Katerina could pull the fabric through.
They did a good job of it, Sarafina thought. The body rested almost perfectly centered on the open bolt of scarlet cloth.
Sarafina laid a small bit of fabric, cut in the shape of a perfect circle, upon Belindaâs chest. Then, she took one side of the cloth, and her sister took the other, and they wrapped Belinda in it as carefully as they would have wrapped a baby, leaving only her head and her bare feet uncovered.
âI intended to use that bolt of cloth to make a dress for her,â Melina whispered. âNow it becomes her shroud.â She unfolded the clothing she had brought, turning the blouse and skirt inside out before refolding them carefully and stacking them beside her daughterâs body.
The little fire had died to smoking remains by the time they had finished. Katerina leaned over the water pail to scrub her hands.
âThere should be more light,â Melina whispered. âWe mustnât let her lie in the dark this way.â
âMy work here is done,â Katerina said, straightening and wiping her hands on her skirts. âIâm returning to camp. Iâll send someone back with lanterns.â
Melina only nodded, not even watching her go. When the sounds of her footsteps died away, she glanced at Sarafina. âYou may as well go, too. Iâll watch over her until morning.â
âIâm staying with you,â Sarafina replied. âI wonât leave you alone.â
Melina lifted her head, met Finaâs eyes, and for a moment seemed to be searching them. Almost as if she were not entirely comfortable staying alone with her. It was dark in the hardwood forest. Oaks and elms towered around them, and the ground was thick with ferns and weeds. Only that single torch spilled a circle of pale light around the two of them, and it was burning low. The night was silent, eerily so.
Then Melina glanced past her, at a sound from one of the young men who stood guard, and she seemed to relax a bit. Sarafina sat down on the ground beside the slender body wrapped in red cloth and wondered why anyone, even a demon, would want to murder her cousin so cruelly.
I didnât kill her, I set her free, and deep down you know itâs true.
Sarafinaâs head rose with a snap at the clear sound of a manâs voice. A man she knew full well was not her beloved spirit. âWho is that?â
Melina paused in her rocking. âWhat are you talking about?â
âThat voice. Didnât you hear it?â She got to her feet, brushing the twigs from her skirts and staring at the woods around her, every sense on full alert, her very skin prickling and aware. There was laughter then, deep, ringing laughter. âThere,â she whispered. âDonât you hear that?â
âI hear nothing, Sarafina,â the old woman said. She got up, as well, backing a few steps away from the younger girl. âPerhapsâ¦you should go back to camp.â
âNo. Itâs out here. I canât leave you alone.â
Thatâs right. Iâm here. But you know deep down itâs not the old woman I want. Itâs you, Sarafina. Itâs always been you. Leave this band of traitors and come to me.
âNo!â she cried, pressing her hands to her ears. âLeave me alone! Leave me alone!â She turned to run away, but collided instantly with a hard chest and looked up and into Andreâs concerned eyes. Sobbing, she clung to him, burying her face against his chest.
But she stiffened when she heard the voice of her sister. âWhat is going on?â
Blinking, Sarafina lifted her head from Andre and looked around until she spotted her sister standing a few feet away, aglow in light. She sniffed and hoped none of the tears remained on her cheeks. âI thought you were staying in camp.â
âI decided to help Andre bring the lanterns.â She glanced down at the glowing lanterns she carried, one in