The Piper's Pursuit Page 11

  Kat began to pray, God, forgive my sins and bring my soul to heaven. And Steffan’s as well. Poor Steffan. He didn’t believe he was a good person. Did he know Jesus’s death on the cross had absolved him from sin?

  It was quite dark as they made their way up the hill, so dark she couldn’t see her feet, and she found herself stumbling more than once. Finally they came out into a small clearing where the moon was visible overhead. They were almost to the entrance of the mine.

  The guards slowed to a halt. They pushed Kat and Steffan in front of them, holding them by their arms. One of the guards went forward and disappeared around the side of the rock outcropping. She heard a sound as if he were moving tree branches—perhaps uncovering something?—then the sound of metal scraping metal. The same sound she’d heard before. Growling and snarling followed. Kat strained her eyes to see but couldn’t make out anything in the dark.

  The guards continued to push her and Steffan forward as the snarling grew louder.

  She saw bright yellow eyes reflecting the pale moonlight. They were coming closer, one step at a time, until the large, thin body of a wolf came into view.

  Twelve

  Steffan kept his eyes on the wolf, which was stalking closer, ever so slowly. The guards were no longer holding tightly to his arms. They probably wanted them to run so that the beast would chase them and maul them.

  God, help me save Katerina.

  “Don’t run,” he whispered to Katerina without turning his head. “It will chase you.”

  And she could never outrun a wolf, especially one that looked as hungry as this one.

  This was the end. He would die. Katerina would die. And no one would know about the children. No one would save them. The pain inside his chest washed through his whole body. Now he could never atone for all the bad things he had done.

  God. Help us.

  An image of the guard from Katerina’s room flashed through his mind. He had a sword strapped across his back.

  Steffan spun around, breaking free of both of the guards, and grabbed the sword handle. With one swift motion, he unsheathed the sword and slashed at the guard.

  The guard managed to jump back out of the way. He turned to take a swipe at Katerina’s guards, but they were already backing away, leaving Katerina and Steffan between them and the wolf.

  “Steffan.” Katerina’s voice was urgent.

  The wolf was much closer now. Its fur shone in the pale moonlight, its eyes bright. The beast snarled again, baring its white teeth.

  Holding the sword out in front of him, Steffan moved closer to Katerina. “Get behind me.”

  Katerina took a step back. The wolf crouched, getting ready to spring at them. Instead of waiting for it, Steffan charged forward with a loud cry. The wolf sprang. Steffan slashed its throat while it was still in the air. The wolf fell on the ground at his feet and didn’t move.

  He spun to his rear, sword at the ready for the guards, who suddenly swarmed them. One grabbed Katerina, and the other three attacked with their swords. Two of them slammed their blades into his, then someone grabbed his arms from behind and yanked down. The next moment, a sword blade sliced through Steffan’s shirt, the point raking down his chest.

  But instead of stabbing him through the heart, the men tackled him to the ground and forced his sword from his hand. One sat on top of him, while the other two held his wrists.

  Katerina appeared to be throwing all of her weight forward in an attempt to break free from her captor. “You’ll rot in hell for helping Hennek.”

  She struggled some more, then went still. The guard was sneering over her shoulder.

  “Let us go free and we will leave this place,” she said. “You can tell Hennek we died and you buried us.”

  Steffan added, “Yes, we’ll run away and you’ll never hear from us again.”

  Of course they’d go to Hagenheim and come back with his father’s army. And unfortunately, the guards probably knew that as well. But he was desperate. He had to save Katerina and the children who were trapped in the mine.

  “What should we do?” one of the guards muttered to the others. “Hennek specifically said not to kill them with the sword.”

  “We can’t let them go,” another said. “And we don’t have another wolf to attack them.”

  “Why couldn’t we let them go? If they go away and never return.”

  “Are you daft?”

  “Straw for brains,” another growled.

  “Get us all killed.”

  “Well, we can’t sit on him all night,” said the one sitting on Steffan’s legs.

  “Maybe we could have our way with the girl.” The one holding on to Katerina ran a hand down her cheek.

  She turned her head and spat in his face. The man slapped her across the mouth.

  “I’ll kill you!” Steffan struggled to break free, but the men only held him tighter. They weighed too much, and the three of them could hold him down all night if they wished.

  “You can’t kill anyone,” the guard taunted. “And I can do what I want.”

  He couldn’t let this happen. God, You can’t let it!

  “Hennek didn’t give us permission to have our way with the girl,” the guard with the even voice said. “They’re both supposed to die with obvious marks on them from the wolf.”

  “Then what do you say we do? Stay here in the woods all night and wait for someone to find us in the morning?”

  “Lock them up in the mine. Then we’ll send someone to find out what Hennek wants us to do with them.”

  They muttered and mumbled, then hauled Steffan to his feet. They pushed him forward, and he stumbled but managed to catch himself as they moved toward the mine entrance. His chest was bleeding, stinging, as his shirt clung to the blood. And he was pretty sure they’d broken a rib when they punched him in the stomach.

  Somehow they had to escape.

  * * *

  Katerina had to save herself and the children. And Steffan. Though she never would have thought she would have cared about saving him.

  But how she was to save anyone at this point was a mystery.

  They made their way toward the mine. The first guard squeezed between the rocks and lowered himself down. Then they pushed Steffan toward the hole and he made his way into the mine. A second guard went next, then Katerina.

  They made their way through the narrow tunnel as they had done earlier that day, with the guards occasionally shoving them in the back to make them walk faster.

  Her eyes met Steffan’s. His gaze was sharp—watchful and wary. God, this feels like certain doom, but You, O Lord, can turn this into victory.

  God had saved her out of other bad situations. Surely He would save her again.

  They continued into the mine, encountering another guard, whose eyes widened upon seeing them. Inside the larger cavern, the children were no longer working with their picks. She noticed bundles on the floor, then one moved and coughed, and she realized the bundles were the children lying down, sleeping.

  The other two guards who were in the mine left their posts and gathered around the four guards with Steffan and Kat. They spoke quietly.

  Kat focused on the children as she counted the sleeping bodies. More now than they’d seen earlier. The children started to awaken and sit up, staring at Steffan and Kat. But it was their eyes that made her heart sink. Their eyes were dull, their expressions nonresponsive. Except for one boy and girl, lying at the far end. Their faces became more alert. They appeared to be the oldest of all of them, perhaps eleven or twelve, and they turned to each other and seemed to be conversing. But the guards didn’t notice the children. They were all curiously staring at Kat and Steffan.

  “I say we should kill them now,” one guard said. “Hennek wants them dead. And we don’t want to risk them escaping.”

  “But Hennek wanted them killed by a wolf, and now they’re both dead.”

  “Then we make it look like it was the beast.”

  “And just how do
you expect we do that? Are you about to grow fangs and claws?”

  The guard glared. He stuck out his chest, balled up his fists, and took a step forward.

  “Easy, now.” The third guard held up a hand between them. “We simply have to send someone to Hennek and wait for his orders. Nobody wants to lose their heads.”

  When she glanced at Steffan, he was eyeing a sword strapped to another guard’s back. But the other guards were too close. If he stole the sword and tried to attack as he had earlier, the guards would be all over him. He’d be killed in a moment. There was no snarling beast now to distract them.

  “Wait till the guards spread out,” she whispered to Steffan.

  He didn’t answer, still staring at the sword.

  * * *

  Steffan especially hated the guard who kept grinning salaciously at Katerina. If he was able to get one of the guards’ swords, he’d kill that one first.

  The guards were deciding who would go back to town and tell Hennek what happened. It would take a couple of hours at most, so a couple of hours might be all the time they had left to live. They would have to take a risk and attempt an escape. They might be killed, but they were definitely dead if they didn’t get away.

  If he could create a distraction and then kill a couple of the guards, maybe he and Katerina could outrun the rest.

  One of the guards left to report to Hennek. Now there were five. The two mine guards went back to their posts, while the other three turned sullen faces on Steffan and Katerina.

  “Sit down!” one of the guards ordered.

  Steffan glanced at Katerina. She was looking up at him.

  “Sit down or I’ll turn you over to Ruger.”

  The short guard who had been eyeing Katerina grinned and took a step toward them. Katerina quickly sat and Steffan sank down, the wall to his back, beside Katerina.

  Ruger continued to stare at Katerina. The other guard didn’t move or change his expression, just kept his beefy arms folded across his massive chest.

  Sitting there waiting to find out how Hennek wanted to kill them, with a crazed guard watching over them, Steffan wondered how God was going to get them out of this predicament.

  He glanced around for anything he could use as a weapon. Several feet away he spotted a small pick for mining. He could use that, if he could reach it. He tried not to look directly at it so the guards wouldn’t notice.

  Thirteen

  Katerina shuddered inside at the disgusting guard staring down at her. But she would rather die than let him know she was afraid. Instead, she thought of everything she’d like to do to him, like punch him in the throat and knee him violently in the groin. But fantasizing about hurting the vile, lewd guard was not going to help anything.

  Father God, forgive me for my violent thoughts. And help Steffan and me to get the children safely out.

  She looked around for a weapon. If she could locate one, maybe she could inch toward it. The guards had been so sure they couldn’t escape, they didn’t even bother to tie their hands or feet together. They weren’t even paying them much attention, as they were engrossed in a conversation about how much Hennek was paying them.

  Steffan leaned over and whispered close to her ear, “A pickaxe on the ground, to your right. When I give you the signal, go for it, and I’ll snatch a sword.”

  She nodded even as she shivered. Did she shiver because of the energy flowing through her at the danger they were in? Or because of the way his breath felt in her hair?

  She was surely daft, because she even noticed the warmth of his shoulder pressed against her arm. He wasn’t like that vile, villainous guard. Steffan was protective and gentle with her. Why had she mistrusted him? Probably because he came across as arrogant and flippant. But he had also been bold and brave, and at the moment, he was ready to fight his way out. And she would be right beside him.

  The streak of bright red caught her eye, reminding her how the guard had slashed Steffan’s chest with his sword. In fact, his shirt was gaping open, revealing bare skin and blood. She had to tear her eyes away.

  Her heart thumped and stuttered in her throat. But it was only because she wished she had something with which to tend the wound. That was the reason, surely. She had never felt an attraction to a man. Why should Steffan be any different? It was natural she should feel pity for his pain and want to tend his wound, was it not? But they had to escape first.

  She leaned toward Steffan. He moved his head closer to her. She whispered, “Perhaps I could cause a distraction, something to make one of the guards turn so you could get his sword.”

  Before he could answer, one of the guards yelled, “Quiet! No talking.”

  Steffan met her eye. He whispered, “Not yet.”

  Kat glanced over at the children. Two of them, the older boy and girl she’d noticed earlier, were sitting up and whispering, then they glanced over at Kat.

  One of the guards on that side of the cavernous room said sternly, “Lie down and be quiet.”

  The two laid their heads back down. Were they plotting how to escape, even as Steffan and Kat were? Or were they simply talking because they’d been awakened?

  The guards standing over Steffan and her were still facing them, suddenly very watchful. After several minutes, Kat’s traitorous eyelids were becoming heavy. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but she was very tired. Would it be so bad to die? At least she could rest. But she couldn’t think like that. Her mother needed her, these children needed her, even the townspeople of Hamlin needed her, if only to be a voice raised against Hennek.

  If she died, Hennek might get away with all this.

  The minutes passed. No one moved or changed their position. Steffan occasionally shifted his arms or legs. But the guards were more focused on them than ever, even to the point of ceasing to talk among themselves.

  Kat’s head was so heavy, but she would not allow these men to see her relax her vigilance. But her thoughts were as heavy as her head and eyelids, mired in the danger that surrounded them, worrying she might not be able to rescue the children, as well as feeling concern for the wound on Steffan’s chest.

  She leaned her head back against the stone and allowed herself to close her eyes. But when she felt her head lolling to the side, she quickly forced her eyes open. She had to stay awake. She pinched her arm, hard, and bit the inside of her lip. Steffan had the long cut on his chest to keep him awake, she supposed. Did the wolf bite on his arm still pain him?

  It surely had to be almost morning. Perhaps they weren’t to be killed after all. Kat’s eyelids kept closing. There was obviously no immediate danger, and she would hear if the guard who’d been sent to Hennek came back. She closed her eyes. How pleasant just to rest her head and her eyes for a moment.

  Voices drifted into Kat’s mind. Men were laughing and talking a long way away. Her head was resting against something firm but comfortable, but it wasn’t the mine wall. It was Steffan’s upper arm.

  She sat up straight and blinked. The guards stood where they had been before, staring at her and Steffan. Steffan was also looking at her, his blue eyes soft, his expression compassionate.

  “Go back to sleep,” Steffan whispered. “I’ll wake you if—”

  “Quiet!” A guard kicked Steffan’s foot. Steffan did not even acknowledge the kick, but closed his own eyes and leaned his head back.

  Part of her wanted to lay her head against his arm again, but the other part of her was embarrassed that she had slept with her head on Steffan. How could she have let herself do that? She was usually so vigilant. And she normally awoke at the slightest sound. Would Steffan think badly of her?

  Her eyelids were growing heavy again. If she fell asleep, would she end up on Steffan’s shoulder again? She forced her eyes open. Steffan shifted, his arm brushing against hers. Her heart stammered.

  Suddenly she heard footsteps, then Hennek’s voice booming, “Welcome to my humble mine!”

  The sleepiness went right out of her at Hennek’
s voice. Even the guards stood straighter, their eyes growing larger. No doubt they had not expected Hennek to come himself.

  “How do you like my little business endeavor?” Hennek’s grin and tone were as hostile as his words were boastful. “It produces a ton of silver every month. My little workers know the consequences if it doesn’t. And that is what got me thinking . . . You two”—he looked pointedly at Kat and Steffan, raising his brows at them—“are more valuable to me if you work in my mines than if I kill you.” He thrust his shoulders back. “The thorn-in-my-side stepdaughter who tries to turn my wife against me, and the son of the wealthy and powerful Duke Wilhelm of Hagenheim. And with you healthy, strapping beast killers in my mine, it should produce twice as much silver, maybe more.”

  Hennek rubbed his hands together, but his eyes were dull and dark.

  Kat glanced at Steffan. He was staring hard at Hennek, but his expression betrayed no emotion.

  How could one man be so despicable? To profit off the labor of children, to devise this elaborate scheme for something as meaningless as silver. Wealth was worthless compared to a child’s life.

  But when she heard that he hated her for speaking the truth about him to her mother, her heart expanded and she felt a rise in her spirits. Yes, and I will continue to speak the truth when I get out of here. I shall speak out against you over and over, and everyone will know you for the evil man that you are.

  “How long do you think you can keep this up, Hennek?” Steffan said the words in a lazy drawl. “I’m just curious.”

  “As long as I want to. It is the perfect scheme.” Hennek’s eyes were black and cold. “If I had gotten rid of this stepdaughter of mine a long time ago, no one ever would have discovered my plan. Everyone else in my household is either too loyal or too daft.”

  “You’re just too clever for everyone else, aren’t you?”

  Hennek’s eyes narrowed as he seemed to be weighing whether Steffan was sincere or not. Then Hennek spun around and yelled, “Everybody up! No more sleeping! Your new fellow workers just caused you to lose your last hour of rest. Get up!”