The Forest of Vanishing Stars(78)

“A swamp?” Sulia spoke again, disgust in her tone, and this time Aleksander turned and shushed her loudly.

Yona turned to Zus, who was nodding thoughtfully. He looked up and met her gaze; she could see the agreement in his eyes. “The Germans will not think we might hide there, for it’s an inhospitable environment. And they won’t risk coming in after us.”

“And that’s where you want us to go? We’ll be standing shoulder-deep in water, won’t we?” Zus’s cousin Israel said. “God knows what creatures will get us there.”

“The leeches will not kill you,” Yona said.

“I can’t swim,” Miriam murmured, and several others nodded.

“We will help each other,” Yona said. “There are a few places in the swamp that are too deep to walk, and we will avoid them. The adults will carry the children. The strongest among us will help those who are struggling. There is an island I know of in the middle, small, but dense with trees.” She thought of the time Jerusza had taken her there, the water hissing its comfort. “It is large enough for all of us to stay for a time. We can shelter there until the Germans pass.”

“Who’s to say they will pass us by?” one of the men asked.

“We are small,” Yona said. “We are not the group they are looking for. They are searching for Russian partisans, and big groups led by men called Zorin and Bielski.”

“Tuvia Bielski,” one of the men from the new families said. “He owned a store in Subotniki. His is the camp we were looking for when we came into the woods.”

Yona nodded, though her only knowledge of the Bielskis was what Jüttner had told her. “Do you know roughly where the Bielski camp is?”

“Yes. We stumbled upon you first, but I believe it should be a few days’ walk to the south.”

“But in this swamp, as you say, how will we eat?” asked one of the women from the new families.

It was Zus who stepped up beside Yona to answer. “We will bring the food we’ve preserved already. It’s enough to get us through a few weeks, at least.”

“That food is for the winter.” Aleksander’s voice was stiff. “That was the plan.”

Zus didn’t even look at him. “Now the plan has changed. We will begin again for the winter when we are safe. But first, we must survive this.”

“There will likely be some food on the islands in the swamp, too, though not enough. Zus is right; we must bring what we have. But we must go now,” Yona said. “The Germans have the advantage. I believe they are still a week away, but they’ll cover thrice the ground we can in the same time. There’s no time to waste.”

Most of the group nodded their understanding as Zus spoke. “We will gather our things now and move within the hour.” He leaned in, put a hand on Yona’s shoulder, and added in a low voice, “May I speak with you for a moment?”

“Of course.” As she followed him to the other side of the clearing, she could feel Aleksander watching her, but she didn’t care as much as she thought she would. “What is it, Zus?”

His eyes were sad as he looked down at her. “I think we must try to find the Bielski group, to warn them. The Zorin group, too, if we can. Otherwise, we are as guilty as the collaborators at the forest’s edge.”

Yona sighed. “I was thinking the same. But it will be dangerous.”

“I know. And this is the last thing I want to be saying right now, Yona, but I think we should separate. You know the forest better than any of us, so I think you should take most of the group to the swamp. And I know the area near the edges of the forest where the Bielski and Zorin groups are likely to be hiding, so I’ll take a few of our people with me to warn them. It makes the most sense.”

Yona nodded, her heart heavy. “We are stronger when we are together, but right now we don’t need strength. We need speed, and we need to be able to disappear. And we need to make sure the other groups in the forest have time to do the same.”

“Yes,” Zus said. “Let’s go tell everyone.” But neither of them moved. After a few seconds, Zus cleared his throat. “I—I wish things were different, Yona.”

“So do I.” She looked up and met his gaze. “But we will both be safe. God will watch over us. He has to, doesn’t he?”

Zus didn’t say anything, but she could read in his eyes that he didn’t entirely believe her words. She wasn’t sure she believed them herself. Side by side, they walked back to the others, who murmured to each other as they approached. Zus glanced once more at Yona. “Everyone, Yona and I have spoken. The best thing to do will be to divide.”

“Divide? That makes no sense,” Aleksander blurted out, and several people in the group shot him looks of ice.

“Let him speak, Aleksander,” said Moshe, the tailor, before turning back to Zus and nodding. “Go ahead. I know you do not suggest this lightly.”

Yona glanced up at Zus, whose eyes were sad. “It’s too dangerous to have the children and some of the older members of this group trying to find the Bielskis before they find safety—but we cannot ignore our responsibility to our brothers and sisters hiding out there in the forest. And one or two of us should not go alone; that would be too dangerous, too easy to be outnumbered. Yona will lead one group into the swamp; I will lead the other to find the Bielski and Zorin camps.” He turned to Yona. “I will send Chaim with you.” It wasn’t a question. She nodded, and Zus turned and addressed his brother, who stood in the middle of the clearing. “You, Sara, and the boys will go with Yona.”