you mean? Run where?”
“Anywhere. Your aunt and I will hold them off as long as we can. Just run. Spain is no longer safe for you.”
With one hand my uncle pushed me toward the window, and with the other he swiped my hat from the foot of my bed and shoved it under my arm. He checked out the window and saw the way was clear. Then he ruffled my hair around my ear.
“I’m so sorry, Bali. I had hoped we could spare you of this. But in real life stories don’t always go the way we hope. Still, one good thing might come of this. You can find your father. There must be a reason he came here — not just here, but to your room, to your window. You must find him. You must find out —”
“Cariño ,” Aunt Serena called from outside my door. “There are some nice men here to see you!”
“I believe your aunt is calling me,” Diego said. “Quick, out the window. Oh, I nearly forgot.” He removed a thin golden strand from around his neck and pressed it into my hand. “It’s from your father. For your protection, he said.” Diego paused as if remembering some joke from long ago, and he exhaled adark laugh. “Although now that I think about it, maybe he said you should protect it. That would make more sense. At any rate, do not lose it. Now go. Go and find him.”
I stuffed the necklace into Diego’s bag, secured its strap over my chest, and clambered out the window. “But how?” I asked him. “If the Malleus Maleficarum can’t find al-Katib, how can I find him?”
“I know you’ll find a way. The necklace will help you. But there’s no more time for questions.” My uncle seized me through the window and held me close. “Please, Bali. Get as far away from here as possible. No matter what you hear, do not look back. Remember the story of Lot’s wife. She looked back at her home when she was running away, and look what happened to her. She turned into a pillar of salt.”
I could hardly believe what my uncle was saying. “That’s just a story. I’m not leaving without you.”
Distantly my uncle stared out the window, past me and through the neighbors’ nearby wall. “Maybe it is just a story,” he said, very quiet. “But it is true nonetheless. Now, please. Run. I promise we will find you.”
“What? No. I —”
Out in the kitchen I heard the metallic scrape of armor, and the heavy sound of boots tumbling over the floor. “No more stalling!” shouted one of the guards. “We know you have the boy.”
“Don’t go in there!” Aunt Serena exclaimed. “My husband does alchemical experiments in there. The chemicals, they’revery dangerous! You shouldn’t —!”
There was the sound of a struggle, and I heard Serena scream. The door to my room banged open. My aunt was sagging against it, holding her stomach, now shredded red with blood. Wet webs of scarlet crisscrossed down the sword in front of her and dripped heavily onto the tile floor.
“Aunt Serena!” I cried, and Diego dived forward to push back the blades inching toward her neck.
“Run, Baltasar!” my uncle shouted, but a soldier grabbed him from behind and plunged a knife straight into his side. His eyes wide with pain or shock, my uncle groped for the doorframe to keep himself steady. Then he simply collapsed to the floor.
“Run, Baltasar!” he wheezed to me as he fell. “Don’t look back! Run!”
One of the soldiers yelled, “He’s on the side of the house! Get him!”
“Oh, no, you don’t,” Aunt Serena grunted. Her long hair flew in cascades behind her as a series of letters flared up before her hands. “Come to me, Behemoth!”
At the same time my uncle shouted, “Go, Baltasar!” I gave him a last look and fled.
I tore up the hill that would lead into town, feeling a series of vibrations buzzing up against my feet. Then came a sound like an explosion. The force of it threw me up the hill. Don’t look back, my uncle had said. But I couldn’t obey that command. Spitting the dirt out of my mouth, I
“Anywhere. Your aunt and I will hold them off as long as we can. Just run. Spain is no longer safe for you.”
With one hand my uncle pushed me toward the window, and with the other he swiped my hat from the foot of my bed and shoved it under my arm. He checked out the window and saw the way was clear. Then he ruffled my hair around my ear.
“I’m so sorry, Bali. I had hoped we could spare you of this. But in real life stories don’t always go the way we hope. Still, one good thing might come of this. You can find your father. There must be a reason he came here — not just here, but to your room, to your window. You must find him. You must find out —”
“Cariño ,” Aunt Serena called from outside my door. “There are some nice men here to see you!”
“I believe your aunt is calling me,” Diego said. “Quick, out the window. Oh, I nearly forgot.” He removed a thin golden strand from around his neck and pressed it into my hand. “It’s from your father. For your protection, he said.” Diego paused as if remembering some joke from long ago, and he exhaled adark laugh. “Although now that I think about it, maybe he said you should protect it. That would make more sense. At any rate, do not lose it. Now go. Go and find him.”
I stuffed the necklace into Diego’s bag, secured its strap over my chest, and clambered out the window. “But how?” I asked him. “If the Malleus Maleficarum can’t find al-Katib, how can I find him?”
“I know you’ll find a way. The necklace will help you. But there’s no more time for questions.” My uncle seized me through the window and held me close. “Please, Bali. Get as far away from here as possible. No matter what you hear, do not look back. Remember the story of Lot’s wife. She looked back at her home when she was running away, and look what happened to her. She turned into a pillar of salt.”
I could hardly believe what my uncle was saying. “That’s just a story. I’m not leaving without you.”
Distantly my uncle stared out the window, past me and through the neighbors’ nearby wall. “Maybe it is just a story,” he said, very quiet. “But it is true nonetheless. Now, please. Run. I promise we will find you.”
“What? No. I —”
Out in the kitchen I heard the metallic scrape of armor, and the heavy sound of boots tumbling over the floor. “No more stalling!” shouted one of the guards. “We know you have the boy.”
“Don’t go in there!” Aunt Serena exclaimed. “My husband does alchemical experiments in there. The chemicals, they’revery dangerous! You shouldn’t —!”
There was the sound of a struggle, and I heard Serena scream. The door to my room banged open. My aunt was sagging against it, holding her stomach, now shredded red with blood. Wet webs of scarlet crisscrossed down the sword in front of her and dripped heavily onto the tile floor.
“Aunt Serena!” I cried, and Diego dived forward to push back the blades inching toward her neck.
“Run, Baltasar!” my uncle shouted, but a soldier grabbed him from behind and plunged a knife straight into his side. His eyes wide with pain or shock, my uncle groped for the doorframe to keep himself steady. Then he simply collapsed to the floor.
“Run, Baltasar!” he wheezed to me as he fell. “Don’t look back! Run!”
One of the soldiers yelled, “He’s on the side of the house! Get him!”
“Oh, no, you don’t,” Aunt Serena grunted. Her long hair flew in cascades behind her as a series of letters flared up before her hands. “Come to me, Behemoth!”
At the same time my uncle shouted, “Go, Baltasar!” I gave him a last look and fled.
I tore up the hill that would lead into town, feeling a series of vibrations buzzing up against my feet. Then came a sound like an explosion. The force of it threw me up the hill. Don’t look back, my uncle had said. But I couldn’t obey that command. Spitting the dirt out of my mouth, I
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