Words on Fire

She held the bag of it close to her chest and looked down at me. “Promise me that you aren’t making gunpowder. No weapons.”

“What I’m making isn’t a weapon, I promise you. It shouldn’t harm anyone.”

She caught my word choice. “Shouldn’t?”

I held out my hands for the saltpeter. “Please trust me, Milda.”

With a sigh, she gave me the bag but said, “If my new home explodes because of this, I will be angry with you, Audra.”

“It won’t explode,” Lukas assured her, then when her back was turned, he whispered to me, “Will it explode?”

I shrugged. I genuinely hoped not, but hope was all I had.

We waited until Milda had gone to bed for the night, then cooked the ingredients on her stovetop. It resembled a soft dough when it was ready, and we rolled the dough into a tube shape inside some of Milda’s cotton fabric, then poked a little stick inside the center of it.

By morning, when everything was dry, we pulled out the stick and inserted the laces from the soldiers’ boots that we had stolen, to use as a fuse, cut the tube into pieces, then wrapped everything up tight with Milda’s extra stockings, though we didn’t intend to tell her about that. She wouldn’t be happy about the sacrifice of her stockings.

“Only four,” Lukas mumbled. “Do you think it will be enough?”

“There’s no way to know,” I said. “Honestly, I wish we had many more, but until we know if they work, I suppose it doesn’t matter. We’ll just have to put them to good use and pray they work when we light them.”

“They’ve got to work,” Lukas said with a smile. “But for now, they are the four most beautiful smoke bombs I’ve ever seen.”

“I think they’re the only smoke bombs you’ve ever seen.” With a smile, I handed him half the pile. “Two for you and two for me. May we use them well.”

He drew in a deep breath. “I don’t see how these will help us get across the border.”

My grin widened. “These aren’t for the border. I have a different plan for that.”

By the time our books were ready, Lukas and I were well rested and eager to test our plan.

“If this works, we might be able to do this over and over again!” Lukas said.

“Let’s just try it once, then decide.”

I wasn’t sure which of us had the more difficult job for crossing. Because he had papers, Lukas would drive our wagon over the bridge. And if the border guards asked, he’d have a good excuse to be traveling.

To deliver a body for buri

al.

That was my role.

I’d be inside the coffin wearing Milda’s old woman makeup, which would give me a corpse-like appearance. And I’d be lying on top of a blanket covering all the ordered books. We’d drilled small air holes into the sides of the coffin, so although I wouldn’t be breathing comfortably, I would be able to breathe.

“I thought your last idea was horrible,” Lukas said, slowly shaking his head. “This is so much worse, Audra.”

“Just get me out of the coffin as soon as it’s safe,” I said with a shudder. Every time I remembered what I was about to do, my gut twisted worse than usual. I hoped this idea would not be a predictor of how this trip would go.

“You’ll deliver these books, then come directly back here, yes?” Milda asked.

“Unless they need my help.” A good excuse, I figured.

“I need your help,” Milda said. “There is so much good we can do over here, and your parents would want you where it’s safe. That’s why they sent you to me.”

I paused, knowing she was right, even if I hated the idea of leaving the adventure of smuggling behind. But I did have to go back today, for there was one very important item I still hoped to find. “Do you remember the locked book I brought you? After the fire, it wasn’t in your home anymore.”

Milda frowned. “Oh, my sweet child, I don’t know where it is.”