Mary Anne Gruen - The House of Red

Tony picked up young Warren at school again that afternoon. By now the juvenile delinquents were starting to avoid them. Tony’s nasty stares had done the trick. Now they were able to walk unmolested and devote themselves to more interesting conversation, like enchanted frogs. Warren had heard that sometimes people and princes got turned into frogs by witches as a punishment for something.

“Maybe sometimes,” Tony said. “But they also get turned into other things. I knew a prince once who got turned into a dog.”

“Really?” Warren said. While looking up, his dark hair fell into his eyes and he shook his head to get it to fall back into place.

“Yep. His wicked stepmother was a witch.”

“Like with Snow White?”

“Exactly.”

“Wow. What happened?”

“Well, the wicked stepmother was trying to take over the kingdom. And it almost worked. But Virginia and Wolf and I turned the tables on her.”

“Wow.”

“And the prince was so grateful, he gave me the title Inventor to the King.”

“Wow. What’s an inventor?”

“It’s someone who builds things that make life easier.”

“Is that like a magician?”

“No. There’s no magic involved. But if you invent something important, it can almost seem like magic.”

Little Warren sniffed at the air and his grip on Tony’s hand tightened.

“What is it?” Tony asked. “Is it those boys again. Because I’m ready to turn every one of them over my knee.” He looked around behind him expecting to see the delinquents. But the path was empty.

“No,” the boy said, pulling Tony forward. “Much worse.”

Tony didn’t need to be told twice. He hadn’t seen any dragons following them. But picking up the pace seemed a good idea.

“Faster,” the boy said. “They’re catching up.”

“Who is?”

And then Tony heard the running through the underbrush on either side of the path at their rear. He glanced behind but still couldn’t see anything, except waving shrubbery. At least they weren’t as big as dragons.

“Hurry,” Warren said. “We’re close to home.”

Unfortunately, it wasn’t close enough.

Just as they were about to reach the break-off from the main path that led to Josiah and Scarlet’s, one of their pursuers pulled out ahead and jumped directly into the path ahead. It was a large gray wolf with its teeth bared. Behind them out of the bushes, a she-wolf of a similar shade stepped into the path, also with her teeth bared.Tony came to an abrupt stop and Warren wrapped his arms around his legs fearfully.

“O.K.,” Tony said to the wolves. “Just let us pass and nobody gets hurt.”

“What are you doing with a human?” the larger wolf said. This question was obviously directed at young Warren. “There’s only one thing a human’s good for.”

“All right now, whoever you are,” Tony said. “The boy is obviously afraid of you. So, why don’t you just go on your merry way and let us pass.”

“Huff-puff!” the she-wolf said. “He’s a wolf, not a boy.”

“No,” Tony said coolly. “I believe he’s half-wolf. Which means he’s both human AND wolf. And anyway, what gives you the right to come here and terrorize the boy?”

The male wolf growled and stepped closer. And Tony pushed little Warren behind him.

“We were good friends of his grandfather’s,” the male wolf said. “And before he died, he made us promise to remind him of his wolf heritage.”

“I think his father is doing a fine job of teaching him about his wolf heritage now, thank you very much,” Tony said.

Again the male wolf growled. “How? By mating with a human woman?”

“Well, it happens to the best of us,” Tony said.

Suddenly Josiah appeared on the path leading from his house. He had scented the two wolves from the nursery window. His teeth were bared and his hackles raised. Scarlet was just behind him. In her hands was the ax she used to chop wood.

“I told you to stay away from my son,” Josiah snarled.

“But you’re not doing your job,” the male wolf said. “He has no idea what it is to be a wolf. Look at him now, clinging to a human. Your father would be appalled. There can be no friendship between humans and wolves. They come at us with pitchforks and we lie in wait for them as Aesophocles did for Red Riding Hood.”

“You’re just as twisted as my father was. You should have followed him when he finally moved permanently to the Deadly Swamp. Get out of here!”

Josiah growled again and Scarlet moved forward with the ax raised above her head. Wolf and Virginia appeared behind them, with Wolf well in the lead. As soon as he’d scented who it was, Wolf had left the pail of water by the house and come running.

The male wolf turned and looked at Wolf. Then he stepped forward to get a better sniff. “Who are you?” he asked disgustedly. “Another half-wolf?”

Wolf growled instinctively. He was obviously being challenged.

Josiah stepped forward again. “I said go!” he snarled.

“Or I’ll lodge this in your back,” Scarlet said. It was clear to everyone that she meant it.

The male wolf pulled back and signaled to his mate. “All right, we’ll go,” he said. “This human smells too bad to eat anyway.” He waved his snout in Tony’s direction and moved back up the path.

“Well, THANK you!” Tony said.

No one moved until the two wolves were well out of sight.

“Why did they come?” Scarlet asked, lowering the ax.

“Must be the full moon,” Josiah said.

“Who are they?” Tony asked.

Wolf looked down at the ground, his mind definitely elsewhere.

“Thank you for running to our rescue,” Josiah told Wolf. “But Scarlet and I could have handled them. We’ve done it before. They wouldn’t hurt me or Warren because of my father.”

“Well, I don’t trust them,” Scarlet said. “Not by a long way.”

“Nor should you,” Josiah said. “They don’t like humans at all.”

“But who are they?” Tony repeated.

“Scarlet, why don’t you take Warren in the house, while I explain things to our friends.”

Scarlet held out her arms to her son. “Are you hungry?” she asked.

Warren nodded and ran to her.

“I’ll feed the other children too while I’m at it,” Scarlet said. She mused up little Warren’s dark hair. And he gazed up at her adoringly with wide eyes.

“Take your time,” Josiah said.

Wolf carried the heavy pail of water in the house for Scarlet, then returned to the front stoop to hear the story.

“I know you’ve all heard of Aesophocles,” Josiah began. He was sitting at the front door on his haunches, with the others sitting around him. “He was my grandfather. I should have told you yesterday, Wolf. But I didn’t want you to think badly of me.” Wolf shook his head as if this bit of news didn’t matter to him. Which, of course, it didn’t.

“My father’s name was Scythian. Not many people know it, but after Snow White’s stepmother danced at her wedding, she dragged herself off to the area just outside the Deadly Swamp. There she met my father. I’ve always had the feeling that he knew her from somewhere else. But I’m not sure of that. Anyway, my father was very unhappy with the Second Kingdom by then. He would have preferred to leave it all together. But my mother didn’t want to go. She preferred to stay here near her family. So, my father left us to travel a lot during the season when food was most plentiful.

“One time when he came back from a visit to the Fourth Kingdom, he told us how he happened to find Snow White’s stepmother. He said she was lying at the edge of the swamp unable to walk on her burned feet. He told my mother that he took pity on her. But I think he was hoping that he’d finally found someone who could help him carry out his dreams of revenge. He carried Isabella on his back into the Swamp where she would be safe from her enemies. Then he caught food for her and took care of her till she was healthy again. In return she promised to include him in the revenge she was planning for the House of White. There’s a rumor she taught him how to shoot poisoned arrows, but that’s not true. My mother would never have stood for his using poison. Still, she didn’t interfere with his helping her. I think she thought of the swamp witch as a sick, broken woman that my father was showing charity to. She didn’t believe that Isabella could really pull off any great revenge. But my father believed it. He said that the swamp witch was training someone, a successor.”

Tony and Virginia exchanged glances.

“Did he tell you who this successor was?” Wolf asked.

“No. He said that that had to be kept a secret until the plan was complete. Then, after this successor was ready to put the final phase into place, she would send for my father and together they would destroy the House of White. Then the House of Red would be next.”

“But your father’s dead, right?” Virginia said.

“Right. But he said, the promise would be kept even after his death. That I would next be asked to help in this plot of revenge in his place. But since I haven’t had any evil successors knocking at my door, I think my mother was right. Isabella was a broken woman, just engaging in fantasy revenge.”

Wolf’s face got very serious. “But what if this successor just hasn’t been able to come to power as quickly as she hoped,” he said. What if she can’t put this plan into place till after you’ve passed on?”

“Then, according to my father, she’ll come looking for my children. Of course that’s all nonsense. But those two wolves out there this afternoon, they were very close to my grandfather. I don’t think they know about his involvement with Isabella because he tried to keep that a secret. But they think my son Warren has to be indoctrinated into my grandfather’s system of beliefs.”

Virginia shivered. Wolf pulled her close and rubbed her arms to warm them. But of course, it wasn’t cold that made her shiver. He leaned his face against her hair and thought.

This story of Scythian and Isabella explained a lot of things to Wolf. He’d always been confused by the Evil Queen’s obsession with him. Right from the start, on that day in Snow White Memorial Prison when Wendell had escaped in dog form, it seemed almost as if she were looking for someone specific when she came past his cellblock. “What are you?” she had asked. That had been a strange question. There were plenty of more powerful beings in that cellblock, all calling out to her at once. He was just staring out the bars when she came by. He didn’t ask her to let him out, he’d only taken advantage of the opportunity. Did she known he was there? Had she been looking for him?

Then there was the way she kept contacting him after he’d first hooked up with Tony and Virginia. At the time he thought it was because she somehow sensed her daughter’s presence. But then when he’d returned to her in Wendell’s castle after the falling out with Virginia in Kissing Town, the Evil Queen had been so happy to see him. She accepted him easily as a comrade, as if they had always been so. She told him her entire plan. He realized all he had to do to defeat her, was pander a little. Meanwhile, she made no attempt to keep track of Relish’s children. She might never have seen them again except that the Huntsman had taken them up as partners. Had the idea of the wolf secret police been originally the Isabella’s idea and not hers? Was that to be part of the payback for his grandfather?

Scarlet opened the door behind them. “The children have finished their dinners and are waiting for you to say goodnight,” she said to Josiah.

“I’m coming,” he said. He got up and started into the house. “I hope you don’t think any less of us for all you’ve learned today.”

“Of course not,” Virginia said.

“I’m glad. In the short time you’ve been here, you’ve become like family. From the way Wolf smells, I think you may be.”

“I think so too,” Wolf said.

Josiah’s eyes held Wolf’s for a moment. Then he went inside.

“Well,” Tony whispered, “was that story freaky or what?”

“It gets better,” Virginia said. Quickly she told her father the story of Scarlet’s parentage.

“Wolf,” Tony said, “you come from some dysfunctional family. I mean, your parents are nice, but the rest of them.”

“There’s more,” Wolf said, his eyes shifting from side to side.

“More?”

“Those wolves this afternoon? They’re my foster parents.”

“I should have known,” Tony said, shaking his head. “That explains a lot of things about you. Warren, I mean, your younger self was very afraid of them. He was clinging onto me so tightly and shaking so hard. I mean, YOU were.” Tony waved his hands in exasperation. “Oh, you know what I mean.”

“It must have been hard growing up with them,” Virginia said, rubbing his arm consolingly.

“They did love me, I think. Part of me, anyway.”

The door to the house opened again. It was Josiah. “Time to hunt,” he announced.

“Virginia and Tony, your dinner is ready. Wolf, you and I and Goffrey are going to find our meal in the woods. Come on!”

Wolf was up on his feet in a minute. The moon was starting to make itself felt and he was ready to roll with it. A hunt with other wolves was just what he was yearning for. He gave Virginia a quick goodbye kiss.

“Have a nice night out with the boys,” she said.

Scarlet seemed to be feeling some strange effect from the moon as well. She had no plans for hunting, but it seemed very important to her that they all go out front and watch the moon rise. “Usually, I bring the children out to watch with me,” she said. “But it’s going to be such a treat to have adults to talk to instead.”

Virginia and Tony exchanged glances but said they’d love to. They sent Scarlet out to watch for the moon rise while they cleaned up.

When they were alone Virginia said, “You know, I wonder if there isn’t a bit more wolf in Emerald’s family than anyone’s aware of. Maybe back a few more generations. Maybe on Topaz’s father’s side. There seems to be a strong pull towards nature in some of them.”

“Nothing about Wolf’s family could surprise me anymore,” Tony replied dryly.

Tony didn’t see much of the moon. He fell asleep almost immediately, leaning against the side of the house. Virginia wondered at him being so tired because she hadn’t noticed him being all that busy during the day. But she decided to let him sleep. It gave her and Scarlet an opportunity to engage in a serious talkfest.

Since Scarlet had been so candid with her background, Virginia thought it only right to share hers as well. At least, as far as she could. She told Scarlet about her mother’s leaving when she was a child. And about how she found her later, only to be rejected again and even threatened with death.

“I had to kill her in order to defend myself,” Virginia said.

Scarlet nodded. “She was obviously under some kind of enchantment. Or maybe she sold her soul to some kind of evil. You’ve had a hard time. My mother turned me aside too. But I was older. And I don’t think she would ever have hurt me.”

Virginia thought for a moment, remembering Emerald and Topaz. There was a love for wilderness running through the Red family. But there was also a trace of cruelty. “Were you and your sister closer when you were little?” she asked.

“Not really. We always had different interests. I was the outdoorsy type, which my mother shared to some extent. My sister Ruby was more into clothes and handsome boys. Her husband, King Henry, was the handsomest officer in my mother’s army. He was also very charming and more than a little stuck up. He actually pursued me before he went after my sister. I went out with him a few times to please my mother, but I was already secretly becoming involved with Josiah. So, when Ruby made a play for Henry and finally lured him away, I was quite relieved.”

“It’s funny how things turn out,” Virginia said.

“Yes it is,” Scarlet said, gazing up lovingly at the moon. “I hope Ruby has been as happy in her marriage as I’ve been in mine.”

Tony let out a series of loud snores and the ladies had a hard time holding back their laughter. When Wolf and Josiah returned, Tony’s snoring curtained their footsteps. Josiah was able to leap out of the woods and catch Scarlet completely unawares. He knocked her to the ground and growled playfully in her face. Wolf pounced on Virginia from the other side of the house. He scooped her up into his arms and covered her face with kisses.

“Shhh!” Virginia said. “You’ll wake up Daddy.”

“Oh, nothing can wake him up when he snores like that,” Wolf said.

Scarlet and Josiah got up from the ground and started heading indoors. “We’re going to turn in now,” Scarlet said.

“Us too,” Wolf said, nibbling on Virginia’s neck hungrily.

“What about Daddy? We can’t just leave him here. What about the night guard.”

“He’ll be fine,” Wolf said. “We saw a caravan of gypsies down by the river. Josiah says they pass through here every year at this time on their way North. And when they do, the night guard always goes down to visit them. Supposedly it’s to make sure they follow the town laws. But somehow it turned into a party. Believe me. The night guard isn’t riding tonight.”

So the two couples went inside and left Tony sleeping against the house.

About two hours later, it started raining. It was a gentle rain at first that barely broke Tony’s snoring rhythm. But then it picked up and he woke with a start. “Wha, what?” he said, jerking upright. He looked around uncomprehendingly at first. Then he remembered where he’d fallen asleep and processed the fact that it was raining and he was getting wet. He jumped to his feet, knowing he should do something. A quick look around told him he was alone and that the house was dark. There was nothing to do but run for the lean-to.

Happily the lean-to was dry. The roof Scarlet had made for was watertight. Dry clothes were now in order. His pants were pretty dry, but his shirt was too wet to sleep in. He took it off and wiped his face and hair with it and hung it from some logs to dry. Then he settled barechested into his wood chip mattress, leaving the leather satchels containing the travel dust close at hand.

He leaned himself on one arm and gazed into the tiny sliver of mirror around his neck.

“Are you there Matilde?” he asked the talisman.

A light glinted from the little mirror.

“Good.”

After their first “discussion,” Tony had wondered if maybe he’d imagined the whole thing. So, the next night, he tried to have another conversation with the mirror. Once again it put out beams of light in answer to his questions or comments. And he knew somehow that it was Matilde on the other side. To make things clearer, he told her to flash once for yes and twice for no. The two had had a long discussion the night before on the state of the war in the present and his affection for little Warren.

“Did you see the way they left me lying out there in the rain?” Tony asked.

Another single light glittered. That meant yes.

“You’re probably laughing at me right now aren’t you?”

Yes, came the answer.

“I thought so. Did you see Wolf’s foster parents pay us a visit this afternoon?”

A single beam shone through the mirror.

“I wish there was something I could do to keep them from taking him.”

The mirror glowed twice.

“I know,” he said with a sigh. “I can’t change the past.”

Again two flashes.

“But I wish I could.”

Yes, came the answer.

Tony rubbed his thumb over the little sliver of mirror. He was starting to get sleepy again. “Well, goodnight, Matilde,” he said.

The mirror sparkled.

He started to settle down into his wood chip mattress, his right hand still clasping the talisman. He lay quietly for a few minutes. Then, he pulled the mirror up in front of his face again. “You’ve been watching over us at night all along haven’t you?” he asked.

Yes, came the answer.

“I thought so. Somehow I had a feeling you were. I felt better about leaving Virginia at Emerald’s knowing you were out there watching.”

A strong beam of light came through the mirror.

Tony ran his finger over the talisman again. “I don’t think Wolf felt that as much as I did.”

No, came the answer.

He looked deeply into the mirror again, wishing he could see her as clearly as she could see him. “Good night, Matilde,” he said.

The final beam of light from the mirror seemed especially warm and bright. Tony watched until it faded away completely.

Virginia woke up sometime during the night. She rolled into the spot where she expected to find Wolf and found it cold and empty instead. “Wolf?” she said, sitting up. He was just a short distance away, staring hypnotically into the orange depths of the fire.

She wrapped herself in the blanket and slid over to him. “What’s the matter,” she asked, draping her chin over his shoulder.

“I’m thinking,” Wolf answered.

“That’s pretty obvious. About what?”

He gave a long sigh that had just the suggestion of a whimper in it. “A lot of things. My parents. My foster parents. Rose. Me. My two little brothers. Those gypsies we saw tonight by the river. They’re probably the ones who are going to take Lazar and Wilhelm.”

“I’m sorry,” Virginia said, rubbing the stubble on his cheek.

“At least Rose and I found each other. But I’m never going to get a chance to meet my brothers again. I’m never going to meet them as adults.”

“Well, maybe we can borrow some more magic traveling dust and take another trip into the past.”

“But I wouldn’t know them. I don’t even know if I’d like them.”

“How did they die again?”

“Rose said Lazar was killed for showing interest in a human girl. And Wilhelm was killed for poaching. But she wasn’t able to find out any details.” Wolf paused for a moment. “And Rose. What about her? I left her with Wendell’s army. Snow White said there was going to be a big war. Is she all right? Has she been wounded or maybe even killed?

“I’m sure she’s all right,” Virginia said.

“And then, there’s my parents. I think it’s going to happen soon. This time is very foggy to me. But my feeling is that it could happen any day now. Maybe even tomorrow.”

Virginia moved in closer to her husband and wrapped her right arm across his chest. With her other hand, she smoothed back his thick dark hair. It was an intimate moment that only the singing ring would have dared interrupt. It raised its little pearl head and started humming as though it wanted their attention.

Virginia wrapped her left arm across Wolf’s shoulder so they could both see it.

“Tomorrow when Warren returns from school,” it sang,
Scarlet will be angry at their new rule.
Off to her sister, she then will fly,
With hopes to change things, she will try.”

“Did you understand that?” Virginia asked Wolf.

“No,” he said honestly.

“It’s a good thing I’ve had some practice at this. Ring, you’ve just got to start coming up with clearer rhymes. You mean Warren’s going to bring home some news tomorrow that will make Scarlet angry? And then she’s going to go complain to Ruby?”

“When Scarlet leaves upon her quest,
You must do your very best.
Virginia’s mirror she must take,
And leave it in her angry wake.”

“You want her to take my talisman? And leave it where?”

“A gift to the Queen it shall be,
So in the present they can see.
Their angry words will all be shone.
As well as plans made by the throne.”

“Oh, Cripes,” Wolf whimpered. “This doesn’t sound good.”

“One more thing, Ring,” Virginia said. “Do you know if Wolf’s sister Rose is all right?”

“Have no fear for her at all,” the ring sang.
She carries on your bugle call.
A major now, she starts to be,
And soon will see her destiny.”