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By noon we could see the wooden gate in the distance, and I was glad to see it, for the road had worn me out. It was exhausting to walk for a day in the heat, to spend the night in the woods, and to walk again without rest.
Behind the gate there were different houses, but mostly also wooden, with the occasional stone house. Along the road there were old plank sidewalks. Almost everything here was wooden.
This town was located in a tsunami hazard zone. During earthquakes, a huge wave came from the sea.
We came to the market. There were vendors selling things in the rows. The many smells began to make me dizzy. Unwashed bodies, different spices, «fresh» fish from the coast that had been delivered the day before yesterday, pork offal and cheap wine all combined to create something sticky and unpleasant. Oh, no, I didn’t like those places. We struggled to find where they sold herbs, teas, and bought what my grandmother instructed.
Ty haggled, picking and choosing. I didn’t know how to do that at all, I could only take the first thing I could find, I’d never haggled before.
– I’ll wait for you at the exit,» I told Ty. I never liked pushing in crowds, so I tried to get out where there was more air. I made my way through the crowd and waited. Ty soon appeared with a puppy in his arms. the little white fluffy dog looked trusting.
– Where did you get him? – I asked.
– Yes, some bad, very angry man sold. I felt sorry for him.
– How cute! Come with me.
We walked through the town, the dog sat mostly in Ty’s arms. Fluffy little lump. We gave our new friend something to eat, the pooch loved the scones from Ty’s bag. On the way home we walked along the shore, looking at the surf. When we went through the forest, Ty was suddenly alert.
– What are you doing?» I asked softly.
– Shh!» Ty pressed his finger to his lips and tugged my hand gently, and we hid behind a large bush. After a while, two guys in long light-colored shirts with red embroidery on the chest and black belts walked by.
– Who are they? Why are we hiding?» I whispered in Ty’s ear.
– Let’s just say we’re not friends,» he looked at the boys with distaste, but without fear.
– That’s no reason to hide, is it? – I wondered.
– I don’t want you and the dog to get hurt. By the way, what shall we call our friend? – Ty was gazing fondly at the baby.
– Barking,» I answered.
– Barking,“ I answered. „Why?
– I like it. Do you like it?
– Yeah, me, too,» Ty’s lips stretched into a smile.
We couldn’t avoid meeting Ty’s enemies. After a while, they came towards us from behind tall trees, probably camping there.
Ty warned me to stay behind him and not talk to any of the guys coming toward us. I wasn’t very sociable with strangers, so I didn’t need to be warned.
The strangers were trying to provoke Ty with rude words, pushing him into a fight.
– Hey, Ty, don’t you want to talk? – said one.
– He doesn’t have the guts,» his comrade replied.
And I stood up for Ty before he could answer.
– We didn’t touch you, go about your business,» I said, looking at them defiantly and pulling my head into my shoulders as if I wanted to hide from their gaze.
One of them stared at me.
– Who’s that with you? – The tall blond guy hissed angrily, turning to Ty.
The cocky guy looked me over from head to toe. The sight of him sent shivers down my spine. He had a nice face, and he was good-looking, but there was something slippery about him, and I could tell he was a big fan of women, and people usually liked handsome men like that, but not me. Sometimes there was something predatory about him, and he looked like the fire that attracts moths.
– None of your business. Come on, Lisa,» Ty took my hand, and we walked without looking back.
– Ty, who are they? – I asked when we were far enough away.
– Glen’s. Actually, they’re Calshire. And the blond one is Glen, the son of the chief, or rather one of the sons, the eldest. His father is the chief of their village.
It was a long walk. The sun burned mercilessly. Clothes were soaked, trickles of sweat rolled down the back, temples, neck. At least it wasn’t raining, it was not very pleasant to walk on wet grass in wet clothes.
We spent the night in the woods near a stream, we often met them here. We ate by ourselves, fed the dog and talked.
***
Granny was excited about the shopping.
We were glad to finally be in the cabin by the creek. We ate quickly and ran to the lake for a swim.
– Ty, catch up! – I shouted cheerfully.
He ran after me, pretending to tell me that this was no way to treat a tired man.
– So am I, we’ve been together this whole time! – I did not stay in debt, – But now how great would be!
The cool water was pleasantly cooling my skin. We washed off sticky sweat. We swam and dived.
Freshened up and came ashore. Skin was instantly covered with goosebumps. Hurriedly pulled on a clean T-shirt and jeans that I had brought with me. The skirt and blouse needed washing.
– Ty, let’s do the laundry,» I suggested.
– What am I going back in? – he looked at me in surprise.
– I brought you a clean shirt and pants, too. Grandma gave them to me.
We did a good wash and rinse of our dusty clothes. Ty was good at laundry. Then we sat for a long time in the thick shade of the trees until the heat of the day was gone.
From Ty I learned the history of his village.
Years ago it was a small town. Several mines were operating in the vicinity, and in those days people rode down the main street in horse-drawn baby carriages. It was a long time ago that the mines were exhausted. The main street was overgrown with grass. Most of the houses were ruined, rotten, and the forest came very close to them. Now houses were built next to the forest, where the outskirts of the town used to be. The village was sinking further and further into the forest. And so it turned out that it was now located behind the old ruined city.
The sun was already setting, and we went to my grandmother’s cottage. She was waiting for us with freshly brewed tea and sorrel and strawberry tarts.
Soon, at my request, we went to the old town. There wasn’t much to do anyway, at least I could see the area where I found myself.
The scene before us was depressing. There was an unpleasant smell of neglect and decay in the air. Next to one of the dilapidated buildings stood a cracked old wooden table. Vines overlaid its legs. There was a crumbling cement pile beside it, and the platform itself was cracked and overgrown with grass through the many gaps. The empty windows against the background of old half-destroyed walls looked eerily. It was a sad sight.
Chapter 6. Kidnapping
Three versts away from the lodge on a bend of the river there is another lake, deeper and larger. On one sunny, warm day I went there. As I approached the shore, a slightly cool breeze began to caress the skin of my naked, heated hands, and the green leaves of the willows murmured softly somewhere in the height. I desperately wanted to dive into the lake, to feel the refreshing coolness. Pulling off my T-shirt and jeans, I walked down to the bottom, where there were fewer trees. When the locals couldn’t see me, I wore my own clothes; I was more comfortable in jeans than in a long skirt.
A marvelous view appeared before my eyes. The blue of the water in the distance and the clarity of the water in front of me reflected the white clouds floating in the sky, which looked like cotton candy. My mouth filled with saliva. Slowly, enjoying the shallow, warm water, I stepped into the beautiful lake. Green low shrubs and tall willows grew on all sides of the shore. The farther I went, the colder and darker the water became. The white lilies that came my way gave off a subtle scent. I swam and swam and dived until I felt cold. The thick trunks of trees and small bushes near the water hid me from uninvited glances, though there was no one to see in this quiet, deserted place. I got out, dried off a little, and pulled on my clothes.
There were many plants growing on the shore. I picked the ground with a splinter of branch, looking for roots of motherwort and soapflower. I’ll get some, not come back empty-handed. And suddenly…
They came out of nowhere. I was surrounded by three riders. Where did they come from? Who are they? What should I do? Questions raced through my head, but no answers.
One of them stopped right in front of me.
– Well, hello, beautiful! Where are you going? Would you like to go for a ride on a horse? – He was sarcastic.
That’s right. He was the one Ty was talking to when we came back from town. Glen, son of the Calshire chief. From the next village.
I tried to stall for time to think of something. But what was there to think of? I couldn’t handle them, that much was clear; I couldn’t escape.
– Who are you?
– Come on, don’t be afraid! We won’t hurt you. We’ve met before. We’re going on a visit,» said Glen.
– You go visiting willingly,» I told him.
– Well, you show your good will! – he laughed.
– Let me go,» I said, trying not to show that I was afraid.
– Let me go. You’ll stay with us for a while, and then we’ll let you go. Danny, come on,» he nodded to one of his partners.
The one in the back bent over and picked me up. The third had already dismounted from the horse, and had given me a lift from underneath. I was sitting on the horse in front of the rider.
We rode for a long time. The companion from behind skillfully ruled the horse. It was not very comfortable to sit. I was not accustomed to ride, and with a stranger in company.
My stomach rumbled and my mouth was dry.
– Glen, why don’t we stop? – my companion asked.
Glen was speaking to him as an equal:
– Okay. Not for long.
They built a fire, spread a clean tablecloth, and got food. Pies, bread, smoked meat, water, and something else in a bottle.
My mouth was watering.
– And what is this? – I asked, pointing to the bottle.
– I asked, pointing to the bottle. «It’s millet sake, we make it ourselves,» said Glen, who acted like the leader among them, and grinned, «do you like it?
– I haven’t tried it,» I answered, glancing at him.
None of them followed me around, but I kept catching someone’s eye. There was no escaping.
When the man who had offered me the tincture, Glen, stepped back, I glanced at the companion sitting next to me, who reminded me a little of Ty.
He smiled a little embarrassed, and spoke.
– I’m Danny. Don’t be afraid, Lisa. No one’s going to hurt you. It’s just that Glen wants you to take his side, to be on his side,» said the boy softly.
– What? Which side? I don’t even know what you’re talking about.
– You’re Ty’s girlfriend,» he said.
– Me? Ty’s my friend. Do you want to hurt Ty? But why? – I stared at Danny with my eyes wide open in surprise.
– It’ll be okay. No one’s going to hurt you,» he said calmly.
– And what about Ty? – I asked.
He didn’t answer. He just sat there staring at himself.
– How do you know my name? – I asked the question again.
– Ty called you that in the woods when you were leaving town,» he said simply.
He remembered. I didn’t remember it until he told me we’d met.
Glen and their third companion stood in the distance, talking. Danny got up impetuously and disappeared behind the trees. He was gone for a long time. Glen and Andrew were exhausted from driving to get there in time for daylight. Glen couldn’t stand it, so he went to where Danny had hidden.
They appeared like ghosts in the silence. A dark cloud covered the sky behind Danny and Glenn. It was gray, as if evening had descended. Glen was supporting Danny, who was pale, struggling to move his legs, his shirt stained with blood.
– What happened? – Andrew looked at them in surprise. Blood was dripping down Danny’s arm from under the torn rags of his sleeve.
– It looked like someone had shot an arrow at Danny. They don’t know how to hunt. We got to get out of here fast.
– We should bandage him up. You got anything? – I was looking at Glenn.
– No.
– Take your shirt off.
– Why? – Glen stared at me in amazement.
– «I don’t know what you’re talking about. And give me the belt,» I hurried him.
