12. Nelle Lost in the Woods
Nelle: Lost in the Woods
The chill that had let the voice take hold of her wouldn’t leave Nelle’s bones, but she couldn’t focus on it now.
She had to get away. She couldn’t risk the voice hurting him.
What it had said about his mother had obviously unsettled him, and she hadn’t been able to do anything about it.
She’d just had to stand there and watch as the poison spewed from her own mouth.
It wasn’t until he’d fled the room that she’d been able to wrench back control. And that had been a battle.
Tears streamed down her face as she ran.
She’d hated watching the pain etch across Kit’s face, and knowing that she’d been the one to put it there was gut-wrenching.
Watching herself freeze friends and loved ones had been painful enough, but hearing herself spew that poison was almost worse.
At least the people she froze were out of their misery.
She knew from experience that the words would stick with Kit far longer.
A twig cracking in the distance brought Nelle to a halt. Right. What exactly was the plan here? Her stomach twisted as she looked around, not recognizing anything in the almost pitch-black forest. The only light came from the moonbeams that fought its way through the thicket of trees.
Don’t be afraid, Nelle told herself sternly. It’s just like last night. You’re just in the woods. You can find a nice bush to hide out under and head for the nearest village in the morning.
Yeah. That plan might have worked if she hadn’t seen the manner of beasts that the hunters in the Sherwood Company brought back.
Everything from rabbits to bears inhabited these woods.
She’d heard rumors from a few of the scouts that someone had seen a warg pack wandering the outskirts of the forest. If she didn’t find a weapon and some form of shelter soon, she was going to be in trouble.
Instinctively, she scanned the ground, looking for something—anything—that might have been of use to her. The only thing she found was a long, winding tree branch that might be useful if she could use it as a club. Maybe…if it didn’t completely shatter on impact.
Nelle let out a low groan. She wasn’t meant for this type of situation. If only?—
“Don’t worry, Gretyl. We’ll find our way back to camp. No problem.”
Nelle whirled at the sound of the high, piping voice. “Hansel? Gretyl?” she called into the darkness.
“Nelle?” Gretyl’s voice pierced the gloom. “We finded you!”
Nelle headed toward the sound of the child’s voice. “Well, more like we can hear each other,” she said, struggling to keep her voice light. “Keep talking so I can find you.”
“Okay. Nelle, I’m hungry. We left before breakfast this morning, but Hansel made sure we grabbed a crust of bread before we left. But he only gotted us one crust, and we finished that hours ago,” Gretyl said. “Do you have any food?”
“No, sweet girl,” Nelle said, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw the two children huddling beneath a bent-over maple tree. “But I’m sure we can find some soon. What were you two thinking, running out of the camp like that?”
“Papa said the people in charge kicked you out last night!” Hansel cried. “We didn’t want you to have to spend another night in the woods alone.”
“Oh, sweetheart. They didn’t kick me out last night,” Nelle said, pulling the two into a crushing hug. “They…they didn’t have the chance. I ran away from camp on my own.”
“Because you hurted someone?” Gretyl asked, cocking her head.
Nelle’s stomach dropped to her shoes. “Yes. I hurt someone,” she confessed, tightening her hold on them.
“Did they deserve it?” Hansel asked.
“Hansel!” Nelle cried.
“Well, Jack says that if someone hurts you, then you should get to hurt them back,” the little boy said, crossing his hands over his chest. “He says that’s how you learn how to stick up for yourself.”
“Well, you should stick up for yourself, but you shouldn’t hurt people.
Even if they deserve it,” Nelle said, thinking back to Kit’s face when the voice had spoken of his brother and mother.
“After all, if we all hurt people when we thought they deserved it, we’d all be pretty miserable, don’t you think? ”
Hansel frowned. “Maybe. But when Georgie Porgie makes fun of Gretyl, I’m still going to push him in the mud,” he grumbled.
“Oh, Hansel,” Nelle said, shaking her head. “We shouldn’t linger here. Your father’s going to be worried sick if we don’t get you back to camp tonight.”
“What about you?” Gretyl asked.
“What do you mean, what about me?” Nelle asked.
“Are you going to come back to camp, too?” Hansel asked.
Nelle felt sick as she murmured, “No. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?” Gretyl demanded. “You belong at camp. Papa said so.”
“It’s complicated,” Nelle said shortly. “But let’s not stand here arguing about it. Let’s?—”
Before she could finish speaking, a howl sounded from the distance. Nelle squeezed the children’s shoulders, as Hansel whispered, “What was that?”
Nelle forced a smile onto her face. “I’m sure it’s just a wolf saying good night to all his wolf friends,” she said, turning away from where the howl had come from. “Let’s go.” She took hold of each child’s hands.
“I’d like to meet a wolf,” Gretyl said. “They sound like the company’s hunting dogs.”
“Well, they’re not as friendly as the company’s hunting dogs,” Nelle said, forging into the darkness. “And they might be hungry, and want to try some…new foods.” She grimaced. She didn’t want to scare the children. “So maybe let’s put off meeting a wolf until they’re not as hungry.”
“When will that be?” Gretyl asked, her feet moving slowly, despite Nelle’s prodding. “How will we know when they’re not hungry anymore, Nelle?”
“Well, I don’t know, but maybe your father will,” Nelle said, trying desperately to get the little girl to move. “After all, he’s a hunter, so he must know all about how to know if an animal is hungry or not.”
“I don’t think Papa would like us to meet a wolf,” Gretyl said, resisting Nelle’s tugs on her arm. “He doesn’t think that people and animals should be friendly with one another. I don’t know why, though. I like all the animals I meet.”
“Come on Gretyl,” Hansel said, glancing up at Nelle and seeing the worry on her face. “We should hurry.”
The little girl froze and cocked her head. “What’s wrong, Hansel?”
“Gretyl, please,” Nelle begged, trying to pull the girl forward. “We need to go right now.”
“No. Something’s wrong. What’s wrong?” Gretyl demanded.
“I’m just worried about getting home tonight,” Hansel said, his bright eyes sparking with concern as he looked from Nelle to Gretyl and back again. “Nelle’s right. We’ve been gone too long. Papa will worry and?—”
Before he could finish, another howl rent the air, this one much closer than the first had been. A shiver rippled down Nelle’s spine, and she quickly squeezed Gretyl’s hand. “Well, I guess the good news is you’re going to get your wish, sweet girl.”
“What’s the bad news?” Gretyl asked, her voice quivering.
“I don’t know if we’re going to survive meeting them,” Nelle said, trying to keep her voice low enough that the children wouldn’t hear it.
She frowned. They needed to get them to safety.
She did not know where the camp might be—she’d tried to remember the way they’d gone to get to the castle, but it was awfully hard to keep your mind on the direction you were going when you were hanging upside down on a dragon hybrid’s back…
The castle. With chilling certainty, Nelle realized it was their only hope. She abruptly changed direction, going back the way she’d come.
“Nelle?” Hansel stumbled, trying to keep up with her. “Where are we?—”
“Someplace safe,” Nelle said through clenched teeth. “At least I hope it’s safe.”
“Where are we going to find someplace safe in the middle of the woods?” Hansel demanded.
Nelle bit her lip, not sure what to say. Instead of answering his question, she gave his hand another squeeze. “Do you trust me, Hansel?”
The little boy bit his lip, then nodded. “Of course.”
“Then trust me when I say that there’s someplace close by where we can take shelter,” Nelle said. She grimaced as she remembered Kit’s threat from that morning, and mentally added, Even if I am going to end up in the dungeons once I get there.
“Will there be food there?“ Gretyl asked with a big smile.
“I think we can scrounge up something,” Nelle assured her as she heard another howl, even closer than the last. “And once we’re there, I’ll introduce you to Kemma. She’s a cat with wings.”
Gretyl squealed and picked up her pace. Nelle breathed a sigh of relief.
“A cat can’t have wings,” Hansel said, tripping over something that none of them could see in the dark. “Then it wouldn’t be a cat.”
Gretyl scowled at her brother. “A cat can too have wings. Nelle said so.”
“Tell you what,” Nelle said to forestall an argument as she helped Hansel to his feet. “Why don’t you withhold judgement until after you meet her? Then you can decide whether a cat can have wings.”
Gretyl nodded, satisfied. “Okay. And then Hansel will see I’m right. Cats?—”
Before she could continue, a low growl from beneath a nearby bush froze Nelle’s blood. She let her eyes follow the sound and, to her horror, she found herself looking at an enormous wolf, at least twice the size of the wolves the hunters at camp had brought back.
She swallowed hard. “No sudden moves,” she whispered.
“Why? What’s?—”
Nelle slapped her hand over Gretyl’s mouth before the little girl could say another word.
Out of the corner of her mouth, she whispered, “Hansel, when I give the word, you and your sister are going to go east as fast as you can until you come to the castle. Once you get there, barricade yourselves behind the door and stay there. The owner will make sure you get back to camp in the morning.”
Hansel frowned. “But?—”
“Don’t argue with me, Hansel,” Nelle hissed, never taking her eyes off the wolf. “Get to the castle and don’t look back. Promise me.”
Hansel was silent for a moment, then said, “I promise.”
“Good. On the count of three. One. Two?—”
Another growl sounded from behind them. Nelle whirled around and saw a second wolf prowling towards them, drool dripping from its huge maw.
“Nelle? There’s another one,” Hansel said, pointing to their right, where a third wolf emerged.
Nelle swallowed hard. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll draw their attention. You focus on getting to the castle. Stay still until I’ve drawn them away. Do you understand?”
Hansel’s head bobbed. “Yes.”
Trying to keep all three wolves in her line of sight, Nelle placed Gretyl’s hand in Hansel’s.
Then, she bent to the ground and picked up a hefty wooden branch and brandished it like a club.
“Alright. As soon as I start running, you go in the opposite direction. Shout if you see any other wolves. Your papa says wolves are jumpy. Loud noises should scare them off. Are you ready?” Hansel nodded again and Nelle swallowed hard. “Okay. Three, two, one.”
When she hit one, Nelle gripped her branch and swung it toward the closest wolf, hitting it squarely in the ribs. Then she dashed forward, yelling as loud as she could, praying Kai was right about how to draw wolves away.
The two wolves she hadn’t attacked shot toward her with unbelievable speed. She forced her legs to work, kept screaming, praying that it would all let the two children escape. If it didn’t…well, if it didn’t, it wouldn’t matter. Either way, she would be dead.