Thrown to the Wolves (The Faith in Peril Trilogy) (5 page)

“He would court you, if you let him.”

“I won’t.”

“You’ve refused him twice now and yet he continues to pursue you. He’s quite stubborn.”

“Maybe he was thrown from a horse one too many times.” I grinned, touching my head. “Something’s not quite right here.” I made fun of him, thinking it humorous.

“No, that’s not the trouble. I recall a time when you were friendly. You used to speak to him. We would walk to school together.”

“That was years ago.”
Before
the incident. “Things change. People change.” And some of them did not change for the better. I craned my neck. “Where’s Jacob? We haven’t heard a peep out of him in a while. Jacob!” A bark in the distance prevented me from worrying, knowing Molly remained near him. Anna and I continued towards them.

“What will happen now?”

I kicked a stone. “I’ve no idea. I doubt it’ll be repeated. I wasn’t warm or friendly in the least. He must know my feelings by now. He can’t be that daft.”

“He’s persistent.”

“He’ll give up soon enough.” We approached the creek, but my brother remained out of sight. “Jacob!” My hands went to my hips. “Where did he go?”

“Over there, I believe.” Anna led the way up a small embankment. “Jacob!”

“There isn’t a path now.”

“I know. We’ll have to forge ahead on our own. We’ve been here many times before. Don’t be such a scaredy cat.”

“I don’t want to go much further. You know I hate the woods.”

“Molly! Come here, girl!” Anna whistled, the sound echoing. “That should do it.”

“Do you think Michael’s courting Beth?” We continued on, while branches snapped beneath our boots.

“Well, it appears that way.”

“I thought he’d ask me.” The disappointment of last night lingered, and I did not like the feeling at all.

“What made you think that?”

“We spoke at Matha’s wedding for three hours. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to him. There wasn’t one awkward moment. We agreed on nearly everything. His humor matches my own. He’s kind and generous. He gave all his money to the Zimmerman’s after their accident. Every penny he’d earned in the last year was given away. That speaks of his character.”

“Yes, Michael’s virtues are well-known.”

We trudged through a grouping of trees, as the shadows around us deepened. “You don’t sound like you like him at all.”

“He’s fine. I can’t fault him for anything, but I don’t think he wants you.”

“Maybe their evening went poorly. Perhaps, the conversation lagged and they ran out of things to say. Then he’ll see his error and ask to court me instead.”

“You wrap a pretty package, but I doubt the bow will hold.”

“Why are you so pessimistic?” The exercise had invigorated me, although my boots were filthy. “I’m trying to look on the bright side. I’m forever hopeful he’ll change his mind. I’m far better suited for him than Beth.”

“Molly!” shouted Anna. “Good gracious that dog is annoying. She’s a poor guard dog in my opinion. She never barks when strangers come into the house. She won’t chase rabbits and at night, and she hogs the bed.”

“We’ve yet to train her properly.” Molly was only two years old and still far too wild. I glanced around. “We’ve been walking in a straight line, haven’t we?”

“Of course.” Anna led the way, delving even deeper into the hardwoods. “I think I see something up ahead.”

“Thank goodness. This has been diverting, but we really must go back now. It’s getting darker by the second.”

“Jacob! Come here at once. We’re going back!” Anna trudged on briskly. “Jacob!”

“What do you think he sees in Beth? I’ve never found her to be particularly handsome.”

“He knows her through her brothers. His closest friend is Adam Beiler, so I can only assume their relationship grew through that connection.”

“When I spoke to him at the wedding, he didn’t say anything about Beth or her brother or the family.”

“She wasn’t at that wedding, as I recall. Wasn’t the family in Ohio at the time? I vaguely recall something about a dying aunt.”

“I remember that.”

“So he filled the hours with you, while she was gone.”

I groaned. “That’s a harsh way to put it. We had many meaningful discussions. It never felt like he was disinterested.”

“Well, the facts speak for themselves. He’s courting someone else. He didn’t choose you.” She gave me a look. “How many times must I say that?”

My expression soured. “Oh never mind then.”

“If you weren’t still so angry with Daniel for something that happened so long ago, you might have the opportunity to get to know him better.”

“I don't want that! Why must you harp on about him? You know him just as well as I do, and why I could never even think about being alone with him.”

“He’s not dangerous.”

“I beg to differ.” I hurried past her, wanting to find Jacob. “He’s plenty dangerous.”

“He was a child then!”

“No. He was far older than that, and he should’ve known better.”

“You should know better too. This is the perfect opportunity to practice the art of forgiveness. We always say we’ll forgive, but how many truly do?”

I turned to stare at her, seeing someone far too wise for her age. “I’m as polite as I need to be,” I grated. This conversation had begun to annoy me. “Where is that child? Jacob!” A murky gloom surrounded us. It had gotten even darker. It did not help that the trees were closely spaced, with little light filtering through.

“Molly!” shouted Anna. “Come here, girl! Come to me!” She gazed over her shoulder. “We came that way, so we must go back that way.”

“Jacob!” I shouted with all my might, the sound carrying.

“Here!” said a voice some distance off.

My shoulders slumped in relief. “He’s behind those trees.” My unease grew, as the light slipped away and a type of panicky feeling emerged. “I want to go back now. You know I don’t like the woods.”

“Jacob!” Anna set out again, stepping over shrubs that were nearly three feet in height, her hem snagging. “Molly!” The dog burst through the foliage, hurtling towards us. “My gracious! There you are. You’re a very bad dog, and you don’t listen.” Molly’s tail wagged energetically, her dark eyes flashing.

“She’s as happy as can be.”

“Jacob, come here now!”

Our brother, who had found a sizable stick, emerged from behind an enormous tree, wandering towards us leisurely. “Come see what I found.”

“No,” said Anna. “We need to go back.”

“But there are bones. Something died not that long ago. I wonder if they’re human or animal.”

“I don’t want to see them.” I wrapped my arms over my chest, glancing at the gathering dusk, which appeared to be closing in. “We should go now. It’s going to be dark before we get home.”

“I’ll look quickly,” said Anna, hurrying forward. “Then we really must be going.”

Jacob grinned. “It’s right this way.”

We shouldn’t linger another moment. “No! Both of you, stop!” Molly, who relished the chase, bounded forward, joining my brother and sister, who disappeared behind the trees. “Come back at once!”

I stood there alone, while ever-expanding shadows threw my feet into shade. Because of the darkness, the light blue dress I wore appeared nearly navy in color now. An old, unpleasant Bible story from childhood entered my thoughts, that of the devil, and how he had tempted Eve in the garden. It was as if every shadow might hold something sinister—something terrible lurked, waiting, and this wickedness was fast approaching.

“Anna,” I murmured, although she couldn’t hear me. “We need to go. I don’t like this one bit.”

Chapter Four

I came upon my brother and sister, who stood over what looked like the carcass of a small animal. “We must leave at once. It’s nearly dark!” Undisguised panic laced my voice. Molly whined, sniffing the pile of bones, which had clumps of gray fur attached in places.

“I think that might be a fox,” said Anna. “But we haven’t time to examine it further. We’ve tarried long enough, and now we’ll have to walk back in the dark.”

“It’s a wolf, I say,” said Jacob. “Look at the teeth.” The upper portion of the jaw revealed lengthy, sharp-looking canines. “That’s not a fox or a coyote.”

“Fine and dandy,” I said, my tone impatient. “But we must go at once. Molly! You show us the way home, girl. You go!”

Anna glanced at me. “It is rather dark now, isn’t it?”

Anger propelled me onward, stomping the ground with my boots. “I’m not happy! You know I hate the woods. Now we’re going to have to walk back in the dark. If you don’t follow me at once, I’m leaving you here. I’ve had more than enough of this.”

Jacob drew to my side. “Molly is a good girl. She found the wolf.”

“I don’t care two sticks about that.” I sounded irritated, angry, but this masked a growing sense of fear. The feeling worsened with each passing second. We had wandered too far from the house, having left the path behind, and now it was nearly dark. How would we find our way back?

“We came from there,” said Anna. “I do believe that’s the direction we need to go in.”

I glared at her. “You believe? But you don’t know for certain, do you?”

“You’re terribly sore at me. I didn’t wander off to find a pile of bones. That’s Jacob’s doing.”

“Dear Lord! Please help us find our way home.” A rising sense of alarm quickened my steps. “We must find that path at once.” The dog had gone ahead, and I assumed she knew the way back, as animals had a keen sense of direction. She would be able to smell her way to the house without trouble. “Go, Molly! Show us the way.”

“Jacob, you know better than to wander off in the woods,” chided Anna.

He swung the bucket jauntily, while clutching the stick he had found. “I didn’t mean nothin’ by it.”

“The woods have never been thoroughly explored,” I said, stepping around a large, rock. “Dat and David hunt here, but they tie ribbons to the trees to find their way back.”

“That would’ve been a smart thing to do,” said Anna. She walked behind Jacob, crunching leaves beneath her feet.

My sister appeared mostly in shadow now. “I can hardly see you.” How would we find our way to the path in the dark? “Molly?” The dog had disappeared as well, having gone off ahead, oblivious to the fact that we followed. “Where did she go?”

“There, I think.” Anna pointed. “Molly!”

“That animal is poorly trained.” A fresh wave of panic raced through me. “Molly!” The dog was nearly two in age, and Dat hadn’t had the time to work with her yet, although he had brought her hunting on more than one occasion. “Molly!”

“It’s really dark now,” commented Jacob.

Something caught my foot, and I tripped, falling to the ground, where I landed on my hands and knees. “Ouch!” I hastened to my feet, feeling wetness prick the back of my eyes, as tears of frustration threatened. “I can’t believe this!”

“Are you hurt?” asked Anna, who stood by my side.

“No, I’m not hurt!” I sounded decidedly cross. “I just want to find that path.”

“We will. All we need to do is keep in this direction. Molly!” she shouted. “Come here, girl!”

“I’m going to complain heartily to Dat about her. She doesn’t come on command and she’s out of control.”

“I can’t see anything,” said Jacob. “It’s too dark.”

A feeling of dread settled into my bones. “If we can’t find our way out, we’ll have to sleep here tonight.” This idea terrified me, because I could not even imagine what it would entail. I had never slept in the woods before.

“Are there bears?” asked Anna.

“I suppose so. Why not? It’s the woods after all.” I stumbled again, not being able to see what I trod on. “Oh, drat!”

“I hate bears,” said Jacob.

“You should’ve thought about that before you ran off, you little scamp!”

“You mustn’t blame him. He’s been in these woods often enough. We all have. We should remain calm. There’s no reason to be alarmed.”

I scowled at her, but she could not see me. “No, of course not. It’s simply a matter of calmly walking back the way we came. Nothing could be easier.” Sarcasm clung to those words. It was now pitch black, without even the benefit of the moon over our heads, since it had not yet risen completely. There was no light, my feet tripping over every rock and branch in the way. “I’m sure the house is just over there.” I felt a tug on my sleeve. “What?” It was my sister.

“Why won’t the dog come back?”

“I don’t know.”

“Let’s stop for a moment and call Molly. We shouldn’t go on like this, not knowing where we’re going.”

“We turned around and came back the way we came.”

“Maybe, but who can say for sure? Jacob?” asked Anna.

“Yes?”

“Where are you?”

“Here.”

“Stop for a moment. You’re not allowed to go off on your own, do you hear me? When we tell you to stop, you must. This is important. If we’re separated now, we’ll never find one another.”

“I’m right here.”

“Good.”

“You girls are such worrywarts.”

Anna had taken over for the moment, and I wondered what she planned? “What now?”

“We call the dog, all of us, as loudly as we can. Then we listen for her.”

This seemed entirely reasonable. “All right. Who starts?”

“I will,” said Anna. “MOLLY!” She whistled then. “Now, let’s listen. Do you hear anything? Anything at all?” We were quiet for a moment, with the sounds of crickets filling our ears. Nothing else stirred. “All right. Let’s do that again.”

“I’ll call her. MOLLY!” I wasn’t as proficient at whistling, so Anna performed this task. We waited again, listening to the sounds of the forest, the resonance of crickets being the only noises in the vicinity. “Again.”

This time Jacob called, while Anna whistled. We remained where we were, straining our ears. I thought I heard a branch breaking. “What was that?”

“What?” asked Anna.

“Was that her?”

“I didn’t hear a thing.”

“I’m going to kill that dog.” Rage and frustration fueled a growing sense of disquiet. “She’s useless! What’s worse is she might’ve led us in the wrong direction. She’s more than likely at the house without us right now.”