Free One Witch at a Time by Stacy DeKeyser Page A

the same time.
    â€œDaughter!” said Ludwig, drawing himself up to his full height, which was considerable. “I’ll not tell you again. You’ll stay home, where you can’t get into any more trouble!” With that, he tossed Rudi and Susanna their coats and knapsack, and bundled them outside. Standing with them on the doorstep, he shut the door and rubbed his arms against the cold.
    â€œExcuse my daughter. I don’t know what’s come over her. For three days she was gone, without a word. Drove me nearly mad with distress and worry. I feared the worst—that she’d tried to escape across the border. That I’d never see her again. When she finally came home, just today, I was relieved beyond words. But you heard her in there. I think she ventured up to the Giant’s fortress.” Ludwig shivered, and shifted from one foot to the other to keep warm. “And that worries me nearly as much.”
    â€œWhy did she do that?” asked Susanna, and Rudi wondered the same thing. But it would explain how Agatha had come to possess the magic beans.
    Ludwig adjusted the hood on Susanna’s coat. “She hates the Giant, as do we all. But I think she hates it even more that no one dares to defy him.” He shook his head sadly. “I fear it will cost her dearly one day.” Ludwig’s face clouded. “As for yourselves, don’t makethe same mistake. Listen to what I’m saying. You have been charged with an impossible task. Go home to Brixen, while you can. If you can.”
    Rudi swallowed the lump in his throat. “Truly, I wish we could.” He pulled up his own hood and studied Ludwig’s worried face. Though he had only just met Ludwig and Agatha, Rudi was already fond of them both. He didn’t want to betray Agatha’s secret. But Ludwig had been generous and kind, and didn’t deserve to suffer needless worry.
    And so Rudi ventured a suggestion. “Perhaps Agatha should come with us, then. We could help each other. She can help us avoid the Giant, and we can make sure she doesn’t do anything reckless. We can make sure she gets home to you safely.”
    Ludwig considered this for a moment. “I don’t think I can stop her, in any case. You might as well have each other to look after.” He pulled out a huge handkerchief and blew his nose. “There’s no sense putting it off any longer, I suppose. Are you ready?”
    â€œWe didn’t bring any mittens,” said Susanna in a small voice.

    She was right. When they’d left home this morning, they’d never imagined they’d be going all the way to Petz.
    Ludwig gave a weak smile. “Wait here.” Hedisappeared inside the house for a moment, and then returned with his arms full. He handed them pairs of shearling mittens, which were too big for Susanna Louisa, but she pulled them on without remark. Now Ludwig tied Susanna’s hood snug under her chin. For good measure, he wrapped a woolen scarf several times around her neck. He offered his fur-lined hat to Rudi, who took it with a surge of gratitude, for the cold was already making his ears ache.
    â€œBring them back to us,” Ludwig told them. “And tell us how you fared with our hexenmeister .”
    Now the cottage door opened and Agatha appeared in the doorway, bundled in her own shearling coat and hood.
    Ludwig busied himself inspecting Rudi and Susanna, and then nodded in grim satisfaction. “I ought to be the one going with you, but I’m not so nimble anymore. Besides, I’ve seen too much of the world to be brave enough for such a task.” He turned and shook a thick finger at his daughter. “If you’re not home again soon, that Giant will deal with the likes of me, witch or no witch!”
    â€œI’m very glad of it,” said Agatha, and she threwher arms around her father’s neck. They stood for a moment wrapped in a fierce