Spice & Wolf IV (30 page)

Lawrence wanted to light a fire for warmth, but Holo had stopped in a small patch of woods between hills along the path that linked Enberch and Tereo—as long as they stayed quiet, they would not be discovered. Lighting a fire, however, would make them much easier to spot.

In any case, the problem of warmth was quickly solved.

They were, after all, right next to a giant ball of fur.

“I suddenly feel like a mother.”

Holo’s deep voice rumbled deep in Lawrence’s stomach as he leaned against her.

Elsa and Evan wrapped themselves in a blanket they had brought from the church, snuggling up against Holo, and Holo curled her great tail around the three of them.

Her fur was so warm that Lawrence could not even remember if he’d smiled the rueful smile he felt at her words, so quickly had he fallen asleep.

Though merchants can sleep under nearly any circumstances, Lawrence did not sleep especially soundly.

Holo shifted slightly, and he awoke.

The sky had lightened; the morning mist was thin.

Lawrence stood, careful not to wake the still-sleeping Elsa and Evan who lay beside him. His body felt lighter as he slowly stretched himself out.

He gave himself one final, great stretch, arms reaching high, then relaxed with a sigh.

His mind was filled with what they had yet to do.

No matter which town he and Holo decided to go to, they would not be able to just drop Elsa and Evan off. All they could do was return briefly to Kumersun, explain the situation to the trade guild, and obtain its protection—then use the guild’s connections to negotiate with Enberch and Tereo.

Next, he would reclaim the money he had deposited at the guild and make for Lenos.

That was more or less the whole of it.

He noticed that Holo was looking at him.

Even lying down as she was, her form was huge, though he no longer found it terrifying so much as mysterious.

Holo gazed at him for some time, as though she was an elabo rate puppet constructed as a jest by some god. Eventually she looked away.

“What is it?”

Lawrence approached her, his feet rustling through the dry leaves underfoot. She gave him a weary look, then gestured with her chin.

Since she was clearly not demanding to have her neck scratched, Holo must be pointing at something, Lawrence decided.

Just past the hill lay the road that connected Enberch and Tereo.

He soon understood.

“So it’s safe to look, eh?”

Holo did not answer, instead yawning hugely and resting her head on her forepaws. Her ears flicked twice, three times.

Lawrence took her actions as an affirmative but still made Ins way over the hill with his body low and his footfalls light.

It was obvious who would be coming up the path at this hour.

He drew close to the hill’s peak, keeping his head even lower as he carefully took sight of the path.

In his first quick glance, he saw no one, but when he looked farther out, Lawrence was able to hear a quiet jumble of noises coming from the direction of Enberch.

Soon after he heard the sound, he caught sight of its source, hazy in the morning mist.

It was the caravan returning Tereo’s wheat.

Which meant that Enberch’s messenger had already reached Tereo, and depending on the specifics of the message, the villagers might have already forced their way into the church searching for Lawrence and company.

He wondered if Iima, having aided their escape, would be safe.

Her position within the village was a strong one, so she would probably be fine—but he still worried a bit for her safety.

This was immaterial, though—none of them could ever return to Tereo.

Just then, he heard the rustle of footsteps behind him. He looked back.

It was Evan.

“How is she?” Lawrence asked.

Evan nodded—evidently Elsa was fine. He then crouched down next to Lawrence, looking off into the distance. “Are they from Enberch?”

“Must be.”

“Huh.” Evan wore a complicated expression, as though he both longed for a weapon with which to charge the procession and was glad he had no such weapon.

Lawrence looked from Evan to Holo behind them.

Holo was still lying there asleep with Elsa leaning against her.

Elsa seemed to be awake, but she stared listlessly off into space.

“Is Miss Elsa truly well?” Lawrence asked.

She had fainted from anemia, after all, then spent the night on the move.

As he considered what lay ahead of them, Elsa’s condition weighed heavy on Lawrence’s mind.

“Hard to say,” said Evan. “Her complexion is well enough, but she seems to be thinking something over.”

“Thinking?”

Evan nodded.

If this was all Evan could say, then Elsa must not have told him what was on her mind. Having been forced to suddenly leave her home, though, it was hardly surprising that she was dazed and contemplative.

Evan turned and looked back at Elsa. Lawrence caught sight of his expression—he looked like a faithful dog who wanted nothing more than to rush to her side.

But Evan seemed to understand that she was best left alone for a time.

Evan forced his gaze back to the caravan from Enberch, which was now quite a bit closer.

“It’s a sizable group,” he said.

“They’re probably returning all of the wheat purchased from Tereo. And those long sticks the men around the wagons are holding—spears surely.”

The spearmen were merely in case the caravan met resistance from the villagers, but they lent the procession an imposing, sinister air.

“Say, Mr. Lawrence—”

“Mm?”

“Could we not ask your...um...the goddess that carried us here?”

Though Evan lowered his voice, Holo would surely hear this.

She pretended not to, though.

“Ask her what?” Lawrence prompted.

“To...to kill them all.”

When all else failed, ask the gods—humans were ever thus.

And their requests were often absurd in scale.

“Suppose she did agree to such a request. It would certainly be done. But then Enberch would simply send an army to Tereo. And we can’t fight every army they could send.”

Evan nodded, as though he had known what the answer would be. “I suppose.”

The caravan had come quite close now.

The pair crouched and looked on.

“So what shall we do next?”

“I am planning to make for a town named Kumersun first. If we can make it there, our lives will no longer be in danger. After that, well—we’ll figure that out once we’re there.”

“I see...”

“You should think about what you want to do. We’ve a connection, you and I—I’ll do what I can to help,” said Lawrence.

Evan closed his eyes and smiled. “Thank you.”

The caravan that carried with it Tereo’s undoing traveled noisily along the path, disturbing the morning peace.

It included perhaps fifteen wagons with perhaps twenty spearmen to guard the caravan.

However, what grabbed Lawrence’s attention the most was a group at the rear of the procession, who were dressed somewhat differently from the rest.

The horse carrying the last cart had blinders and saddle flaps that indicated a high-ranking member of the clergy, and it was surrounded by four men bearing shields with several lower ranking clergymen in travel clothes following behind on foot.

“So that’s how it is,” Lawrence murmured.

Ridelius’s Hellfire had been mixed in with Tereo’s wheat harvest, and a citizen of Enberch had died from it.

But unless the poison wheat had been there from the very beginning, there could not possibly have been any similar deaths in Tereo.

Enberch was going to use this to its advantage.

They would claim the absence of poison victims in Tereo was proof that the village was being protected by evil spirits and that all the villagers were guilty of heresy.

“Let’s go back,” said Lawrence.

Evan nodded wordlessly, seeming to have vaguely perceived
something himself.

Lawrence descended the hill and returned to Holo. Elsa him a questioning look, which he pretended not to notice.

Whatever she might ask, the answer was that Tereo’s position
was hopeless.

“We’ll go a bit farther, then take breakfast,” said Lawrence.

Elsa dropped her gaze, as if she had realized something.

She said nothing but stood, which prompted Holo to stand up as well.

Evan and Lawrence split the luggage-bearing duties, and the four started to walk with Holo in the lead.

The dry leaves crunched underfoot.

The first one to stop walking was Evan, followed by Lawrence.

Holo proceeded a few more steps, then stopped, looking back.

“Elsa?” asked Evan.

Elsa stood there still, her body wrapped in a blanket.

She stared at the ground.

Evan exchanged looks with Lawrence, then nodded and stared to approach Elsa.

That very moment, Elsa spoke.

“Holo...” She was not addressing Evan. “Are you…really a god?”

Holo said nothing initially, merely swishing her tail
once. She
then turned to face Elsa.
“I am Holo, the Wisewolf
of
Yoitsu.
Long
have I been called a god,”
said Holo, sitting and looking directly at Elsa.

The answer surprised Lawrence.

Even more surprising was Holo’s expression as she regarded Elsa; it was very serious but not unkind.

“I dwell within the wheat and can take both wolf and human form. Humans worship me as the god of the bountiful harvest, and I am able to respond to their prayers.”

Holo seemed to have understood something.

Elsa tightened the blanket that she had wrapped around her body and over her shoulder. Holo had discerned the thoughts that lay within the girl’s breast, hidden beneath her crossed arms and blanket.

Holo must have seen the girl’s worry, or else she would never have called herself a god.