Nobody's Child (complete)

Chapter 7 - To Brandenburg

Chapter 7 - To Brandenburg ©2018CarolynAnnAish

The gong announced the evening meal and the prisoners rose on trembling feet. Even Blade's heart thumped in anticipation.

Blade slipped a small sheathed dagger to Thaddeus and both Boy's and Beth's eyes grew wide to see Thaddeus accept the weapon and push it down the top of his boot into concealment. No-one spoke as Blade selected two volumes of the Bible and pushed them inside his tunic.

Savory aromas of food, and the dictate to eat, was an insult to their overpowering anticipation regarding their escape; there were far more important matters to dwell upon than that of food! Even when the steaming food stared up at him, Boy's stomach churned too much to feel in a digestive mode.

"Eat up, or Sir Helmut will be suspicious!" Blade warned, then looked around at the door, whispering, "He ha'n't come, yet ..." Blade looked across at Thaddeus, knowing he too wondered at this deviation from Sir Helmut's duty. Less than twenty men were present at the meal in the Great Hall and the chamber was empty in comparison to other meal-times.

"Where would you think everyone's gone?" Boy whispered, having swallowed a mouthful of the salty cabbage and meat hash. The stew was the same as he'd eaten midday, except that Willi had added extra vegetables; salted beans and cabbage, left over from the winter supplies.

"I'm not sure ..." Blade leaned nearer Boy's ear, saying, "I'm going to find out. I might not come back as I'll be working my way below to the exit out'a here. I might have to do some manipulations between the guards as they walk their stretch. I hope there aren't too many down there." Before he rose, Blade hissed softly, "I'll get that boat, or die!" Standing, he spoke loudly, "Eat that food, kid. I must report to Sir Helmut, seeing he ha'n't come here. I'll see if 'e's in 'e's office."

Boy prevented his eyes from following Blade's exit and kept his head turned towards his plate; however, he couldn't eat any more of the hash. He greedily tucked away the large helping of fruit pie Willi served for dessert. The thick short pastry had been made with suet and was tasty. Boy remembered the few occasions Marcie had baked such a treat, using the inn-keeper's oven. Marcie. Boy thought of the large, bossy woman and kept his remembrances upon positive thoughts, such as the way she mended his clothes, and cooked his meals; the few times her large fat fingers sought his hand, as in assurance. Thinking of Marcie kept his mind from the terror of their dilemma. He dared not dwell on Sir Helmut's absence, or upon Blade's present mission to steal a boat. So much depended upon the turncoat and Boy fervently hoped that Blade wouldn't double-cross him now. What if he's already told Helmut and they've sent someone to fetch Sir Lin? —this idea cross his mind and he sent it on its way, telling himself, All right, I should pray... I get Beth and Thaddeus to pray. We can't fail. We mustn't... Blade must be true to his pledge.

"We'll go to the Library," Boy announced as he stood, noting that two guards awaited him.

Thaddeus, Beth and Fifi followed Boy from the Great Hall and the two men turned in unison to march behind the small group which breathed a unison silent sigh of relief that only two, not four, guards were on duty.

It was quite normal for Thaddeus to spend time after the evening meal in the Library, and he lit more of the candles because the thin light from small key-holes, high up, was beginning to diminish.

Beth looked down at the two pieces of paper she had brought from the table in the Great Hall. She said, "Sir Helmut wasn't there to take my letters."

Boy saw the letters as an opportunity. He took them from Beth and moved to the door. Speaking to the guards, he said, "Sir Helmut has to have these letters. He usually collects them from Bethleona." Then, as a diversion, he asked, "What has happened? Has the captain deserted his post here at The Locker?"