I pause, my attention suddenly alerted. “Wait,” I say. “What do you mean they sail right past?”

Emmanuel prods the fire with a stick nonchalantly. “Well, they don’t know I’m here. It’s not like I have a boat or anything that would draw their attention to me.”

Molly’s eyes suddenly snap wide open as she comes to the same realization as me. Our boat is tied to the jetty in full view. We didn’t even think to hide it. But if there are crazies in this area, they will surely have spotted it.

I leap to my feet and grab my gun. At the same time, somewhere from down the long winding corridor comes a strange sound, like a slamming door.

Molly looks at me.

Silently, I nod. Ryan and Zeke also leap up, their hands on their weapons. Emmanuel looks terrified.

“What’s happening?” he asks.

I press my finger to my lips. “Be quiet. And put out the fire.”

He does exactly as I say, rushing over and kicking the flames until there’s nothing left but smoldering coal. In the pitch blackness, we all stand completely still, listening to the shuffling, pattering sounds coming from the other side of the castle.

I curse myself for having been so stupid as to leave the boat in view. We’d been so distracted by the storm we’d been thinking only of finding shelter. That lapse in judgment might have cost us dearly.

“Emmanuel,” I whisper to the terrified boy, “we’re going to try and get to our boat, okay? We’ll get you out of here and head to safety.”

I’m thinking of Nicolas and the Forest Dwellers’ new survivors’ colony. We can send Emmanuel in that direction. It would probably take little more than a day to reach on foot.

But Emmanuel is shaking his head. “I don’t want to leave the castle,” he says stubbornly. “This is my home.”

“Not for long,” I reply. “Listen. You hear that? Footsteps. There are people here. People who want to hurt you.”

He frowns, suddenly angry. “You led them here,” he accuses me.

There’s nothing I can say to refute it. He’s right.

“And that’s why I’m going to do everything I can to keep you safe,” I reply, sternly.

I feel someone move beside me in the darkness. Even without being able to see, I can tell that it’s Ryan.

“I’m sending Jack ahead,” he whispers. “We can follow his route.”

“Good idea,” I reply.

I can just about make out Jack’s white fur as he trots quietly across the large ballroom and out into the corridor.

“Come on,” Ryan whispers.