Wooden Bones by Scott William Carter

Author:Scott William Carter
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

It was such an unexpected thing for Elendrew to say that for a moment no one moved. Her cruel smile remained. Clouds drifted in front of the sun, darkening the forest, her red cloak deepening to a terrible shade of crimson.

Pino didn’t understand. Had she misspoken?

“My queen,” Olan said finally, “I’m afraid—I’m afraid you’ve confused us. Did you say—”

“I said I want you all to die,” Elendrew said simply.

The people shuffled on their feet. There was some nervous laughter. But Pino didn’t laugh. The words were spoken in the kind of evenhanded way, without malice or rage, that actually made him more afraid. He edged a little farther away, toward his papa.

“My queen—,” Olan began again.

“How did you think I would feel?” Elendrew retorted. She took a few lumbering steps, and people backed away quickly, giving her a wide berth. “Did you think I would be grateful? Oh yes, I suppose that’s what you would think. Because you have always been so proud of what you have done to me. You have always thought you rescued me. But you did not rescue me. You forced me to be something I never wanted to be.”

“But, my queen,” Olan protested, “if we had not brought you here—”

“Be silent!” Elendrew bellowed.

Now all the hope and love in everyone’s eyes was gone, and they gazed upon the woman in the wooden suit with newfound fear.

“Think!” she cried. “Use what little brains you have! Did I ever ask to be made your queen? Did I ever want to be forced to lead your pitiful little people? No! No! No!”

Not a single person dared respond. Some, like Pino, crept away from her, though most simply stared, dumbfounded.

“Decisions!” she shouted, arms punching the air wildly, as if she wasn’t quite in control of them. “So many decisions! Dozens of times a day you came to me asking for a decision! ‘Where should we hunt, my queen?’ ‘How bad will the winter be, my queen?’ ‘What should I do about this little bee sting, my queen?’ Bah! I did not want to be that person! I wanted to be left alone! To be left in peace! But would you listen to me? No!”

“But, my queen,” Olan said, rising shakily, “if only you would have told—”

“I did tell you, old fool! How many times did I complain of being tired? How many times did I say it would be nice to have some time alone? But what did you do? You ignored me! You even made me sleep in a room with glass walls, so that I was never free from your incessant whining! I—never—had—one—minute’s—PEACE!”

She screamed, all of her control gone, and marched around in a circle like a mad person, punching and kicking at the air as if she were fighting someone they couldn’t see. Then she stopped at her wooden chair and seized it, lifting it high in the air as if it weighed nothing at all.

With one great heave she tossed the chair at Olan.

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