soldiers: “Seize her.”
For just a moment, time seems to slow down. I gape at Saul, unable to move.
“ Run!” Colin hollers. “Leia, now !”
That shakes me out of my stupor. I turn around and run like the wind. I don’t even stop to think where the blazes I’m supposed to go or how I can be so selfish as to leave Colin behind to fend for himself. He’s right in telling me to run. If Saul catches me, he will most likely kill me too. He’s gone insane. I have to get off the grounds and disappear into the blackness of the night as fast as possible.
Branches hit my face when I plunge into the dark of the forest. The moon is only a small sliver in the night sky and does little to improve my sight. Then again, it also means my pursuers won’t be able to see me.
It’s only when I reach the Wall that I realize where I was headed all this time. This is the place where I encountered Walt for the first time. Saul’s friends can’t be far off, so I have to be quick. I grope my way up the tree next to the Wall like a squirrel and don’t hesitate when I lower myself and drop down on the other side of the barrier.
Blindly, I run on. I’ m in uncharted territory, in an unknown world where Saul fears to tread. He won’t follow me here.
I’m in Fool’s Land.
-11-
WHEN I finally see the first houses of Hope Harbor looming in the distance, I’m no longer running. Rather, I’m stumbling on. My feet are bleeding from hitting stones on the path in my frantic flight. Tears are running down my face. Even though I didn’t really believe Saul would follow me across the Wall, I still wouldn’t slow down.
I accost the very first man I encounter. “Walt,” I pant. “Where is… Walt. The Bookkeeper’s nephew.”
“My heavens, girl, what happened to you?” the elderly man asks with a bewildered face, putting his arm around my shoulders. “Why don’t you take a seat first, love? I’ll go and get Walt out of that meeting he’s in.”
I sit down on the wooden bench the man has steered me toward, underneath a street lantern next to one of the houses. My heart hammers in my chest and my hair is sticky with sweat. I f I could make one wish now, it’d be for hours of rest, just sitting here and letting the world go by, but I know I can’t. Walt is in some meeting – well, so much the better. He can ask all the people gathered there to help him. To help me . I have to save Colin, Andy and Pete. If they’re still alive, that is.
After what seems like an eternity, my savior comes back with Walt in tow. His eyes widen when he catches sight of me. “Leia, what happened? Are you alone? Where are your friends?”
I start crying desperately, sagging against Walt’s shoulder when he sits down next to me. “He’s dead,” I sniff.
“Who’s dead?”
“Henry. They... Saul killed him.”
Walt stops breathing. Anxious, I look up and see his jaw working. “That does it. We’re going in,” he decides. “Is your friend still there? Is Mara in danger?”
I shake my head. “ Mara left earlier this afternoon. Saul had arranged her marriage to his brother, so she ran away. But my brother’s still there. And Andy, and Pete – our friends. They helped me. We wanted to confront Saul with his lies, but everything got out of hand.”
“Do you think he’d...” A tell-tale silence follows.
“Yes, I’m afraid so,” I whisper.
He cries out something – sounding kind of gruff, so I’m assuming he’s using a few choice words in his own dialect – and gets up. “I have to drum up some helpers. Tony will want to come too, I bet.”
“Wait,” I say. “If you want to attack the manor house and capture Saul, I suggest you ask for help in Newexter. Mara has already told my mother about what’s happening at the manor. The… I mean, our parents wanted to come and help us, I think. And they know their way around the house.”
He nods curtly. “We can use all the help we can get. How do we get to your
For just a moment, time seems to slow down. I gape at Saul, unable to move.
“ Run!” Colin hollers. “Leia, now !”
That shakes me out of my stupor. I turn around and run like the wind. I don’t even stop to think where the blazes I’m supposed to go or how I can be so selfish as to leave Colin behind to fend for himself. He’s right in telling me to run. If Saul catches me, he will most likely kill me too. He’s gone insane. I have to get off the grounds and disappear into the blackness of the night as fast as possible.
Branches hit my face when I plunge into the dark of the forest. The moon is only a small sliver in the night sky and does little to improve my sight. Then again, it also means my pursuers won’t be able to see me.
It’s only when I reach the Wall that I realize where I was headed all this time. This is the place where I encountered Walt for the first time. Saul’s friends can’t be far off, so I have to be quick. I grope my way up the tree next to the Wall like a squirrel and don’t hesitate when I lower myself and drop down on the other side of the barrier.
Blindly, I run on. I’ m in uncharted territory, in an unknown world where Saul fears to tread. He won’t follow me here.
I’m in Fool’s Land.
-11-
WHEN I finally see the first houses of Hope Harbor looming in the distance, I’m no longer running. Rather, I’m stumbling on. My feet are bleeding from hitting stones on the path in my frantic flight. Tears are running down my face. Even though I didn’t really believe Saul would follow me across the Wall, I still wouldn’t slow down.
I accost the very first man I encounter. “Walt,” I pant. “Where is… Walt. The Bookkeeper’s nephew.”
“My heavens, girl, what happened to you?” the elderly man asks with a bewildered face, putting his arm around my shoulders. “Why don’t you take a seat first, love? I’ll go and get Walt out of that meeting he’s in.”
I sit down on the wooden bench the man has steered me toward, underneath a street lantern next to one of the houses. My heart hammers in my chest and my hair is sticky with sweat. I f I could make one wish now, it’d be for hours of rest, just sitting here and letting the world go by, but I know I can’t. Walt is in some meeting – well, so much the better. He can ask all the people gathered there to help him. To help me . I have to save Colin, Andy and Pete. If they’re still alive, that is.
After what seems like an eternity, my savior comes back with Walt in tow. His eyes widen when he catches sight of me. “Leia, what happened? Are you alone? Where are your friends?”
I start crying desperately, sagging against Walt’s shoulder when he sits down next to me. “He’s dead,” I sniff.
“Who’s dead?”
“Henry. They... Saul killed him.”
Walt stops breathing. Anxious, I look up and see his jaw working. “That does it. We’re going in,” he decides. “Is your friend still there? Is Mara in danger?”
I shake my head. “ Mara left earlier this afternoon. Saul had arranged her marriage to his brother, so she ran away. But my brother’s still there. And Andy, and Pete – our friends. They helped me. We wanted to confront Saul with his lies, but everything got out of hand.”
“Do you think he’d...” A tell-tale silence follows.
“Yes, I’m afraid so,” I whisper.
He cries out something – sounding kind of gruff, so I’m assuming he’s using a few choice words in his own dialect – and gets up. “I have to drum up some helpers. Tony will want to come too, I bet.”
“Wait,” I say. “If you want to attack the manor house and capture Saul, I suggest you ask for help in Newexter. Mara has already told my mother about what’s happening at the manor. The… I mean, our parents wanted to come and help us, I think. And they know their way around the house.”
He nods curtly. “We can use all the help we can get. How do we get to your
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