The Lily Brand Read Online Free PDF Page B

course they needed to be on their way. The sea was not patient either; it would not wait for them.
    “You.” Lillian turned around, her decision made even before she realized it. “I will be back. In a few minutes at most. Wait for me.”
    Displeasure rumbled in the boy’s chest. “You better hurry.”
    Lillian straightened her shoulders and gave him a haughty stare. “You will be paid well for this. Do not forget it.” With that, she swung around and stepped back into the grotto. Carefully, she closed the door behind her so the boy would not use the opportunity to nose around the cave. For if he found the purse with all the jewelry she had collected over the last few weeks, he might disappear like a morning mist.
    Lillian felt her heart beating hard and fast against her ribs. How strange that the men and their horses still stood frozen at the entrance of the cave, covered with moss and lichen, when she herself seemed to have finally broken free. Across the lake, the man still stood as well.
    Her foot slid and she slithered down onto the first step, her legs shaky, her breath a wheezing sound in her ears. Lillian clenched her fingers into fists until her nails bit into the tender skin of her palms. The pain helped her to concentrate, to make the tremors pass. She called upon the coolness of the water, upon the cold air that surrounded her, and let it soak into her skin and her whole being.
    Steadily, she took the remaining steps down to lake level and walked over the stones back to the bank and to the prisoner. Her fingers, when they touched the chain to release the snap lock, were calm—as calm as her voice. “Come with me.”
    The chains made it difficult for him to traverse the stepping stones, yet she did not dare loosen them at the moment. A caged animal turned free might well turn against anyone who was near.
    The steps up to the cave presented even more of a challenge, but Lillian dragged him on without showing any mercy. There was no time for mercy now. No time at all for mercy at Château du Marais. She gathered the chill that emanated from the stones into herself, a core of ice to hold her upright through the next few hours.
    Following the flickering light of the candle, the man’s gaze dashed over the grotto’s carved animals. Lillian stood on tiptoe and felt behind the wings of the gryphon. The purse she withdrew was heavy with jewelry, her own and some of Camille’s. She would need all of it tonight to pay the smugglers for their services. Lillian made it disappear inside her coat. “When we are outside”—she threw a look at him over her shoulder—“be quiet.” And she opened the door.
    The boy’s eyes widened slightly when he caught sight of the man. “That was not the bargain,” he spluttered. “’Twas only you—”
    “I know.” Ever careful, Lillian clicked the door shut. “He will not come the whole way. Do you wish to discuss this? I thought we had not much time.”
    The boy ran his hands through his hair and muttered some vile curses, then finally led them to the place where he had left his cart. Of course it did not compare with Camille’s elegant carriage. It was a farmer’s cart, a smuggler’s cart, and the two ponies looked strong and sturdy. They remained quiet when the boy approached. Smugglers’ animals. A whinny at a wrong time could mean certain death for their owners.
    Lillian cast a searching look at the sky. Dusk would settle fast today, and soon night would welcome them into her arms. By the time anybody noticed their disappearance, they would be long gone.
    She climbed onto the ramp of the cart, which she had to share with the prisoner. The chains made him clumsy, and a fine film of sweat covered his forehead and throat. She drew her knees against her chest so she would not touch him.
    She did not look back when the boy took the reins and the cart started to bumble down the muddy path. Soon afterwards it began to drizzle, the wetness clinging to Lillian’s coat