12
Linden Tree on a Hill
“Stop!” Peter yells and starts to run. “Leave her alone.”
Lioba stands in the middle of a road, surrounded by three men in bedraggled clothing. She has lost her cap, and her long braid hanging down over her shoulder has started to unravel. Natasha stands next to her, the fur on her back bristling, barking and barking.
“We got ourselves a little lady!”
“Would you believe it? Her daddy is probably a count something or other.”
“Let’s see how fine her skin is.”
“Ah, yes, let me kiss your hand, milady.” One of the men sketches a courtly gesture of bowing over a lady’s hand. Then he makes a grab for her neck, trying to pull on something hidden by her shirt. “Now what’s that pretty thing, a family heirloom?”
Lioba jerks back.
Just then, Natasha leaps up and sinks
