Gwendolyn glanced at the girl and shrugged. “I guess so.”
“It might even be more concealing than mud or bandages,” Annie continued.
“What are you talking about?” asked Gwendolyn. “I don’t… Oh! I see what you mean. Do you suppose she would sell it to me? It is small, though.”
Annie shrugged. “It wouldn’t hurt to ask. Although I was hoping we could ask her granny to make you one. The color red does draw attention. Maybe a more subtle color would be better.”
Gwendolyn’s expression brightened. “Pink, perhaps!”
“Or brown.”
“Or fuchsia!”
“This is not going to be easy,” Annie muttered to herself.
They had walked only a short distance farther when the oaks, maples, and elms gave way to fir trees growing in ragged rows. The trees grew taller as they continued on, casting deep shadows beneath their branches. Annie loved the smell of the needles and took a deep breath even as she noticed how dark it had become.
“I guess this is the Dark Forest,” said Gwendolyn.
Annie nodded. “That’s a good name for it. I wonder where—”
“Here we are!” Gloria sang out as they reached the edge of a small clearing. Swinging the basket from her arm, she skipped ahead to rap on the wooden door of a sweet little cottage with ivy climbing its sturdy stone walls. A cat peeked at them from among the ferns growing at the corner of the cottage while another strode past, its tail in the air. “Granny, it’s me!” the girl called.
A curtain twitched aside and a face peered out for an instant before the curtain fell back in place.
“You’re not going in, are you?” Gwendolyn asked Annie. “Because if you are, I think I’ll stay out here and wait for Beldegard.”
Little Red Riding Hood had raised her hand to knock again when a creaky voice called out, “Come in, dearie!”
Annie glanced at Liam as the girl opened the door and stepped inside. “Did you see that?” Annie asked him.
“I sure did,” said Liam. “Either that girl has the ugliest granny I’ve ever seen, or something isn’t right here.”
“What? Did I miss something?” asked Gwendolyn. “Do you hear magic, Annie?”
Annie shook her head. “It’s not that,” she said, and followed Liam into the cottage.
“Shut the door, dearie,” said a creaky voice. “The bright light hurts my eyes.”
Little Red Riding Hood brushed past Annie to shut the door, leaving them all in the near dark. Annie had taken only a few steps into the room when she tripped over something and fell against Liam. He grabbed her arm and held her until she had her feet under her, but even then something bumped into her legs and made her stagger.
As her eyes grew used to the dim light filtering through the closed curtains, Annie saw that the cottage was just one room. A large bed filled the center of the room and in the bed lay a figure in a nightgown and ruffled cap. Little Red Riding Hood was already standing by the end of the bed, holding the basket with both hands. “Look, Granny, I brought you visitors.”
“How nice,” her grandmother rasped. “And what did you bring me in your basket? Do I smell baked ham?” There was a loud sniffing sound, then Granny added, “And blueberry tarts!”
“Granny isn’t feeling well,” Little Red Riding Hood said, turning to Liam and Annie. “She has a wasting disease and needs lots of food to keep up her strength. She told me so yesterday.”
“That’s right, dearie. So why don’t you just set that basket on the bed and I’ll…”
“Ooh, Granny,” the girl said, taking a step closer. “What big eyes you have.”
“I know, I know! Didn’t we go through this yesterday?” said Granny. “I have big eyes, the better to see you with, and big ears, the better to hear you with, and a big nose because it runs in the family. Now if you’ll just—”
“Mworr!” A large cat jumped on the bed and padded across Granny’s chest. “Get off me, stupid cat,” the old woman said, pushing it aside.
“Granny, you must be really sick,” said her granddaughter. “You usually let the cats walk all over you.”
“How many cats do you have, Granny?” asked Annie.
Two cats emerged from the shadows and jumped onto the bed. One strode up to Granny and plumped down on her stomach, swiping its long tail across her face. The other sat on the edge of the bed and glared at her.
When the old woman hesitated, Little Red Riding Hood spoke up. “Granny has twenty-two cats, although the number changes all the time.”
“That’s right,” Granny said, sounding as if she was speaking through gritted teeth. “I do love cats. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need my rest. Just leave the basket on the bed and I’ll take care of putting the food away. Oh, and be sure to come back tomorrow, Granddaughter, dear. The delicious food you bring is making me feel much better.”
Annie knew something was wrong, other than just the old woman’s poor health, but she didn’t know what to do to prove it. Maybe if she went outside, she and Liam could figure it out. “We’re sorry we stopped by at such a bad time,” she said. “I hope you’re well soon. Liam and I will leave so you and Gloria can talk before you go back to sleep.”
“Who’s Gloria?” asked the old woman.
Annie scowled. Either the woman’s memory was going, or it wasn’t the grandmother at all. If Annie was wrong, the worst that could happen was she would embarrass herself. But if she was right… Keeping an eye on the figure in the bed, Annie stepped to the door and flung it wide. While Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother cried out in protest, Annie went from window to window, dragging the curtains open, letting the tree-filtered sunlight in.
“It’s a wolf!” Liam cried, dashing to the bed even as he drew his sword.
Little Red Riding Hood turned back to the bed. Seeing the long, furry face under her grandmother’s ruffled cap, she cried out in horror.
With one motion, the wolf threw back the covers and leaped from the bed. Snatching the basket from Little Red Riding Hood’s hands, it darted around Annie and Liam and out the door.
“What did you do with my granny!” Little Red Riding Hood shouted after the fleeing wolf.
“I thought this room smelled bad because she had so many cats,” said Liam. “I never would have guessed it was a wolf.”
“And a talking one at that,” said Annie. “I’ve seen more talking animals in the last few days than I’ve seen in my entire lifetime before this.”
“Gloria, are you all right?” a man asked, ducking to enter the cottage. He was a big man with the clothes of a huntsman and a face that was an older, male version of Little Red Riding Hood’s.
With a strangled sob, Little Red Riding Hood flew into his arms and buried her face in his tunic. “Oh, Uncle Olaf, the wolf that pestered me yesterday was here, and I thought it was Granny, and Granny’s gone and I think the wolf ate her.”
“That wolf didn’t eat your granny!” said the man. “It chased her out of her house yesterday and she came to mine. I was hunting and didn’t get to talk to her until this morning, but then I came right over to see what was going on. The wolf didn’t hurt you, did it?”
Little Red Riding Hood shook her head. “But it stole Mama’s basket.”
The big man laughed. “If that’s all we have to worry about, we’re fine. And who are these people, if I may ask?”
“Just travelers on our way, now that we know the little girl is all right,” said Liam.
“More travelers!” said the huntsman. “I’ve never seen so many strangers passing through this part of the forest before. First I saw those two dwarves, and now you.”
“Did you see them recently?” Liam asked, pausing at the threshold. “Was one older than the other?”
“Did you talk to them?” asked Annie. “What direction were they going?”
“It was one day last week,” the huntsman replied. “I was checking my snares up by the ridge when I saw them from a distance. They seemed to
be arguing, so I left them alone. They were headed north. And yes,” he said, glancing at Liam. “They both had white hair, but one was stooped, so I assume he was older.”
“At least we know they came this way,” Liam told Annie as they stepped outside.
“Finally!” Gwennie declared. She was standing at the edge of the forest with her arms crossed, tapping her foot. “You were in there so long! I found Beldegard. He’s waiting for us just up the trail. Did you remember to ask about the hood?”
“What hood?” asked Liam.
The door to the cottage opened and Little Red Riding Hood came running out. “Good,” she cried when she saw them. “You haven’t gone yet. I told Uncle Olaf that you were the ones who showed me that it was a wolf and not my grandmother in Granny’s clothes. He said I should say thank you.”
Annie gave her a warm smile. “You’re very welcome.”
“Go ahead, ask her,” Gwendolyn urged her sister.
“Ask me what?” said Little Red Riding Hood.
Annie sighed. “My sister wants a hood like yours. We’d be willing to pay for it.”
The girl’s eyes lit up. “Granny could use the money. I’m sure she has a spare hood somewhere. Wait here and I’ll go look.”
“I don’t know if I want someone’s used hood,” said Gwendolyn as they watched Little Red Riding Hood run back into the cottage. “I thought we were going to ask the girl’s grandmother to make me one.”
“We would have if she’d been here and able to whip one up, but we’re not waiting around for her to come back,” Annie replied.
“I’m going to go talk to Beldegard,” said Liam. “Don’t take too long. I think I heard thunder in the distance.”
Little Red Riding Hood came tearing out of the cottage, waving a dark green cape. “I found it!” she called and handed the cape to Gwendolyn.
The princess gave her a weak smile, then glanced at her sister. Annie dug a coin out of her knapsack and handed it to Little Red Riding Hood, who clutched it in her fist as if it were the most precious thing she’d ever seen. “Thanks!” she cried, and skipped back to the cottage.
Annie took the cape from Gwendolyn’s hands and shook it loose of its folds. It was a well-worn garment with a few threadbare spots, but still, it was well-made and clean.
Gwendolyn rubbed the corner of the cape with her fingers and began to pout. “I don’t like it. It’s old and it’s not pink.”
“I know!” Annie said. “I think it’s perfect!”
Chapter 8
Beldegard and liam searched the forest for the rest of the afternoon while Annie tried to help and Gwendolyn complained that her feet hurt. The Dark Forest was only a hundred acres, so by the time it began to get dark they had already tromped across most of it without seeing a sign of any dwarves.
“This is interesting,” said Beldegard, snuffling the ground. They had just reached the northwest corner of the forest where the trees were taller and older than the rest.
“Did you find a dwarf footprint, my love?” asked Gwendolyn.
Beldegard shook his head. “No, just bear prints—some big, some little. It looks like a mother bear and her cub live around here.”
The thunder that had been rumbling to either side of them for most of the afternoon sounded closer now and the sky was quickly growing darker. “We need to find shelter,” said Liam.
“Huh,” grunted Beldegard. “Just stay away from caves. Even I don’t want to face a mother bear with a cub. They get riled easily.”
“The trees are thinner in this direction,” said Liam. “It looks like someone cut some down. Maybe we’ll find a woodcutter’s cottage where we can pay to spend the night.”
“I’d rather sleep outside,” murmured Gwendolyn.
“Not in the rain,” Annie told her. “When this storm hits, you won’t care what the cottage is like as long as you have a roof over your head.”
“I don’t think that’s true,” Gwendolyn said, but Annie noticed that her sister was quick to pull the hood of her new cape over her head when the first raindrops began to fall.
They continued to walk as the rain fell harder and were drenched when Liam finally shouted, “Over there! I see a house.”
“I hope it’s clean,” Gwendolyn muttered under her breath.
“I hope they’ll let us in,” said Annie.
The house had two stories, arched windows, and an arched door. The fireplaces at either end of the house looked as if they were holding the sharply peaked roof in place. Outbuildings in the back included stalls for horses, but the only occupants seemed to be the barn swallows that Beldegard disturbed when he peeked inside.
“There are no lit candles or fires in the fireplaces,” Liam told Annie as he peered through the windows. “Either no one is home or they’ve gone to bed already. Wait here while I look and see.”
It was getting colder now, and though the cape kept Gwendolyn warm, Annie had begun to shiver. She drew closer to Liam as he pounded on the door. When no one answered, he shoved it open and stepped inside. “No one’s here as far as I can tell,” he said when he returned to the door a minute later, a lit candle in his hand. “Come in out of the rain, but stay by the door while I go look upstairs.”
Liam took the candle with him, leaving the room dark once again. When Annie hesitated at the door waiting for her eyes to adjust, Gwendolyn pushed past her. Unfastening the ties on the soggy cape, Gwendolyn dropped it on the floor and walked off.
“Here,” Annie said, handing the cape to her sister. “I’m not your servant. Hang it up somewhere so it can dry.”
“Where?” Gwendolyn asked as she looked around.
Annie turned in place, examining the room. Only a little light came through the windows, so she really couldn’t see much aside from a table with three chairs at one end and a grouping of three rocking chairs at the other. When she spotted candles and a flint on the mantel, she lit two and handed one to Gwendolyn. “Why don’t you put your cape on the back of one of those chairs?” Annie said, pointing at the table.
Gwendolyn sighed as if Annie had asked for too much, but she walked to where she had pointed and draped the cape across the back of a chair. A small puddle began to form on the floor below the dripping cape. Annie started to look around for something to wipe it up, and noticed three bowls on the table, filled with some sort of food.
“There’s no one upstairs either,” Liam said as he came down the steps. “But I found three beds, so if you ladies would like to get some sleep, Beldegard and I can take turns keeping watch.”
Normally Annie would have argued that she should share the burden of standing guard, but she was so tired that she didn’t have the energy to protest. She turned to invite Gwendolyn to go upstairs with her, and found her sister examining the contents of one of the bowls.
“I think it’s porridge,” said Gwendolyn. “It’s cold, but it’s not bad. I mean, it’s not moldy or anything.” Picking up a spoon from the table, she poked the porridge with it. “Ugh, it’s got dog hair in it.”
“The whole place smells like wet dog,” said Annie.
Gwendolyn stifled a yawn. “I don’t see any dogs, though.”
The door opened with a creak. Annie turned, startled. Beldegard strolled in, took a long look around, and shook, splattering droplets on everyone. “There’s no one here, but I found a saddlebag on the floor of the barn. It looks as if someone left in a hurry.”
“Gwennie and I are going upstairs to sleep. Liam found some beds up there. Good night, you two,” Annie said as she steered her yawning sister to the steps.
Even as she climbed, Annie could hear Liam and Beldegard talking. “It looks as if someone broke this rocking chair,” said Liam. “Did you notice that everything is in sets of threes? I think a couple lives here with their child.”
Although Beldegard lowered his voice, Annie could still hear him when he said, “I didn’t want to say anything in front of the girls, but we should leave at first light. There’s something
about this place that you should know.”
“It smells better up here,” said Gwendolyn, and held her candle high. “At least the beds look nice. I’ll take the big one at the far end.”
“You go to bed,” said Annie. “I want to go see what Liam and Beldegard were talking about.”
“Don’t you dare leave me alone up here!” said Gwendolyn. “I came up only because I thought you were going to bed, too!”
“All right,” Annie said with a sigh. Whatever Beldegard was talking about, he didn’t seem to think that it was so urgent that they couldn’t stay in the house for the night.
Turning away from the stairs, Annie raised her candle. There were three beds in a row ranging from an extra-big one on the right to a smaller-than-normal bed on the left. Large trunks rested on the floor at the foot of each bed. Gwendolyn had already opened the lid of the trunk by the biggest bed and had started to root around inside.
“What are you doing?” Annie asked. “Those things belong to the owner of the house. You shouldn’t go through them!”
“I’m cold, I’m wet, and I’m not going to spend another minute in these clothes,” Gwendolyn said, plucking at her own sleeve. “You don’t have to change if you don’t want to. These are all men’s clothes,” she added, dropping the lid.
“It isn’t right!” said Annie.
“I don’t intend to take the clothes when we leave,” Gwendolyn said, opening the trunk by the middle-size bed. “We’ll just use them while we’re here. If it would make you feel better, we can leave a coin to pay for their use. Oh, good. These will do just fine.” She held up a sleeping robe of palest blue and tossed a white one to Annie. It was too big for her, but it was dry and as soft as kittens’ fur when Annie rubbed it against her cheek. As princesses, of course, they had much finer clothes at home, but hadn’t brought anything like this with them.
The rest of Annie’s protests dried up unspoken. Following her sister’s lead, she shed her wet clothes and slipped into the sleeping robe. “It’s just for one night,” she murmured as it warmed her chilled skin.