Before Winter

“Please,” Devin said, as Marcus surveyed the empty street for observers. The priest held the door for them and they entered the darkened nave; sparse sunlight pierced the only two windows.

“How can I help?” Father Mark asked. “Are you in need of food or lodging?”

Devin’s stomach took that inappropriate moment to growl loudly.

The priest threw his head back and laughed. “I see what the trouble is. I have some food in the back. Let me get it.”

Devin restrained him, his hand light but insistent on his arm. “We don’t need food, Father, but information. I hope you can help us.”

Father Mark sobered. “I believe your stomach would differ with your words, young man, but tell me what you are looking for.”

“Last night a journal was taken from the place where we camped. The contents are valuable. We believe the person who took it lives in Rodez and might have brought it to you. It is vitally important that we have it back,” Devin said.

Father Mark nodded slowly. “If I were in possession of such a thing, would the person who took it be subject to charges of theft?”

“No,” Devin replied. “We simply need it back.”

“I’ve looked at the journal. The book seems to have value to the parish of Rodez also,” Father Mark declared. “It fills blanks in the history of our church and the men who have served it.”

“It does,” Devin replied. “But it also provides background for some of the current political turmoil. There is not only unrest here, in the provinces, over taxes and education, but a man is vying for Chancellor Roché’s position in Coreé, as well. I ask you to trust me in this. If you allow us to take the journal with us now, I will see that a copy of it is returned to you.”

There was a sudden flurry of activity outside, the sound of horses’ hooves and men shouting. “Soldiers,” Marcus hissed. “Is there somewhere we can hide?”

Devin rummaged in his jacket, coming up with the tiny key they had taken from the Bishop’s Book, which supposedly granted them access to the underground tunnels. He held it flat on his palm and extended it to Father Mark.

Father Mark hesitated only a moment then motioned with his hand. “Come with me.”

They ran the length of the nave and crouched behind the altar. Father Mark, who was a bear of man, hoisted a stone from the floor himself, handed them an unlighted candle and sent them down a ladder just as the doors to the sanctuary were thrown back against the walls of the church. The stone locked down smoothly in place, leaving Marcus and Devin in total darkness.

Devin felt carefully for each step until he reached the bottom rung. He held out a hand to guide Marcus down, then with arms extended, he felt his way toward the foundation wall of the back of the church. The wall ran straight until it reached the corner and there he and Marcus sat down in complete darkness and waited.

CHAPTER 12

Sanctuary

Devin and Marcus could hear nothing except for the sound of boots on the stone floor above them. Never in the history of Llisé had any group dared to question or harass the church or its priests and yet Devin feared they had left Father Mark in an untenable position. If someone had seen them enter the church then the priest would be expected to reveal their location. He hadn’t known Devin and Marcus. He had no reason to trust them, apart from the key they had given him, which guaranteed any bearer asylum in any church in Llisé. But if their presence here jeopardized the safety of Father Mark’s town and parishioners, he was well within his rights both ethically and morally to reveal their hiding place. And yet, he didn’t.

They spent at least an hour in silence, afraid to speak or move and risk being heard in the sanctuary above. At one point, at least some of the soldiers left the church. Finally, Marcus dared light the candle, illuminating their small corner which was far away from the ladder and the stone hatch that granted entrance to their hiding place. Devin scanned their self-made prison. The room was no bigger than the safe room at Albion.

It was then that he saw the journal, lying on an old table against the wall. He jumped to his feet but Marcus tugged on his jacket, putting a finger to his lips. Devin pointed at the journal and Marcus motioned for him to sit down. Marcus removed his boots and padded across the stone floor as silently as a mouse and returned with the journal in his hands. He bowed when he handed it to Devin.

Devin smothered a grin. Marcus was apparently still angry about his insistence on finding the journal. And perhaps, Marcus was right. Devin turned the pages, frustrated by the lack of light and his own faulty vision. At least they had it back, although he felt some regret for just taking it without Father Mark’s permission.

He feared they had exposed Father Mark to terrible danger. If the priest had been hauled away for questioning, the church was probably under guard, and there was no hope of Devin or Marcus escaping by the only door, even if they could raise the stone themselves to get out. The worst that could happen was that their hiding place would be discovered and the entire system for protecting the provincial people from the tyrannical rule of its government would be exposed. It seemed that, as usual, Devin had made a situation worse by insisting on his own way. Had they simply continued on to La Paix, they wouldn’t be in this predicament.

Devin closed his eyes, recalling in detail the map they’d found in the Bishop’s Book. It had designated all of the churches and the tunnels and caves that connected them. The church at Rodez had been included, which meant somewhere in this room there was a hidden passage which joined the underground warren that crisscrossed the northern part of Llisé like a maze. He took a small knife from his pocket, gestured to Marcus to gain his attention and drew a map on the earthen floor. There was salvation here if they could only find it.

Marcus went to examine the wall, running his hands across the stones until behind a shelf he discovered a wooden door, ingeniously covered with slabs of stone. Quietly, he put the wine bottles on the table and removed the shelf, laying it against the wall like an extra piece of lumber. He opened the door carefully, revealing a dark passageway, and beckoned to Devin.

They had only one candle and the lantern they had taken with them this morning but as Devin pulled his own boots off, Marcus returned with another lantern from inside the passage. There was no question that they should leave as quickly as possible and yet Devin felt an obligation to the priest who had endangered his own life by saving them. The soldiers must have been looking for Marcus but they hadn’t found him. Hopefully, they would leave Rodez and its priest and people and go on their way.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.