Red by Liesl Shurtliff Read Free Book Online Page A

need a companion for your journey. You don’t wish to be alone in The Woods. It’s so spooky!”
    As a matter of fact, that is precisely what I wished. “That’s very kind of you, but—”
    I stopped short and stared down at my feet. My path was gone. Goldie stood right next to me. No shock had steered her away. No wind had forced her off. I stomped my feet, trying to make my path reappear. It didn’t. I turned around and walked back until it appeared again beneath my feet, stretching in the direction of home but not in the direction I wanted to travel.
    “What’s wrong?” Goldie asked. “Did you forget something?”
    “No,” I said. I’d never been in The Woods without my path, not since that day with the bear. But what choice did I have? The well was in one direction, and Granny was in the other, alone, sick, dying. I heard her words echo inside me.
    Don’t be afraid.
    I wasn’t afraid. I wouldn’t be. I took a breath and stepped off my path.

CHAPTER EIGHT
Your Heart’s Desire
    I walked as quickly as I could, with Goldie skipping boisterously beside me. Without my path, I felt exposed and vulnerable. My heart thrummed as fast as a rabbit’s. I felt skittish as a rabbit, too, jumping at every noise and movement in The Woods.
    Goldie’s presence was like a swarm of mosquitoes. Every word she spoke, every little movement she made, was like an itchy bite, and her curls made me dizzy. They bounced more than grasshoppers. I wanted to take an ax and chop them all off. Or her head. That might be nice. But I bet even if I chopped off her head, she’d keep talking.
    “Mummy named me Goldie so I would find lots of gold, of course, and for a while it really worked. It’s like I could smell the gold between the rocks, and Mummy and Daddy were so proud of me. Now there’s no gold in The Mountain anymore, but I can sense other things that are golden, too, like yellow flowers and honey, and so I’m not completely worthless, though some people think so.” She sighed. I imagined she was thinking of the boy she wanted to give a love potion to.
    Daylight faded quickly, and the air grew chill. If I had my path, I would continue on in the dark, but without it I could be attacked by bears, mountain lions, and wolves.
    “We’d better stop for the night,” I said. “It’s getting dark.”
    “Oh, yes, of course,” said Goldie, looking around. “Where will we stay? Is there an inn nearby? Do you suppose they’ll have a supper? I’m quite hungry. And I wouldn’t mind a soft bed.”
    “There’s not an inn or village for miles, Goldie. We’ll have to sleep in The Woods.”
    “Sleep in The Woods! You can’t be serious!”
    I shook my head. “You’re welcome to go back to the village. You can stay in any of the houses there. I’m sure no one will mind.”
    Goldie tugged anxiously at her curls and glanced back the way we had come. I half expected her to turn around and march straight home, but she didn’t.
    “Well, I suppose every quest has its risks,” she said, and went to work, humming as she scooped leaves for her bed. I sighed and gathered leaves and pine needles for my own bed.
    It was a long, restless night. Goldie chattered endlessly, telling me all about her mummy and whatnot, and when she finally fell asleep, she snored like a bear in a cave. I tossed and turned, and just when I was on the brink of sleep, a wolf howled.
    Come,
he said. He was calling for his pack, but he never got an answer.

    The next morning I awoke to the most horrid cheerfulness.
    “Wake up, Red! It’s a glorious morning!”
    It took me a moment to remember where I was and who was with me. I was in The Woods with Goldie, and I’d had the worst night’s sleep of my life.
    “Leave me alone,” I grumbled, and pulled my cloak over my head.
    “But it’s so sunshiny and pretty! And I picked you some flowers. Here, smell them.”
    Goldie shoved something beneath my cloak, and my nose was accosted by a bunch of blossoms and their