Her mind was bringing up pictures. Cady in thehollow tree, when she and Maggie were hidingfrom Bern and Gavin. Cady's lips moving and Gavin saying I can't feelthem at all.
The hound today had said the same thing. I can't
follow theirlifeforce anymore.
She was blocking them from sensing us, Maggiethought. And she was the one who told us to climbthe tree. She's blind, but she can see things.
It's true.
She turned slowly to look at the girl lying onthe pallet.
Cady was almost perfectly still, her breathingbarely lifting her chest. Her hair was coiled around her head like damp snakes, her face was smudgedand dirty, her lashes spiky on her cheeks. Butsomehow she hadn't lost any of her serene beauty. It remained untouched, whatever happened to herbody.
I don't care, Maggie thought. She may be a witch,but she's not like Sylvia. I know she's not evil.
She turned back to Laundress, and spoke carefully and deliberately.
"Look, I understand that you don't like witches.But this girl has been with us for two days, and allshe's done is help us. And, I mean, look at her!"Maggie lost her reasonable tone. "They were bring ing her here as a slave! She wasn't getting any special treatment. She's not on their side!"
"Too bad for her," Laundress said. Her voice wasflat and ...plain. The voice of a woman who saw things in black and white and didn't like arguments.
And who knew how to back up her beliefs. Onebig gaunt hand, went beneath her apron, into a hid den pocket. When it came out again, it was gripping a kitchen knife.
"Wait a minute," Jeanne said.
Laundress didn't look at her. "Friends of witchesare no friends of ours," she said in her plain, heavyway.
"And that includes you."
With one motion, Jeanne wheeled away from herand into a fighting stance. "You're right. I knewwhat she was. I hated her, too, at first. But it's like Maggie told you. She's not going to hurt us!"
"I'm not going to miss a chance to kill one of them," Laundress said. "And if you try to stop me, you'll be sorry."
Maggie's heart was pounding. She looked backand forth from the tall woman, who was holdingthe knife menacingly, to Jeanne, who was crouchedwith her teeth bared and her eyes narrowed. They were ready to fight.
Maggie found herself in the middle of the room,in a triangle formed by Cady and Jeanne and theknife. She was too angry to be frightened.
"You put that down,"she said to Laundressfiercely, forgetting that she was speaking to anadult. "You're notgoingto do anything with that. How can you even try?"
Vaguely, she noticed movement behind the woman. The frightened young girl who hadn't saidanything so far was stepping forward. She was staring at Maggie, pointing at Maggie. Her eyes andmouth were wide open, but her voice was an indrawn breath.
"The Deliverer!"
Maggie hardly heard the gasped words. She wasrushing on. "If you people don't stick together,what kind of chance do you have? How can youever get free-"
ìt's her!"This time the girl shrieked it, and nobody could help but hear. She clutched at Laundress's arm wildly. "You heard what she said,Laundress. She's come to free us."
"What are you talking a-?"Jeanne broke off, looking at Maggie with her eyebrows drawn together. Suddenly the eyebrows flew up and she straightened slightly from her crouch. "Hmm."
Maggie stared back. Then she followed all their eyes and looked down at herself in bewilderment.
For the first time since she'd arrived in the DarkKingdom she wasn't wearing her jacket and hershoes. She was wearing exactly what she'd beenwearing when her mother's screams woke her threedays beforeher flowered pajama top, wrinkled jeans, and mismatched socks.
"'She will come clothed in flowers, shod in blueand scarlet,"' the girl was saying. She was stillpointing at Maggie, but now it was with something like reverence. "'And she will speak of freedom.'You heard her, Laundress! It's her. She's the one!"
The knife trembled slightly. Maggie stared at thered knuckles of the hand holding it, then looked up at Laundress's face.
The blotchy features were grim and skepticalbut there was an odd gleam of half-stifled hope inthe eyes.
"Is she the one?" she said harshly toJeanne. "Is this idiot Soaker right? Did she say she'scome to deliver us?"
Jeanne opened her mouth, then shut it again.She looked helplessly at Maggie.
And, unexpectedly, P.J. spoke up. "She told usshe had to get the slaves free before Hunter Redfern had them all killed," she said in her light,strong child's voice. She was standing straight, her slender body drawn to its fullest height. Her blondhair shone pale above her small earnest face. Her words had the unmistakable ring of truth.
Something flashed in Jeanne's eyes. Her lipquirked, then she bit it. "She sure did. And I toldher she was crazy."
"And in the beginning, when Jeanne showed herwhat they do to escaped slaves here, Maggie said it had to stop." P.J.'s voice was still clear and confident. "She said she couldn't let them do thingslike that to people."
"She said we couldn't let them do things likethat," Jeanne corrected. "And she was crazy again.There's no way to stop them."
Laundress stared at her for a moment, then turned her burning gaze on Maggie. Her eyes wereso fierce that Maggie was afraid she was going to attack. Then, all at once, she thrust the knife backin her pocket.
`Blasphemer!" she said harshly to Jeanne. "Don'ttalk about the Deliverer that way! Do you want totake away our only hope?"
Jeanne raised an eyebrow. "Youwere the one about to take it away," she pointed out.
Laundress glared at her. Then she turned to Maggie and a change came over her gaunt features. Itwasn't much; they still remainedassevere and grim as ever, but there was something like a bleak smile twisting her mouth.