The Shining Falcon

Chapter V Ghosts

«We'll never escape!» Vasilissa's weak gasp of terror was almost drowned beneath the trumpets' blare, the blasts of Alarm! Alarm! «We're trapped!»

«Not yet, we're not.» Danilo had thrown aside his sack and was searching on hands and knees amid a pile of debris. «Somewhere about here… Yes, here it is! Now, if only I can still get it open…»

As his daughters watched fearfully for guards, he pulled aside a narrow, rusty grating.

«I thought I remembered this!» Danilo gave a quick grin. «Come, daughters, follow me!»

He was leaping down into darkness even as he spoke. «Come on, I'll catch you. It isn't deep.»

Vasilissa was too stunned by fear to resist, sliding obediently down after her father. Maria found herself hesitating, held by the fear of the unknown. «Hurry!» her father hissed, and she told herself, If Lissa can do this, so can you, and blindly jumped.

Danilo was right, it wasn't a long drop. As he reached up to carefully replace the debris‑covered grate, Maria looked warily around. This was some sort of tunnel, narrow, sloping down and away from the kitchen‑must be an old drain.

«Let's see now," muttered Danilo. «It's been years, but… This way.»

They edged their cautious way forward into smelly, stale darkness, over a stone floor covered thickly by rotted kitchen scraps. Or at least Maria hoped they were only innocent kitchen scraps… She had flint and steel in her pouch, but this was hardly the place to strike a light, not when someone might see the flare.

«I was right," her father whispered triumphantly. «It's still here!»

He pulled his daughters aside, up into a new tunnel, a wider passage, almost airy by comparison with the first, dimly lit every now and again by slits that let in the sunlight.

«Where are we?» breathed Vasilissa.

«Somewhere under the main courtyard. Just a little further, and we'll be able to stop, and safely build a fire, too… Here we are.»

It was a plain stone chamber, almost dry, almost clean, smelling of earth and age. Maria looked about as best she could in the semidarkness, bewildered.

«What is this place?»

«Part of the original palace.» Danilo's voice was casual.

«But that was supposed to have collapsed centuries ago!»

«Most of it did. This room and some of the hallways survived. It seems that the new palace was built right over the ruins of the old.» A hint of amusement quivered in his voice. «I found this place when I was a boy, exploring behind your grandfather's back. Never dared tell anyone I'd been here, though. At any rate, I doubt anyone's going to come looking for us down here.»

Vasilissa had been standing in silence all this while, arms hugged about herself. Suddenly she murmured, «There are old ghosts in this place.»

Maria felt a little prickle run down her spine at that hopeless whisper. «Oh, nonsense, Lissa. There's no such thing.»

«I feel them, all around… There! Did you see?»

«Dear, it's only a shadow.»

Lissa was staring blankly ahead. «They're smaller than us… bronze swords… their hair is dark… their eyes are dark… so dark…»

Maria and her father exchanged startled glances. Lissa could almost be describing folk of the old stock, those who'd lived here long before the Norrund invasion four hundred years past had brought greater height and fair coloring into the region.

She could also, thought Maria, wincing, simply be… seeing things again.

«Come now, Lissa. It's been a long and trying day and — "

«I do see them. I — "

«Stop that!» Maria caught herself, began again, a little more gently, «I'll tell you what, Lissa. If any ghost comes bothering you, you let me know, and I'll… Oh, I'll make up some sort of spell to chase it away from — "

«Maria!» Danilo snapped. «Don't jest about evil!»

Startled, she stammered, «I—I only meant — "

«Magic is evil! It goes against the laws of God! And you are not to joke about it!»

There was a moment's stunned silence. Then Maria heard her father sigh. «Akh, I'm sorry, child. It's just… Only a short time ago I was in that prison cell, sure I was doomed. I haven't quite caught my breath yet. But there are times when you seem a bit too fond of the old tales. And you know how I feel about such dark things.»

It was hardly the time or place to argue. Maria said in a sort of resigned, reluctant humility, «Yes, Father.»

«But we can't stay here!» Vasilissa cut in fearfully.

«I'm afraid we must," Danilo said gently. «But only for a short time, Lissa. Not forever.»

Maria blinked. «Of course not!» she said in sudden comprehension. «Father, there's a way out of here into the town, isn't there?»

«Indeed.»

«But we can't leave right away, not with everyone sure to be looking for us. No, all we have to do is wait until next market day!»

She saw her father's teeth flash in a quick grin. Market day was the only time when the guards had to keep the city gates open. And they couldn't possibly keep track of everyone's comings and goings.

«That—that's a week away!» gasped Vasilissa. «We'll never last it out!»

«We will.»

«No! What will we do for food? For—for light?» Maria thought for a moment. «What if I stole back up into the kitchen? They didn't notice us before; they'll certainly not pay any attention to one more scullion! And then every night I'll be able to slip down here with food and — "

«No," Danilo interrupted. «It's too dangerous.»

«There doesn't seem to be much of a choice. I'm the only one who can go. You couldn't go back up into the palace yourself, Father! Someone would be sure to recognize you.» She glanced quickly at her wild-eyed sister. «And Lissa can't go, either. We—we certainly can't leave her alone down here. Father, it has to be me!» She took his silence for consent and hurried on, «It'll be all right, you'll see," and prayed she was right.

Clad in stolen peasant garb, aching from days of unaccustomed labor, Maria moved slowly with the marketday throng filing out of the city. Somewhere up ahead were her father and sister. They'd decided it would be safer to split up, but now Maria wasn't so sure. Overwhelmed by loneliness in the middle of that crowd, she clenched her hands to stop their shaking, and fought back the urge to simply bawl like a babe. The guards were still looking for them. And what if some ambitious soldier recognized the missing boyar in that filthy, limping beggar? What if Lissa's nerves gave way completely?

Akh, Lissa…

That dark world of tunnels had terrified the young woman, keeping her from sleep. And when sleep came, it brought such foul dreams that her father and sister had been hard put to muffle her screams. God, and she'd grown so silent lately, so… empty.

The great gates were right ahead. Maria edged sideways a little, trying to look as though she were part of a large, rowdy family group. But now the guards were stopping them, checking their faces with bored inattention. Maria held her breath. They shouldn't be able to recognize her, but if they did… The menfolk of the group were complaining loudly, the womenfolk— Ah, but one of them was a beauty, a true beauty, and the guards were all paying rough, gallant attention to her, and no one was aware in all the confusion of the one dirty little peasant girl slipping carefully past them…

And she was out! Out of Stargorod, and on the road that wandered through the fields till it vanished into the vast forest. No place to stop, not here, not out in the open… But she couldn't see her father or sister ahead of her. Could they have already reached the forest's shelter? Or had they been caught? No; she'd have heard the outcry if that had happened. She must just keep trudging along, never looking back, never daring to hurry lest she draw attention to herself…

Head down, Maria didn't realize how far she had walked, until suddenly the sunlight was cut off, and she glanced wildly up to see forest all around. She was safe!

But a strong hand closed about her arm, and pulled her from the road into darkness.