family has been Christian since Koloman was king. I pray seven rosaries every day. And every Sabbath I travel over the mountain to go to church in Draga. So this thing comes to my doorstep. If that makes me a witch, then I'm a witch."
The captain turned to another man sitting astride a huge, shining black stallion. He carried no shield, but his arms were stitched on the chest of his purple, sable-trimmed surcoat -- a yellow field with a black checkerboard slash. Braslava had not seen them before. She looked at his face. His eyes were like those of a dead fish, flat and lifeless.
The man urged his horse forward until he was close to Anja. He slid his foot out of the stirrup and with the point of his boot, lifted Anja's chin and turned her face. He took a good long look at her.
"A witch never had power to make a golem," said Anja.
The man dropped his boot from her face and turned his attention to the villagers gathered about. He looked at each in turn. When he came Braslava, she forced herself not to look away. His gaze lingered on her, and then he smiled, a dead smile that never reached his eyes. "Just get the golem," he said. He spoke it in Hungarian, which meant he was some sort of noble.
The captain motioned for Mislav to lead. Mislav took them to Anja's barn where the golem was sitting placidly in the dirt, a spade across its lap.
"Come," said Anja to the golem. "Get up. These men are here to take you away."
The golem turned its head to look at Braslava.
The captain motioned for his men. Two of them brought manacles and heavy chains.
"Get up," said Anja.
The golem ignored her.
"Get out of the way," the captain said.
Two soldiers with lances leveled them at the golem. The three with bows drew their strings. The men with chains pushed by Anja. One said, "You shoot me in the back, Rati, and I'll kill you."
They approached the golem like they would a bear, slow, ready to spring away in a moment.
The golem regarded one of them. "We are friends," the soldier said. "Do you see the pretty chains?" He showed the golem the iron collar. He let it hold a chain. While the golem was fingering the links, he reached out and clasped the collar gently about the golem's neck.
The second soldier slipped the spade from the golem's lap.
"Pretty chains," said the first soldier. "Now we will put them on your ankles andwrists."
They commanded it to rise and get in the cage. It rose, exited the barn in a hobbled walk, and climbed into the cage. They commanded it to sit. It sat. They locked the cage door, and mounted up.
The man with the dead fish eyes addressed Braslava. "So what does this thing eat?"
His look was unnerving. It was as if something else other than a man lived in that face. She had never seen the golem put anything in its mouth, and so she said, "I suppose it eats dirt."
The very next morning, just before the sun crested the mountains, the golem returned to stand on Anja's doorstep. The heavens had dumped down a freezing rain that morning, and the creature's skin was dark, glistening like wet rock. The chains were broken, half the manacles missing.
"Always running home," said Braslava. "I told you this thing was like a cat."
"Holy Mother," said Anja and crossed herself. "Let us pray that this golem had not committed murder."
Braslava's joy turned to ash. She looked at the golem's powerful hands. The soldiers would return with anger. It was possible she and Anja would be taken and hung. It was possible the Ban would send a hundred men to burn the village to the ground.
"We are guilty of nothing," said Anja. "We will not run."
"Lord," Braslava prayed and then stopped. She was but a little person. Nevertheless, wasn't David little when he slew the giant?
"What?" asked Anja.
"Nothing," said Braslava, ashamed at her lack of courage.
It was well into midmorning when Braslava heard the galloping of horse and the rumble of a wagon moving at speed. She and Anja exited the garden where they had been digging onions
The captain turned to another man sitting astride a huge, shining black stallion. He carried no shield, but his arms were stitched on the chest of his purple, sable-trimmed surcoat -- a yellow field with a black checkerboard slash. Braslava had not seen them before. She looked at his face. His eyes were like those of a dead fish, flat and lifeless.
The man urged his horse forward until he was close to Anja. He slid his foot out of the stirrup and with the point of his boot, lifted Anja's chin and turned her face. He took a good long look at her.
"A witch never had power to make a golem," said Anja.
The man dropped his boot from her face and turned his attention to the villagers gathered about. He looked at each in turn. When he came Braslava, she forced herself not to look away. His gaze lingered on her, and then he smiled, a dead smile that never reached his eyes. "Just get the golem," he said. He spoke it in Hungarian, which meant he was some sort of noble.
The captain motioned for Mislav to lead. Mislav took them to Anja's barn where the golem was sitting placidly in the dirt, a spade across its lap.
"Come," said Anja to the golem. "Get up. These men are here to take you away."
The golem turned its head to look at Braslava.
The captain motioned for his men. Two of them brought manacles and heavy chains.
"Get up," said Anja.
The golem ignored her.
"Get out of the way," the captain said.
Two soldiers with lances leveled them at the golem. The three with bows drew their strings. The men with chains pushed by Anja. One said, "You shoot me in the back, Rati, and I'll kill you."
They approached the golem like they would a bear, slow, ready to spring away in a moment.
The golem regarded one of them. "We are friends," the soldier said. "Do you see the pretty chains?" He showed the golem the iron collar. He let it hold a chain. While the golem was fingering the links, he reached out and clasped the collar gently about the golem's neck.
The second soldier slipped the spade from the golem's lap.
"Pretty chains," said the first soldier. "Now we will put them on your ankles andwrists."
They commanded it to rise and get in the cage. It rose, exited the barn in a hobbled walk, and climbed into the cage. They commanded it to sit. It sat. They locked the cage door, and mounted up.
The man with the dead fish eyes addressed Braslava. "So what does this thing eat?"
His look was unnerving. It was as if something else other than a man lived in that face. She had never seen the golem put anything in its mouth, and so she said, "I suppose it eats dirt."
The very next morning, just before the sun crested the mountains, the golem returned to stand on Anja's doorstep. The heavens had dumped down a freezing rain that morning, and the creature's skin was dark, glistening like wet rock. The chains were broken, half the manacles missing.
"Always running home," said Braslava. "I told you this thing was like a cat."
"Holy Mother," said Anja and crossed herself. "Let us pray that this golem had not committed murder."
Braslava's joy turned to ash. She looked at the golem's powerful hands. The soldiers would return with anger. It was possible she and Anja would be taken and hung. It was possible the Ban would send a hundred men to burn the village to the ground.
"We are guilty of nothing," said Anja. "We will not run."
"Lord," Braslava prayed and then stopped. She was but a little person. Nevertheless, wasn't David little when he slew the giant?
"What?" asked Anja.
"Nothing," said Braslava, ashamed at her lack of courage.
It was well into midmorning when Braslava heard the galloping of horse and the rumble of a wagon moving at speed. She and Anja exited the garden where they had been digging onions
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