The Wood

Part 2, Entry 5

Day Thirteen, Fourth Moon, Hunting Year Five Hundred and Four

The way to the settlement was long, and, after a while, Samson -- as he told me to call him -- offered me a ride in the short sled that one of his hounds tugged along. I was afraid that being forced to pull my weight would injure the animal until he showed me how they aligned themselves to share the load as a pack, Samson included. When I realized how quickly we moved and how chapped and bloody my arms are legs were after scraping them along the rough forest floor for days, I was glad for the ride. It was bumpy and my bottom still remembers the obstacles through the bruises, but we were able to arrive at the settlement -- the Haven -- just after sundown. Illuminated just as it was that night, by campfires and raised cauldrons of fire will forever be my favorite sight. It felt like coming home after many months away, even though I had never been there before.

A pair of guards armed with crossbows greeted us at the gate with friendly waves rather than the cold, arched eyebrows, notched arrows, and harsh questioning that I had expected. Jeanette, the taller of the two guards, gave me a loud and exaggerated kiss on the temple as we reached the gate, but it was the other guard who kept my attention.

"The name's Gino," he said as he unnotched his arrow, and with practiced efficiency, pulled out a satchel filled with gauze and wrappings and poultices. I recognized the one he set out for me -- made of blackberry leaves like the ones I'd collected for Mama -- alongside strips of fabric. As he dabbed my cuts and scrapes and bound them, I tried hard to watch his face. I didn't want to watch him the way Mama watched me when I first started losing feeling in my outer extremities, but Gino caught me anyway. He gave me a sideways glance, then instructed me to hold the gauze in place so he could wrap it.

I paused for a moment too long. "I can't," I stammered.

"Come on, now," Gino answered tersely. "Of course, you can." I held up my limp wrists in explanation and his mouth fell into a silent "O." He cleared his throat. "Like I said, of course, you can." This time, he reached out with his free foot and directed my forearm into place over the gauze. "I don't know your story," he said, "but I never had them in the first place." He gestured toward his empty sleeves. "Ain't any shame in it either way. What happened to you?"

I struggled to think through what he told me. I wondered if someone could be born cursed. Like how Maya was able to curse Mason before she could even talk. Gino stared at me. He was expecting an answer.

"I have the Curst," I said.

He nodded knowingly. "From what I hear, they said that about my mother, too. But look at me." He drew his shoulders back and lifted his chin. "I can't be cursed. I'm great!"

His answer left me confused, but I tried again to answer him. "I got stung by bees in the berry patch," I said slowly. "I thought it would go away because the numbness crawled up my arms and legs and then sank back down, but it never quite left."

He nodded, using his chin to direct me to lift my forearm and place it over another layer of wrappings. "How long has it been?"

"Few months," I muttered. "Not long."

"No shame in that either. I feel lucky, in a way. I never had to relearn how to do things or worry about people in the Village. That's why we call this the Haven. We made this community for ourselves. The people in the Village think the things that make us different curse everyone, but we know differently." He gave me a gentle nudge with his shoulder. "Sleep as long as you need to, but when you're done, come and see me here. I'll be on duty all day tomorrow." He turned to Samson. "You taking her to Mags?"

Samson's brow furrowed grumpily. "Of course, I'm taking her to Mags," he said, his voice gruff. "Where do you think I'd take her?" A pit of anxiety settled in my throat. I'd become comfortable with Samson and his hounds and the thought of him pawning me off on another stranger worried me. Samson noticed. "Hey, now. Don't look like that. They've got rules, but Mags isn't so scary as they look."

My heart thumped nervously.