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CHAPTER 5: Jonathan Explores the Chapel

The next day Jonathan heard a commotion outside his window and rushed to it. This time he saw not Gypsies but Slovaks, two of them, wearing dirty sheepskins and high boots and driving two great wagons drawn by eight sturdy horses.

Jonathan screamed down as loud as he could, until he was hoarse, but they would not look up at him. Jonnathan could see that wagons held large square boxes, resembling coffins, each bound by handles of thick rope. From the ease with which the Slovaks unloaded the boxes into the castle yard, Jonathan knew they were empty. After unloading the last box, the Slovaks touched their whips to their horses and were gone.

Over the next few days other men came. From what Jonathan could tell, the boxes were brought somewhere deep into the basement of the castle. Throughout the house, from down below, could be heard the muffled dwork noises of shovels digging through soil and rocks. What was going on?

One night Jonathan saw the count climb out his bedroom window and down the wall like a lizard again, only this time the count was wearing the suit of clothes that had been taken from Jonathan's room! Jonathan realized in dismay that the count wanted people to think that they had seen Jonathan himself, to create further evidence to support his fake letters. It also frightened Jonathan that any wickedness the count might do while in town would be blamed on him.

Latter that night, Jonathan was awakened by the sound of an agonized cry in th courtyard below. Rushing to the window, he saw a woman with messy hair, gasping from the effort of crying and running. When she saw Jonathan's face at the window, the woman lurched forward, pointed at him, and shouted, "You! Monster, give me my dog! Please! I beg you!"

Before Jonathan could respond to her, somewhere high overhead, probably in the castle's tower, he heard the harsh metallic whisper of the count, as though he was calling something. Jonathan watched in horror as the count's call seemed to be answered from far and wide, throughout the valley, by the howling of wolves. Within minutes a pack of them poured through the wide entrance into the courtyard like a pent-up am that had broken.

Jonathan closed his eyes. He couldn't bear to watch. He didn't need to shut his ears, however,because there was no cry from the woman; there wasn't time. After only a few minutes the wolves streamed away. They moved quietly, licking their lips.

The next day was the last date of the letters teh count had forced Jonathan to write. He didn't have much time. He had to come up with a plan!

He had not yet seen the count in daylight, he realized. Could it be that the count slept when others were awake? If only he could get into the count's room! Surely the answers to some of his questions could be found there. But how? the door was always locked.

He had an idea. If the count climbed out of his window, maybe Jonathan could climb in that very same way and, xomewhere in there, find the key to the front door. Of course, he could not scale walls like a lizard, but there were ledges on the castle's outside walls, and other stones that roughly cut. Both could possibly offer a few nooks and crannies for human toes.

Later that day he found an open window that was on the same level as the count's and share a ledge. Jonathan climbed out. While crawling slowly sideways, he looked down, but was so overcome by the height that he kept his eyes up after that. Upon reaching the count's window and slipping inside, Jonathan looked quickly around, in fear, for the count. The room was empty.

In fact, the room was barely furnished and covered in dust, as if it had never been used. In one corner was a heap of gold, also covered in dust, and all of wich must have been hundreds of years ago. At the far end of the room was a heavy door, behind which lay a circular stairway leading steeply down deep into the earth. Holding his breath, Jonathan pushed forward.