“Or that you stole after you poisoned her and killed our son.”
Madlen realized that he had indeed considered everything. Every little detail. She looked down. Her dress and hands were tainted through and through with Adelhaid’s blood. She had to flee. She acted as if she wanted to get up, then she raised her arms and shoved Matthias away with such a powerful push that he staggered backward in surprise. She stumbled to the door, where she almost ran into Barbara. The frightened woman pressed herself against the wall and cleared the way for Madlen’s escape.
She ran to the stairwell. The guard was nowhere to be seen. She ran as fast as she could down the steps.
“Stop, you whore!” she heard Matthias yell from above.
She jumped down the last few steps, ran over to the front door, and raced out. Outside, people were already gathering thanks to the guard’s racket. Some screamed in terror as they saw Madlen’s blood-soaked dress. She ran like a hunted animal as she sped away from the house and Matthias Trauenstein’s cries. Nobody made a move to stand in her way, when suddenly someone grabbed her hand. She saw Kilian’s face pop up in front of her as he pulled her away with him. No one ran after the siblings. The good citizens of Heidelberg were too stunned to comprehend what they saw.
They both ran from the marketplace until they reached Ingrim Street and turned into a small alley. At first, they thought they heard footsteps, but they seemed to be alone.
“You’ve got to hide,” Kilian gasped.
“But I don’t know, I can’t . . . ,” Madlen protested.
Her brother dragged her farther. “We don’t have time to argue. Come on!”
Madlen could not have said how long they ran. “Let’s go to our old cave. Nobody will find you there. I’ll run back and pretend that I lost you and am trying to find you, too. Maybe I’ll learn what’s going on at the same time. You stay there until I come back. Do you understand?”
Madlen didn’t react, unable to comprehend. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. “Madlen! Come now! Keep yourself hidden. Do you hear me?”
She nodded and followed his instructions. He hurriedly turned around and ran back to the marketplace, calling loudly for his sister in the neighboring streets.
Madlen crept deep into the cave, until she couldn’t go any farther. She crouched, leaning against the wall, then moved her legs to her chest. Her whole body shivered, unable to absorb what had happened in the last few hours. Only her sticky bloodstained hands and the smell of blood on her dress convinced her that this wasn’t a bad dream.
Chapter Ten
It was ice-cold in the cave. After a while, she cried herself to sleep. Outside was as dark as it was in the cave. Not even one small ray of light. When she woke, Madlen’s whole body trembled. She sat up and blew into her freezing-cold hands, then rubbed her arms. She’d only stayed overnight in the cave one time before. She’d been seven or eight years old and hiding from her father because of some trivial thing she’d supposedly done. He had been drunk that day and had beaten her with a willow branch. Kilian hadn’t been around to protect her. Madlen didn’t dare go home before Kilian’s return. So she’d huddled on the ground and finally fallen asleep. Just like now. Except now she was holed up here for a much worse reason. Slowly, her thoughts cleared and she pondered the day’s events. All the terrible things that had happened in the last few hours came rushing back. The horror of being tricked, Adelhaid’s death, the blood, the realization that Matthias Trauenstein had planned everything to the smallest detail.
“Madlen? Are you here?”
It wasn’t her brother’s voice, so Madlen pressed her body even closer to the wall. She hardly dared to breathe.
“Madlen?” the voice repeated. “It’s me, Andreas. Are you in here? Kilian sent me.”
Madlen’s heart was in her throat; blood rushed in her ears. What should she do? Was this yet another trap? Had the advocate been spying on the siblings and waiting until Kilian went away? But why? What were his intentions? Madlen sighed. Either way, he would find her in the cave; she might as well reveal herself. “I’m here,” she said, her voice trembling.
She heard footsteps as Andreas moved farther in. “Thank God. I thought I might have gotten the wrong location.” Madlen could still only hear him.
“Where are you?” he asked in a tone of concern.
“What do you want?”
“What do you think?” He groaned from the stress of crawling on all fours. “I want to help you.” He got so close that Madlen could feel his breath when he spoke.