The Forest of Vanishing Stars(20)

Yona hardly slept that night, and she rose before the sun. After praying for guidance, and once again speaking to Jerusza without hearing an answer, she set out toward the stream in the graying darkness, intending to get to work making rope for the kryha.

But as she approached the streambed, her skin tingled, and her hair stood on end. Someone was already there, waiting in the darkness. She could feel an ash-scented presence, something that didn’t belong. She tensed and ducked behind a tree, holding her breath as she listened, ready to run.

At first there was nothing, no movement. After a moment, though, a stick snapped, and she could hear footsteps. Silently, she pulled her knife from its ankle holster. And then, a voice cut through the darkness.

“Yona? Is that you?”

It was deep, uncertain, and she recognized it immediately. She took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the tree, still clutching her knife. “Aleksander.”

In the east, above the thick canopy of trees, the sky was beginning to pale as the earth spun slowly toward dawn. It was light enough now that she could see him standing by the water, looking for her. When his eyes met hers, he cracked a small smile, but she didn’t put her knife away yet.

“Why are you here?” She took a step forward and then another. “I thought you were with your people.”

“I was.” He took a step toward her, but he stopped abruptly when she took an instinctive step back. He held up his hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I was just eager to get started this morning.”

She studied him for a moment and then relaxed. What was wrong with her, feeling suspicious of a man who was merely eager to find food? Jerusza’s words of warning rang in her ear—Men can be cruel and heartless and cold—but she pushed them away. The old woman was wrong. Humans had a responsibility to do more than just protect themselves. In the face of evil, they were compelled to save each other. It was the only way mankind could survive. “Were the fish enough to feed everyone last night?” she asked as she slipped her knife back into its spot at her ankle.

“You would have thought we were having the feast of our lives.” He smiled. “They were very grateful, Yona. It felt wrong to accept their praise myself. I wanted to tell them about you.”

She nodded. There would come a time when he would have to. If she was truly going to help, she would need to go to them, teach them how to survive. But not yet. “What do you have there?” she asked, forcing herself to take another step closer.

He held up a small bundle a bit sheepishly. “Rope. You mentioned making a net. I thought this might help.”

Yona stared. “Rope?” She had planned to show him how to weave rope from nettles, which were plentiful in the forest. It would have taken the whole day, but it would be a lesson that would serve him well in the future. “Where did you get rope?”

“We took some clothing on the way to the forest.” His eyes slid away. “Not much, but enough to prepare for the winter, from villagers who already had plenty. We decided as a group last night that it was worth it to sacrifice one sweater if it would help us to fish. Moshe is a tailor; he spent the evening unraveling it.” He hesitated suddenly. “Were we wrong to do that?”

She could feel the tension in her chest dissipating. “No. We can use it. But in the future, keep your sweaters for the winter. You will need all the warmth you can get. I will teach you how to make rope from what the forest gives you.”

They had both been taking tentative steps forward as they talked, and now they faced each other in the clearing beside the stream, just two meters apart. “How do you know all these things, Yona? Who are you?”

“I wish I knew.” She let her gaze slide away. “Come. Let’s build a net to catch fish.”



* * *



By the time the sun hung high in the sky, Yona had taught Aleksander how to make a basic kryha, and then, because they had plenty of rope left over, she taught him how to make a gill net, too, showing him how to find two trees near the side of the stream, string a cord between them, and hang pieces of rope from the top down, knotting them methodically in a diamond pattern to create a one-inch mesh wall. They used the last of the rope to secure the net to the bottom of the stream with stones to weight it in place.

When they were done, they climbed out of the water, side by side, letting the sun warm their skin and dry their clothes. Aleksander stared in awe at the results of their handiwork. “Now what do we do?” he asked.

“Now we wait,” Yona said. “The fish will come.”

Aleksander shook his head in astonishment. “Yona, you’re a gift from God.”

“No.” She looked away. “I am just trying to do what is right.”

She could feel him studying her. “Well, I thank God, all the same, for sending you to us.” He was silent for a few minutes more. She could feel herself breathing in the silence, so heavily that it was audible. What was wrong with her? “I make you uneasy,” he said gently after a moment had passed. “I don’t mean to.”

“I—I’m not accustomed to people.” She ducked her head.

“And I’m not accustomed to beautiful women who know the forest. But I think I could get used to it, if you could.”

She looked up at him, confused, and saw him smiling at her. Her cheeks burned as she looked away and busied herself with collecting willow twigs.