She read the entire tale again, seeking some morsel of information she could use. The key to this puzzle was proving to be elusive indeed. She shivered and got to her feet, frustrated beyond all, and considered that she should take Mephistopheles for a ride. She imagined that he had become accustomed to her company and theexercise.
She was crossing the courtyard when she heard the subtle creak ofhinges.
It could not be! She raced through the palace, only to find that the gates were opening. She watched in astonishment. Slowly, almost reluctantly, the great gates yawned wider andwider.
Annelise ran for the opening. She could squeeze through the space even now and be free. She would flee this palace, seek her husband, even return to Beauvoir if shemust.
She was between the opening gates, one foot almost on the other side, when she saw the wolf. She halted in hersteps.
She had forgotten about the hungry wolves. This one paced restlessly, as though he waited for something. When Annelise inhaled sharply, the wolf fixed his gaze uponher.
He was waiting forher.
It made no sense. He was just a wolf, a beast incapable of reason, but his steadfast stare made shivers run down her spine. She recalled only too well the wolf that had chased her toward these cursedwalls.
Her heart stopped when she saw that this wolf also had one blue eye and one silver-gray.
It was the same beast that had chased her to thepalace.
Wolf and woman stared at each other for a moment that seemed to stretch to eternity. Annelise’s mouth had gone dry. She did not dare to run lest she provoke hisattack.
She took a cautious step backward towardsafety.
The wolf snarled and Annelise’s heart leaped to her throat. She hurried back, tripping over her own feet as the wolf boundedcloser.
“Close, gates,close!”she shouted. “Keep out thewolf!”
The gates, curse them, remainedajar.
Annelise ran through the garden as quickly as she could. She could hide behind something in the palace, climb atop a chest, barricade the stables, anything to save herlife.
When she reached the palace, she was surprised she had gotten so far before the wolf pounced upon her. Annelise paused and lookedback.
Only her own footprints marked the snow in the garden. There was no sign ofpursuit.
She saw the wolf pacing back and forth outside the open gates. He snarled, as though agitated, and Annelise grew curious as shewatched.
Why had he not pursuedher?
Perhaps he did not want to devourher.
What could hewant?
The wolf ceased his pacing as though he felt the weight of her gaze. He turned to her and, though he was some distance away, Annelise felt pinned to the spot by his regard. She could feel his stare, just as she felt that of her husband, even when she could not see hiseyes.
Unexpectedly, the wolf wagged histail.
He looked much less fearsome, then, and more like a dog seeking approval. Perhaps the beast did want something of her. Had she been anywhere else, Annelise might have questioned the sense of this thought, but it was clear this palace defied her expectations in manyways.
Perhaps he merely tried to lure her out into the forest because he could not enter the palace. She recalled the man-at-arms’ assertion that wolves werewily.
But, Annelise thought, if the wolf could not or would not enter the palace, she could simply ensure that she remained inside the gates. She could approach him, discover whether he wanted anything of her, yet remainsafe.
It seemed a sensible plan, even if it felt particularlybold.
Her heart was thundering by the time she reached the gates. The wolf did not even seem to blink as he watchedher.
“Do you desire something from me?” sheasked.
