"Liesel," Lothur took a deep breath. He seemed almost nervous. "Thank goodness you said something. I might have turned had I thought you an animal." Liesel was silent. "If you'll just come with me, I can escort you safely back to the town." Still, she hesitated. The more she considered it, however, the more she realized she had no choice. Kurt and Johan were gone, and she had no way to defend herself. Finally, she nodded and followed him back through the forest.
It felt like a death march, the way she imagined a criminal might feel while being walked to the gallows. Liesel had never seen a hanging. Amala had claimed such events were no place for young ladies. Still, she'd heard enough from her friends who had attended to know what one was like. And she could only feel that her own noose was waiting for her back in that long log cabin.
Lothur let her stew quietly until they ran into a few other men who seemed to be acting as guards who had a disgruntled Johan in tow. He was in wolf form, snarling and wrenching his body from side to side menacingly, but their ropes held, and with them, they pulled him like a common, disobedient pet. But where was Kurt?
She didn't have to wonder for long. Keegan soon stepped into the clearing followed closely by Kurt. Neither of the brothers looked very happy. Keegan kept sending his older brother wary glances, but all Kurt did was glare at his uncle. Liesel quickly made her way over to Kurt, who hugged her tightly to his side away from Lothur. As they began to walk, she wondered why he didn't use his authority to tell his uncle to let them go. From the looks he kept sending to Keegan, however, all she could guess was that they weren't simply being escorted back to the town. Something else was amiss.
After about an hour of walking, the group reached the southern edge of the town. As they moved, Liesel decided that something was most definitely different in the people's reactions to her. Instead of staring at her silently as they had the first time she'd visited, they now avoided her gaze completely. Not one person made eye contact as she walked through the streets. They looked away as though they were...guilty, Liesel decided. It sent a cold shiver up her spine. They had known she was being forced to marry their pack leader the last time they'd seen her. Something had changed. But what that was, she couldn't tell.
"Where's Father?" Kurt demanded to know as soon as the door was shut back in the cabin. Lothur excused the guards before fixing him with an unnerving stare and answering,
"Your father fell sick soon after you left." Kurt paled.
"I need to see him." Lothur looked as though he were about to say no, but Keegan interrupted.
"I'll take him." Lothur leveled a suspicious stare at his youngest nephew.
"Before you go, I need to be sure you won't be-"
"We've already come this far," Keegan shook his head. "You needn't worry, Uncle." After studying him carefully for a long moment, Lothur finally nodded, and Keegan motioned for his brother to lead the way down the hall. Their uncle turned to Liesel and Johan finally with an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry we had to meet again in this situation. It's just that...something has changed."
"We were coming back-" Liesel tried to speak, but Lothur held up his hand.
"I know, and I'm not angry, I promise. I understand you were looking for your own answer to the spell, and that I admire. But now that you're back, I need to make sure you remain here for the time being. Now...Liesel, you look exhausted."
Liesel hadn't felt exhausted until he mentioned it. But as soon as the words left his mouth, she realized she was close to fainting. It had been two days since she'd gotten any decent sleep, and suddenly, it was as if she could hardly bear to stand any longer.
Lothur caught her as she swayed, and much to her chagrin, he had to support her as he led her down the hall to her room. Inside her mind, she was screaming and crying to be released so she could go find Kurt, but her body would have none of it. It wasn't long before she was dead asleep.
***
When Liesel awoke, she had no way to tell how long she'd been asleep. It appeared to be night from the inky blackness of her window. No fire had been lit, and neither had any candles. Groggily, she pulled herself out of bed, and holding her hands out before her, Liesel made the slow trek to the wall where the door should have been. The relief she found in locating the door was quickly replaced by fear when she realized it was locked. Why had they locked her in?
Just as the lock caught, however, she heard soft footsteps outside. Scrambling through the dark, she climbed back on the bed and waited. Fears raced through her head as she lay there, heart pounding and breaths coming too fast. Where was Kurt? And Johan? And why was everyone being so secretive?
All hope of breaking the spell had dissipated as they'd escaped Weit. Now, Liesel thought miserably, she would be grateful to simply be reunited with Kurt for the wedding. Locked in a dark room without an inkling as to why, however, made even that dream seem impossible.
Whomever it was walked up to her door and stood there silently, as if listening. Liesel held her breath and wondered if she should risk jumping back in the bed and pretending to sleep. It didn't matter, though, because the listener eventually walked away. Liesel let out a huge breath before her mind returned to more somber thoughts.
If everything somehow worked out, and they were simply allowed to be married, there was still hope for some sort of new normal.
But as she tried to linger even on that possibility, doubts crept in and reminded her it would be for only a short time. The wolf would devour more and more of Kurt's mind, and the magic would have Liesel dead before she was gray. Any children they gave life to would be bound to repeat their struggles, but sevenfold as the pack continued to grow, demanding more order and more magic from them as it did. Any way she looked at it, Liesel lost Kurt.
It wasn't fair.
Without warning, the door rattled and clicked open. Agile steps crossed the floor swiftly, and without a pause, a hand was thrown over Liesel's mouth. As she sucked in the air to scream, a rough whisper was breathed into her ear.
"If you make a sound, my uncle will hear, and you'll never make it out alive." It took Liesel a long moment to recognize Keegan's voice, and an even longer moment to process his warning. She wasn't sure she could trust the intentions of Kurt's younger brother, but dealing with his uncle would be decidedly worse. Reluctantly, she finally nodded, and he carefully let her go.
He surprised her by taking her hand and leading her from the room. She expected him to light a candle, but instead they walked in the darkness, and it was all Liesel could do to keep herself upright and to avoid bumping into the walls. Keegan made no sounds has he moved in the darkness. After what seemed like a century to Liesel, she heard the unmistakable click of another unlocking door. Since no moonlight moved through the thick trees, it was nearly as dark outside as it had been in the house. It amazed and frightened Liesel how quickly she had forgotten the true darkness of the forest.
Liesel gripped Keegan's hand tightly as they moved, for she could see nothing distinguishable on her own. After walking a brief distance from the house, they stopped. He took her hands and placed them onto what she recognized was a saddle. As he took her by the waist, she realized she was supposed to jump, just in time to be hoisted up onto the horse. Still without speaking a word, she heard his boots crunch as he walked a few steps away and then somehow moved himself up to her height, which, she presumed, meant he was on his own horse. She felt her horse's reins move forward, and allowed him to lead her without question.
As they rode in silence, Liesel felt sick trying to imagine where Kurt could be. If they were sending her away in secret, which she knew Kurt must have had a hand in, something must have gone wrong. The future Kurt had discussed only an hour before his disappearance had still involved both of them. If she wasn't going to their wedding, which she couldn't imagine would be taking place so far from the town they were leaving behind, where was she going? And where was Kurt? Liesel opened her mouth to ask, when her eyes rested on the still form of the most terrible cre
ature she'd ever seen.
Her eyes, though not clear, had adjusted well enough to see that it stretched out to be at least twelve feet long. It lay just a short distance from their horses, and looked like a wolf upon first glance. But the longer Liesel stared at it in the dim light of the woods, the less recognizable it appeared. It had gray fur like a wolf, to be sure, and the fangs sticking out of its mouth were nearly as long as her hand. But the longer Liesel looked, the more the creature appeared...almost human. And not just human, but woman-like. Its torso extended out abnormally in the front, and the animal's hips were wider than a wolf's. Likewise, its front limbs were outstretched like arms reaching rather than legs for running. The snout was much too short, which made its fangs look even more grotesquely out of place. As Liesel noticed for the first time that its eyes were shut, she also noticed, hidden at first by the bushes it laid in, an arrow protruding from the back of its neck.
"So that's where she went." Keegan's words were nearly too quiet to hear. Cold bumps raised up on Liesel's arms as she quickly sensed that Keegan not only knew what this creature was, but that he had something to do with its demise.
"Keegan," she began in a low voice, but he'd already turned and had begun to lead their horses away. "What-"
"Don't!" The force and rage in his words surprised Liesel. He'd turned to glare at her with a look she'd never seen on his young face before. Something in her heart warned her not to press any further, despite her morbid curiosity. For a long moment, the young man looked very dangerous as his nostrils flared and his neck tightened, and as she decided she had no desire to deal with a wolf at that moment, Liesel swallowed her questions and nodded faintly before he began to lead their horses again. They stayed silent for a long time before he finally muttered something about that part of the woods being full of strange creatures. Liesel rolled her eyes at the obvious lie, but chose not to push the subject. Instead, she chose to ask the question that had been burning in her mind since she'd awakened.
"Keegan," she whispered hesitantly. When he didn't respond, she tried again. "Keegan! Where's Kurt?" Her only answer was a soft shushing sound, which for some reason, annoyed her greatly. Feeling for the reins, she found them and jerked them out of his hands. She could hear his horse stop a few feet ahead of hers. "I'm not going any further until you tell me what's going on," she hissed. There was no answer at first, but Keegan finally gave a small sigh.
"If I explain while we move, will you give me back the reins?" Liesel sent him a skeptical look, which she hoped he could see through the darkness, and finally acquiesced. Somehow, their hands met, and he took the reins again. When they began to move once more, his whisper was so low she could barely hear him.
"My uncle has found a way to break the curse."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Keegan paused before answering.
"I thought he was doing something great, sacrificing the good of one for the pack." An involuntary shiver moved down Liesel's spine as Keegan's words to Kurt came back to her from that first morning in the cabin. She believes in magic! She could end it once and for all if she was willing! What did her belief in magic have to do with sacrifice? "But," he continued, interrupting her thoughts, "after witnessing what he truly meant to do to you, I couldn't do it. Harming you would kill Kurt, human or not." Liesel swallowed hard as she tried to imagine what Lothur might have been planning. But then, she shuddered, perhaps it was better that she didn't know. But that still didn't answer her question.
The early gray of morning finally began to peep through the great trees that surrounded them, which meant they were close to the edge of the forest. Liesel didn't recognize this part of the forest, however. They were going in a different direction than she'd ever ventured in, south. As the light grew, so did her ability to recognize the terror written all over the young man's face. He wasn't telling her something.
"Where is Kurt?" Keegan just looked at the ground and shook his head like a whipped dog. "Keegan," Liesel worked to make her voice more authoritative while still in a whisper. "Where is he?" As she spoke, they broke through the trees, and the golden rays of the sun momentarily blinded her.
"This is as far as I can take you." Keegan held out her horse's reins. Liesel took them as if in a daze.
"I'm free?" she whispered. Keegan nodded as he turned his horse back towards the forest. "But what about the spell?"
"Kurt says it's no longer your responsibility. Because he's first in line, he has the authority to grant you what you want." He paused at the edge of the woods. "He wanted you to see the world." For the first time, Keegan brought his eyes up to meet hers. They were far too sad for a man his age. "My brother is sacrificing a lot for you," he said with a solemn voice and pleading eyes. "Don't waste the life he's giving you."
Liesel gazed out at the serene scene before her in a daze. She was free. After fighting for seven years, she was no longer bound to the destiny she'd feared so much. As she blinked in the sunlight, she tried to grasp that she was going to drink it in every morning after this. She would never have to wake up again dreading the gloomy gray of the deep woods. She would see the ocean. Her grandparents could see her grow and marry, and she could show her children the world without dreading the day they became the wolf.
Her children. But not Kurt's children. It seemed highly unlikely to Liesel that Lothur would truly break the curse, no matter how convinced he was that he'd discovered the cure. Instead of gaining their freedom, Kurt's children would never see the ocean from afar. They would never know what it meant to step out onto a road and follow it, just to see where it went. Kurt's children would be sentenced to a life of shadowy magic in a giant forest without hope. His sons would have to abduct their wives, girls with families and futures. And Kurt would be left to drift away. He would marry some unsuspecting girl like the baker's daughter, Karla, who would be haphazardly kidnapped for him after Liesel's absence was discovered. And knowing Kurt, he would never tell her about how the wolf would take his mind. He would simply let it eat away at him, wasting away slowly until he was as rigid and cold as his father. Her beloved friend and protector would be no more.
Liesel looked to the west at the contour of her beloved mountain. Freedom was hers. All she had to do was stretch her hand out and take it.
And, she thought shamefully, live life as her grandparents had, knowing her happiness had cost an entire village its chance of escape. Forever the wolves would howl for her, and with guilt she would think of the boy who had loved her more than life.
Without another glance at the morning glory, Liesel turned her horse and pressed back into the heart of the woods. She prayed only that she could make it in time to stop the wedding.
21. CHOICES
Pressing her horse hard, it took Liesel only an hour to cover the distance Keegan had taken her. She had to slow though as she neared the strange forest town, praying no wolves would accidentally stumble upon her while she was alone. Her prayers were answered when she spotted Lora in her human form, perched on top of a stump on her beloved hill. Afraid to call out too loudly, Liesel climbed off her horse and scampered up the knoll.
Despite her anxiety, Liesel's heart went out to the girl as she got closer. Instead of the bright-eyed hope that had been on her face the last time they'd spoken, Lora now looked shaken and terrified, and even paler than usual, if that were possible.
"Lora," Liesel called out softly as she approached. The last thing she needed was for Lora to change forms because she was frightened. "Lora, it's Liesel!" The girl turned toward her, tear-streaked cheeks ashen and eyes puffy. They grew large, however, when she recognized her.
"What are you-?" But Liesel gave her no time for queries.
"Where is Kurt?"
"You shouldn't be here!" Lora shook her head a little too emphatically, which annoyed Liesel. She didn't have time for an argument.
"I'm not leaving! Now where is he?" Lora studied her with troubled eyes before getting up and climbing noiselessly down the hill. Liesel tried to f
ollow her just as quietly, but despite her efforts, Liesel's steps seemed ridiculously loud as twigs snapped and leaves crunched beneath her feet. They wound their way around the town and snaked through the more open trees behind the cabin before coming upon another knoll a few hundred paces away. Liesel's heart thumped nervously as she began to make out muffled snarls and yelps that grew louder as they walked. Lora led them into a large thicket that bordered the hill, and carved into the side of the hill was a door.
"He's not himself," Lora whispered, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes again. "Keegan was going to keep it a secret the way Uncle had told him to, but when he saw Kurt, he just couldn't do it." She paused before unlocking the door. "When he comes to, he's not going to be pleased to see you." She shook her head. "He's going to be so angry with me!"
"Let me worry about that," Liesel tried to make her smile confident. Gently, she laid a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Thank you." With a quick nod, Lora was gone. Liesel briefly mourned the fact that Lora would have been a wonderful sister, had things ever gone as they were supposed to. But the time for wishful thinking was over. Without even the slightest idea as to what she was doing, Liesel gathered her skirts and opened the door. It was so heavy that no sooner had she squeezed through than it slammed shut behind her. The step down into the cavern was deeper than she'd expected, and the misstep sent Liesel sprawling onto the dirt floor of the small cavernous room.
The ferocity with which the wolf lunged at her was shocking. Liesel shrieked and fell back into the wall. When she finally realized she was still alive, Liesel dared to look up. The wolf continued to try and rush at her, but as her eyes adjusted to the dim light, provided by a single torch hung high on the wall, Liesel saw that Kurt was chained around the neck. The chain had been somehow mounted into the wall so that there was no way for it to work loose, done with magic, Liesel could only guess. As her eyes continued to adjust, Liesel's heart broke in two. Kurt's fur was bloodied all over from where the chain dug into his body from his savage lunges. His eyes were glazed over, and his teeth snapped with a surprisingly loud click.
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