Page 53 of The Piper's Pursuit

“You could have married Hans. Surely he would have protected your mother too.”

“Hans? He’s been my friend since we were children. Besides, he’s been planning to marry a maiden named Hilda.”

His heart expanded inside him at this news.

They were nearing the road, but it was probably close to midnight, judging by the position of the moon, so they were not likely to encounter anyone. They allowed the children to walk down the hard-packed dirt ruts. As they walked, he imagined what Hennek would do when he discovered they had all escaped.

“What is the closest village of more than a hundred families?”

“The closest village of that size would be Keiterhafen, just east of here, maybe five miles.”

“We should be able to make it there by morning, then.”

“Children walk much slower than we do.”

“We can carry the little ones and let them rest when we must. We can make it.”

“Hopefully.”

Albrecht and Verena were leading the children, who were all strangely quiet, while Steffan and Katerina brought up the rear.

One of the little girls was lagging behind, the same little girl he had taken on his back up the ladder. When she was very near to him, he scooped her up and held her in his arms. Looking into her eyes, he was reminded a bit of his little sister Adela. How old must Adela be now? Nearly grown, he would imagine... oh yes, nineteen. It had only been a year since he’d seen her, but she still remained a child in his mind.

“What’s your name, little one?”

“Johanna,” she whispered. Her body was stiff, and she was holding herself away from him.

“If you’re tired, I can carry you. Is that all right?”

She only stared back at him.

“Do you want me to put you down?”

Johanna did a slow cringe, pulling her arms into her body and dipping her chin to her chest, her bottom lip protruding. Then she whispered, “Yes.”

Steffan lowered her to the hard dirt road. He was being impulsive again. Of course she wouldn’t want a scary-looking man picking her up, especially after what she’d been through. He should have asked her first.

“She just doesn’t know you very well yet.” Katerina gave him a gentle smile.

One of the little girls who was holding Katerina’s hand grabbed Johanna’s, and they walked beside him.

As slow as their pace was, he was not at all sure they would make it to Keiterhafen by morning.

After they had turned off the north road onto the road that led east, a child just ahead of them stumbled and fell. He got up slowly. Another child, a little girl, started crying, a soft wailing. Another said, “Where is my mother? I want my mother.”

This was not good.

“Let’s take a rest,” Katerina said. “We’ll lie down in this nice soft grass off the road and take a nap, shall we?”

She was so brave. Could she tell he was more afraid of taking care of these fifty-two children than of battling a hundred guards with swords?

Seventeen

Katerina nearly stepped in goat dung and called out, “Watch where you step.”

Steffan herded the children, watching until every child was on the grass and either sitting or lying down. Then he started walking toward her. Why did her heart thump at the way he was looking at her? He sat down near her and propped himself on his hands.

Her mind wandered to what he had said earlier, admitting the excessive drinking and that he hadn’t been the best son but saying there had not been any women. Did she believe him? Her first thought was that if he was going to admit all the other things, why not admit that too? He hadn’t lied to her before, that she knew of.