Brigitta frowns. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing,” Lina says immediately. “Just…”
“Yes?” Brigitta’s voice seethes with impatience.
“Folk have been…on edge. I suspect the townspeople in Baden-Baden have noticed our increased patrols. They seem…”
“Suspicious?” Cornelia asks.
Lina nods, but I can tell that’s not the word she’s looking for. “Philomena and Rochus have taken to the council room, seeking to enhance our warding spells beyond the borders of the forest. We’ve found an ally in Baden-Baden, and we want to protect them.”
“What about the river?” Fritzi asks.
Lina blinks at her. “The river?”
“Has it been…odd? Flooding at all?”
The Rhine is far enough from Baden-Baden that it wouldn’tflood as easily as the Moselle flooded Trier, but there are smaller offshoots that snake through the landscape that could cause just as much damage.
Lina shrugs. “It was a little high a few days ago—”
Fritzi’s body tenses, every muscle hard, her jaw clenched.
“—but it rained earlier. Nothing unusual.”
Fritzi nods tightly, and, as we leave Lina on patrol and head toward the Forest, her body slowly starts to unwind again.
I know what she’s thinking. Dieter has the water stone. He used it to flood the aqueducts in Trier. The air stone, which Fritzi gave to Cornelia for safekeeping, enabled her to rip me from the very earth and toss my body up even when she was otherwise drained of magic. These elemental stones grantfarmore power to a witch than even wild magic. If Dieter was going to lead an attack, he may try to use the powerful river against us. Hecouldflood Baden-Baden. And there are smaller rivulets and streams and lakes throughout the Forest. He doesn’t care who stands in his way, who he hurts.
I cast my mind back to the rivers we crossed to get here. I’m unfamiliar with those cities and whether the shoreline was higher than normal, but I can’t recall any of the locals noting it. I shake my head, dispelling my thoughts. There’s no reason to believe Dieter’s been using the water stone along our journey or even here.But if he is, he’s smart enough to cover his tracks and keep his use hidden…
Brigitta stops us again when we reach the magical barrier around the Well, the looming trees of the Black Forest swaying in the wind. She gestures to Cornelia. “If you wouldn’t mind,” she says as the priestess draws her horse closer.
Cornelia pulls a spell pouch from her belt, raising her arms and whispering words I can’t hear. When she finally lowers her arms, she looks atBrigitta, and then past her, straight to Fritzi. “It’s safe,” she says. “No one has broken the magic that protects the Well. No enemy has crossed our borders, just like Hilde and Liesel said.”
Fritzi eyes the stream nearby. There are dozens of brooks and rivulets winding through the trees, pools of glacial water hidden by mossy banks, countless freshwater springs. Neither Dieter nor any jägers burst from them as we silently continue deeper into the Black Forest.
I didn’t realize that there was even more tension wound up tight in Fritzi’s body, but I see now how her shoulders drop away from her ears, how her spine relaxes just a fraction more.
As we pass through the final layers of protection and reenter the Well, I feel it too.
Relief.
A part of me wanted to plead with Fritzi to run away—anywhere. Flee to the frozen Siberia or board a ship to the New World or go south, to the Holy City and beyond—anywhere. But I know Dieter will always haunt her, always hunt her, and that there will never be anywhere in the world safer than the heart of the Black Forest, among the coven of witches who protect all magic.
When we reach the main village, members of the guard come for our horses, leading them away with a promise of buckets of cool water and fresh oats, and Hilde rushes out, giving me a quick hug before throwing herself at Brigitta for a longer reunion.
“Liesel’s at the schoolhouse,” Hilde tells Fritzi, noting her worried glance. “Would you like me to go fetch her?”
I know Fritzi wants to meet with her cousin right away, but she shakes her head. “We should deal with the stone first.”
Cornelia comes closer. “Come with me. The council can—”
Fritzi’s body tenses again, every muscle tight. “I’ve told you. I don’twant to know where the stones are kept. I trust you, the council, the Watch. I can’t ensure that my mind is safe from—”
“I know.” Cornelia’s voice is gentle but firm. “I will bring the stone to the council, and we will hide it. But I’m certain Rochus and Philomena would want to thank you first. After, we will take the stone and keep it from you…”
And Dieter, spying with Fritzi’s eyes.
