Forest of Whispers Read online

  forest of whispers

  JENNIFER MURGIA

  SPENCER HILL PRESS

  Copyright © 2014 by Jennifer Murgia

  Sale of the paperback edition of this book without its cover is unauthorized.

  Spencer Hill Press, LLC

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  Contact: Spencer Hill Press, PO Box 247, Contoocook, NH 03229, USA

  Please visit our website at www.spencerhillpress.com

  First Edition: September 2014.

  Jennifer Murgia

  Forest of Whispers: a novel / by Jennifer Murgia – 1st ed.

  p. cm.

  Summary: A teenage girl is caught up in the witch hysteria in 17th century Bavaria.

  Cover design by Lisa Amowitz

  Interior layout by Kate Kaynak

  Published in association with MacGregor Literary, Inc.

  ISBN 978-1-937053-56-7 (paperback)

  ISBN 978-1-937053-58-1 (e-book)

  Printed in the United States of America

  Also by Jennifer Murgia:

  Angel Star

  Lemniscate

  The Bliss

  Between These Lines

  For my mother

  Related to European villages of old, the term “Hedge Witch” comes from the fact that the average village was surrounded by a hedge or woods. Beyond that hedge was unknown land, beyond their known perception…i.e., the Other World. The village witches of this era usually lived just beyond or just before this hedge. The hedge was a metaphor for someone who practiced shamanistic arts—a walker between the worlds.

  Pronunciation Guide to the German Words:

  Butterbrot – (BOO-ter-BROTE) – Bread and butter

  Chanterelle – (shan-tur-EL-a) – A golden mushroom found

  in the Black Forest of Germany

  Gnädig – (guh-NAY-dig) – Gracious, mercy

  Metzgerei – (METS-ger-eye) – Butcher’s shop

  Mutti – (MOO-tee) – Mother

  Öffnen Sie die Tür! – (OOF-nen ZEE dee TOUR!) – Open

  the door!

  Schätzchen – (SHET-zee-en) – Dear one, honey

  Schupfnudeln – (shoomf-NOO-deln) – A thick, rolled noodle

  dumpling

  Strappado – (shtra-pa-DOE) – A torture device in which the

  subject is hoisted by rope and allowed to fall its full length

  Thaler – (DAH-ler) – A large, official silver coin used in

  Austria, Germany, and Switzerland

  Tollkirsche – (TALL-kair-shuh) – Deadly nightshade, also

  known as belladonna

  Chapter 1

  Rune

  My feet fly across the soft ground, away from the footsteps that chase me. With a pounding heart and my skirt gathered in my hands, I dodge my pursuers and run into the haunted forest.

  There is just enough time to squeeze myself under a low branch, and while the pines are thick enough to swallow my small frame, my heart beats a painful rhythm against my ribs as the first of my pursuers inches closer to the edge of the path—closer to where I hide. Sap-coated needles glue themselves to my cheeks as I hug the closest branch and peer out. One of the boys, the fearless one, raises an arm to signal the direction he believes I’ve gone. But while his expression is hard, he doesn’t dare venture too far from the path; the trees are dark and foreboding, even for a determined boy with a fistful of pebbles.

  “She’s gone,” he sighs.

  “You mean vanished?” The second boy has joined him. His eyes are wide as he scans the sky, as if I have taken flight and disappeared altogether.

  Blood trickles a thin line of red down my ankle where one of the small rocks nicked me, but this childish witch hunt does not frighten me. I am hidden—having outrun them, outsmarted them, like I always do. They call the forest black for a reason, and today it has proven true, hiding me well within its cage of branches, safe behind the fear it breathes and the animals who scream their devil calls.

  Soon enough, the boys give up their chase and head back toward the village. When I am certain they cannot hear me, I pull myself free from the camouflage and stretch my limbs, noting the small welts that dot my arms. This is not the first time the boys have been cruel. After all, I am the strange girl who lives in the forest, apprentice to the one they say is a witch.

  The boys’ backs become shadows as they cross the hedge, leaving me alone in the wild, dark space that borders the village—until something warm and unbidden kisses my ear. I turn quickly, spying nothing but the endless stretch of forest. Then it comes again—a whisper, a faint touch against my skin, the gentle glide of fingers through my hair. The trees are still. No breeze sweeps past, yet I am certain I am not alone.

  Rune… My name carries on the air, its breathy tone so clear that I know this is not some trick of the mind or emotional game. This is real.

  That is all I need for my body to react. My fear explodes inside me, and soon the village is far behind as I dash deeper into the forest, toward my home.

  Come to me, Rune…

  Against my will, I pause, knowing that what I do is a terrible risk. The snap of a twig startles me, and the birds in the trees fall silent. My arms are chilled in gooseflesh and I know that something, someone is dreadfully close. There is movement, and beyond the needles and boughs I see what appears to be a tendril of hair as dark as pitch…as dark as mine. My breath stills inside me, though there is nothing I can do to calm the hammering of my pulse as it races through my veins, as if it too flees from the shadow forming within the trees.

  The whisper comes again, closer and from all angles, pelting me harder than any stones those miserable boys could have thrown. It seeps beneath my skin and severs all that is rational from my mind, filling me with a sour horror. A howling wind wrenches itself free from the heart of the forest and sweeps closer, twisting loose branches, lifting tender roots. Leaves fall like rain around my head, swirling, taunting, wrapping me in arms that I feel but cannot see. And then, it is as if the leaves come to life, taking shape, fixing to an invisible, gentle curve of a cheek, the soft definition of lashes against translucent skin. My eyes snap shut and I will the ghostly image away, for I am not certain of anything anymore.

  My breath catches in my throat and, somehow, I am able to open my eyes. I know well the tales of the dark forest and the shadows it keeps, for I live with them every day. For sixteen years, Matilde warned this day would come, and I was a fool to believe I could escape it—that I could escape her. For just as the forest appears calm and still and dark before my eyes, there is a land that sleeps within it. A land that separates the dead from the living with only a thin veil—a land my mother has woken from, seeking me at long last.

  Perhaps it is the shuffling of the birds in their nests that gives me the courage to reach my hand out and test the cool air. I wiggle my fingers, and then, growing braver by the second, I test myself even further and whisper to what I cannot see.

  “Mother?”

  Only stillness answers me, so I say it again, louder.

  “Mother?”

  I turn my open hand a few times, clench and unclench my fist, and then…a touch grazes the back of my hand. I am startled at how it feels—so tender, so human—until it tightens to a grip so excruciating I fear my hand will be crushed before my very eyes. Four thick lines materialize upon my skin, resembling fingers. The sight leaves me breathless as fear seizes me. I yank my hand away, nearly st
umbling into the thick ferns behind me.

  In my ears, my breath is a frantic, terrible force as I run toward the tiny cottage. I hurl myself inside, but she has followed me and rattles against the door, begging to be let in. My fingers find the flimsy lock and work at it until it clicks in place, assuring that I am safe from what I fear the most, and soon, I find I am convincing myself that all is well. My morning gathering, the taunting boys—they have simply unnerved me, for there is nothing but gentle comfort in this room. Burning wood crackles in the hearth. Lavender, Coriander, and Blessed Thistle dry in bundles overhead. The pungent peel of the Bergamot orange boils in the kettle over the flames. Its citrusy aroma fills the room.

  “Schätzchen,” Matilde looks up from the heavy table at the center of the room. Her eyes are cloudy with age and they linger on my face, surely seeing the fear I try so hard to conceal. “You’ve been out early.”

  The fear I felt moments ago dissipates and, with a quick smile, I step away from the door and cross the room, lifting the edge of my dress against the table to reveal what I had collected in the woods just moments before the village boys found me.

  “Five in all, not a bad clutch for this time of year, eh?” Matilde’s mouth grows wide, nearly all gums. With hands as dotted as the grouse’s eggs, she turns each one over, diligently inspecting for cracks. I am sure she hears my sigh of relief that my run through the trees hasn’t wasted our meal.

  “Did you give thanks to the Mother, like I taught you?” she says, noticing the light-green stalks inside my pocket. I look down and smile at the herbs that have somehow survived the fury outside.

  “Of course. You taught me that long ago.”

  “And why, Schätzchen? Why must we always remain in good favor with the earth?”

  I let out a quiet sigh. “We only take what is needed, never more. We should never be selfish with what the Sacred Mother provides for us.”

  A smile creeps to her lips, and I know I’ve answered well. This lesson has been ingrained in me since I was a child, yet she still asks me to repeat it. I’d like to learn other lessons, though. I’d like to read the leaves at the bottom of our chipped cups instead of only seeing soggy tea. I’d like to tell the silly girls who sneak off into the woods that they will find love someday, like Matilde does.

  Her gentle hand presses against my forehead, taking me by surprise, and I wait for the questions to come. Why was I in the forest so early? Why am I still trembling so?

  My fear followed me home, Matilde, I want to say, but I keep silent. I don’t give evidence to the one person who has the ability to sense the unseen.

  “Rune,” Matilde says softly. “Sit with me.”

  I cross the floor and hold onto her elbow, easing her into the old, worn rocker. Matilde lets her eyes close with a sigh, and I try to remember when she didn’t appear so frail.

  “I’m an old woman, Rune.”

  “You’re not old, Mutti,” I say back, smiling at the old joke. Matilde has been an old woman forever, it seems. I begin to pour the tea that is now ready, then hand her a cup of it, making sure her hands are still before I let go. I bite my lip as her eyes meet mine.

  “I’ve taught you well, haven’t I? Well enough that you feel capable and strong?” she asks.

  “Yes, you’ve taught me well, only…”

  “Only?” A deep, guttural noise wells up from her throat, preventing her from finishing. I press my fingers to the bottom of the cup, gently lifting it, prompting her to take a sip. When her chest no longer heaves, and the rise and fall of it appears relaxed once again, the question is forgotten, but not by me.

  Only I wish I could see the future like you can, Mutti, I want to say, wishing with all my heart that the tiny tea leaves would tell me she’ll be all right. But I know they are dark and tea-logged and won’t offer any sort of fortune that will ease my worries. Her coughs have worsened these last few months, and I cannot bear to think of the day she is called home to our Mother. Matilde is the only mother I have ever known. How long will she and I have together? Will she see the next snowfall? Or will I spend the coldest, darkest days of the year alone in this little cottage?

  I settle myself at her feet and feel her bony touch upon my shoulder. I am not ready to look up just yet, so I stare into the fire and will its heat to dry the threatening tears I hold back. But it is too late, and Matilde knows.

  “Now, my Schätzchen, tell me your troubles.”

  I know she does not need my words to figure out why I am so afraid. Her hand gives my shoulder a gentle squeeze. The air is thick with what I know will come next, with words I can already hear inside my head. She will reassure me that the Sacred Mother bides time well, and then she will ask the question I dread the most—if I have seen my birth mother, if the woman who haunts my dreams now haunts the hours I’m awake.

  “Tell me, child. Has she come?”

  Her voice is a profound whisper, which makes me look up. There is a light behind her eyes I have never seen before.

  I nod.

  The sigh that sweeps through her fills the entire room. “I prayed this day would never happen,” she says softly. She is as white as a specter, and I am on my feet leaning over her, removing the shaking cup from her hands and wrapping my own around them. “May our Mother help me, I can still see the fear in her eyes as she handed me the bundle.”

  I watch, wide-eyed, as Matilde stretches her trembling arms out past me. My eyes follow, but I see nothing. It is her memory, not mine.

  “You, Rune, you were the bundle I took from her. I promised I would take you and keep you for her, that you would be safe from the others. She knew it was the end. Goddess help her, she knew.”

  “Others?”

  “In the village. There is a reason we don’t meet the eyes of those who stare.” She pauses, then leans close. “They might remember.”

  Matilde’s eyes seek mine with an immeasurable determination. “Sometimes when a person faces the most trying circumstance, they become stricken like a wild animal. Corner them, and they will do anything to escape. Give them a voice, and they will make the most desperate of promises.”

  I swallow the lump in my throat. “What promises, Mutti?” But it’s clear that she is somewhere else, far away, lost in her story.

  Before I have the chance to wonder where, her eyes focus sharply on my face. “Has she spoken to you, Rune? You must tell me.”

  “I…I don’t know.” I don’t remember exact words, only indecipherable whispers.

  But there is fear in every line of Matilde’s face, and I cannot lie to her.

  “Yes. I think so.”

  “The boundary has been crossed, then…”

  I wait for her to finish, but nothing comes after. “What boundary? What are you talking about?”

  “The hedge.” Her voice trembles. “She has crossed the hedge.”

  I shake my head, willing it to clear of confusion. “The hedge between the forest and the village? Is that the hedge you’re speaking of?” Surely she is tired, or ill. I’d rather her not be either, just a little muddled. “Please, lie down for a while, won’t you? You’re not making sense.”

  The strength Matilde exuded is now gone, and I watch her shoulders slump into their normal bend, leaving her weary and old…and afraid.

  “What is it, Mutti? I’ve never seen you like this before.”

  “You will need to be very strong, Rune. Stronger than I’ve ever asked you to be.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “The world is changing, my sweet, as it always does. Do you know where your name comes from, Schätzchen?”

  “Yes.” I pause, thankful that she has calmed a bit. “The stones told you I was coming.”

  “That’s right,” Matilde says, remembering. “I rolled the stones that morning, and by afternoon, I had a tiny babe in my arms. The woman who was your mother had not named you. She had the foresight to see that a child cannot be found if it bears no name, so she left that task to me.” Her smile g
rows wide with pride, and I can’t help but wrap my arms around her. But something bites at the tip of my tongue, as if I’ve tasted something sour, or burned it. Something Matilde just said…

  A child cannot be found if it bears no name…

  Who would be looking?

  I resume my position on the floor. Despite my proximity to the hearth, I am freezing inside as I wait for what Matilde will tell me next, though I don’t suppose this is will be like any of the stories she’s ever told before. This is not a fairy tale meant to hide the ugly truth. I see it in her eyes. I can feel it waiting within the very air of the room, hiding behind the appealing scent of the little orange that tries to sweeten our reality.

  There is a knock at the door that makes me jump, and although unsteady, Matilde rises from her chair.

  “The Blessed Thistle, Rune.” Matilde points to the batch of green on the table. “Quickly.”

  I sigh, knowing it is the butcher, come for us to cure his stomach pains, putting pause to our conversation.

  “Now Schätzchen, be nice to the man. He’s promised a good-sized pig for two months’ ration of herbs, and you know how I love my black pudding.”

  I do as I’m told, but find I am biting the inside of my cheek, wishing she and I could spend just a few more moments alone to finish.

  The Blessed Mother is not the only one who bides time well, for I feel the dreaded truth deep in my stomach. What Matilde will tell me later will not be just another story.

  Whether I realize it or not, it is the one I have waited my whole life to hear.

  Chapter 2

  Laurentz

  Eltz Castle, 1627

  She is dying. Anyone can see that.

  My boot scrapes across the stone floor outside my stepmother’s chamber, where I wait. When the door finally swings open, a weary, gray-haired man emerges. “Has there been any improvement, Father?”

  Clearly, I know what his answer will be. Still, he humors me and replies, “No, Laurentz. Not yet.”

  He places his hand upon my shoulder as he shuffles past toward his own chamber at the far end of the hall, and I tense at the unusual display of affection. Surely he has not slept, at least not well. There are few servants in the Countess’s quarters these days. We’ve asked for all who dwell and serve at Eltz to be considerate of my stepmother’s needs, to let her die in peace.