Valten squeezed her shoulder, then pulled away. “We must go.” He turned to Friar Daniel. “My good friar, do you know of a place to hide, a place big enough for my horse?”
“I do indeed,” Friar Daniel responded. “I grew up nearby, and a cave I used to play in as a boy is but two miles away. I only hope we can find it in the dark.”
“Lead on, Friar.”
They had not walked far when Valten stopped Gisela with a hand on her arm. “Come. You ride.” Without waiting for an answer, he placed his hands on her waist and lifted her onto Sieger’s back, letting her sit sidesaddle. He took up Sieger’s reins and followed Friar Daniel and his donkey.
Gisela shivered, probably from a combination of the excitement of escaping from Ruexner and his men and the cold night air, which was unusually cold for this time of year. There was nothing for her to do but try to keep her seat on Sieger’s back and feel comforted by how strong Valten looked, with his broad, muscular shoulders and his large, capable hands. Then she noticed the crossbow hanging from his shoulder by a leather strap. He must have taken it from Ruexner’s henchman. The sight made her feel even more comforted.
Just then, Gisela heard wolves howling in the distance. She shivered again. Thank you, God, for Valten’s safety, and for how you will save us from all danger.
Valten was glad he’d been able to steal a weapon, even if it was a crossbow, which was definitely not his preferred weapon. If they could only avoid getting caught by Ruexner, he could make it back to Hagenheim with Gisela where she would be safe. Then he could gather his father’s knights and soldiers and go teach Ruexner a lesson he’d never forget.
But for now, Valten had never felt so ill equipped. Without a sword, he felt exposed and vulnerable. If a wolf attacked, he would have one shot, and one shot only. If he missed, or if there were more than one, he wouldn’t have time to reload. But he would do whatever it took to protect Gisela, even if he had to take that wolf apart with his bare hands.
Another problem he would never admit was that he was in a lot of pain, and still dizzy, from the beating he’d taken from Ruexner and his men.
God, are you trying to humble me? Because it’s working. If you’re trying to show me that I need your help, I’m seeing it. I want to rescue Gisela in my own strength, but right now I’ll just be thankful to get her to safety any way that comes about. Even if it came in the form of a round-faced friar.
He’d actually fallen asleep waiting and watching for the guard to fall asleep. The friar had not only saved him and Gisela, but now he was leading them to a cave, a hiding place Valten could neither have known about nor found. Though his initial reaction had been frustration that a friar could do something for Gisela that he couldn’t do, he’d better humble himself and thank God for sending him. He should not and would not argue with God about his mode of provision.
Valten and the friar continued walking for about half an hour before Valten began to wonder if they were lost. The forest seemed to go on forever, and all the trees looked alike. It was so dark that it was hard to distinguish anything out of the ordinary, and the moon was sometimes blocked out altogether by the dense foliage. He glanced back at Gisela every now and then. Her shoulders drooped, but whenever he looked at her she gave him a brave smile. Even with her blonde hair falling around her face and shoulders in a tangled mass, she was just as beautiful to him now as she had been at the ball.
The friar turned and said, “We’re not far now.” As he rounded a slight hill, overgrown with small trees and bushes, they faced a gaping hole in the side of the hill. “Be careful. It slopes downward sharply, and the floor is wet and slippery.”
Valten turned and grasped Gisela around the waist to help her down. She placed her hands on his shoulders and he set her on her feet, but slowly. After all, when one has a pleasant task to do, there’s no reason to rush it.
He wrapped his fingers around Gisela’s small hand and entered the dark cave, unable to see more than three feet in front of them. He had been inside the secret tunnel that ran under the town wall around Hagenheim Castle many times, but he liked the idea of being inside a cave created by nature — God’s own hiding place.
The rocky floor was indeed wet, and he could hear water dripping somewhere ahead. The open mouth of the cave was like a giant swallowing them up as they were plunged into complete darkness. The floor of the cave was uneven, and became quite steep as they continued farther into the darkness. It was a strange feeling not to be able to see where he was going. Gisela held on to his arm in the blackness of the cavern.
“We’d better stop here,” the friar said. “There are probably bats farther in, and we don’t want to fall into a hole.”