Free Home by Shayna Krishnasamy Page A

of the wood … It pains me so to speak of it. Trees wither away. The animals are all going. There will be a great exodus. The wood doesn’t want us anymore.”
    A question occurred to Shallah but she hesitated to pronounce it, for the answer would affect all their lives. “Is the forest dying?” she asked.
    “We’ve sickened it with our presence. We’ve weakened it. But what will become of the people? They’ve nowhere to go.”
    “How can you know all this? You’re all alone here.”
    “I see much. I’ve been here so long I’ve become a part of it. When the leaves wither, I sicken, when the branches crack, so do I. I know the spirit of this place. I know its will.”
    “Come away with us,” Shallah said on impulse. “This forest has some strange power. You mustn’t stay here.”
    “I will stay,” the old woman said. “When all go, I will remain. Perhaps we will heal.”
    “We must be off,” Shallah said suddenly. A wave of dizziness hit her as she got to her feet and she had to steady herself. Liam handed her the satchel. He was just as eager to be away from this place as she.
    “Go,” the old woman said. “Don’t let the forest keep you. Go north and soon you will see your path. Remember what I have told you.” She pressed Shallah’s walking stick into her hand. “Seek the prophecies from those who would share them. You will survive.”
    Shallah bent low to pass through the door, pulling Liam behind her. As he passed out of the house, the little boy caught another glimpse of the carved cup clutched in the old woman’s hand. Carved into its side, in delicate curving lines, was his own face.
    Out in the open air, Shallah took a deep breath. The wind began to blow with more force. She took Liam in her arms and they began to pick their way back to the path. They didn’t make any farewells. The old woman had gone, Shallah could feel it. She’d vanished just as soon as they’d stepped over the threshold.
    Liam looked over Shallah’s shoulder as they walked away. The house could no longer be seen. The dark green hemlocks blended together, masking it from view.
    It was as though it had never been.
    Shallah walked speedily through the brush like she’d been this way a hundred times before. When at last they came to the path, she halted in her steps.
    “You will find him,” she heard the old woman say. Her voice was so clear, it was as though she was standing right behind them, but Shallah knew she wasn’t there. Her voice was everywhere. It came from close by and very far away. It came from all around. “You will find him,” it said again.
    Shallah hugged Liam to her. “Let us be gone,” she said.
    And soon they were.

Chapter Eight
    Liam wasn’t afraid.
    Shallah was no longer herself. She swayed on her feet when she walked, and wouldn’t hold Liam’s hand. She seemed to have lost all sense of time. Sometimes she wanted to rest when they’d just made a stop, and other times she walked on for hours without taking a break. More than once she’d failed to take a turn in the path and wandered into the underbrush. But what bothered him most was her absolute silence.
    Shallah hadn’t spoken a word in days.
    But Liam wasn’t afraid.
    He led her down the path as she’d led him. He pressed fruit and bread into her hands at mealtime and tucked the blanket about her when it was time for sleep. He knew they had to keep moving, for only when they got around the hills would she go back to normal. That’s what the old woman had said. Liam wanted Shallah to go back to normal, but he also liked being in charge. He liked taking care of her. He liked her better than he’d ever liked anyone, except maybe one or two from before . But he didn’t like to think about before .
    He didn’t like to think about the old woman either, or the cup with his face. At moments, when he’d looked at her, he’d thought he could see right through her. He was sure this had been some trick the old woman had pulled. She