Scarlet Moon (Once Upon a Time) Read Free Page B

the days of autumn slipped from existence, beyond the grasp of a mortal man.
    As she walked the barren path the black corpses of trees appeared slowly from out of the haze. The birds that remained were hushed, awaiting the coming of the sun in the last moments of the lingering night. All was silent as the grave, and Ruth thought of her beloved brother whom she would see no more. His body lay somewhere in that distant land held by the infidels, a fallen warrior in the pope’s holy wars to claim Jerusalem.
    Ruth cared nothing of popes or wars or infidels; she only knew that he who had loved her best in thislife had preceded her to the next, and that she would give all she owned or would ever have for one last glimpse of his precious face.
    But still, she put one foot before the other, moving on just as nature and all of life did and must. Far off in the woods a branch snapped. Almost unconsciously her hand tightened around the hilt of her brother’s dagger. It was hers now; he would never return to claim the dagger, the very one he had used to save her from the wolf so many years before.
    She peered into the darkness, wishing for the eyes of an animal so that she might see what they did. Nothing moved, at least not that she saw. A shiver danced up her spine and she turned her eyes back to the path. As she continued to walk her legs tingled slightly where there were scars. They too had never forgotten the feel of the wolf’s fangs.
    In a sack upon her back she carried her brother’s armor. She couldn’t think about it, though, or she would start crying again. Lost in thought, she didn’t see the body until she was nearly upon it.
    She jumped and let out a startled yelp as she realized that a man lay across the path. He lay still, as though he were dead, and he was completely naked.
    At her cry he stirred and then suddenly jumped to his feet.
    “Who are you?” Ruth gasped, averting her eyes.
    For one moment he stood, panting like a wild deer, before turning to flee into the woods.
    “Who are you?” she shouted after him.
    Only silence met her question. She strained her ears but could hear nothing.
Is he hiding just out of sight, watching me?
she wondered. The thought sent a chill of fear through her. She clutched her dagger tighter and hurried on.
    Who could he have been, and why was he asleep naked in the forest?
Questions crowded her brain, each demanding to be heard and answered. Above her the trees began to whisper to themselves, and she could feel the hair on the back of her neck rising. She realized that her heart was pounding in fear, and she broke into a stilted run. At every step the armor banged against her back, a painful reminder of her grim errand.
    Above her the trees continued to whisper and sway; dark warnings crowded her mind, and she did not know if they were real or imagined. Faster her feet flew, the path familiar to them as it twisted through the trees. At last she slowed as she neared her destination.
    Ruth’s grandmother, Giselle, lived deep in the forest. Her house stood, proud and alone, in a small clearing. As Ruth came into sight of it she saw smoke curling slowly from the chimney, blending with the fog until the two were indistinguishable.
    The door hung a little crooked so that all manner of insects found their way underneath and inside. Grandmother always just sighed and carried themoutside. There was not a straight board in the whole of the house. Giselle was gifted at many things, but carpentry was not among them. Still, she took pride in having done all the work herself.
    Not that she bad a choice
, Ruth thought bitterly. Her grandmother had been banished from the village before Ruth was born, amidst accusations of witchcraft. It was a miracle the villagers had been content to only banish her and not burn her. Ruth shook her head.
Grandmother is no witch; she just asks questions no one else will and manages to find the answers.
    Ruth reached the door and knocked lightly before pushing it