Wolfbreed (33 page)

He had spent his first evening trading his furs, then acquiring a small narrow room from the proceeds. That night he had not slept well, waking up several times from now-constant nightmares that left him only the impression of an onrushing menace.

Upon waking and going to breakfast, he discovered that the dread he felt had more of a basis than a barely remembered dream. The gray-haired proprietor had whispered to him of the Germans who were taking all the Prûsans who had been present at the siege of Mejdân. The surviving son of Chief Radwen would obviously be of particular interest.

That day, while the soldiers went to and fro along every street
in Johannisburg, Uldolf did not leave the house where he boarded. And that night, the nightmares were worse—though he still could not remember them.

The following day, the soldiers seemed to have completed their task. At least they didn’t overwhelm the streets with their numbers.

Even so, he waited until early evening to slip from the house. He stuck to the narrowest alleys between houses, trying to stay out of sight without looking as if he was staying out of sight.

His winding journey stopped in the shadows next to an old timber-frame building facing the road out of Johannisburg. He could look out from the shadows, down the main road, toward the gate. He waited until he saw his friend Lankut take his post at the gate. Delaying his leave until his friend took that duty gave him one less thing to worry about as he slipped out of town.

He was freshly aware of just how conspicuous he was, a one-armed man known to nearly every Prûsan in town. Even the soldiers who didn’t speak the language would be able to guess who he was. From a distance he was able to hide his missing arm under his cloak, but the moment a knight or some other soldier stopped him or tried to speak with him, his pathetic disguise would fall apart.

Worse, the Germans were no longer overwhelming the city in their search for the survivors of Mejdân. They had most likely spread their search into the countryside, and that meant it was no longer just Uldolf who was at risk.

It now meant his family.

The soldiers would come to his home and find them, and Lilly as well.

However hopeless it seemed, he
had
formed half a plan. He would slip out at dusk, just before the gates closed, and travel home under cover of night. If he beat the Germans to the farm, he could take Lilly and slip into the woods. He knew enough to
survive out in the wilderness for several days at least. Enough to bypass any searches.

However, now that the sun was setting behind the gate, stretching shadows of trees and buildings toward him, he had another problem. Between him and the gate, on the main road, two German knights were talking.

If they had been knights of the Order they would soon be heading off to the keep for prayers and devotions, and whatever ascetic meals the warrior monks allowed themselves. However, this pair didn’t wear the black cross of the Order. These two knights dressed in garish red and green and were under no such obligation. They showed no signs of taking their conversation elsewhere.

Uldolf huddled closer to the shadows, debating if he should move or wait for the Germans to walk away. They didn’t appear to be actively searching for anything; they just stood next to the road talking to each other. But they had been talking for half an hour, and if Uldolf waited until after dusk and the gates were closed, he would draw even more attention trying to leave.

Because he held to the shadows, paying attention to the German knights, he didn’t see Lilly until she was already walking through the main gate. He just glanced away from the Germans for a moment, and he saw her dyed hair blowing slightly in the breeze, skirts smeared with soil and leaves. Even at this distance, with the black that hid the white streak in her hair, he could still see the angry red scar that marred her temple.

No!

She had slipped behind a group of Dutch merchants entering the village, apparently to keep from drawing attention. The idea might have had merit, if her peasant clothing had not been completely at odds with the furs of the merchants, and if she wasn’t very obviously keeping the merchants’ wagon between herself and the Germans up the road.

What are you doing, Lilly?
he thought.

The moment someone tried to speak with her, ask her name or her business here … He had to get to her before that happened.

The Germans hadn’t paid her any attention, yet. The merchants had paused, debating among themselves. If they cared about the anonymous girl who entered the gate on their heels, they didn’t show it. Lilly walked a few paces away, separating from their group, and looked around at the buildings, as if she was considering where to go.

By the gate, Lankut looked back in her direction, as if he realized that she wasn’t part of the tradesmen he had just admitted.

No choice
.

Uldolf pulled his cloak fully about himself, concealing his missing arm. He left his face uncovered, since the Germans would know him only by description. If he raised the cloak’s hood in the daylight it would be even more notable than his absent arm.

He made an effort to calm his breathing and a racing heart, and began an unhurried stride down the main avenue of Johannisburg.

Lankut had decided to investigate. He left the other guards at the gate and began walking toward Lilly. The merchants settled their conversation and broke up into two smaller groups, dispersing down two separate alleys, parting like a curtain between the German knights and Lilly. The Germans were still talking to each other, neither looking toward Uldolf or Lilly.

Lankut was much closer to Lilly than Uldolf was, and Uldolf felt the copper taste of fear in his throat. He had hoped to reach Lilly before Lankut talked to her, but there was no way to close the distance in time without breaking into a sprint. Uldolf passed the two Germans, less than four yards away across the street. It took all his will to avoid looking at them as he passed.

Lankut walked up behind Lilly. She was still turning, away from him, surveying the village.

Uldolf heard Lankut say, “Excuse me, miss?”

Then Lilly saw Uldolf. The smile, wide eyes, and shout of “Ulfie!” came with such an explosive lack of subtlety that Uldolf expected the Germans to strike him dead on the spot. She ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him with such enthusiasm that he felt faint from lack of breath.

He took a step back and Lilly followed, hanging on him, ending the kiss only to rest her cheek on his shoulder.

Expecting the quick and forceful end of her embrace, Uldolf glanced over to the Germans across the street. He had quite obviously failed in his effort to remain unnoticed. However, to his great relief, the Germans were staring at them with amusement, not with any hostile intent. They were chuckling at Lilly’s public affections and Uldolf’s obvious discomfort. His face burned, and they laughed harder.

“Excuse me?”

Uldolf turned and looked at Lankut, who had followed Lilly from the village gate. He was half smiling himself.

“Yes?”

“I was going to ask her business in Johannisburg, but that’s apparent.”

Uldolf brought his arm from under his cloak to hold Lilly, and turn her slightly so she was between him and the Germans, facing away from them and hiding the right side of Uldolf’s body from observation. “She came here to meet me,” Uldolf said.

“I am hoping you do not allow her to travel alone on these roads.”

Uldolf never felt more his deficiencies as a liar. He looked down at Lilly and said, “I don’t know—”
What to say?
“She should be with her family.”

“Oh. She was coming with others?”

Uldolf kept looking down at Lilly so Lankut couldn’t look into his eyes. “Maybe, when she got in sight of the town, she ran ahead.”

“She was quite excited to see you.”

Uldolf nodded, looking up. “And I, her.”

Lankut looked off toward the Germans who had gotten bored with the spectacle and were talking again between themselves. “Are you betrothed?”

Gods, how do I answer that?
“Perhaps, with her father’s permission.”

Lankut chuckled. “Your father would be amused at your excessive politeness.”

Uldolf was about to say something, but he realized that Lankut was not referring to Gedim. He felt the tall shadow of Radwen Seigson looming over him.

“In his day, if he eyed such a beauty, he would have simply taken her. Woe to father, brother, or uncle who objected.”

“Things are different now.”

“Perhaps,” Lankut said. Still looking at the Germans across the street, he continued softly, “Are you aware that those men would probably like to talk to you?”

“I have heard.”

“Good.” Lankut smiled. “As you are here, and they are here, I have done my duty.”

Lankut turned and walked back toward his post at the gate, and the Germans, still talking to each other, finally made their leave.

ldolf still wanted to get out of town, but his driving urgency had been to get Lilly away from his family. It wasn’t quite clear what the Germans were doing by taking so many Prûsans from Mejdân to the keep, but it
was
clear that if the Germans found Lilly with his family, there would be some dire consequences.

Now that Lilly was here, Uldolf had to rethink his plans. He couldn’t take her back home. So instead he took her back to his
room at the boarding house. Even if the master of the house was no friend of the Germans, Uldolf was still discreet about bringing his guest. He took her around the alley in back, between the inn and the stables.

His room’s single window looked across an alley at the stable. He had fortunately left it unlatched, and was able to open the shutters from outside. He boosted her up so she could climb in.

He followed, clumsily, until she reached out and grabbed his arm. She showed her strength again as she practically lifted him into the room after her. His relief at being quickly inside, unobserved, overrode any embarrassment he might have felt.

She backed up to give him space to enter the narrow room. The air was thick with the smell of mud and horses drifting in from the open window. The light burned red with the setting sun.

Uldolf stepped around the chair and the short bed, the only furniture in the room, and reached around Lilly so he could latch the door shut. Once that was done, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Lilly was sandwiched between him and the door. She placed a hand on his chest. “Ulfie?”

“Sit down while I try and think of something to do.” He backed up, taking off his cloak and laying it on the bed next to her as she sat down.

As he set down his pack, she grabbed his shoulder. “Ulfie.” She opened her mouth, closed it, and frowned at him. “I—I—”

Uldolf frowned at the frustration evident on her face. He sat next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Calm down, Lilly.”

“I—I—I—”

He lifted his hand and placed a finger on her lips. “If you keep forcing things, if you let the frustration overwhelm you, it gets even harder. Speak slowly, one word at a time if you have to. Take a breath.”

He lowered his hand and Lilly nodded. She took a breath and said “I came t-t-t—” She shook her head and took another breath.

“To you m-m-m—” She sucked in another breath and said, “Myself.”

There was a hint of a smile at completing the sentence. But it didn’t reach her eyes. He could tell that there was more she needed to say.

“Why, Lilly?” He shook his head. “You had to know how dangerous it was.”

A single tear rolled down her cheek.

“I—I—I—” She balled her hands into fists.

“Shh. You need to calm down.”

She buried her face in his chest. “L-l-let m-m-me do this.”

“Let you do what?” Uldolf stroked her hair.