dwarf had been had come down on him. Katta stood absolutely still in the dark, holding her breath, not daring to move so much as a muscle, lest the rest of the roof come down on her. She could hear the timbers above her head creaking and groaning. Very slowly, she bent down and put her hands under Mathias’s shoulders. The boy didn’t move; didn’t make any sound at all. She didn’t knowif he was alive or dead. Whimpering with the terror of doing it so slowly – so slowly – she dragged him away, backwards through the dark, while the tunnel roof creaked and groaned, and it only needed for her to brush against the walls to bring it all down and bury them too.
But she managed it. She turned a bend and there was a weak, grey light all around her that had nothing to do with any lamp. She looked backwards over her shoulder and could see a square of daylight. She didn’t feel so frightened now that she could see it, but she didn’t dare go any faster. She made herself concentrate on Mathias’s face. It was ashen, but now there was enough light to see by, she was sure that he was still alive. She wondered what on earth he had done that could have made this happen? What was it that the dwarf had wanted?
Branches had been piled across the opening of the tunnel to hide it. She pushed them away, then dragged Mathias out through the litter of fallen leaves into the cold daylight. She stood and caught her breath. The wood was thick with frost and silence. She knelt down beside Mathias, scared of what she would find. Very carefully she undid the buttons of his coat. She could see the two slits in hisshirt where Valter’s knife had gone clean through. The shirt was sodden with dark blood. She tore at the hem of her skirt to make a bandage, but even as she did so, something very hard and cold was pressed firmly into the back of her neck. She felt, as much as heard, the click as the hammer of the pistol was pulled back.
Her shoulders dropped. They must have been waiting there all the time. It was so unfair. Her eyes filled with tears.
She was pulled to her feet and turned round, but it wasn’t Leiter that Katta saw, or anyone else from the inn. There were four men standing before her. A fifth – a tall man – sat astride a big bay horse. His coat and boots were soiled with mud as though he had ridden a long way. The collar of his coat was turned up against the cold, but not enough to hide the scarf of finest Spanish lace that was wound around his neck.
‘And what have we here?’ he said.
Katta was still holding the strip of cloth she had torn from her skirt. She wiped her wet eyes with the back of her hand.
‘Please,’ she said. ‘He’s hurt.’
The man’s eyes went slowly from her to Mathiasand back again. ‘What were you doing in there?’
It was as though he hadn’t heard.
Then she realized who these people must be. The barrels and the oilcloth bags in the tunnel, all the things stacked and waiting – they were waiting to be collected. These must be the men. With that thought, she knew that there was no hope. Everyone knew what these men did to people who interfered, who found out what they shouldn’t know. She had to think quickly. She had to make them believe that she hadn’t seen anything.
‘We was playing,’ she said. ‘It’s a cave in there, but you can’t go in very far ’cos the roof’s all down.’ She pointed to Mathias. ‘He got hurt on some sharp stuff. I don’t know what. It’s all dark in there.’
The man’s face became a frown. He turned to one of the other men. ‘Go and see,’ he said.
There were packhorses standing quietly nearby. Katta hadn’t seen them until then. One of the men fetched a lamp from a saddlebag, then, bending over it, lit it from the flint in his pistol and disappeared into the tunnel.
Katta could feel the tall man looking at her, but she didn’t want to look back. Instead she stared around, up into the bare trees, the sky above them,anywhere else but
But she managed it. She turned a bend and there was a weak, grey light all around her that had nothing to do with any lamp. She looked backwards over her shoulder and could see a square of daylight. She didn’t feel so frightened now that she could see it, but she didn’t dare go any faster. She made herself concentrate on Mathias’s face. It was ashen, but now there was enough light to see by, she was sure that he was still alive. She wondered what on earth he had done that could have made this happen? What was it that the dwarf had wanted?
Branches had been piled across the opening of the tunnel to hide it. She pushed them away, then dragged Mathias out through the litter of fallen leaves into the cold daylight. She stood and caught her breath. The wood was thick with frost and silence. She knelt down beside Mathias, scared of what she would find. Very carefully she undid the buttons of his coat. She could see the two slits in hisshirt where Valter’s knife had gone clean through. The shirt was sodden with dark blood. She tore at the hem of her skirt to make a bandage, but even as she did so, something very hard and cold was pressed firmly into the back of her neck. She felt, as much as heard, the click as the hammer of the pistol was pulled back.
Her shoulders dropped. They must have been waiting there all the time. It was so unfair. Her eyes filled with tears.
She was pulled to her feet and turned round, but it wasn’t Leiter that Katta saw, or anyone else from the inn. There were four men standing before her. A fifth – a tall man – sat astride a big bay horse. His coat and boots were soiled with mud as though he had ridden a long way. The collar of his coat was turned up against the cold, but not enough to hide the scarf of finest Spanish lace that was wound around his neck.
‘And what have we here?’ he said.
Katta was still holding the strip of cloth she had torn from her skirt. She wiped her wet eyes with the back of her hand.
‘Please,’ she said. ‘He’s hurt.’
The man’s eyes went slowly from her to Mathiasand back again. ‘What were you doing in there?’
It was as though he hadn’t heard.
Then she realized who these people must be. The barrels and the oilcloth bags in the tunnel, all the things stacked and waiting – they were waiting to be collected. These must be the men. With that thought, she knew that there was no hope. Everyone knew what these men did to people who interfered, who found out what they shouldn’t know. She had to think quickly. She had to make them believe that she hadn’t seen anything.
‘We was playing,’ she said. ‘It’s a cave in there, but you can’t go in very far ’cos the roof’s all down.’ She pointed to Mathias. ‘He got hurt on some sharp stuff. I don’t know what. It’s all dark in there.’
The man’s face became a frown. He turned to one of the other men. ‘Go and see,’ he said.
There were packhorses standing quietly nearby. Katta hadn’t seen them until then. One of the men fetched a lamp from a saddlebag, then, bending over it, lit it from the flint in his pistol and disappeared into the tunnel.
Katta could feel the tall man looking at her, but she didn’t want to look back. Instead she stared around, up into the bare trees, the sky above them,anywhere else but
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