Thrown to the Wolves (The Faith in Peril Trilogy) Read online

  “I slept rather well too.” Anna smiled kindly. “You look tired.”

  “I should be. I couldn’t sleep. I was awake most of the night.”

  “You poor thing. You should’ve said something.”

  “And ruin your sleep? No. I plan to have a nap in my own bed later. Why haven’t we heard gunshots yet?”

  “It’s very early. They’re still sleeping.”

  I shook my head, not believing this. “No. Dat’s coming now. I know it. He’s already awake. He must be out of his mind with worry.”

  Jacob knelt before the creek, lifting a rock out of the water. “Can we eat minnows?”

  “If you can catch them,” I said. “We can boil them in the bucket. I’m eternally grateful you brought that bucket with you.” I bent to cup water, bringing fluid to my face. I washed away the grime from the campfire. “It’s so quiet now.” The crickets had ceased to make noise, and the stillness seemed eerie.

  “I’m going back,” said Anna. “We need to start the fire again. Bring water with you. I’ll look for more branches to burn.”

  “I’ll do that,” said Jacob.

  Anna smiled at him. “Thank you.”

  “That’s a good idea,” I agreed. “Then we need to decide what we’ll do. I’m expecting gunshots any minute.”

  “Me too.” Anna approached, lifting the bottom of her dress over the rocks. Dirt had discolored the hem. “I wonder how far we came? We couldn’t have gone more than a mile. Maybe we went in one big circle?”

  “I haven’t a clue. I’m all turned around now.” I washed my hands and arms. Molly ambled over to the water’s edge, bending to drink from the stream. I glared at her. “I suppose we shouldn’t even bother to ask you for help, you irritating dog. You made everything so much worse.”

  “We can’t trust her in the least,” said Anna. “But there’s nothing we can do about it now. I’m going back. I need to say my morning prayers.”

  “I said mine on the way here.”

  “Jacob and I will say ours at camp while we boil water.”

  “Race you there!” Jacob broke into a run, which caught Molly’s attention, the dog chasing him.

  “He forgot the bucket.” Anna rolled her eyes. “For gracious sake.” She bent to retrieve it, dunking it in the water repeatedly. “This stream isn’t very deep.”

  “I’ll finish here, and join you.”

  Patting my shoulder, her smile was sympathetic. “It’s going to be fine. We’ll be rescued today and tonight we’ll be home.”

  “I hope so.”

  I gazed at my reflection in the creek, seeing a woman with clear skin and bright eyes. We did not have a mirror in our home, but I had observed myself in windows before. From what I had been able to ascertain, I wasn’t especially beautiful, yet my features were pleasing enough. My cheekbones were similar to Mam’s, arched and prettily shaped, while my mouth appeared full and my chin slightly pointy. My hair, which was hidden beneath the kapp, was dark blonde in color, with wisps of lighter shades throughout.

  A crack sounded in the distance, and I jumped to my feet. “Oh, Dat!” I shouted. “He’s coming for us!” I hurried to the campsite, where Jacob and Anna were, standing by the fire. “Do you hear that?” Excitement raced through me. “Where’s it coming from?” Another shot resounded, but it seemed to reverberate, echoing in all directions. “What do you think?” Jacob pointed to the left, while Anna pointed right. My shoulders slumped. “What does that mean?”

  “It’s this way,” said Jacob confidently.

  “No, this way.”

  “Oh, no.” I had been so hopeful gunfire would help.

  “It’s too far away.” Jacob’s mouth had formed a grim line. “We’ve gone further than I thought. I don’t think we went in circles.”

  “For Pete’s sake,” I muttered. “What will happen now?”

  “Dat’s far away, Rebekah.” My sister tied the strings of her kapp beneath her chin. “It’s impossible to tell which way the shot came.”

  “But it’s not towards the creek,” I said. “It sounds like it’s from that direction.” I pointed behind Anna. “Let’s go that way, but we should rip some fabric from our dresses first. Then we tie them to the trees. That’s how we’ll know if we’ve gone to the same place.”

  Anna nodded. “Smart idea.” She reached for her hem, pulling on the material. “How is this supposed to work?”

  “Use a stick to make a hole and then tear it from there.” I reached for a nearby twig, showing her by example. “We’ll need a few strips each. Someone will recognize the fabric and know where we’ve been.”

  Jacob tossed a handful of twigs into the fire. “I reckon this should boil soon.”

  I tore another strip of cloth. “We can alternate between the light and dark blue.”

  “I wish we had done this yesterday, but how were we to know we’d be lost like this? Then Mam would’ve been angry at us for ruining our clothes.”

  “I’ve got it. I’ve six strips, but my dress is spoilt now.” I gazed at the outfit. “It was one of my favorites.”

  “Why hasn’t another shot been fired?” asked Anna. “I only heard two.”

  “I don’t know. I wish they’d do more. It would be easier to follow.” Jacob poked at the fire with his walking stick. “This might be ready now.”

  “Let’s drink and be on our way.” Anna looked determined. “We’ve wasted enough time already.”

  When the bucket had cooled enough to touch, we took turns drinking, but the water was still dreadfully hot. Afterwards, Jacob ran to the creek to retrieve more, dousing the fire. It wasn’t long before we left the campsite, venturing into the forest, but a path did not present itself.

  “Wish I knew if this was the right direction,” said Jacob. Molly lumbered on ahead, sniffing each tree as she went. “I love that dog, but I question her trainability. She’s awfully wild still.”

  “I agree,” grumbled Anna, scowling. “This is probably not the right way at all.”

  I glanced at her. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m hungry.”

  “As am I. We’ll look for mushrooms or berries.”

  This seemed to perk Jacob up. “Good idea! I’d love some blackberries. Oh, yummy.”

  “We’ll keep an eye out for those,” I said. “Or anything edible. Do we tie a strip of cloth yet?”

  “Let’s walk this way for a while first,” said Anna. “Maybe we’ll have a better sense of where we are.”

  “All right.”

  “And listen for more gunfire. I wish Dat would shoot again. It would be easier to follow the way home.”

  “I agree.”

  Please shoot more. We need to hear you.

  There wasn’t a path, so we cut through the woods in a single line, the dog marching out ahead and stopping to sniff at things every so often. Nothing seemed recognizable in the least. Having walked mostly in the dark, it was impossible to tell which way we had come. If only we had tied the fabric to the trees yesterday. I stopped, placing a strip over a knobby twig, driving the wood through the fabric. The light blue cloth hung in the open for the entire world to see.

  That should do it.

  I certainly hope so.

  If we come through here again, we’ll know we’re going in circles.

  I don’t think we’re going in circles.

  Then where are we?

  I don’t know.

  The longer we walked, the more I thought about things, as I disappeared inside my own head, but, instead of finding peace and solace, renewed worries emerged. We had become well and truly lost. Our father searched for us, but why had he only shot twice? We needed direction now more than anything and guidance. I gazed around at trees that were no different from the ones the day before. We lacked an opening—an escape, preferably to a road or a field with a farmhouse. I longed for an exit, wishing we had reached the end of the woods.

  Please help us find a way out, Lord.

  I don’t want to be
here anymore.

  I want to go home.

  Anna stopped to tie fabric to a tree. She glanced at me over her shoulder. “What will we do now?”

  “Keep going.”

  “I wish we knew if this was the right direction.”

  “I know.”

  Another shot rang out, and we all turned to our right, glancing into the distance. Jacob beamed. “That way! It’s that way!” He broke into a sprint, the dog chasing him.

  A renewed sense of hope propelled me onward, with Anna by my side. “Oh, thank goodness!”

  The excitement of having been found could not be understated. Elation and relief gave me an abundance of energy to run for a great distance, my feet pounding into the ground.

  “I hope he shoots again!” yelled Jacob. “Dat! Dat!”

  “I’m so happy!” cried Anna. “I’m starving! I hope Mam has lunch waiting for us.” She sprinted on ahead.

  Ignoring the stitch in my side, I continued to run, until the elevation rose dramatically. Struggling to breathe, I slowed to a walk, hiking on the upward slope. Exhaustion forced me to stop at the top of what seemed like a hill, glancing down at Jacob and Molly, who kept running. They would soon be out of sight.

  “Wait!” I shouted.

  Anna waved to me. “It’s downhill now. You can do it, Rebekah.”

  “But when we came this way, there wasn’t such a hill.”

  “We have to follow the gunfire.”

  Despite the stitch in my side, that hurt whenever I breathed, an uncomfortable feeling had me doubting what we had heard. What if the gunfire had come from a hunter? What if it wasn’t Dat’s weapon at all?

  “Stop, Jacob!”

  Chapter Seven

  My brother continued running, with Molly up ahead, sniffing the ground. “Wait!” Anna and I hurried down the hill. The tip of my boot snagged a gnarled root, and I nearly stumbled. “What if that wasn’t Dat’s rifle? What if someone’s out hunting?”

  “I doubt that,” said Anna.

  We had caught up with Jacob, who turned to look at us. “I’m certain the neighbors are with him,” he said. “People have to be looking for us. You know how the district is. They come together when there’s trouble. We’re missing, and they’re trying to find us.”

  “I hope you’re right, Jacob,” said Anna. “I dearly hope you’re right.” Her hands were on her hips. “But what now? Where do we go? What do we do?”

  “Let’s tie some material to a tree,” I said. “At least we’ll know if we’ve been through here. That will tell us if we’re going in a big circle.”

  “I’ll do it.” Anna tied a blue strip to a low-lying branch. “There.”

  “I wish we could rely on the dog.” I pointed to Molly, who chewed on a tall blade of grass. “She should know the way home. How can we get her to take us there?”

  “I know!” Jacob smiled. “We keep following her. She’ll get hungry soon enough. She knows food is at home. She’ll go there when she’s starvin’.”

  “I’m starving now.” Anna grimaced. “I need to use the privy too.”

  “Go behind the trees.” I pointed. “Jacob and I will wait for you here.”

  “My belly doesn’t feel so good. I hope the water wasn’t bad.”

  I sighed. “I feel fine so far. It would be awful, if it was contaminated, but the boiling should’ve taken care of that.”

  “I’ll be back. I hope there aren’t any snakes. I hate snakes.”

  “The snakes around here are harmless. You’ll be fine.” I leaned against a tree, watching Molly eating grass, while my mind spun unhappily. “This is such a mess.”

  “I suppose.” Jacob looked thoughtful. “I know we’ll be found today.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I’ve a sense about things.” A streak of dirt smeared his cheek.

  “You do?” I found this amusing, trying not to smile.

  “Of course. They’ll find us sooner than later. The gunfire came from that way,” he pointed. “That’s where we’re goin’. Molly is gonna be hungry, and she’ll take us home.” He glanced at the dog. “Won’t you, girl?”

  “I hope so.” Having run like we did, I yawned, feeling exhaustion stealing upon me. “Gosh, I’m tired. If we don’t see anyone, I hope we can stop for a rest.”

  “That’s a capital idea.”

  “Thank you.”

  Jacob slashed at the grass with his stick. “You’re welcome.” The foliage shook violently then, as something small and gray dashed out and into the woods. “Oh, look at that! That was a rabbit!”

  My hand went to my throat. “That scared me silly.” The dog, having seen the commotion, ran after the animal. “Molly! No!” I sighed tiredly. “Come back!”

  “She’ll return. It’s a fool’s errand. She’ll never catch that rabbit.”

  When Anna returned, we continued, wandering towards where we thought the last shot had originated, although nothing seemed familiar. The woods grew even thicker here, the trees packed densely. The smell of moist earth and pine lingered, along with many buzzing insects, most of which looked like mosquitos and flies. A foul odor indicated something had died recently, but the smell drifted away, as we wandered silently towards an unfamiliar destination. Each person seemed lost in his or her own thoughts, and there were lengthy periods without talking. I remained uncertain about how far we had gone, but it was time to tie another strip of cloth to a tree.

  “I’m stopping for a moment.”

  Anna glanced at me. “We should find a place to sit for a while. I’m hungry. I’m thirsty.”

  “Me too.” The light blue cloth blew in the breeze. “There.” The dog had been missing for the last hour. “Where did Molly go?”

  “Molly!” shouted Jacob. “Come back!” He smacked a tree with his stick, the sound carrying. “Molly!” Then he stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled noisily.

  “That’s amazing,” I gushed, astonished. “You should keep doing that, Jacob! It’s so loud.”

  He grinned. “You think?”

  “You should’ve done that yesterday. What other skills are you hiding?”

  “Oh, if I had a rifle, I’m a pretty good shot. I’ve killed lots of things with Dat and David.”

  Again I had to remind myself that he was only five-years-old. “You keep whistling. This will help us. We’ll find someone soon. I know it.”

  “That dog,” griped Anna. “Really. What nerve that animal has. She’s so disobedient and wild. We failed in training her.”

  “She’s very young still,” I said. “Dat’s been trying to teach her things. She’s willful.”

  “Indeed. She’s been no help what so ever.”

  “I know. I can’t argue with you.” Hunger gnawed at me, my belly protesting painfully. “I wish there was food. It must be lunchtime by now.”

  “Let’s stop for a bit, and forage,” said Jacob. “Come on now. I think there’s something good up around the bend.”

  I was less optimistic. “With our luck, it’ll be just like it is here. I’d love to see a field or a lake or something other than trees. I’m tired of these infernal trees.”

  “Let’s sing while we walk,” said Anna. “Singing always helps in any situation.”

  “All right.”

  In our quest for a comfortable spot to sit, we trudged on through the woods, our boots sinking in soft earth, sometimes to the ankle. It was wetter here, but this was hardly a deterrent, as we were determined to find food and water. Moss covered boulders lay strewn across the landscape, as if deliberately placed. Hanging branches, dangling with leaves, filled my vision. Our voices, which rose in unison, shattered the stillness of the forest. I enjoyed the distraction of singing, while a familiar tune emanated from my lungs. Jacob whistled every now and then and kept singing.

  “I would enjoy this more, if I weren’t starving,” mumbled Anna.

  She had been so strong early on, and I felt as if she had faltered in her resolve. “We’ll find he
lp soon enough.”

  “What about this spot?” Jacob pointed to a patch of open space that looked dry. “We can stop here and look for food.”

  “This will do.” I glanced around, but I could not see Molly. “I can’t believe she’s gone again.”

  “Hunting rabbits she’ll never catch,” grumbled Anna.

  “Let’s look for berries or mushrooms.” I held out a hand to my sister. “Come with me. We’ll go together. I don’t want to be separated.”

  “Very well.”

  “Once you’ve eaten, you’ll feel better.”

  “I hope so.”

  We trudged on, side-by-side, our eyes firmly on the ground. “It’s so wet. There have to be mushrooms somewhere.” We knew which ones to avoid.

  “Like those.” Anna pointed to the ground, where a cluster of dome-shaped mushrooms had grown. “Those are bad.”

  “Yes. We can’t eat them.” We wandered around, pushing back the leaves on bushes, yet only finding the offending mushrooms, which would be poisonous, if we ate them. The lack of variety in mushrooms bothered me. “This isn’t good.”

  “What about water? I’m terribly thirsty.”

  “There might be a small creek over there.” A wave of dizziness had me reaching for a tree.

  “Are you unwell, Rebekah?”

  “No, I’m fine. I just … need to drink something. Goodness, I’m lightheaded.”

  “Let’s find water first then.”

  “What else can be eaten?”

  “Berries, dandelions, red clover, oyster mushrooms, wild onions …”

  “That sounds lovely, but I don’t see those things.”

  “I don’t either.” She seemed to have regained her stamina, running towards a grouping of trees. “Water’s here!”

  “Oh, thank heaven. The Lord does provide. Now I wish He would bring a rescue.” I glanced above me, eyeing the branches of an elm tree. “Please help Dat find us. Please.” I joined Anna by the water’s edge, noting the little creek flowed swiftly, the water gushing over glistening rocks. “This is pretty.”

  On her hands and knees, Anna threw water at her face. “Tell Jacob to light a fire and bring the bucket.”