Starfish_ A Novel - James Crowley [59]
Lionel dropped into a crouching position, hiding in the high grass of the meadow, and stared back toward the stream. Something had startled the elk, and there, back in the trees, he saw what it was. Men—government men on horseback, and some on foot.
Heart pounding, Lionel spun around and hurried toward the shelter of the Great wood, but then, like the elk, changed direction and broke toward the lodge. There were more men back in the trees.
He ran toward the lodge, throwing himself against the crooked door, and tumbling into his former home. He rolled to the window and carefully stole a look toward the stream.
The men on horseback appeared on the rise and entered the small meadow. Lionel craned his neck toward the Great wood where he saw more men appear. He dropped from the window and leaned against the lodge’s rough-hewn logs. His heart was racing, and he could hear his own labored breathing. He slowly rose up for another look.
Some of the men had dismounted, and their horses had wandered into the recently neglected garden, helping themselves to the remnants. Lionel thought he caught a glimpse of Brother Finn and the captain himself, but dropped back down before he could be sure. Lionel looked around the lodge, trying to think of what his grandfather would do. He decided to take one more look outside and see if there was a way he could make it to the Great wood. If he could make it to the woods, he could find his way around the meadow and back up to the trail to rejoin Beatrice and Mr. Hawkins.
Peering through the window, Lionel thought he saw a soldier lowering Barney Little Plume from the back of a horse to the ground. Barney’s hands looked as though they were tied behind his back. Lionel looked back toward the stream and the garden. An assemblage of soldiers was now heading directly toward the lodge.
Lionel fell to the floor on the verge of tears. He was trapped. He thought about Beatrice and his grandfather and wondered again what they would do. Beatrice wouldn’t have to do anything, because she wouldn’t have gotten herself into this situation. Beatrice wouldn’t have left the bear claws in the first place, let alone taken the time to go swimming in light of all that had happened. And if she had forgotten them, upon return, she would have grabbed the string of claws and left. She wouldn’t have waited around to be joined by these men.
Lionel thought about his grandfather. once again, the only conclusion that Lionel could come to was that his grandfather wouldn’t be in this situation. He would have been more careful with the claws. Lionel had learned so much since he had left school—but what of it could he use now?
He buried his head between his knees and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. He felt the gold button that the raven had dropped…then he thought of the elk…the elk…
Be aware of what’s around you and watch. Listen to the animals, the wind, the mountains.
His grandfather was right. The raven and the elk in their own ways had just warned him. They had told him that there were men in the woods.
Grandpa’s words ran through his head. His eyes darted anxiously around the abandoned lodge, finally resting on the slumping chimney. His hand shot down to the raised scar on his leg. The wolverine. Lionel looked once more out the window. The soldiers were almost to the lodge. He dropped back down and scrambled on all fours toward the chimney and the crack—the same crack they figured the wolverine had crawled through. Depending on where you stood in the room, you might not even notice the crevice, let alone think that something—or someone—could actually fit there.
Lionel climbed up onto the chimney and then pulled himself into the wolverine’s passage. Just as he disappeared into the damp, musty space, he heard the men kick in the lodge’s crooked door, followed by the sound of smashing glass. Lionel could see the soldiers in slivers of glimpses between the crumbled rocks.
“Would you