But first, you and I must come to an agreement. And for that I must find a buyer." I heard footsteps downstairs and knew they had to be his. "I want you to let her go." "What? How would you benefit from that?" "How many are out there? Two?" He shrugged. "If I keep you both here, you might die before they find you. Better that she escape and hide. As for me, once you've finished with my brother I'll be happy to talk to you about anything that you want." "Very well. I will return for you and you can explain my terms in the meantime. And you must do so now, for the clock has run down." I could see he didn't like it but he left the door anyway. Sally was just returning to the room. "There's a lot of soldiers in town," she said. "They're patrolling the beach for her." "I know. They're also watching the coast for anyone who looks like they might be running away. And the fishermen are all out looking for her, too. A couple of them even tried to go into the marsh and were driven off. So they'll still look here." "I wish you'd given her more time." "There wasn't any." I'd been thinking it over. "What's the matter?" she asked. "She's so beautiful." "She is. I've got a plan and I want you to trust me. And then we'll get out of here." ## 6 As soon as the door was closed again, I moved quickly. I slipped out of the box and crept toward the door. In the corridor the soldiers were still talking among themselves. They'd found no clue and had gone back to the barn. I could hear them searching the place now, kicking the floor. It sounded like the barn had no secret passages or I'd have known about it. I was getting sick of going into the woods when I heard the door open again. He came into the room carrying the long black cloak that all of them wore when their souls were loose. The soldiers were in the lower part of the house so I couldn't see them, but I could hear them in the hallway, talking to one another. The man was not going to speak to anyone. "What will you do with us?" I asked. "I will go out and sell your body to a whorehouse and when I return I will give you food." "But if you return..." I said. "A whorehouse has its secrets. No one will ask." "How will you get the money to pay for it?" Sally asked. "And that will leave us on our own." "It will be all right. The soldiers are looking for you now. They will return here and make a search. If you are here when they return, they will bring you back with them and then I can sell you at the same price." "The soldiers want us," she said. "But they'll also want Bony." He frowned. "Perhaps." He'd thought of that. "So if I go back with you, you'll leave her." "Not necessarily. You can make a bargain with me." "Tell me about it." "I will," he said. "This is how it works. I will keep the soldiers occupied for several hours. Then, just as the soldiers are setting up the search party, I will take you to the place I used the night before. You will be given food and shelter and a way to buy your own freedom. But you will promise to wait there until dark. I will return and give you a pass to get away. In the morning, you will go back to your home and tell them you were kidnapped." "That will be bad," she said. "Your brother will have to be put under a curse so they think he's dead and the woman who left you will be presumed to be a witch. You are both going to be blamed for his loss of luck. He was a good man, but she is not. She always was a witch. And the soldiers will be happy to catch her. That will get them back in favor with their captain. He won't want to bring her to the soldiers for revenge, so if she's dead they will believe it was her. I have ways of making sure that she will be believed. And then the soldiers will give your brother back. In time, if he plays his cards right, he'll move up the ranks and when he does he will find his luck again." "You don't have to do all that." "Of course I do. I have a plan." He'd thought about that, too. "You'll be gone when the soldiers come, won't you?" "Yes." "It's a long way down to the shore. How will you get back up here?" "I'll be with the soldiers. They'll find me later." "What if they don't?" He laughed. "You'll die." He looked at me. "The soldiers will know where you are. But by then you'll be ready to die, won't you?" "But she can't get to the shore unless he gives her a ride." "Yes, but they know it's you. That means you are going to put me in danger." "Is it much danger? To take me to the shore?" "The soldiers have been alerted by the innkeeper. The man will tell them there is no one here but me. That he came looking for me, but then left. Once the soldiers find me, they will come here and you will know their intentions. I've done this before. You'll see." "Then I'll leave now. I'll come back in the morning." He shook his head. "You won't be able to. They will watch your windows to be sure that you haven't gone. And you will never make it past the door. The soldiers will bring them up here, but the innkeeper will be told that there is no one in the barn but you. So they'll know I'm in your room and they'll have me watched every minute. It is better for you to leave here." "I don't want to," she said. "You don't know the risks we're taking for you. This is your only way of getting back to our world." "And that should tell you something." "I want you to trust me." "I trust you as much as any soldier can. But I also know that if you leave here, you will never return. Once you get to the shore, you'll be lost." "Then I'll come back tomorrow. We'll make our bargain and then I will leave. I'm not asking you to trust me but I'm asking you to help me. If you do, I'll be grateful." He shook his head. "Why is it so important that you keep this one woman from your side?" She looked at me. "She's pregnant." "Ah, yes." He nodded. "I will leave you now. The soldiers are here. Your door will be blocked." He was a wise man, for all his whining. When he was gone I put my hands on the wall and pushed my body away from the house and off into the darkness. ## 7 I heard them coming up the road as I was walking along the beach, toward the sea. There were two. I was worried. They were too far away to be heard, but that didn't mean they weren't in my future. I walked fast but they saw me. They called out. I got behind a dune and waited. "There's no one here," one said. "The innkeeper told us." "Then why are you here?" the other one asked. "It was a mistake. We'll head back now." They turned away and were gone. I walked up onto the beach and the moon was high and the sea was a smooth white road. I walked along it and then climbed down into the marshes. When I could go no farther I found the narrow path that ran between the fences into the marshlands. At the far side I found my boat and untied it. I'd hidden the craft, knowing I'd need to escape quickly. I made my way down the marsh and back to the road where it entered the marsh. In the dark I felt my way through the reeds and willows to the dock where I kept my boat and slipped silently into it. When I was in, I lifted the mast and started my engine and slowly made my way out into the sea. I had no idea how I'd find the island, or who had come to the cottage, or what they were doing, but all I could do was hope. I was on the home stretch. Ahead were two more days, but the moon was as large and bright as a white fire and the sky as dark as pitch. I'd already taken precautions for her. I'd made a box and put it in the middle of the beach. It was hidden beneath some logs, with the door facing down into the sea. I'd gone there when the soldiers