Raclette and the Siege of Mont d'Or

11. Arrivals in Innperlenburg

The courtyard was empty when Pecorino came round. He was lying on bare stone cobbles and there was no-one to be seen. He propped himself up on his elbows. The initial shock of the accident had worn off, and he looked at his right leg. He bit his lip in pain. He couldn't move the leg and was sure he'd broken it. He looked around him. He was lying next to the circular wall of what seemed to be a well-house, in the middle of a large, cobbled courtyard, but he had no idea where he was. To his right, there was a gateway, flanked by two stone pillars. Behind him, the well-house wall was too high, but if he turned to his right, he could see the end of a large castellated house, and the entrance to the courtyard. How he had got there, he had no idea. He remembered the race, and the Tailend fork; the tall hedges masking the right hand bend to Rarebit. After that, everything was a blank. Where were Tolko, Tomme and Philly? Where was his wheel? What about their spying mission? How would everyone manage without him? The realisation of the hopelessness of his situation suddenly hit home. He leaned back against the wall, shutting his eyes; a wave of pain and sweat breaking over him.

"Oh, you poor child, thank goodness you're alive."

Pecorino opened his eyes and saw an old lady mouse with a walking stick, looking earnestly at him. "Where am I?" he asked.

"At my house – in Großkäsingen."

"Then you must be ..."

"The Duchess di Bufala – correct. But there's plenty of time for questions later. You can't stay here – we have to get you to safety. Take my hand. I'm afraid this is going to hurt a bit."

Pecorino took her hand and struggled up, his right leg hanging uselessly behind him. Supported by the well-house wall, her stick, and his one good leg, they were able to drag themselves to the opposite side of the well, from which Pecorino could see the back of the big house with the kitchen door open. The Duchess looked at him. He gritted his teeth and nodded, and they hobbled across the courtyard to the door, up a couple of steps and inside. "It's through here," whispered the Duchess, "and along this passage to the library. Can you manage it?"

Pecorino nodded, but when they reached the library, he crumpled to the floor, almost carrying the Duchess with him. "Oh dear, you've passed out," she muttered. She pulled off her belt and stooping over him, tied his broken leg to his good one. "Never mind – nature's anaesthetist, I suppose. At least this won't hurt anymore."

It was a distraught group of mice which arrived in Innperlenburg towards Saturday evening, meeting under the bridge as arranged. Tolko, Tomme and Philly told the others about Pecorino's disappearance. His mangled wheel had been discovered after the turn off from the Tailend road and they had searched back and forth as far as Großkäsingen, but to no avail. Later in the afternoon, Montagnolo and Rambol, paroling the lanes around Obermausbach, had had a narrow escape from Gorgonzola whom they had seen at a distance two fields away. They raced to Kleinrattenloch, sounding the alarm, as a result of which the inhabitants began a mass evacuation to Briestangen, Buttermeer and further north. After Valdeon and Slanke Anke had joined them, Montagnolo and Rambol wheeled across to Rarebit to find Tolko and his group looking for Pecorino and were huddled now, with the two other teams; their chins in their hands, sitting dejectedly on the grassy bank under the bridge in the gathering dusk, as the River Chaumes slipped silently past.

"What shall we do?" said Tolko in despair, gazing at the broken tangle of metal that had been Pecorino's wheel. They stood around, biting their lips.

"There's only one thing we can do," answered Valdeon, his chin trembling. "We have to tell Petrella and the others." They nodded and stared at each other in misery.