Deadlight-Hall(13)

They sat on the ground, on blankets and cushions, and waited to see what would happen next. Leo’s mother gave him a small canvas bag which, when he looked inside, he found had his best sweater, pyjamas, socks, toothbrush, and some pieces of jewellery and a silver box that had belonged to his grandmother. He had only the haziest memories of her, but he knew she was one of the people who had vanished, along with his grandfather. His mother had never talked about them, but once Leo had found her sitting on her bed, clutching their photographs and sobbing.

She was not exactly sobbing now, but her face had a white, hurt look. She hugged him and said he was to be a good and brave boy, to do whatever was asked of him, and to never forget that they loved him very much and always would. His father gave him a small package – something wrapped in layers of cloth. Leo unwrapped a bit of the cloth and saw it was one of the silver golems from the synagogue. He looked questioningly at his father, because the two golems at the synagogue were special things, even a bit magical, and no one was ever allowed to touch them.

‘Keep it safe and it will protect you,’ said Leo’s father, and although he was not exactly crying, his eyes were shiny and his voice was husky as if he might be getting a sore throat.

It was Sophie who suddenly sat up and looked towards the crumbly stairs as if she had heard something. Susannah looked as well, at exactly the same moment. They’ve heard something, thought Leo, his heart starting to thump. Or they’ve felt that something’s about to happen. Whatever it is, it isn’t good. As this thought formed, Sophie looked across at him, and shook her head. No, it isn’t good.

Moments later, Leo heard marching feet, and voices sounding sharp and angry, calling out. The grown-ups made signs to the children to be very quiet. ‘Like a game,’ said one of them, softly, but Leo thought they all knew it was not a game. He whispered to his father to ask if it was something to do with the Ovens, and his father looked at him in a startled way, then said, very quietly, ‘Pray it is not.’ The twins’ mother said something about the Angel of Death, and her face twisted as if she was going to cry. But she did not; she put her arms round Sophie and Susannah and hugged them very tightly to her.

Leo reached for the golem tucked inside his bag, and curled his hand firmly around it. It felt friendly and reassuring, and he fixed his eyes on the stair leading up to the church. The footsteps were louder now; they rang out sharply and in exact rhythm, like a fast-beating heart, and the voices were louder. Leo could not understand what they were saying, but some of the grown-ups pressed back into the shadowy corners as if wanting to hide. Leo discovered he was shivering, but he sat up very straight so no one would know.

It seemed a very long time before the marching footsteps and the voices faded, but eventually they did, and the adults looked at one another and smiled a bit shakily.

The twins’ mother was just pouring coffee for everyone from two large flasks, when the sound of new footsteps reached them – not the hard, frightening ones they had heard earlier, but soft, light steps. Before anyone realized it, a man was standing at the foot of the stairs, a faint shaft of silver moonlight falling over him like a thin cloak. Leo’s father said, ‘Sch?nbrunn. Oh, thanks be that you’ve reached us,’ and went forward to shake the stranger’s hand.

The man called Sch?nbrunn was thin-faced and dark-haired, and although he was somehow very quiet-looking, once he stepped into the room, the clogging fear seemed to vanish, and everyone sat up and smiled and nodded. It’s going to be all right, thought Leo. Whatever was wrong is going to be put right. He’ll put it right.

Sch?nbrunn knelt down in front of Leo and the twins, and the other children, and held out his hand. There were still flecks of silver moonlight in his hair and his eyes.

‘Hello,’ said Sch?nbrunn. ‘I’m glad to meet you all.’ He smiled at Leo. ‘You’re the young man who can speak a little English,’ he said and, when Leo nodded, Sch?nbrunn said, ‘That’s very good indeed. That will be a great help to us.’ He looked at Sophie and Susannah then. ‘And you’re the Reiss twins.’ Leo thought he frowned slightly, as if somebody had suddenly given him a very difficult task, but he only said, ‘I’m particularly glad to find you here.’ He sat back on his heels, and looked at the other children, all huddled into a fearful little group. ‘We’re going away,’ he said. ‘It’s a bit of an adventure and you must promise to do everything I tell you. But it’ll just be ourselves – you’ll have to leave your parents for a time.’