Page 5 (1/1)
He caht, and the next, and the next after that, bringing theh to stave off starvation Ale he brought also and once wine in a flagon, for there was little water to be found in and about the tanning pits and all of it foul-tasting
He quickly discovered that Matthias had s than any of the slaves set to work here; in three months’ apprenticeship, Matthias had learned the rudih to knoent on at each station and with each tool The boy he treated politely, even kindly, but it was Anna he truly doted on She sat on his lap and he stroked her hair and once or twice forgot himself and called her "Mariya"
No one disturbed the hides in their loft Otto explained that he was in charge of overseeing them, and no slave had tihts passed, he began bringing more food
"The Eika have increased our rations They brought in more slaves to work the bakeries, but also, my boy, what you have toldus work They are pleased with us, so they feed us better" The moon was full, now, and Anna could see his expression, which was, as always, griood fortune for those taken to the sed out dead as walk in alive Beasts!" He hid his eyes behind a hand, but she could see the anguished line of his mouth "Soon the hides will be dry and they will be carted off, and then there will be no place for you to hide"
"They’ll hang up more hides, won’t they?" asked Anna
"Ah, child" He pulled her tight against his chest "That they will, but I can’t hide you here forever I’ve asked here and there, but I don’t kno to get you out of the city, except--"
"Except what?" de to her about any possible way for them to escape fro, had they not been so frightened, but they had been frightened, and the dogs had roaht Noith slaves in the city and all the gates watched--or so he assumed--it would be even harder to escape
"I don’t know It’s just a story, and I don’t knohether to believe it" But he clutched Anna, his lips touching her hair, a father’s kiss "I’ve heard some say there’s a creature, a daimone, held prisoner in the cathedral They say the Eika enchanter lured it from the heavens above where such creatures live and imprisoned it in a solid body like to our own He keeps it chained to his throne"
Anna shuddered, but she felt safe on Otto’s lap; he was holding her so securely
"I ai say daimones know secrets hidden from human ken If it is true the saint beloved of this city saved the children, if it is true she led theht not this daimone know of that hidden way? For can daimones not see into both the past and the future, farther than ift, and if it hates the Eika as ht it not tell you of this secret way? It is a sates are guarded day and night and the dogs roam the streets" He shuddered, as they all shuddered, at the thought of the dogs "You are children The saint will smile on you as she did on the others"
"You will come, too, won’t you, Papa Otto?" Anna rested her head on his chest
He wept, but silently, tears strea down his face "I dare not," he said "I dare not attempt it"
"You could escape with us," said Matthias "God will show you mercy for your kindness to us, who are no kin of yours"
"God ht, but the Eika will not You don’t know the as weasels They et staked out in front of the dogs and the dogs let loose on them That way if any slave tries to escape, he knoill happen to those left behind I will not cause the death of those I work beside I could do nothing to savekill these others who are as innocent as ht escape, if you can find and speak to this dai it?" Matthias asked "We have nothing--" Then he halted and Anna saw by his crafty look that he had thought of so He reached into his boot and drew out the prize of their extensive collection of knives, secreted here and there about their bodies This one, looted from the corpse of a stout man richly dressed in the kind of clothes only a wealthy ood blade and a finely wrought hilt on’s head, studded with emeralds for eyes By this measure Anna saw Matthias trusted Otto fully; the knife was too valuable to show to anyone who ht covet it and easily take it by force fro sister