Words on Fire

Audra rides Lukas’s donkey without a saddle, adding to her discomfort. The children make conversation, but Audra is reluctant to share details of her life with Lukas, fearing that he is a spy. To pass the time and distract Audra from her worries, Lukas tells Audra a story of a girl named Rue, who uses her cleverness to save her father’s life. He then shares that he is not welcome in his family and works for someone named Ben in exchange for food.

When Lukas asks Audra about the package she protected in the river, he realizes it is a mystery to her. Audra fears that Lukas’s whistling will call soldiers’ attention to them, which immediately makes Lukas serious, and he demands if Audra is hiding something. 

Audra asks him if he is a thief, and he tells her, “Not exactly.” He then mentions the beauty of Prussia, encouraging her to cross the border sometime. This makes Audra even more suspicious of him, and she decides that she wants nothing to do with Lukas and “his dangerous life” (47) as soon as he brings her to Milda.

Lukas and Audra arrive in Venska later that evening, and he preemptively advises Audra not to stare at Milda, whom he describes as being “a bit odd” (48). Lukas uses a specific knock on the door, and an old woman answers. Lukas tells Milda that he thinks Audra is the Zikaris’ daughter, which shocks Audra. In the safety of her home, Milda removes a white wig, a pillow she stuffed in her clothes as a hump, and makeup to age her face.

Milda knows Henri and Lina, and Audra explains that they were arrested. Milda feeds the children dumplings and listens to Audra recount her traumatic night. She assures Audra that Lukas can be trusted and opens the package Audra delivered. Audra is furious to see that it is a book.

Lukas inspects the book, and Milda asks Audra for the key to unlock the bound book. Lukas explains to Milda that Audra “doesn’t know about the books” (56), so Milda shows Audra the secret library under her house, attached to an underground classroom. Milda offers Audra the chance to live with her and attend her secret school; Audra rejects the offer but promises to keep the knowledge of the underground space a secret. After Milda and Lukas warn Audra that her parents will likely be imprisoned or deported to Siberia, Audra decides to stay with Milda. Milda requests that Audra deliver a book for her, an errand Henri had offered to complete. Audra refuses, which disappoints Milda and Lukas, but she does not apologize.

Audra stays with Milda for a week while her ankle heals. She witnesses many customers pass through Milda’s store with various cover stories to buy the forbidden books. Milda always dresses in a disguise when interacting with other people. One day, while Audra is in the library getting Milda a newspaper, Milda suddenly shuts the trap door on her when Russian soldiers enter the store for a search.

Audra finds a secret tunnel and encounters a young girl named Roze hiding there, having come back to get something after class hours. Audra promises to protect Roze, and in exchange, Roze leads Audra through the secret tunnel to Milda’s shed. To distract them from their fear, Audra performs a magic trick with a coin. After a few minutes, Milda knocks on the shed door with the secret knock, and Roze assures Milda that Audra’s magic “kept [her] books safe” (72). Audra finally agrees to complete Milda’s book delivery in her parents’ honor (72).

Before allowing Audra to deliver a book, Milda has Audra complete a delivery test. She must make it across town and back, keeping a freshly baked pastry (a Lithuanian spurgos) hidden the entire time. It takes Audra four tries, but after concealing the pastry in herbs, she successfully returns to Milda’s with the undetected spurgos. 

After passing the test, Milda finally explains why the books are so important. Milda’s father was part of a large uprising 30 years ago, in which Lithuanians tried to regain control of the country, but the uprising failed, and he was executed. To suppress any further ideas of resistance, the tsar enacted a press ban to keep Lithuanians from sharing ideas about their history, culture, and identity.

Audra eagerly gets ready on the morning of her delivery to avoid people on the road. Milda explains she must wait until it is busier so she can blend in among the crowds. Because she cannot read, the books “mean nothing” to Audra. Milda explains that the book she is delivering, The History of the Ancient Lithuanians, can empower someone’s life with its knowledge.

She gives Audra specific directions to deliver the book to a man named Ben Kagan. In the town square, Audra is stopped by a Russian officer. She lies to him, claiming she is bringing fabric to a seamstress in the neighboring town. The soldier hands her a book in Russian, telling her it is “a gift from the tsar” (84).

When she makes it to the next town, Lukas appears, having followed her to ensure her safety. He compliments her first delivery and then puts her new Russian book in a manure cart before taking her to Ben.