The snow had already completely melted and the soil in the herb garden was saturated with moisture. The sun's rays were still weak. Nevertheless, it was a friendly day. Only a few fleecy clouds drifted across the sky. The settlement lay there peacefully. Smoke still billowed from the chimneys of the houses. The wood of the houses was now so darkened by the weather that it looked almost dirty. A few scattered chickens were running around on the road and pecking at the gravel.

The juniper stood tall and narrow against the fence. Gisel looked at its needles. The bush had survived the winter well. The mint and yarrow would also sprout again in spring. She would soon be going on forays with Katharina to collect new plants for the garden. This year, she also wanted to take care of the vegetable garden.

"Greetings, Gisel!"

The robin, which had just been sitting on the gate and chirping its little song, fluttered up. Gisel was startled out of her thoughts. She looked around.

The locator was sitting on Blitz, a few steps away from the fence on the circular road. He was no longer wearing his fur. His shoulders looked narrower, even if his stature was still stately.

"What do you say to that! The sun is finally shining again!" He laughed heartily.

"There's plenty to do in the garden again," Gisel replied. His presence unsettled her. What did he want? Why was he here? Until now, he had always called her when he wanted her to look after Blitz. Lorenz had gone into the forest to check on the traps. Gisel felt at the mercy of the locator's charm.

"As lovingly as you look after it, it will be the most beautiful and magnificent garden in the whole village!"

"It's good to be able to do something outdoors again after the long winter," was all she said. Gisel was flattered that he recognized her abilities and wasn't just alluding to her beauty.

"Yes, the winters can be long here!"

Blitz danced until the locator had to steer against it.

Gisel let out a sigh. "You get to freedom and still feel like you're in prison the whole time."

The locator was taken aback. "What do you mean? You can't go outside in winter."

"I felt like I was in a monastery! I was always locked up there too!"

The locator laughed out loud. "If I want to feel free, I'll go for a ride."

Gisel frowned. "I can't get along with our cows, they're too stubborn." After she said the sentence, she realized for herself how clumsy it sounded.

But the locator nodded without changing his expression. "And too long. Lightning doesn't have its name for nothing. Do you want to see why? I'll show you my favorite place. You'll love it!"

"Where?" asked Gisel.

"Down the Saußbach. It's a torrent gorge. It's overwhelming!" He pressed his thighs against Blitz, steered him a few steps towards Gisel and held out his hand to her. "Come on, get on!"

A torrent gorge. Gisel wanted to see it! She didn't know when Lorenz would be back. Gisel glanced furtively at Stephan and Agnes' house. No one seemed to be watching them. With any luck, he wouldn't notice the ride.

She gathered up her skirts and grabbed the locator's hand. Behind him, she climbed onto the horse's back.

Blitz galloped down the hill to the Saußbach stream. Wolfstein Castle lay to her right, with the Aigen behind her. Her hooves drummed over the ground, almost causing her to lose her balance. The rushing of the water could be heard from afar. The winter rye in the fields was slowly sprouting, but the dark brown of the fields still held the upper hand on the flatter parts of the mountain slopes.

Down by the stream, the locator steered the stallion onto a trail that was rocky and littered with withered needles. The water shimmered in the sun and flowed quickly through the narrow riverbed in the valley. Flowering willows stood on the banks, the ground was covered with a lush flora of herbs. The air smelled fresh and damp. On both sides, mountain slopes rose with spruce, beech and maple trees in various shades of green and brown.

Gisel pressed her body close to the locator's so as not to fall off the horse. This allowed her to compensate for the hard movements. His shirt rubbed roughly against her cheek, but she didn't mind. The proximity of the locator gave her something she had long missed. By now she craved the slightest human touch. Lorenz had a strange way of telling her that he cared.

Gisel sighed and clung to the locator's hips with both arms. She buried her nose in his shirt to soak up his scent.

When the path became too rugged and the branches became tighter and tighter, they both dismounted to continue on foot. The locator led Blitz ahead by the reins and used his sword to beat back the branches that reached into the path. A hazel grouse startled and fluttered away. Gisel walked in the shadow of the locator, letting her gaze wander and taking in the impressions.

The terrain became more rugged. The moss-covered rock rose up on the right, with rivulets of water making their way through the bare patches.

"Here it is! This is the spot." The locator stopped and turned to Gisel. He looked at her expectantly.

"How beautiful!" Gisel exclaimed.

A massive rock face towered in front of them, forming a natural bottleneck. A lizard, which had just been sunbathing, scampered across the bare rock between ferns and mosses. The stream roared loudly as it sought its way. The current was strong and where the water rushed over boulders and roots, it foamed up white.

How powerful nature could be! Gisel didn't want to take her eyes off the rushing stream. She smelled the fresh moisture and felt a cool breeze on her face. The wild beauty captured all her senses. She had never seen anything like it in her life!

The locator stepped behind her. "Did I promise you too much?"

Gisel turned and laughed exuberantly at him. "No, certainly not!"

Then he took her face in both hands and enjoyed her amazement. He leaned forward so that his breath tickled her nose. He gently placed his lips on hers and kissed her.

Gisel did not resist. She could no longer fight against his power of attraction. Her skin tingled under the touch of his hands.

"You ... You ...!" she breathed, her eyes closed so that she could feel him more intensely. She found it difficult to think clearly. Her heart was racing.

He wrapped his arms even tighter around her. She rested her head on his shoulder. They stood like that for a while. Then they sat down on a stone and stared down into the gurgling water.

"Do you know that I thought you were beautiful from the very first moment?" Elias asked without looking at Gisel. He picked up a pebble and threw it into the water.

"Really?" Gisel felt the heat rising inside her.

"But that alone is not enough. You're a fascinating woman. You know what you want and you won't let go until you get it." There was admiration in his voice.

Gisel didn't know what to say. The locator was the most powerful man in the village. And she was a former serf. He flattered her, but she looked down in embarrassment.

"You have to see where you end up," she said briefly.

This was followed by a silence. Finally, Elias changed the subject.

"There's a legend about this place by the stream. Do you want to hear it?"

Gisel raised her head. "Yes, I'd love to!" She loved legends. He had kept the fact that Elias was a storyteller a secret until now. She looked at him, spellbound.

"A miller's daughter once lived nearby. She had blonde curls and cornflower-blue eyes and was so enchanting that word of her beauty quickly spread throughout the area. Even an evil sorceress found out about it. Full of envy, she cast a spell on the girl.

However, the count's only son grew up on Wolfstein. He often hunted right here, at this spot where the water forces its way through the gorge. One day he got tired and fell asleep under a tree. The beautiful miller's daughter appeared to him in a dream.

'Young huntsman,' she said to him. 'Please save me! I've been sleeping here for a hundred years. Come tomorrow morning and do as you are told. Otherwise I'll have to spend another hundred years enchanted here!

The young lady disappeared and the earl's son woke up. The next morning, he visited the same spot again. An adder with a golden crown on its head slithered towards him.

'Kiss me,' she whispered.

The earl's son hesitated, but overcame his disgust and kissed the viper. The beautiful miller's daughter immediately stood before him and he made her his wife.

But his father, the Count of Wolfstein, was furious and disinherited his son. Full of defiance, he took his wife and rode away from the castle. He became a robber baron, feared throughout the land. Many a mule train on the Böhmerweg fell victim to him. His wife, disguised as a lansquenet, helped him with the raids.

One day, knights from the Bishop of Passau captured the robber couple. They demanded a high ransom from the count. The old man ransomed him, but immediately cast out the son. The miller's daughter, on the other hand, was burned at the stake.

The son was granted one last wish. He asked for his wife, put her on the horse in front of him and jumped with her over the rocks of the castle down into the Saußbach. There they met their miserable end.

Their cries can still be heard here today as a double echo. But in the pitch-black night you can see them among the white will-o'-the-wisps. If you see one, ask God for the salvation of this poor soul!"

Gisel felt a shiver run down her spine. She looked around furtively. This was where it had happened? This was exactly where the count's son and his wife had met this gruesome end? She pressed herself close to Elias. How tragic! If she saw one of the will-o'-the-wisps, she would pray for the poor soul. But now she would always be afraid if she had to go to the Saußbach alone!

Elias broke away from Gisel and stood up. He looked down at her and smiled. "We should ride back. Not that we'll be missed!" He held his hand out to her and pulled her up.

Then he took a few steps down the path to check on Blitz.

They made their way back. The white horse's hooves clattered on the rock.

Gisel looked around again. She noticed a crevice that stood out from the rock face in a deep black color and tapered upwards. Dry branches hung over it, not yet sprouting. "There's a cave!" she shouted.

Elias did not react.

Gisel stopped and squinted. Something was moving there! Behind the bushes, on the wall - a dark, large shadow. She shuddered. Perhaps it was the martyred ghost of the miller's pretty daughter! Gripped by fear, she turned away and hurried to catch up with Elias. He had already gone a little way ahead.

"Oh, just a squirrel or a rabbit that has cast a long shadow with its ears!" Gisel reassured herself. But she could hardly believe it herself.

A few days after the trip, Elias sent his assistant Curt to Lorenz's house to fetch Gisel.

Lorenz sat at the table and looked up. "What does he want?"

Curt seemed embarrassed. "I think it's because of lightning," he said curtly. Gisel's face flushed. "I'm coming!" She grabbed routi-

her bag of medicines and left the house.

The two of them walked silently across the meadow. The traces of winter were still visible. The grass grew in sparse clumps, the flowers inconspicuous in between. Bees hummed softly.

"He's waiting in the parlor," Curt said and held the door open for Gisel.

"Aren't you going inside?"

Curt shook his head. "I'm busy in the field." He pressed his pale lips together.

Gisel felt uneasy. What did Curt know? This much was certain: he clearly didn't agree with what he knew.

Inside, the locator was sitting at the table. "Gisel!" he exclaimed, striding towards her with his arms outstretched. He was wearing his red shirt and leather leg warmers.

"You shouldn't have brought me here!" Gisel hissed. "What was Lorenz supposed to think?"

The locator pulled her close and kissed her fiercely. "I had to see you!"

But she resisted and broke free from his embrace. She demanded confirmation of her suspicions from the locator. "Does Curt know?" she asked.

The locator did not respond. Instead, he turned around and poured some wine. "Here, drink! It'll calm you down!"

Gisel took the goblet and moistened her lips with the liquid. It tasted deliciously sweet. Her eyes fell on the locator's armor. She put the goblet down and walked over. She stroked the rings of the chain mail with the tip of her finger. How cold they felt! Next to it stood a round shield on a three-legged stand with a bear on it, its paws stretched upwards.

Elias approached her from behind. "The armor comes from Bohemia. Only the shield bears the coat of arms of my family."

He embraced Gisel from behind, ran his hand over her chest and kissed her neck.

Gisel groaned. "I'm married!" she squeezed out.

"Forgive me, I can't help it!" He pressed his loins against her.

"No, stop, that's going too far!" Gisel tried to resist, but Elias tightened his grip. The more she resisted, the more her desire grew. Heat. Passion. She shuddered. All of a sudden, she could associate these words with a feeling! Just his touch on her breast made her shiver.

Elias picked her up, carried her to the bearskin in front of the fire and laid her down carefully. He pushed up her skirt. He stroked the places that made her moan with pleasure.

She slipped her hands under his shirt, feeling the smooth muscles of his upper body. Then she felt something hard. A pendant.

"What's that?" she wanted to know.

Elias pulled it out of his collar. "This is Perun, the thunder god of the Slavs."

Gisel took the figurine and turned it in her hand to look at it. It was colorfully painted and shone gold. She was wearing Slavic armor.

Elias slipped the ribbon with the figure over his head and put it around Gisel's neck. "But you may only use his name in an extreme emergency, do you understand?"

She nodded seriously. Now she was hanging next to the wedding coin, she thought for a moment. But then Elias kissed her again. They rolled around on the bearskin and he loved her more deeply than Lorenz had ever loved her before.

She didn't allow herself to lie in his arms for long. Suddenly she was plagued by guilt. Oh my goodness, what had she done!

She straightened up, smoothed out her dress and picked up her hood, which had slipped off her head on the bearskin. Without looking back, she ran outside. "I have to get home!"

"Greetings, Gisel!"

Gisel was deeply shocked when she ran into Hartmut. The hood she had tried to tie on as she ran sailed to the ground. She bent down to pick it up.

Hartmut ran his finger through Gisel's curls. "Fire red. Like a sorceress. Your hood must have fallen off. How unseemly."

Gisel pulled herself up and pushed Hartmut aside. "Leave me alone!" she hissed. She hurriedly ran across the green and stuffed her hair under her hood with trembling fingers.

The landscape blossomed. With the wood anemones, orchids, alpine bells and daisies, the settlers also came back to life. At last, the sun's rays tickled Gisel's skin, the wind was no longer bitterly cold and the birds were singing in the trees. The snow melted and the ground thawed.

But the horror of the first winter in Aigen ran deep. Night after night, Gisel woke up in a cold sweat from terrifying nightmares. As soon as the ground allowed, the settlers dug caves under their houses. Here they could hide in case of another attack and conceal some of their belongings. When the settlers felt safer again, Count Johann von Hals withdrew the guards.

She never met Elias again. In the early days after her visit with him, she had often looked out of the window with a palpitating heart. She had occasionally seen him riding past with Curt. But he didn't send for her. Elias was a dutiful man. He was probably as conscience-stricken as she was. By now she doubted that he still desired her. There were more beautiful and unmarried ladies in the castles he rode to. Lorenz, however, was still cold and dismissive. And so Gisel felt even lonelier than before the ride with the locator.

At least the weather allowed Gisel to go to the river again to do some washing. The sun tickled her nose and warmed her limbs.

As she was hanging the washing on the line on one of these spring days, someone covered her eyes from behind. Was it Lorenz? Or was it Elias? Gisel's heart was beating wildly against her chest. She hadn't even noticed that someone had approached her. The hands were chunky and rough. They were her husband's.

"Lorenz, is that you?" she asked uncertainly.

"No, I'm not Lorenz. I'm a mighty forest gnome who has just torn three large fir trees out of the ground with his terrifying strength!"

It was unmistakably Lorenz's bright voice. Gisel expelled the air. Was she disappointed that it wasn't Elias? She did Lorenz a favor and laughed at his joke.

Lorenz grabbed her from behind and spun her through the air. Then he tickled her so that she could no longer hold on. She fell to the ground laughing.

"Stop it, you mighty forest gnome! I surrender!" gasped Gisel.

Lorenz sat on her and pressed her wrists to the ground. He bent over her face. He was grinning! After all those winter months of hiding in his shell, he finally turned his grumpy face into a laugh!

"Do you know that you're not only beautiful, but also clever?" Now he looked as mischievous as before.

"Like this?" Gisel asked cautiously. Day in, day out, she had hoped that Lorenz would look at her the way he did now. But then the accident with Elias had happened. Since then, she had only been able to think of him, of his soft hair, his firm chest, his breath on her ear. Now she felt restlessness above all.

"The locator asked for you!"

"He asked about me?" Gisel's lower jaw dropped. A cold shiver ran down her spine. The lust, the desire she had experienced with Elias, flashed through her like lightning once again. And then an abysmal fear. Was it that far now? Was everything going to blow up? What did Lorenz know? Would she now receive her just punishment as an adulteress?

"Yes, he praised your healing skills." Pride resonated in Lorenz's voice. Gisel turned her face away. This was a farce! She tried to cover up the slip-up with Elias, but he didn't even think about hiding his feelings!

But Lorenz jumped up. "Look what I found for you in the forest today!" He picked up a sack and took something out of it. It was a mistletoe. It was a symbolic plant of fertility. Its elongated leaves were thick, almost leathery. There were inconspicuous flowers on the upper leaf spikes.

"Maybe we'll have a child soon!" Lorenz's eyes lit up.

Gisel swallowed. Lorenz desperately wanted to have children. He had mentioned it several times. But that was the last thing Gisel wanted to think about now!

She was pleased that Lorenz was finally coming back to life. It was nice to see him laughing again. He radiated the warmth that Gisel had missed for so long. But it also gave her a stab in the heart. She couldn't get the matter with Elias out of her mind. It should never have happened! She was torn. She hadn't spoken to Elias since she had visited him at his house after the ride. Sure, he was a busy man. But Gisel couldn't help feeling that he was avoiding her. There was no point in plunging into such a love affair for either of them. Where would such a thing lead? She was a married woman and he was the leader of the village. They had committed a sin. Gisel was ashamed of herself. What had she done to Lorenz! When they had been through so much together and had built up so much together!

"A beautiful mistletoe!" she now said and hugged Lorenz.

As she looked over his shoulder, she furrowed her brow. Elias kept the settlers together and ensured their safety. She would have to stay out of his way. So why did he speak so effusively in front of Lorenz? What was Elias trying to achieve?

Gisel's temples throbbed and her head ached. She felt for the ribbon around her neck. Hidden under her woolen dress next to the half coin was the Slavic god Perun. She was not afraid that Lorenz would discover the pendant. Whether it was because he was too modest or out of clumsiness, she had never fully exposed herself to her husband. Under

the layers of fabric of the dress and undergarment, the figure was barely palpable.

The year took a promising course. Gisel was already able to harvest turnips and radishes from her vegetable garden. The first chicks were hatching among the neighbors, little piglets were crowding around the mother sows in the stables and the brown-spotted calves were suckling on their mother's udders in the pastures. Fortunately, the Slavs had not been able to take all the animals with them, and so they multiplied magnificently again.

The villagers were able to fill their storehouses with grain from the market and still had one or two treasures left to trade for something Lorenz could make for them. They had been able to see for themselves from the locator the quality of Lorenz's furniture and wooden utensils. The demand for his products flourished, which meant that he could barely keep up despite his hard work. Jakob came and ordered the wooden housing for a machine that could shred a large amount of straw.

Stephan asked for a ladder wagon. "One with sloping rungs so that I can bring in the hay, do you understand?"

Despite the flourishing business, Lorenz and Gisel were still on shaky economic ground and so he also had to cultivate the fields and maintain the house.

The more indispensable Lorenz became as a craftsman in the village community, the more his reputation grew. Everyone greeted Lorenz and Gisel in a friendly manner as they strolled along the street on Sundays coming from the fair in Waldkirchen. Gisel would soon have to buy fabric for more elegant clothing. The settlers' reservations towards the townspeople seemed to have faded. This gave Lorenz and Gisel a new lease of life. Only Hartmut remained an exception. He pressed his lips together or spat out loud when he walked past them.

On the next market day, Gisel set off with Lorenz, Jakob and Katharina early in the morning just after sunrise on the long journey to Waldkirchen. The fog still hung heavy in the valleys, but the night had been clear and it promised to be a sunny day.

They marched along the hollow paths that had been deeply carved over time. To the left and right, the rain had washed free the intertwined, arm-thick roots. The treetops touched each other above the path and formed a green canopy.

At a fork in the road, they passed a cart with a broken axle. The farmer, a sturdy man, lay underneath and looked at the damage. His two sons, adolescents with dirty faces and disheveled hair, stood by and waited for their father's orders.

"Can we help?" asked Lorenz.

"It's not the first time, we'll manage!" sighed the farmer, without crawling out from under the wagon.

Lorenz had built a single-axle wagon especially for the market walks, which was small and maneuverable. This made it easy to maneuver on the uneven paths to Waldkirchen. Wooden bowls, bowls, spoons and crucifixes, which Lorenz had carved in winter, rattled on it.

Gisel was excited because the market was always a special event. She loved looking at the fabrics, spices, jewelry and clothes that the traders had laid out in boxes and on cloths in the square.

There were many visitors from the surrounding area. They were very interested in Lorenz's wares. And so they were quickly sold - the stool to a gentleman in a gray coat, the rake to a farmer with a goat on a rope, the wooden bowls to a mother and her three small children. In the end, his leather bag was bulging with coins.

Around midday, they met Jakob and Katharina, who had bought tallow and a barrel of beer, at the ox roaster on the edge of the market square. The cook was roasting the meat on a large spit over the fire and cutting pieces off for the guests. Tables had been set up under an oak tree, from which the gray wood was already splintering. The four of them sat down on the benches: Gisel next to Lorenz and opposite Katharina and Jakob.

Gisel watched the goings-on with excitement. Although she knew it by now, she always found it exciting. Mule drivers passed by with their horses, mothers with children, farmers heading home with full carts.

Lorenz took a deep draught from the beer mug. When he put it down again, he exhaled loudly through his mouth. He leaned back and stroked his stomach with satisfaction. He had regained color in his face, even if his skin now looked leathery and weather-beaten.

Where two jugglers were walking through the crowd, she suddenly saw Hartmut. He bumped into the passers-by without apologizing. Now he stumbled and grabbed hold of a burly man who shouted something angrily at him. Hartmut pulled himself up and continued walking. His beard was longer than usual and unkempt, the top buttons of his shirt were undone so that his flat chest flashed out. He walked around the table, stopped behind Lorenz and put a hand on his shoulder.

Lorenz turned to him with a surprised look on his face. "Hartmut, what do you want?"

"Mr. Lorenz from Passau." Hartmut lifted his chin mockingly. He hooked his thumb under his belt.

Gisel could smell the beer on his breath. Hartmut was drunk.

"You've done well in your first year. You're taking money out of our pockets with your junk and the others are stupid enough to buy it!"

"Hartmut!" Jakob looked at him with narrowed eyebrows.

"Lorenz has already helped you, haven't you forgotten? When the boar attacked you?"

Hartmut grimaced. "I would never have accepted the help of this braggart on my own. We people from the forest can help ourselves! Why are you siding with him? We forest folk have to stick together." He stared hostilely at Jacob.

Slowly, Jakob straightened up to his full height. They were both of the same stature, but Jakob towered over Hartmut by half a head.

"You should know better by now!"

Hartmut expelled the air through his nose. "Ha, what am I supposed to know better? That he wouldn't have made it through the first winter without our help? That the seed in the fields wouldn't have come up? Or that his cows would have died because he wouldn't have known how to wring the milk out of the udders? And the poisoner? She even cast a spell on the locator. She recently stormed out of his house with her hair down and her hood in her hand! She's probably doing it with him!"

"That's a lie!" Gisel turned around and glared at Hartmut. Her voice cracked.

Lorenz stood up. His head was bright red. "What nonsense are you talking about!" he shouted at Hartmut.

Gisel sat back down on the bench, ducked down next to her husband and clung to the tabletop. Her eyes widened as she watched the men.

Jakob stepped out of the bench and in front of Hartmut. "Calm down! Lorenz and Gisel are with us. They have suffered through the winter with us, worked side by side with us in the fields. If you offend them, you offend us!"

Hartmut pushed Jakob in the chest. He staggered back a step, bumped dully against the corner of the bench and just managed to hold on to the table.

"Don't tell me what to do!" hissed Hartmut through his teeth. Now Katharina intervened. "Go home and sleep your

Intoxication off!"

Hartmut glanced angrily in their direction, hesitated for a moment, then unexpectedly lunged at Jakob and tried to knock him down. "You traitor! Stabbing your own people in the back!"

Jacob took a few steps back.

Lorenz came up behind him. He grabbed Hartmut by the collar. Jakob caught himself again and hit Hartmut in the stomach with his fist. He doubled over, panting. His face contorted with hatred, he looked up at Jakob.

Lorenz put Hartmut in a headlock. He could no longer move. He spat in Jakob's face.

Jacob flinched back. Then he wiped his spit off with his sleeve. He took another swing and slapped Hartmut on the cheek so loudly that it clapped. "Now get out!" he ordered him.

Hartmut retreated into the fray like an injured animal.

Gisel rushed to Lorenz and put her hand around his arm. "Has something happened to you?" She had actually been afraid for him.

Lorenz brushed her hand away. "I'm fine," he said gruffly.

Jakob sat down again and picked up his beer mug. "Well, he won't dare to do it again so soon!" He looked at Gisel with a serious expression.

"Sorry, sometimes people here are quite unruly."

Gisel ducked his head. Hartmut was a monster. But she herself was no better.

On the way home, Lorenz and Gisel walked a little behind the others. Lorenz led the cow with the cart. He had oiled the wheels before the journey, but now they were squeaking again.

They had just passed a small chapel when Lorenz broke the unbearable silence. "Tell me, what did Hartmut mean when he said you came out of the locator's house without a hood?"

Gisel gasped for air. Her face grew hot. She considered every word she said. "I was examining his horse. She was in the way."

Lorenz squeezed his breath through his teeth. "What kind of excuse is that! How is your hood supposed to get in the way?"

"I crawled under Blitz's belly and she fell down!"

Lorenz grabbed Gisel by the arm and turned her around to face him. "Don't lie to me!" he groaned.

Startled, Gisel shook his head. "I'm not lying. Lorenz, please believe me, I'm not lying!"

But Lorenz did not let up. He grabbed Gisel hard by the chin and pierced her with his gaze. "Was there something between you?"

"No, there was nothing! Really not!"

He abruptly let go of her, causing her to stumble backwards. "If it comes out that my wife is getting it on with the locator, you're in for a treat!"

Gisel scrambled to her feet, grabbed a handful of earth and threw it at Lorenz. "How can you believe this drunkard over me?"

Lorenz threw his arms up protectively. Then he lowered them again and glared at Gisel. Finally, he turned away. "Come home with me," he growled and set off again.

Gisel swallowed. If the truth came out, then at worst he would disown her. And at best? All the blood drained from Gisel's face. No, the truth must never be allowed to come out!

Lorenz and Gisel walked side by side for the rest of the march. Gisel could hardly bear his silence. At the beginning, she had tried to engage him in conversation. She pointed to a beautiful poppy flower or a funny cloud shape in the sky. She tried to

she started to laugh and sound cheerful. But Lorenz remained stubborn and didn't say a word. Only the cart squeaked and sometimes the cow stopped and ate the grass from the side of the road. Lorenz had to drive her with the whip.

"Heda!" he called out, "Go on!"

They reached the Aigen shortly before it got dark. The sun's rays colored the wood of the huts red and the fog rolled in from the lowlands.

Lorenz and Gisel said goodbye to their friends without saying a word. They must have overheard the argument, but they didn't interfere and went to their house with a greeting. That was between the couple.

Gisel stopped rooted to the spot on the circular road, screamed and pointed over to the house with a trembling finger. "Look, Lorenz!"

Lorenz looked at the front door. A chicken was hanging from the door beam, a rope around its neck. Its eyes stared brokenly, its beak wide open. Lorenz rushed over and tried to untie the animal. The rope was heavily knotted. Lorenz had to run under the chicken into the house and get a sharp knife to cut the animal from the beam.

Lorenz and Gisel stood on the ground in front of the dead bird and stared at it. The cow behind them mooed impatiently.

"How long do you think the chicken has been dead?" Her blood sank. Suddenly she had other things to worry about.

"It's still warm," Lorenz replied briefly.

"What do you mean? Was that Hartmut?" Her voice sounded brittle. Of course it had been Hartmut. What else did she ask!

With narrowed eyes, Lorenz looked over to his house. Nothing was moving there. "I think so!" He took the chicken by the collar and marched straight over.

"Hartmut!" he called as he walked. "Hartmut!"

Gisel ran after him. She briefly thought about the cow on the road, but it would have to wait.

Lorenz hammered on the door with his fist. "Open up, you filthy bastard!"

Hartmut actually opened the door. The pale, round face of Maria appeared behind him.

"Go into the house! Go easy on the child," Hartmut ordered his wife, pointing to the big belly under her linen dress. She looked at Lorenz curiously. Then she turned around silently and obeyed her husband.

"What do you want here?" asked Hartmut. His voice sounded gruff. His cheek was swollen.

Lorenz held the chicken in front of his face. "That was you! It was hanging on our doorframe!" Lorenz screamed with rage.

The other settlers came running and gathered around the strikers. Katharina stood there with her mouth open, Jakob scratched his head. Agnes, Ingrid, Stephan and Christian put their heads together and whispered.

The accusation left Hartmut cold. "Me? How could I have done that? I've only just come back from Waldkirchen!" He pointed at Gisel. "It was probably your own wife! The poisoner! I've seen her sneaking around Chris- tian's house before and his cow was dead the next morning."

"That's right!" Ingrid stepped forward and nodded affirmatively. "She was still completely healthy the day before!"

"You see?" shouted Hartmut. "A Šumava cow doesn't die that easily. She's tough!"

"Who knows what kind of harmful magic this bungler has brought with her from the city!" Agnes added, hands on her hips. She

wrinkled his nose. "Who else would be stupid enough to move to the Bohemian Forest without any agricultural knowledge?"

Stephan took a step in front of his wife. Christian looked down, Jakob rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, ready to intervene at any time.

"That's right!" exclaimed Ingrid. "I've also seen Gisel dancing in the forest under a full moon!"

Christian tried to pull her back, putting his finger to his mouth.

But Ingrid brushed it off. "Leave me alone! Or are you going to defend the witch too?" Her voice cracked and her face turned blood-red.

For God's sake! Gisel's nerves were on edge. What was happening here? Were the inhabitants attacking her now? Someone had to hold them back! She looked over at Lorenz. He was still standing there with the lifeless animal in his hand, his lower lip pushed forward. He seemed indecisive.

"What's wrong with you, Lorenz? Are you still siding with your wife? Everyone knows she's getting it on with the locator!" Ingrid nagged.

Lorenz looked around, then at his wife. Doubt was written all over his face. "I'm going to..."

He didn't get any further. Because Elias and Curt came running across the Anger.

Elias clapped his hands loudly to bring the settlers to their senses.

"What's all this fighting about? Make sure you all get home now!" he shouted from afar.

Katharina ran after the two of them. Gisel hadn't even noticed that she had disappeared. She must have fetched the locator.

Stephan pulled Agnes away with him. Christian and Ingrid also went back to their house.

Gisel looked at Elias. She had only seen him from a distance over the last few weeks. When they said goodbye, he had stood there bare-chested and kissed her gently. Now he had a serious expression and looked as businesslike as a settler leader should. She took her eyes off Elias and turned to Hartmut. He had disappeared.

"Where's that bastard gone?" Lorenz exclaimed, searching the meadow behind the house with narrowed eyes. "I'll pay him back!"

Jakob put his hand on Lorenz's arm. "Relax, friend," he said.

"We'll get him yet!"

Elias, on the other hand, made a worried face. "I'll go to the count first thing tomorrow and ask for a priest!"

Lorenz hurled the chicken against Hartmut's house with a thud and grabbed Gisel by the arm.

Once home, Lorenz remained silent again.

"Talk to me!" Gisel begged, but Lorenz gave her the cold shoulder. Gisel put on her nightgown and got into bed, waiting for Lorenz to come. He did, but only to get his blanket. He rolled himself up in front of the fireplace and blew out the candle.

Without Lorenz by her side, Gisel now felt so lonely that she could hardly stand it. Lorenz's regular breathing reached her ear. She touched the medallions around her neck. She hadn't yet had the heart to throw away the pendant with the Slavic god. Her eyes were burning. Tears rolled down her cheeks and seeped into the pillow. She wrapped her arms around her body and rocked herself to sleep.

Elias shivered. He had just been summoned from the cold morning air of the castle courtyard to Count Johann von Hals' hunting room. It was not the first time Elias had been here. Time and again, the

The magnificent room made an impression on him. On the wall opposite the open fireplace hung a large carpet with hunting scenes. There were horsemen with a large pack of dogs chasing a wolf, a knight with a drawn sword going after a bear and in another place someone aiming a bow and arrow at a stag. The wall above the fireplace, however, was decorated with at least a dozen hunting trophies, mainly stags and boars. There were also a few taxidermied fish among them. The count sat in the armchair in front of the fireplace, his feet buried in a bearskin.

He was dressed in a blue velvet tunic. The shirt underneath was red with a golden pattern. His cap had a black brim and a gemstone on the front. The fur was held together over his shoulder with a clasp. A deep wrinkle was etched into the count's energetic face with its blond-gray beard.

Elias looked at the stag's head above the door. Its antlers were the most imposing of all. The dark eyes stared into space like black obsidians.

"It really wasn't easy to deal with," said Count Johann. There was pride in his deep bass voice. "Even had one of my dogs on his conscience!"

Elias should have asked a question now. Which weapon the count had used to kill the stag, or where the hunt had taken place, for example. But he didn't feel like talking and so he didn't give the count the opportunity to tell him about his heroic deeds.

"Well, so quiet today?" asked Johann, turning to Elias.

He sucked in his breath and then got straight to the point. "We need a priest."

The count frowned. "Are there problems in Aigen? But it's quite a small settlement. Isn't it enough if the vicar in Waldkirchen serves you?"

Elias shook his head. "That's not possible, sir. The settlers need spiritual guidance. Otherwise they'll bang their heads." Nervous

he stroked his sword pommel. He was afraid for Gisel. Afraid that something would happen to her. He couldn't always be there to protect her, as he had been with the rooster. And he didn't want to imagine what might happen to her. The settlers needed someone to strengthen them in their community and to drive the fluff out of their heads.

"So," said Count Johann. "The matter seems to beimportant to you. Then I'll just writea letter to the prince-bishop." He sat down at his desk and sharpened thequill of his pen with a knife.