sky. Shattered against the moon. Hammered down like hail. And every creature in the forest—everything that crawled or ran or fluttered or swam—heard the power and the pain behind it.

“Blessed Mary, save us,” said Marianna. “It's him.”

The howl hadn't ended before another one came, crashing through the night like a bear. Marianna spun around, desperately trying to locate the source. It was outside the forest. No, it was
inside
the forest. Suddenly she wished she were a fox again, with eyes and ears that could tell her exactly when the Beast was coming. A nose that could catch his stench on the wind.

Now she had nothing. Just her wits and her hope and her love for her brother.

“Run, Jakob!” she cried. “Run!”

CHAPTER
FORTY-SIX

Marianna and Jakob ran for their lives, crashing through undergrowth, tearing through brambles. They didn't stop to think where they were going. They ran blindly on, desperately hoping that something would save them. But nothing did.

And soon Marianna caught a familiar smell—the foul stink of the Beast. The hairs rose on the back of her neck. She looked for Jakob. He was right behind her.

“Get in front of me, Jakob!” she shouted, moving to one side. “Where I can see you.”

He obeyed and they ran on. But Marianna could hear the Beast now: an extra set of feet pounding the forest floor. Hot and heavy, breaking branches underfoot. It was on all fours, running as a wolf. She heard it panting, quick and excited. Heard the snap of its jaw. Heard the blood pounding in her own veins, coursing through her body like a river in flood, sweeping her along on a tide of terror.

They were twisting and turning now, threading through the trees, in—out—in—out, fleeing like deer. They burst into a glade and Marianna saw a tree silhouetted in the moonlight: a mighty oak, with a vast, bulbous trunk. And in that moment, she remembered her fox's den—the hollow oak—and prayed that this one had suffered the same fate.

“In there!” she cried. “Into the trunk!” Jakob wriggled into the crack like a caterpillar and she squeezed herself in behind him.

URRAAAAAA
H!

Just in time! The Beast slammed against the trunk, setting the whole tree rocking. It raised itself on its rear legs, smacked its front paws down either side of the opening, and thrust its great muzzle inside.

Marianna pushed Jakob back, shielding him with her own body. The stench was unbelievable. Tears sprang to her eyes. She was nearly sick but swallowed it down.

The Beast snapped its jaws. Marianna saw a flash of fangs, and a spray of spittle hit her full in the face. Her eyes closed against it and she kept them closed. She didn't want to see. Hearing was enough.

The Beast was tearing strips of bark from the trunk. Scratching and tearing and rending the tree, opening the crack wider and wider.

Suddenly it was done. Marianna opened her eyes just as the great head burst in through the opening, jaws wide, nostrils flaring, lantern eyes fixed on her face. The savage jaws seized hold of her dress and started to pull. Marianna could feel herself sliding through the crack, away from Jakob, into the jaws of the Beast.

“NO!” she wailed. “NO-O-O-O!” But the Beast was too strong. It pulled with the force of a dozen dogs. She couldn't hold on. It dragged her out of the trunk, shook her like a rabbit, then hurled her across the clearing. She fell down and hit her head hard—
duudd.
Darkness descended. She knew no more.

Jakob took his chance. While the Beast was sniffing at Marianna's body, he leaped out of the tree and started to run. He wanted to help Marianna, of course he did, but knew he couldn't. Something inside was urging him to save himself.

But the Beast was behind him. He felt the tremors in the ground as it thundered after him, fangs bared. Felt the thud as it sprang toward him, all four feet leaving the earth.
Doomf !
The Beast hit him with full force in the middle of his back, sending him sprawling to the ground, the breath knocked clean out of his body.

And then he felt his own fingers, fishing for the handle of his sword—the broken bit of branch he had given himself at the start of his quest. And as his fingers curled around it, he closed his eyes and wished it had the power it needed. The power to pierce wolf hide. The power to kill.

Instantly Jakob felt the magic moving within him. It poured from his heart like molten metal. Ran down his arms. Found his fingers. Entered that twiggy stick and transformed it. The handle became round, smooth, solid. The blade emerged, forged by the heat of his hand. And Jakob, feeling its weight, summoned all his strength, twisted hard, and rolled onto his back. Raised the sword and thrust it into the side of the Beast. Drove it home, then pulled it out again.

Aieee!
The howl was so loud, they must have heard it in Hamelin Town. Jakob felt it like a blow to the body. The Beast staggered back, clutching the wound—though more in shock than in pain. It wasn't a killing blow.

Jakob scrambled to his feet and started to run, across the glade, back into the forest. But the Beast was behind him again, wilder than ever.
Ffffoo!
The Beast flew through the air and felled him a second time, then it hauled him to his feet and threw him like a stone.

Jakob soared through the air, his arms and legs flailing. Time seemed to be bending, going so slowly . . . He could see the glade, bathed in moonlight. He could see the Beast glaring at him with murderous eyes. But worse than that, he could see a massive boulder directly underneath him. He couldn't avoid it. It was going to kill him.