After a hearty breakfast of porridge and dried fruit, they split into two groups. Richard gave the others the bag to bring to the church, while the rest of them would deliver the remaining bags in town and try to find out more information on the whereabouts of the royal family and the Wizard Rayburn. Brett, of course, wished to go into town right away. Charles refused to leave her, and Gary wouldn't leave him.
They set off on two different paths, theirs heading down a sun-dappled lane. “Well,” Charles admitted, “at least the woods aren't so spooky in the daytime.” He leaned over to sniff a stand of pale gold wildflowers. “It's kind of pretty here.” Cornelius tried eating a bush as he pulled the wagon with the bags of gold.
Brett shuddered. “I don't like the vibrations I'm getting. I can read the trees...and they're feeling something dark. Not here, specifically, but there's dark magic in these woods that doesn't normally exist.”
“Mistress Brett,” Richard began, “this might be a good time to explain your powers. What you did yesterday with the trees...that's sorceress magic.”
“That's because I am a sorceress. I can control trees and other plants, and I know what's going on from feeling the vibrations of the earth and nature herself.” The other three men just stared at her. “What? That's what I do. It's gotten me out of more than a few tight spots, let me tell you that!”
Charles raised his eyebrows. “I think you're a very sick lady. Maybe we ought to take you to an apothecary when we get into town.”
“And maybe we ought to take you to a rug maker.” She swiped at his head. “Your wig is crooked.”
Gary laughed. “Good one, Mistress Brett!”
“You're both cute,” he grumbled as he fixed his toupee. “I can tell when I'm not loved, right Cornelius?” The horse responded with a slightly amused whinny.
Richard rolled his eyes. “That's enough, or I'm going to toss all of you out of the cart right now. Maybe we ought to stop and eat the bread and fruit we brought for a snack. That might help our nerves.”
“Yeah, fruit. Something sweet.” Gary's eyes weren't on the road, or their meal. A youthful figure in a knitted red cape with a ruffled hood stood in a meadow of wildflowers, gathering a bouquet of blossoms in her soft little hands.
“Here!” Gary leaped out as she struggled with a stubborn flower that wouldn't break. “Let me help you.”
“Oh, thank you!” She possessed a sweet voice that perfectly matched her delicate looks. “That's the prettiest flower in the whole meadow, and I wanted it for my Granny Mary.”
Gary had a goofy grin on his face as he handed her the blossom. “You're going to visit your granny? Aw, that's so nice of you.”
“Uh huh. She's not feeling well.” The girl hefted a wicker basket with a blue checked cloth hanging out. “I'm bringing her bread and cheese and fruit and cakes from my mama. They always make me feel better when I'm sick.” She pulled down her red hood, revealing an adorable young woman with golden hair and a playful smile. “I'm Sarah, but everyone calls me Little Red Sarah Hood, because this cape is my favorite thing and I almost never take it off.”
“You like red, too? I love my red cape!” Gary's goofy grin was nearly ear to ear now as he bowed before her. “Once Lord Gary of the 4077th Apothecary Brigade in the Korean lands, now simply Gary Scarlet.” He gently kissed her hand. “But you can call me yours.”
Brett rolled her eyes as Sarah giggled, but Charles smiled and Richard chuckled. “Aren't they cute?” Charles whispered to him. “I know Gary's fond of ladies, but I've never seen him quite so smitten before.”
“A lad after my own heart,” added Richard with a smirk. “The girl doesn't seem to be the brightest lamp in the manor, but she's certainly a looker, and very kind-hearted besides.”
Sarah was continuing as she and Gary came over with her bouquet. “I met the nicest wolf while I was on my way here, and he suggested stopping to pick flowers for my granny. He kept sniffing around my basket, and I even spared him a cake. I know we're not supposed to feed animals sweets, but I figured one wouldn't hurt him...”
“Wait,” Brett started as she joined them. ”Did you say a talking wolf?”
The girl nodded. “Yes. He was awfully jumpy, too. Every noise scared him! I told him about my granny, and he told me I should stop to pick flowers to cheer her up. I didn't know wolves were such darling creatures. I heard they were mean and kept to themselves.”
“Lass,” Richard explained with a frown, “most of them aren't mean, but they usually keep to themselves at this time of year, when there's plenty of game. And they certainly don't talk.”
The sorceress looked equally concerned as she added “Not unless they're under an enchantment or are one of Malade's creatures.”
Gary's fingers tightened around Sarah's. “Do you think the wolf wanted to hurt her?”
“There's no way of knowing for sure,” Charles told them as he fed Cornelius wildflowers. “If that wolf is smart, it's returned to its own pack by now.”
“I don't think she should be alone,” Gary insisted as his arm slowly snaked around Sarah's shoulders. “Could we give her a ride to her granny's?”
Sarah shook her head. “Oh, you don't need to do that! It's not far.”
“Maybe we'd better. If the wolf is still out there, you may need help.” Brett spread out Charles' blanket. “But first, let's eat.”
After a hearty lunch of bread and fruit, the group was on their way. Gary and Sarah chattered in the back the entire time. The lad managed to convince his crush that he and Richard were woodsmen, Brett was his aunt, and Charles was a minstrel they were driving into town. She told them about her crusty old Granny Mary and her mother and their little home just outside of the forest, and how she made extra money by bringing food to the elderly and sick.
Granny's cottage was just a few miles from town, not far from the church. “I don't like this.” Brett climbed out first. “The door is wide open.”
“After last night, I don't think we should take chances. Not every intruder is a lady.” Richard pulled out his bow and arrow, while Gary removed his knife. “Sarah, you go upstairs and see if your Granny is all right. Gary and Charles, you search the first floor. Brett and I will make sure there's no one outside.”
Sarah immediately darted into the house and up the stairs. “At least it's a nice place,” Charles admitted as he checked a wide-open pantry stocked with many jars and bottles of gleaming jellied fruits and pickled vegetables. Several bags of dried meat lay on the ground, obviously torn by a pair of teeth. “Except for right here. Maybe we can help Sarah sweep up this. Granny must have gotten really hungry to use her teeth to open these bags!”
Gary's eyes kept darting towards the stairs. “What if there's a thief – one who isn't one of Richard's men – or a troll up there?”
“Then we would have heard it by now.” He patted the young man's shoulder reassuringly. “Don't worry, Gary. I'm sure she'll be all right. If something happens, we'll hear about it.”
No sooner had the words escaped Charles' lips than a scream echoed down the perfectly polished staircase. “I think we just heard it!” Gary yelped. He nearly knocked over a table in his haste to rescue his lady fair, Charles hard on his heels.
They squeezed themselves in the door of the only bedroom at the same time, just as a brown wolf wearing a ruffled cap and nightshirt leaped at Sarah. “You leave her alone!” Gary shouted as he grabbed its tail. “She's not your lunch! Don't you dare try to eat her up!”
“Owww!” The little wolf let out a pained howl. “I don't want to eat her. Too many calories, and that would be cannibalism! Besides, I'd never fit all of her in my stomach. I just want what's in her basket! I'm hungry! I haven't eaten anything but berries and roots in days!”
“Oooh!” Sarah squeaked as she hit him over the head with her basket. “You Big Bad Wolf! What did you do with my granny?”
“I don't know!” Tears flowed from the wolf's round blue eyes. “I came in, and some old lady jumped up and ran out of the house. I thought I'd dress up and see if I could distract you and steal the basket. I didn't mean to scare you! I'm not big, I'm not bad, and I'm not really a wolf. I think you're a cute kid, but my stomach's growling, and I don't know how to catch lunch!” The poor canine covered his face with his paws and bawled like a pup.
“Awww!” Sarah rubbed the balding spot between the wolf's ears “There, there. I'm sure it'll be all right.”
“No, it won't,” the wolf sobbed. “I'll never be me again! I'm stuck this way!”
Charles pulled some dried beef out of his pocket. “Here. You can have the last of this. Good thing I brought it along for a snack.”
He slurped it up with his rough pink tongue. “Thanks. I needed that. You're a prince of a guy.”
“No prince. Just a minstrel who likes to be prepared.” Charles cut him off before he could ramble on. “I'm Charles of Yorkalia. These are Gary Scarlet and Little Sarah Riding Hood.”
The wolf eyed Sarah, then snorted. “Funny name. My name is Pr...Pri...Wil...Bill,” he finally coughed, “you can call me Bill. That's my name.”
Richard and Brett squeezed into the room next, followed by a skinny older woman in a flowered cap and nightgown and a cloud of curly dark hair carrying a rifle. “Are all of you all right?” he asked. “We heard Sarah scream half-way across the glen.”
The older woman aimed her gun at the wolf's muzzle. “Sarah, get away from him! That's the rascal who tried to snitch the dried quail from my pantry. You're not going to eat me or my food, you furry thief!”
Bill let out a frightened howl and dove under the bed. “Mistress, I'm sorry, but I was hungry! I couldn't help myself!”
“Wait a minute.” Brett shoved the gun down, then peered under the bed. “You're not really a wolf, are you? Your light isn't canine. It's human.”
“No, I'm not.” A rough black nose surrounded by bristly whiskers poked out. “Do you promise not to let her shoot me? I didn't hurt anybody! Honest!”
“All right.” Granny Mary finally set the rifle by her side. “But don't try anything like that again, or you will be getting buckshot in your back end!”
Sarah poked her head next to his. “Why did you want me to pick wildflowers?”
“You said your granny was sick.” The black nose sniffled at her cheek. “I thought it would be nice for her...and it gave me a head start, so I could see what she had to eat.”
“Stop that!” The girl pulled away, giggling. “You're tickling me!”
Granny coughed so hard, she nearly doubled over. “Look, Sarah's here 'cause I have a cold and haven't been up to cooking. I don't have much to offer you folks to thank you for helping us out.”
Brett rubbed the wolf's muzzle. “How about we take him off your hands?”
“Maybe we can help him.” Charles used the last of his dried meat to coax the wolf out from beneath the bed and get him out of Granny's clothes. “Someone in town might know where he came from and what happened to him.”
“I know that part.” Bill whimpered as Brett rubbed his belly. “Yeah, just...a little to the right, ma'am...oh yeah. Yeah, I know where I'm from. I just need to find the person who can change me back.”
Gary eyed Sarah as he helped her out from under the bed. “Richard...can I stay here?” he queried hopefully. “Someone needs to get Sarah home. Not every wolf is going to be as friendly as Bill!”
“I wouldn't mind.” Her pale cheeks turned a soft shade of blushing pink. “I don't want to wander off the path again!”
Richard just sighed. “All right, lad. I know the look on your face. I've had it on mine more than once, when I favored a lass. Just go straight home after you help her.”
“I will!” Gary chirped, but he was really looking into Sarah's eyes...and she wasn't averting hers.
They were off on the road again shortly afterwards, this time with Bill riding in the back. Charles settled down next to him. “So, what did happen to you? Brett says you're not a wolf.”
“I can't really say. I mean, I'm not allowed to say,” he rambled. “That is, she won't let me say. I'm not supposed to say. I need to find someone who can change me back, but I've been so hungry, I haven't been able to focus on finding them. Wish I'd thought of eating something when I was at the castle. Do you think they'd feed a wolf in town? I don't want anyone else to try taking pot shots at me. I almost got buckshot in my buns! I wouldn't have been able to sit down for a month!”
The wolf continued nervously rambling all the way into town. Charles dozed off half-way through his chatter, which obscured Brett and Richard's softer voices. They sat together in the front, driving Cornelius, and as his heavy eyelids drooped, Charles vaguely wondered what they were talking about.
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