Chapter Fourteen

Anything to Help

Jakob groaned as he suddenly tipped backward and his head collided with the ground. There was a yelp and then hands slipped beneath his skull, lifting him into a sitting position again.

"Jakob, are you alright?" asked a frantic voice. "What are you doing out here?"

Jakob blinked and managed to open his eyes to see Angelika hovering at his side, her face white with worry. He groaned again and looked around, surprised to find himself sitting on his doorstep. The sky was vaguely pink in the west, signifying sunrise. His body ached and he was shivering with cold.

"Jakob?" Angelika asked fearfully.

"I–" Pain flared in his neck and he choked and fell silent, his hand lifting to his throat carefully. Angelika saw the movement and glanced at his skin before a quiet curse escaped her.

"Mein Gott, what happened to you?" she asked, tilting his chin up to examine the bruises. "These are hand-prints Who did this?" When Jakob scowled but didn't answer Angelika gasped. "No, not Wilhelm?" Jakob jerked his head in a shallow semblance of a nod. "Oh Jakob…"

Fifteen minutes later the couple was inside, Angelika serving him a warm drink while Jakob miserably recounted the story hoarsely. Angelika was as horrified by the turn in events as Jakob was, perhaps more so because she could see the toll it had taken on her husband. The two overlapping, hand-shaped bruises across his neck were bold on his paled skin and there was a long but shallow scrape that spanned the left side of his face from being thrown onto the street. The worst damage, however, wasn't on the outside.

"There has to be something I can do," Jakob said, staring morosely into the contents of his cup. "Something to help him. Anything."

Angelika remained silent, not sure what to say. As much as she didn't want to admit it, it seemed like Wilhelm was beyond help. There was only one person he would even talk to anymore and she…

"Lorita," Angelika gasped suddenly, making Jakob look up. "She visits Wilhelm every day. You have to warn her, let her know what happened before she goes there so she can be ready."

Jakob instantly stood up, seeing a chance. Wilhelm listened to Lorita, maybe she could help them. He dressed in clean clothes and headed for the door but Angelika stopped him, a wool scarf in her hands. "If the village sees those bruises, they will know who made them," she explained as she wrapped the scarf gingerly around his neck. "They are already wary of him. If they see he will hurt even you now, they might turn against him and then who knows what will happen."

"Thank you, Briar Rose," Jakob said and kissed her forehead. "I will be home soon." He headed across town toward the inn at a fast walk, trying to act casual as he returned the greetings called at him. There were a few curious glances at his scarf but no one said anything about it.

"Morning Mister Grimm," the innkeeper said when Jakob entered the barroom. "Can I get you something?"

"Has Lorita come down yet?" Jakob asked.

"Not that I've seen," the barman answered. "You can go on up to her room and check if you like. Room four." Jakob thanked him and went up the staircase. At the door he knocked and was answered by a set of nearly inaudible footsteps before Lorita opened the door.

"Oh, Jakob, good morning," Lorita said, her surprise evident.

"Can I come in?" Jakob asked, not wanting to be overheard. Lorita nodded and stepped back so he could come in. Once the door was shut, Lorita turned on him.

"Alright Jake, what's going on?" she asked, planting her fists on her hips. Coming from someone who looked like a child the position was comical, and had it been any other time Jakob would have laughed. Instead, his calm façade faded to reveal his worry.

"I came to warn you, Will's getting much worse." As he said this he pulled off his scarf and Lorita took a step back.

"No, he didn't," Lorita said, her hands covering her mouth and she shook her head. "He couldn't have." Jakob gave a heavy sigh and sank onto a nearby chair. He knew his legs wouldn't support him through yet another retelling of the story. Lorita pulled a second chair up beside him, watching with wide eyes as he slowly described Wilhelm's behaviour.

"She's stolen his heart?" Lorita choked incredulously.

"That's what he says," Jakob said.

Lorita's eyes narrowed slightly. "You don't believe him?"

Jakob looked over at her in surprise. "Well, no, how could I? It's impossible. How could she have taken his heart out of his body?"

"How can he still be alive but have no heartbeat? How could he have a gaping wound in his stomach that never bled? What could possibly drive him to avoid his family? What could make him hurt you, of all people? How could a thousand-year-old witch have been kidnapping young girls to bring back her youth?" Lorita paused and gave him a meaningful look. "Jakob, what in your life has ever led you to believe that anything is impossible? You used to be the one willing to believe that anything could be magical. You believed me when no one else would. But ever since William got sick, you won't believe in even the most obvious magic. What changed?"

"Will did," Jakob said. "He talks nothing but nonsense and it just can't be true. There has to be a logical – "

He was cut off as Lorita let out a bright laugh. "Logical? Now there is a word I never thought I'd hear you use. Jake, just because Will is no longer being the doubter doesn't mean you should start. You might get more accomplished together if you are finally on the same page." She surveyed him and added with a smile, "Besides, doubt doesn't suit you."

Jakob stared down at the floor for a long minute and when he finally looked up his eyes were red. "Lorita, I... thank you."

Lorita smiled and patted his shoulder. "That's what friends are for. Now go home and get some sleep. You look like you haven't slept in weeks. I'll go talk to Will. And I'll be careful," she added when Jakob's gaze became concerned. The younger Grimm thanked her once more and, after wrapping his neck in the scarf again, returned home.

Just after he'd left Lorita did as well, but headed in the opposite direction toward Wilhelm's house. She left Baldwinn asleep in her room because being around Wilhelm always made the little fox anxious. The neighbours watched her apprehensively as she approached the door, but she just smiled cheerfully at them and knocked.

"Go away, Jake," came the growl from the other side.

"It's me," she said and there was a shuffle of steps from inside. The door opened and although she couldn't see Wilhelm she entered. Once she was inside the door closed and she realized Wilhelm had been standing behind it so he wouldn't be seen from outside. Even in the semi-darkness she could see why.

Wilhelm's skin was bleached white but beneath his eyes were black rings so wide he looked as though he'd been in a fight. There were lines of dark red beneath his mouth and nose, the same colour as his left forearm, where she could see an ominous wound. A few designs of black could be seen on his arms but Lorita couldn't tell what they were in this poor lighting.

"I thought you were Jake come back again," Wilhelm said in a voice even hoarser than his brother's. "He was here last night."

"So I heard," Lorita said. The change that overcame Wilhelm at this was astounding. His body began shaking and with a look of guilt on his face he slumped onto the floor. Lorita hurried to kneel at his side.

"I didn't mean to do it," Wilhelm sobbed. "I didn't mean to hurt him, but he wouldn't listen. She wants me to kill him, Lorita. I tried to tell him but he won't listen. I had to make him leave before she made me kill him. She can do it. She has my heart."

Lorita rubbed his shoulder, disturbed by how well she could feel the bones. Wilhelm had looked bad the morning before but it seemed that his condition had worsened ten-fold overnight. She found herself wondering how he'd had the strength to throw Jakob out when he looked as though he couldn't stand on his own.

"So that's why you can't feel it beat," Lorita said slowly. The look of desperate hope and relief on Wilhelm's face was heartbreaking.

"You believe me?" he asked breathlessly.

"Of course," Lorita said and squeezed his shoulder. "I always do." She paused and then added, "And so does Jakob. He believes you, he's just – he's scared." Wilhelm looked sceptical and muttered something that sounded very much like, "beans," but he nodded. Lorita shook her head sadly and then stood up. "Come on, Will, we should clean you up a bit. You look like a corpse." Wilhelm grimaced and she murmured, "Sorry. Honestly though, come on."

Wilhelm groaned but he allowed her to pull him to his feet. She walked him to the chair by his desk and then parted the curtains slightly so she could see him better. Wilhelm flinched away from the light, pressing his eyes shut.

"Just because you don't want to be near Jake doesn't mean you shouldn't see the sun once in a while," she chided, walking back to him.

"I don't want to be seen like this," Wilhelm said darkly.

"I didn't say you had to go outside," Lorita said and shrugged, reaching for his arm. Wilhelm tried to pull away but she grabbed his wrist and forced him to turn his arm over so she could examine the wound. "But you could open those curtains every once in a while. You might look less like a ghost if you do. What happened here?" She traced a finger around the circular opening in his arm and he scowled. With the other hand he reached across and lifted the crimson-stained quill from the desk. Lorita's eyes widened in horror.

"She made me do it," he hissed quietly, turning his face away from her questioning glance. "With my heart, she can control me. She told me to hurt myself and that's what happened."

"Why do you believe me?" he asked.

Lorita stared at him curiously, thinking over the answer while she wiped the dried blood from his face. Wilhelm scowled at the action and she smiled in return. When she'd finally set the cloth aside she perched herself on his desk. "Why shouldn't I?" she asked.

"You don't really know me that well. We've never really gotten along the greatest. And it's all so ridiculous. I know what I'm saying sounds impossible, it's not like I don't understand that. But why do you believe it?"

Lorita shrugged. "If there's one person in the world who would believe that there are unexplainable magicks in the world, it would be me," she said simply. "I mean, I was born from a tree, Will. It doesn't get much stranger than that. Well, alright, having your heart disappear from your chest might be a bit stranger. Still, I understand what it's like to tell the truth and have no one believe you."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Wilhelm said thoughtfully. "I'm still not saying that I believe you," he added with a muted smile. "I still think you're just a know-it-all kid."

Lorita smiled at this. "I should think you would prefer to think I am older," she observed. "Otherwise you are often being outsmarted by a child. What a disgrace."

"I always hate it when you make a good point. Very well, I concede. Be a faerie woman for all I care." For the first time in weeks there was a genuine smile on Wilhelm's face, small as it may be.

"You say that like it's a choice," Lorita commented with a laugh. "Fine, perhaps I will." They sat in a contented silence for a while before Wilhelm finally broke the quiet.

"It is strange how comforting you are when you do nothing but drive me mad," he said in a light tone but there was something more sincere beneath it that caught Lorita's attention. "I've always wondered, why do you always visit me?"

"For the same reason that I am the only person you will talk normally to," she replied without pausing to think. Wilhelm was baffled by this.

"I don't know why that is," he admitted, making Lorita smile.

"Neither do I," she said. "Maybe I get enjoyment from driving you mad. Maybe I get some sort of satisfaction from being the only one you'll humour Maybe I do it to lessen Jakob's guilt by letting him know we're still doing everything we can to help you. And then maybe I just have nothing better to do with my days."

Wilhelm gave a dry chuckle. "I think it's most likely the last one," he said and Lorita nodded in agreement.

"Probably," she said. "Still, I do like helping Jakob after all he and Angelika have done for me and I will admit that I enjoy tormenting you."

Wilhelm laughed but it quickly turned into a hacking cough and he struggled to stifle it. "What are friends for, right?" he said when he could speak again.

"Right," Lorita said with a raised eyebrow. "Friends." Her face relaxed into a smile and she stood up. "I've got to get back before Baldwinn gets nervous and goes looking for me. Last time that happened he nearly got hunted." She chuckled and shook her head. "I'll be back tonight, with food. I want you to eat a decent supper for once."

"Lorita, you know why I don't want you coming at night," Wilhelm said with a heavy sigh. "She's always stronger at night. I don't want you to get hurt."

"You can't hurt me, Will," she said confidently. "I may be small but I'm just as strong as you. Besides, maybe if I'm here I can help you. We can find a way to keep her away." Wilhelm looked like he would argue again but Lorita cut across him. "I'm coming whether you want it or not, so don't waste your breath."

"I wasn't," he said with a short smile. "I just wanted to ask a favour You can come tonight, I won't stop you, but could you please keep Jake away? He might listen to you. I don't want him to get hurt."

Lorita nodded solemnly. "I'll talk to him, keep him away at least for a few days until we know if you can fight off this queen," she promised. "If he thinks it might help you he'll try just about anything. He really does want to help you, Will. You know that, right?"

Wilhelm looked uncomfortable as he nodded and gave a non-committal grunt. Lorita grasped his shoulder one more time and, with an encouraging smile, she left. First she would have to go back to the inn and pick up Baldwinn, and then she'd go to Jakob's house and tell him he couldn't see his brother anymore.