Читать книгу Before Winter - Nancy Wallace K. - Страница 17

Devin and Marcus could hear nothing except for the sound of boots on the stone floor above them. Never in the history of Llisé had any group dared to question or harass the church or its priests and yet Devin feared they had left Father Mark in an untenable position. If someone had seen them enter the church then the priest would be expected to reveal their location. He hadn’t known Devin and Marcus. He had no reason to trust them, apart from the key they had given him, which guaranteed any bearer asylum in any church in Llisé. But if their presence here jeopardized the safety of Father Mark’s town and parishioners, he was well within his rights both ethically and morally to reveal their hiding place. And yet, he didn’t.

They spent at least an hour in silence, afraid to speak or move and risk being heard in the sanctuary above. At one point, at least some of the soldiers left the church. Finally, Marcus dared light the candle, illuminating their small corner which was far away from the ladder and the stone hatch that granted entrance to their hiding place. Devin scanned their self-made prison. The room was no bigger than the safe room at Albion.

It was then that he saw the journal, lying on an old table against the wall. He jumped to his feet but Marcus tugged on his jacket, putting a finger to his lips. Devin pointed at the journal and Marcus motioned for him to sit down. Marcus removed his boots and padded across the stone floor as silently as a mouse and returned with the journal in his hands. He bowed when he handed it to Devin.

Devin smothered a grin. Marcus was apparently still angry about his insistence on finding the journal. And perhaps, Marcus was right. Devin turned the pages, frustrated by the lack of light and his own faulty vision. At least they had it back, although he felt some regret for just taking it without Father Mark’s permission.

He feared they had exposed Father Mark to terrible danger. If the priest had been hauled away for questioning, the church was probably under guard, and there was no hope of Devin or Marcus escaping by the only door, even if they could raise the stone themselves to get out. The worst that could happen was that their hiding place would be discovered and the entire system for protecting the provincial people from the tyrannical rule of its government would be exposed. It seemed that, as usual, Devin had made a situation worse by insisting on his own way. Had they simply continued on to La Paix, they wouldn’t be in this predicament.

Devin closed his eyes, recalling in detail the map they’d found in the Bishop’s Book. It had designated all of the churches and the tunnels and caves that connected them. The church at Rodez had been included, which meant somewhere in this room there was a hidden passage which joined the underground warren that crisscrossed the northern part of Llisé like a maze. He took a small knife from his pocket, gestured to Marcus to gain his attention and drew a map on the earthen floor. There was salvation here if they could only find it.

Marcus went to examine the wall, running his hands across the stones until behind a shelf he discovered a wooden door, ingeniously covered with slabs of stone. Quietly, he put the wine bottles on the table and removed the shelf, laying it against the wall like an extra piece of lumber. He opened the door carefully, revealing a dark passageway, and beckoned to Devin.

They had only one candle and the lantern they had taken with them this morning but as Devin pulled his own boots off, Marcus returned with another lantern from inside the passage. There was no question that they should leave as quickly as possible and yet Devin felt an obligation to the priest who had endangered his own life by saving them. The soldiers must have been looking for Marcus but they hadn’t found him. Hopefully, they would leave Rodez and its priest and people and go on their way.