CHAPTER FOUR

“Well look who it is,” Hans Katzenjammer took a step sideways to block Rudi’s path. His brother moved in to flank him as always. “You’re a bit out of your proper place, aren’t you Walder?” Fritz giggled like an imbecile, anticipating the pleasure of victimising someone smaller, weaker, and outnumbered.

“It’s a public street.” Rudi made to push past, determined not to be intimidated by them. The memory of his latest reflection was still with him, and the new awareness that he was almost as tall as the two bullies and better muscled than both lent him confidence.

“Really?” Hans tried to force a sneer onto his face, but the damage left by the thorn bush got in the way. The scratches were livid and inflamed, and thin yellow pus was weeping through a bandage tied tightly around his forehead. The effort of the facial contortion was obviously painful, and he gave it up quickly in favour of glowering as menacingly as he could. “Then maybe we’d better show a bit of civic pride and clear the rubbish off it.”

“That’s right. Clear the rubbish,” Fritz added, prodding Rudi in the chest. Out of the corner of his eye Rudi could see movement, other villagers were stopping to stare at the confrontation. No one looked inclined to intervene though, worse luck. He supposed it might be different if he had a family in the village, or friends inclined to back him up. Oh well, things were as they were, and out in the forest there was no one else to rely on. He’d just have to show them he didn’t need anyone’s help to deal with these two.

With that thought, he felt his anger rising. He’d had enough of being pestered by the pair of them, and if he was going to be forced to fight he wasn’t going to let them get the best of him. Almost without noticing he felt his fists ball.

“Should be easy enough,” he said evenly. “Even you two should be able to walk as far as the midden without falling over your own feet.” To his surprise he heard somebody snigger behind him. That was encouraging, at least one of the onlookers was on his side.

“What did you say?” Hans’ discoloured face flushed even further, anger and outrage rushing to the surface. He’d clearly been expecting Rudi to back down and slink away, enabling him to get in a few spiteful nudges and jabs. The realisation that the young forester wasn’t going to oblige, and that he might end up having to fight someone capable of defending himself was obviously rattling him. Even with his brother to back him up he might get hurt, which wasn’t part of the plan.

“You heard. Now get out of my way. I’ve a message to deliver, and I haven’t got time to waste on you.” Rudi took a step forward, raising a hand to push Hans out of the way. That was a mistake. The older Katzenjammer took a step backwards and swung a lazy punch at his head.

It took all the time in the world to connect, and Rudi had what felt like long slow minutes to duck out of the way. As his head dipped he felt Hans’ fist graze the top of it, barely making contact. He stood up instantly, bringing his own fist forward sharply from the waist to connect solidly with the older boy’s midriff. Hans folded over, the breath driven from his lungs with an audible gasp of astonishment and pain.

Had he been an experienced fighter Rudi would have stepped in at that point and finished the belligerent youth, but he was so astonished at the success of his initial sally that he simply stood there watching his opponent wheezing and retching. A surge of triumphant euphoria gripped him for a moment, to be rapidly replaced by confusion and disgust. This was the first time he’d ever struck someone in anger, and he wasn’t sure he liked the sensation.

“Leave him alone!” Fritz bellowed, outraged at his brother’s distress. A vivid burst of light and pain erupted at the side of Rudi’s head as the half-wit swung his own fist. Carried away on the tide of complex emotions triggered by his apparent easy victory Rudi had momentarily forgotten his presence, a lapse for which he looked like paying dearly. Half stunned he staggered and fell to one knee, which sank into the mud of the street.

“Who do you think you are?” Hans had recovered enough breath by now to start hurling insults at least. He staggered towards Rudi, who was still trying to blink his vision clear. “Some half-savage forest brat with the nerve to attack civilised people?” He aimed a vicious kick at the fallen forester, catching him in the chest. Rudi felt a moment of searing pain as the thin flesh over his ribs bruised.

“If you’re civilised then I’m an elf,” a familiar feminine voice cut in, edged with habitual contempt for the object of its address. In spite of the pain he was in, Rudi groaned quietly. Of all the people who could have seen him brawling in the street, of course it had to be her…

“What?” Hans turned, clearly astonished at the intervention. Hanna Reifenstal gazed at him levelly, as though she’d just found him on the sole of her shoe.

“You’re no more civilised than an orc,” she said dismissively. “I’m sure they think two against one is about right as well.”

“We can always make it two against two, girly.” Hans’ face had turned truly ugly by now, animated by a malice far deeper than mere petty bullying. However, if he’d expected her to quail, or run, he’d seriously underestimated her.

“Don’t do me any favours,” her voice dripped contempt, and lazy confidence. “You can both try your luck if you’re really desperate to get hurt.” For a moment, as Rudi staggered to his feet, he thought she’d gone too far, and that Hans might be so far gone as to attack her. Aching muscles twanging in protest he stumbled forwards, intending to block the bully’s rush towards the girl, but it wasn’t necessary. As Hans took a step in her direction his brother grabbed him by the arm to hold him back.

“No, Hans,” he pleaded. “She’ll put a curse on you or something.” Some residue of common sense evidently remained in Hans’ head, because he hesitated for a moment before shrugging his brother’s hand away.

“What would be the point?” Hanna asked rhetorically. “He’s cursed enough already.”

“Why should I care what a witch thinks?” Hans snarled, determined to vent his rage verbally if denied the opportunity to do so with his fists. Hanna flushed dangerously.

“If that’s what you really think I am you should be a lot more careful about what you say to me,” she snapped, taking a single step forward. Fritz whimpered like a frightened puppy, his face paler than ever, and tugged at his brother’s arm with renewed insistence.

“Quite right.” Rudi pulled himself upright, determined not to let the brothers think they’d hurt him. He stood as solidly and casually as he could despite the throbbing pain in his head and the ache in his ribcage. “If you think you’re so civilised you should know how to be polite to a lady.”

“If I see one I will.” Hans was clearly torn between the impulse to continue the confrontation and the growing caution his brother’s insistence was beginning to instil in him. If Fritz had backed him up he might have had the confidence to prolong the fight, but the half-wit was clearly terrified of the girl’s reputation, so he’d have no help there.

“You wouldn’t recognise one if she stepped on you crossing the gutter,” Hanna retorted. She switched her attention to Fritz, who quailed visibly. “Take him home before he embarrasses himself even more.”

“Come on,” Fritz pulled harder on his brother’s arm, starting him moving at last. With a final venomous glare the older Katzenjammer allowed himself to be led away, clearly feeling enough face had been saved by letting his sibling be the one to urge retreat. Rudi watched them go with a sense of triumph, which even managed to displace the discomfort of his injuries for a while. He’d done it: he’d bested the Katzenjammers…

“Are you all right?” Hanna asked, breaking into his thoughts. “You took a couple of nasty hits by the look of it.”

“I’m fine,” he said, his good mood evaporating almost as rapidly as it had arrived. “Thank you,” he added belatedly. Around them the regular traffic of the street had resumed, with upwards of half a dozen villagers bustling about their business now that the impromptu entertainment was over.

“You’re welcome,” she responded, with a smile, which for once had a trace of genuine warmth in it. “I could hardly stand by and watch you get beaten to a pulp now, could I?”

“What?” Rudi felt his face flushing. He’d thought she’d been enquiring about his injuries, like a conscientious healer should, and now it turned out she had the arrogance to believe that she’d rescued him from the Katzenjammers. While a part of him acknowledged that without her intervention he would have had a much harder fight on his hands, the small voice of reason was brushed aside by a simmering tide of resentment. As if he needed the protection of some slip of a girl, particularly this one. “I could have taken them both without your interference, you know.”

“Oh, I’m sure you could.” The trace of unaccustomed warmth vanished from her smile and voice like the glimmer of sunshine on a midwinter morning, to be replaced by the familiar sneer. “You were really damaging Fritz’s fist with your face.”

“I didn’t mean…” he trailed off, not quite sure what he did mean, but aware that he was being churlish again. “I appreciate your help. Really.”

“Really?” Her voice dripped with scepticism. “Nice of you to notice. If you want a poultice for that bruising, I’m sure my mother can sort something out.” Abruptly she turned and walked away, her shoulders set. Rudi watched her go, confusion mingling with the fuzziness in his head from the blow it had taken. He couldn’t for the life of him see what she was so upset about. He shrugged, noticing for the first time that a faint sweetness still lingered in the air from the satchel of herbs she’d been carrying.

As Hanna turned the corner of the street and disappeared he thought for a moment that she was about to turn and look at him. He half-raised his arm in a farewell wave, but she walked on without a backward glance.