Gunwitch by David Michael Page A

His eyes gleamed under his craggy eyebrows and his beard split in a huge smile. He walked up to Miss Rose and took her in his arms. Margaret wondered that Miss Rose’s rifle, or her back, did not break under the pressure. “We didn’t know you were coming back so soon, Rosa.”
    “I sent you word we were coming, you big ox,” Miss Rose said, levering and twisting her way out of the embrace.
    “Maybe you outran the messenger?” Chico offered. “You are always in such a hurry, mio dolce . Rushing in, rushing out. Mama complains to me that I let you go too soon.” He looked around at the travelers. “Where is the lovely Chal-choot? Is she hiding from me again?” His eyes alighted on Margaret and Janett. “And who are these lovely ones?” he asked. “I understand now why my sons were so quick to show themselves.”
    Margaret’s eyes darted to other faces and saw that many of the younger men and boys were looking at her and Janett. One of the boys, maybe fifteen, caught her eye and winked. She looked away and edged closer to Janett.
    Miss Rose introduced the girls, including the name of their father. If the name of Colonel Laxton of Fort Russell impressed the listeners, none of them showed it. Then she introduced Major Haley and Mr. Thomas. She did not introduce the soldiers.
    “I am Chico Mancino,” the man said, bowing to the girls. He stood tall then and threw out his arms. “Welcome to my lake, young ladies.”
    Margaret cowered, fearing an embrace, but Chico only laughed. “And you too, gentlemen. Come inside, come inside.” He turned and gestured to the door, which remained open. “Mama awaits, and she will be pleased to see you all.”
    * * *
    The house seemed larger inside. Margaret was not sure how all the travelers and Chico Mancino’s extensive family fit. The weapons had disappeared, and she had no idea where they had gone. Inside, the faces were all smiles. She and Janett found themselves seated at a table while a woman nearly as large as Chico, who introduced herself as “Mama Mancino”, proceeded to fuss over the girls.
    A flood of introductions washed over Margaret, leaving her clueless which name–Ugo, Alanso, Fico, Chico, Rinaldo, Emilio, and more–went to which of the young men and boys who bowed over her hand and exclaimed about her eyes. The older ones focused on Janett–of course–but there were more than enough that Margaret felt the room beginning to spin around her. She was saved when Mama Mancino came back. Mama shooed the boys away and set plates of food in front of the girls. “Eat up, eat up. You must have your strength for such a journey.”
    “How did you know–?” Margaret started to ask, but Mama silenced her with a finger on her mouth.
    “What are those?” Janett asked, pointing to a plate with a pile of … of … bugs? Margaret had no words for what was on the plates. Bugs like she had never seen, four inches longer and more, with long antenna and pincer claws.
    “Kraveys,” Mama said. “Eat like this.” She picked up one of the bugs and put its head in her mouth and slurped. Then she pulled it out and cracked open the tail. “Then you eat the tail.”
    Janett shook with revulsion. “I see,” she said.
    “I’ll … I’ll try one,” Margaret said. She relished the look of nausea that crossed Janett’s face more than the feel of bug’s head in her mouth, but the taste was pleasing. Mama Mancino helped her with the tail. She laughed as Janett almost fainted. She picked up one of the kraveys and thrust it at Janett to see her sister’s face become even paler. “Try one. You’ll like it.”
    * * *
    For the second day in a row, Margaret was awakened before dawn. Today, though, she did not wake in the comfortable but sparsely furnished room she had shared with Janett in New Venezia. Instead, she found herself miles away from New Venezia, and still further from England, in a room filled with olive-skinned women and girls who smelled of Italian spices and