Rebecca rolled her eyes. They had arguments about music daily. Especially when it came to what each of them considered good music to play in the car. Rebecca always wanted to listen to the radio or maybe some mixes she had made off her playlists, while Lindsay always had the latest soundtrack from some obscure new musical ready to be popped into the car stereo.
Lindsay closed her eyes in thought. “Why are there so many songs about rainbows…” she sang. Her voice started softly then rose to ring clearly through the trees. Loud enough to be heard, yet soft and full of the emotion of the lyrics. She had not sung that song in ages, yet the words came easily to her lips. She remembered the first time she had heard Jim Henson singing it as Kermit the Frog when she was a young child, and had played the disc over and over, taking it everywhere with her until it had gotten too scratched to play and she had cried for a new one.
Emilia, Carrie, and Rebecca walked beside her, listening. Emilia looked as if she were entranced by the power of Lindsay’s voice as she drank in the words and melody she created. A small smile appeared on Emilia’s lips, her earlier anger completely gone. Carrie and Rebecca, lost in the moment, forgot the darkness around them, forgot the danger, forgot their tiredness and pain. All just heard the music.
Lindsay sang on in a clear voice. Each note was pitch-perfect, and she used them to weave the melody around the girls like a comforting blanket of sound. Her face took on the rapt look it often got when she performed onstage. She became oblivious to her surroundings. It was just her and the song—Lindsay alone with her music.
The four girls travelled on as Lindsay finished the song. She turned and looked at Emilia as if seeking approval. The redhead smiled at her.
“I had forgotten how much I missed hearing music until now,” Emilia said. “It was beautiful. What was that song?”
“It was ‘The Rainbow Connection,’” Lindsay said. “I haven’t sung it in so long. It’s from this movie we used to watch as kids.”
“Movie?” Emilia asked.
“Sort of like a play,” Lindsay said, unsure as to how to explain it to someone who probably would not understand the concept of film, cameras, or television. “This one was a story for children, starring Muppets.”
“Muppets?” Emilia asked. “Your world is certainly full of strange words.”
“Muppets are like puppets, but quite sophisticated,” Rebecca tried to explain. “The song Lindsay sang was originally performed by a Muppet named Kermit the Frog. I remember him, and I remember loving that show as a child. I probably still would if I saw it again.” Rebecca smiled.
“Sometimes the stories for children are the most poignant and contain the most truth,” Emilia replied. “They are, after all, the ones that stay with us longest. You will often find an adult reminiscing about stories heard as a child. You will rarely find them remembering one they just heard the day before.”
Rebecca nodded. “And you will find people saying ‘I wish I could remember’ about things they learned as a child too,” she said ruefully.
“Do you know any more songs?” Emilia asked Lindsay.
“She knows tons!” Carrie exclaimed.
“You guys have to join in,” Lindsay warned. “I won’t continue solo.” She shook her head in emphasis.
The group continued on singing. Sometimes Lindsay sang alone, sometimes they all sang together. They sang songs from their childhood, ranging from their camp song, to songs they learned in kindergarten. They sang show tunes, pop songs, oldies, and attempted to teach Emilia how to rap. She laughed at absurd lyrics and was moved when Rebecca worked up the courage to sing an old Yiddish folk song her bubbie had taught her.
“I do not understand many of the words or messages of your songs.” Emilia laughed sometime later, after a rousing rendition of “Sweet Caroline.” “But it has been so long since I could honestly say I was enjoying myself.”
“Are we out of giant land?” asked Carrie.
“Almost,” Emilia replied. Suddenly she shot them a wary, nervous look. “Shhh,” she cautioned them, a warning finger pressed to her lips.
“What is it?” Lindsay asked in a fearful whisper.
Carrie cautiously peered around them, straining to see through the darkness. All she could make out were the tall, branchless trunks of trees jutting out around them, thrusting through the damp soil of the forest floor.
Rebecca nervously backed up until she was pressed against the trunk of a tree. Carrie could see her friend’s eyes grow as wide as saucers as Rebecca placed a trembling hand against the trunk and stroked upward. She grasped a handful of bark and scrunched it tightly in her hand. Carrie shook her head in disbelief. Rebecca gave a scared squeak.
“It’s cloth!” she exclaimed in a terrified voice.
Emilia looked from one girl to another and fled, a petrified, wild look in her eyes.
“Emilia!” Carrie and Lindsay both called after her. They were certain she would not return. They turned back to Rebecca, still pressed up against what they were now certain was a giant, still gripping his clothes in her hand.
“Let go,” Lindsay said to her. “Let go, and we’ll get away from here.”
“I’m scared,” Rebecca answered. She sounded as if she were on the verge of tears.
Carrie approached her and took her friend’s hand. She slowly loosened her grip on the giant and made her let go. Putting her arm around Rebecca’s shoulders, she began to lead her away. A loud rumbling followed by an ear-shattering breaking of branches and the falling of leaves drove all three girls to dive to the ground, arms covering their heads in panic.
The noise stopped as abruptly as it had begun. Carrie waited for what felt like hours under a massive pile of leaves and branches. She had a twig lodged in her hair, leaves caught in her clothes, and a branch poking her painfully in the ear. She slowly brushed it away with her hands and picked herself up off the ground. She could hear that Lindsay and Rebecca were doing the same and felt sure they were now safe. She dusted herself off as best she could, shaking the debris from her clothes. She looked up at her friends and was about to smile at them when the expression froze halfway on her face. Both Lindsay and Rebecca were staring at a point just behind and above Carrie’s shoulder. She heard Lindsay swear quietly under her breath and began to nervously turn around, only to find herself face-to-face with a large expanse of skin. She looked up into a singular, massive, big, brown eye.
Carrie turned and saw its twin a few feet away. Each eye was roughly the size of a barn door. Both held a kind, bemused expression, and the owner of these eyes did not seem to mean the girls any harm. Carrie could clearly see herself reflected in the pupil and was mildly amused to see that she was a total mess. The rest of the giant’s face was equally as large: a handsome upturned nose that could have easily been used as a ski jump for the girls, a generous, smiling mouth that could have swallowed them all whole without any trouble, and teeth the size of minivans. All of this was encased in a massive moon-shaped face with a healthy, ruddy complexion topped with an unruly mop of red hair. No matter how she tried, there was no way to take in the entire face at once. The sheer scale of it was overwhelming.
“H—h—hey there,” Carrie stammered.
“Hello!” the giant cheerfully replied in a booming voice that made Carrie’s ears throb painfully. He must have seen her wince in pain, for when he next spoke, it was in a much quieter tone. “I’m sorry I startled you. Haven’t seen people in quite a while. I just wanted to hear you sing. But you know why I was hiding.”
He shrugged, and though they couldn’t see his shoulders, they heard the trees groan and crack from the sudden contact.
“Why were you hiding?” Lindsay called up to him.
“Dybbuks,” the giant answered in a conspiratorial whisper. The breath from his mouth blew the girls’ hair about their faces.
“There were dybbuks here?” Rebecca asked, startled.
“Not sure how many,” the giant replied. “As few as one, as many as a whole
bunch. I sensed ’em,” he proudly confided. “My pa said I was useless at this, but I sure proved him wrong today. Today I sensed them sure as you’re standing there and stayed away so they wouldn’t see me. Are you here to save us?”
The abrupt change in subject threw Carrie for a moment, and then she smiled at him. “Yes, we are,” she answered. “Can you help us?”
The giant scratched his head in thought, dislodging several massive strands of red hair. “Don’t see how,” he said after a moment. “I can’t very well be in-con-suspicious or anything.”
“You can’t be what?” asked Rebecca.
“You know, all hidden-like,” the giant answered.
“Oh,” Rebecca said. “Inconspicuous.”
“’S’what I said,” replied the giant.
“Well, could you carry us out of the forest or something? At least partway?” Lindsay asked. “We’re so tired.”
The giant ruefully shook his head. “My father would be furious. He says I can’t go around helping you little folk. Especially since I’m so rotten at sensing dybbuks. I wouldn’t be much help to you. I’d just walk you all into a trap.” Then he brightened. “But I sensed ’em today, so that’s something, right?”
Carrie smiled at him. “What’s your name?” she asked.
“Joldisch Riz,” he replied with a grin.
“How old are you, Joldisch?” Rebecca asked.
“I’m eight,” Joldisch proudly answered. “I’m not yet full grown, but I’m allowed to go off all by myself! But I really should head back home.”
“Do you think there are other giants who can help us?” Lindsay asked him.
“Oh no,” he answered, shaking his head for emphasis. “They’re all much too scared to come out in the open, now that it’s so dark.”
Then, as if that ended the matter, Joldisch Riz stood and lumbered off. Surprisingly, he was very light on his feet, his steps barely making a sound. They realized that it was his steps they had heard upon entering this part of the forest. They stood rooted to the spot as the sound faded.
“Is he gone?” a quiet, fearful voice asked.
The three girls turned. “Emilia,” they said in unison.
“Why did you run off?” Carrie asked her.
“I didn’t want him to see me,” Emilia meekly replied.
“Why not?” Rebecca asked.
“My family is known to these parts. I didn’t want word of my escape reaching my father,” Emilia explained. “He is but a child and might inadvertently say something.”
Carrie shrugged. The story seemed to ring false to her, but she did not feel like pressing the issue further.
All of a sudden, a low growl attracted everyone’s attention.
“What the heck was that?” asked Lindsay.
“Sorry,” muttered Carrie. “My stomach’s feeling a tad neglected. I guess I’m a bit hungry.”
Lindsay giggled. “It was so loud!”
Rebecca began pawing through Lindsay’s suitcase. “I think we’re out of food.”
“Go through your own stuff!” Lindsay griped at her, both hands on her hips. “You’re messing up my clothes.”
“I didn’t pack any food,” Rebecca replied. “And besides, I’ve been dragging this thing around for hours. That gives me the right to go through it.”
“I’m out of food too,” Carrie said, sifting through her knapsack.
“I know where to find things to eat,” Emilia told them. “You wait here. I won’t be long.” She turned and disappeared into the trees.
“She certainly is moody,” Carrie noted. “One minute she’s snapping at us about the giants, the next she’s participating in a sing-along with us.”
“Reminds me of Rebecca.” Lindsay laughed.
Rebecca responded by throwing a handful of leaves at the blonde and sticking out her tongue at her.
“I think I liked you three better when you were entertaining me with a song,” chirped a high-pitched voice from somewhere above them.
Carrie’s blue-green eyes went wide. She had been certain they were alone! She scanned the area quickly but could see no one.
“Is it the trees?” Rebecca whispered.
“I don’t think so,” Carrie whispered back. She looked around again. “It doesn’t sound like the tree we met before.”
Lindsay stood and looked carefully. She could see nothing that appeared to be able to speak with them. The leaves on the trees were very still. There was no breeze. Nothing was moving at all.
“Where are you?” Lindsay asked aloud. “Who are we speaking to?”
There was a sudden rustling in the leaves above them, followed by a beating of wings. A little nightingale landed on a small rock in front of them.
“I should have realized you were unaccustomed to speaking with someone such as me,” chirped the nightingale.
“How long were you listening to us?” asked Carrie.
“For some time,” he admitted. “I hope you are not upset with me.” The nightingale looked uncomfortable. He nervously hopped from one foot to the other. “I…I have not seen the likes of you before. I have travelled all around Hadariah, and you are not from here.”
Carrie got the distinct feeling the bird was not telling them the whole truth. “We look just like other people from around here,” she told him. “You saw our companion. I’m sure you’ve seen people like her in the forest.”
The nightingale puffed up at the mention of Emilia. “Not everyone is as they seem,” he said. “I would advise you to choose your friends wisely.”
Rebecca eyed her two friends. “What are you saying?” she asked the bird.
“I cannot say more,” he answered her. “The forest has ears and eyes everywhere. But I will say this: I know why you are here. The king and queen have many friends in all corners of this world. Take this advice given freely: Seek the shamir. It will help you on your quest.” At that, he hopped off the rock and flew off into the darkness.
“What did he mean when he said that not everyone is as they seem?” Lindsay asked.
“I don’t know,” Carrie said. “I think he was definitely referring to Emilia.” She crossed her arms and leaned back against the trunk of a tree. “It seemed as if he were warning us against her. He didn’t seem too keen on her at all. Definitely knows more than he let on.”
“Yet she seems so helpful,” Lindsay said. “Except for that outburst back in the forest, she’s been so nice, always giving us advice, finding us food, and leading us safely through dangerous parts of the forest.”
“Maybe she’s being a little too helpful,” Rebecca said carefully. “The nightingale seemed as if he had been afraid to approach us while she was around, and there is that matter of the shadow thing.”
Carrie nodded. “All true, but she doesn’t seem to be steering us wrongly so far.” She waited a moment before continuing. “Rebecca, do you know what a shamir is?”
“Sounds familiar,” she said. “But I need to think a bit. I don’t think we should ask Emilia yet. Let me try to figure it out myself.”
“I agree,” Lindsay said. “Let’s keep watching her. I think she could still mean well. But it’s best to be sure.”
“What the bird said could mean anything,” Carrie said. “In the meantime, Rebecca, you try and remember, and we’ll find that shamir. Anything that can help us is a good thing.”
“We just need to find it without Emilia finding out what we’re up to,” Lindsay added. “Piece of cake, right?”
“We need to try,” Carrie answered. “We just need to try.”
Chapter Fourteen
Sodot ve Shekarim
Despite their best efforts to pretend that everything was fine, the air was thick with tension when Emilia returned. She divided up the food with a smile, and Carrie, Rebecca, and Lindsay all thanked her politely, but it was clear that their good humour was forced. They could see that she was pretending to not notice the change in their attitudes, but it was just as obvious she was hurt by it.<
br />
Carrie did not know whether she should say anything to Emilia. But if she did, what could possibly be said that could make things all right again? A little birdie told us you may be untrustworthy? No. Nothing could possibly fix this.
Finally, after what felt like hours of awkward silence, Emilia spoke.
“Have I done something wrong?” she asked, her eyes nervously searching their faces. “Are you upset with me in any way? I do not understand what has happened between us.”
Carrie, Rebecca, and Lindsay looked awkwardly at one another. They did not know what to say. Even though each had serious misgivings about Emilia and whether or not they should trust her, none of them had ever intended to hurt the princess in any way. Emilia seemed so earnest, so hurt. They watched uncomfortably as she stared at them, bewildered, eyes brimming with tears.
“I have tried so hard to help you,” Emilia said. “Have I not been useful to you? I have aided you in your quest to the best of my abilities. What more could I possibly do? Have I said or done something wrong?” She turned to each girl in turn, hands out, beseechingly.
Carrie looked at Emilia and despite her mistrust, she deeply regretted the pain and confusion the girl was feeling.
“I’m so sorry,” Carrie told her. “It’s not you…it’s us!” She winced inwardly at how clichéd and phony that sounded.
“What do you mean?” Emilia asked.
“We’re just stressed out,” Carrie replied. She hoped the excuse sounded plausible.
“Yeah,” Lindsay jumped in. She too did not like upsetting Emilia, and if there was any way out of this situation, she would take it. “It’s just, well, it’s this whole quest thing. Facing Asmodeus, the impending doom, and all that stuff. It’s making us all totally nervous and tense.”
Emilia frowned as she tried to absorb this information. “I suppose this would make anyone act as you do,” she said slowly. “But why do you worry so now? Why were you not so nervous before?”
Carrie and Lindsay exchanged glances. What should they say now?
“I remembered stuff,” Rebecca jumped in. “I remembered things about Asmodeus and told Carrie and Lindsay about all of it. I think it kinda freaked out them both.”
The Song of Hadariah: Dybbuk Scrolls Trilogy: Book 1 (Dybbuk Scrolls Trillogy) Page 8