The Scribe(125)

Olaf thanked her for the gesture as he admired the dagger. It was a crude instrument, but made of good steel. He could modify it so that it would be unrecognizable. To show his gratitude, he bowed to Theresa and Lucile did the same. Then they prepared some dinner, for night would fall soon.

By the time they had finished eating the roe deer leg, the moon was bright in the sky, so Theresa decided to spend the night in the hut. Lucille made a space for her between the two children, and Lucille slept on the floor to her right. Olaf slept outside, covered in a cloak.

That night Theresa purged her sins again. She remembered her father, Gorgias, and speculated on his whereabouts. Perhaps he was dead, but as likely as it seemed, she would not accept it as truth. She evoked memories of Alcuin, yearning for the days of learning, for his kind words and his extraordinary wisdom. Then she thought about everyone who had died because of her: the girl in the fire, the two Saxons at Hoos’s house, and now Widukind… For a moment she wondered whether the wealth of her land was worth all she had been through.

The howling of the wolves made Widukind’s body come to mind. Then she thought of her father and cried, picturing him being devoured by vermin.

Suddenly Theresa sprang up, causing Lucille to also wake, but Theresa told her that nothing was wrong. The young woman wrapped up warm and left the hut. Olaf was surprised because it was still completely dark. The slave came out from behind the ox he was using as a shelter and gave her a confused look as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Theresa admired the moon in silence. In a few hours the sun would come up and then Alcuin would set off for Würzburg. She took a deep breath and looked at Olaf. Then she told him to make ready. “Come with me to Fulda. But before leaving I want to make certain arrangements.”


In the early hours of Sunday morning, the abbey stables were a hive of activity. Dozens of monks ran up and down bearing food, animals, weapons, and equipment under the close scrutiny of Charlemagne’s men. The cart drivers yoked their beasts, who were lowing and thrashing their heads in protest. The maidservants prepared to bring the final supplies of salted belly pork, and the soldiers stayed busy following their commanders’ instructions.

Theresa found Alcuin as he was loading a cart with his belongings. All she had brought for the journey were a change of clothes and her wax tablets. Everything else she had left with Helga the Black, whom she had only woken minutes earlier to tell her that she was leaving. Helga would look after her land until she returned, and Theresa promised she would be back even if it was just to collect the rent that her friend had promised to pay her.

When Alcuin saw Theresa, he walked angrily over to her. “May I ask what you’re doing here?”

“Nothing that concerns you,” she responded without looking at him. She threw her bag onto the cart.

“Remove your bag at once! Do you want me to call the soldiers?”

“And do you want me to walk to Würzburg alone? Because that’s what I’ll do.”

“You’ll end up in a ditch.”

“Then so be it.”

Alcuin took a deep breath through clenched teeth. Never in his life had he come across such an obstinate creature. Finally he murmured something and turned away.

“Pox on you. Get in the cart!”

“What?”

“Did you not hear me? I said get in the cart!”

Theresa kissed his hand, not knowing how to thank him.


At dawn, Izam of Padua appeared, sporting a striking robe of red serge and gleaming chainmail. He was followed by a large group of soldiers that would escort the Roman delegation. When the engineer spotted Theresa, he made as if to go and greet her, but stopped when he saw another young man approach her first.

Theresa let Hoos embrace her and he kissed her on the lips. Izam looked on with a perplexed expression, which Hoos happened to notice.

“How do you know him?” Hoos asked when he saw Izam walk off.

“Who? The one in the chainmail?” she asked, trying to act normal. “He works for Charlemagne. He helped me with the slave I told you about. The one with the wooden leg.”

“He seems very interested in you.” He smiled and kissed her again, making sure Izam could see.

Theresa thought it odd that Hoos was not surprised to see her, for at no time had she told him of her intention to travel to Würzburg. On the contrary, she was a little surprised to see him since she had thought that they would both stay in Fulda and continue their relationship in peace, and yet, there they were: abandoning themselves to whatever fate awaited them without any kind of plan. Hoos explained to Theresa that her friend the engineer had hired him as a guide.

“You should have seen their faces when I told them that snow still blocked the passes. They screamed and shouted like madmen. That’s when I suggested they travel to Frankfurt first and sail upriver from there. The thaw has already begun down there, so with a bit of luck we’ll be able to reach Würzburg by ship.”

“And you were going to leave without telling me?”

“I was certain you would come,” he said with a smile. “And anyway…”

Theresa gave him a wary look.

“Anyway what?”

“If necessary I would have dragged you myself.” He laughed and lifted her into the air.

Theresa smiled, happy in Hoos’s strong arms. She felt that while he was near, nothing bad could happen to her.