In truth, the berries were farther away than she’d imagined. Iwa tensed, her calves trembling, her hands held ready. Yet some part of her held back, a primordial instinct that rose deep out of the blackness and, no matter how much she tried to convince herself that the bush was within reach, she couldn’t move. Between her and the forest there was a patch of bare ground. One glance from Jezi Baba or her pig-faced demon, a simple look in her direction, and they’d be upon her. She remembered the woyaks in the forest, their eyes blank as boiled carp. Then the sound stopped and the breath dried in her throat. Slowly Iwa peered over the rump of the wood. The figure of Jezi Baba hovered as mist over the altar, as the pig-faced woman raised her hands in supplication, her face turned to the figure before her.
There was a crackle of thunder as the light pulsed eerily across the water. In terror, Iwa closed her eyes: it was now or never. Breath held hot in her throat, she began to crawl, her stomach pressed hard against the ground like a snake as she tried to mould herself to the shadows. Before her the forest stretched, an inky black mess of roots and briars as, behind her, the sound of Jezi Baba took hold once more, the dark rhythm creeping through the leaves as all around her the forest shifted. The bush seemed distant now, the bracken closing in. Iwa paused, her eyes filling with tears. It was no good, she would have to get up and run, but her legs wouldn’t move and, try as she might, she could only lie there, the fight draining from her limbs.
Karnobog, protect your child, and give strength to my heart. She screwed up her eyes and, with the breath almost screaming in her lungs, launched herself up and ran over to the bracken.
She moved quickly, her limbs hot with fear. Not even bothering to look back, she bent down, her fingers scrabbling for the berries, her heart beating with a dull hollow pain as she plucked the last of the fruit. Behind her the sound of Jezi Baba faded. Surely they’ve seen me. She almost cried out, too panicked to even think of hiding.
Then all was still. Slowly, the pig-faced demon turned and for a moment its eyes scanned the shore, but Iwa had already crept away, her breath coming in short frozen gasps as she crawled through the undergrowth. It was only as the sun broke above the ridge of the horizon that she dared to stand. There was a tingle in her stomach; her mouth was dry and she hadn’t eaten in ages. She was tired too, her hands numb and trembling. But she was alive and she had the berries.
At first glance the trees appeared normal but, as she peered closer, she realised that she couldn’t make out exactly which type they were. There was no sign of an oak or linden or anything remotely familiar. Carefully, she reached out to the nearest tree, the wood soft and pliant under her hand, but there was something unnatural about its touch, a warm tingling as her fingers wrapped smoothly over the bark.
Will I ever get out of this place? Above her a hawk circled. If only she could see beyond the trees. The mountains had to be somewhere nearby and it’d be easy then to find her way to the river. The hunters often judged their position by the sun and the length of shadows, but here everything was different.
She was lost. Around her the trees seemed to close in, strange leaves curling about the oddly scented bark. A feeling of helplessness came over her. She was alone, without food or a knife or any hope of shelter. Food for the wolves. The ancestor world was ready to claim her. By now she was hungry, a sharp ache growing in her stomach, but there was nothing to eat. She tried to move but the ache only increased. One berry, she told herself, one berry and I’ll leave the rest for Yaroslav.
It had only taken a few to cure Godek’s hound, a mere handful, and she’d gathered far more than that. Yet, even as she stuffed one into her mouth she couldn’t help but feel that she was somehow betraying her father. There was something about the berries, the way that the light appeared to sink into them. And the skin had a hard prickly texture like a gooseberry, but the surface appeared perfectly smooth. Slowly she sucked on the juices and tried not to think about the strangeness of the berry. It was not an altogether unpleasant taste, sweet like a strawberry but with an odd, bitter sensation lurking behind.
A strange dizzy feeling overcame Iwa. She could see clearly now, her eyes taking in the whole of the forest as though she soared far above. Like a hawk, she could see it all: the tiny paths that snaked almost unseen through the trees, and the tall crests of the mountains. Sharp eyes picked out even the smallest details: the scurry of mice or the scent of a rabbit.
Then she was falling as if from a great height, an angry squawk as feathered wings beat warmly about her. No! She recoiled in terror. This wasn’t the first time she’d wandered off into some animal’s mind, but that had always been by accident and it had never been so real before, so vivid.
Jezi Baba, she prayed. Let me find my way out of here. But there was little chance of that. Around her the forest grew, the branches twisted into strange unnatural shapes. There would be little chance of coming across
