Matthew had been afraid of this; he released the breath in a hiss between his teeth, biting down also on the flare of panic that jumped up within him.

Devane closed the spyglass with a sharp pop. “What’s the plan?” When Matthew failed to respond: “You do have a plan, don’t you?”

Matthew again did not answer, because he had none … neither answer nor plan.

“I see,” said Devane, both silkily and flatly. “We have come this way—myself following your wishes, as I vowed to the professor—to find a dead end, and no further plan in mind. Which was your responsibility, I believe. And here I thought you cared enough about the girl to really help her … but I see I was mistaken, and—” He stopped, because Matthew had turned away from his view of Adderlane, his cheeks had reddened and he had heard as much as he could stand to hear.

“My plan,” Matthew said, grasping at whatever straws he might find in his windblown brain, “is to ride down to that village and find out exactly if they’ve gone or not, when they left and how they departed if indeed they are gone. You can’t tell for certain by looking through that glass. I intend to know, not guess.”

“You intend to ride down there to your death, is what,” Devane retorted. “But I say Cardinal Black and his gang are gone. There are no boats in that harbor big enough to carry more than two or three men, and if you’ll recall one of the men we captured told us that Black’s people were soon to be moving out by coach, horse and ship. The ship has evidently already sailed, and with it I’m sure Cardinal Black and the book you’re wanting.”

For an instant Matthew thought he felt the entire watchtower swaying. In desperation he reached out to touch a bloodied wall and keep himself from pitching to his knees.

“A sad sight,” said Julian Devane. “And I had assumed you were so smart.”

Matthew lifted his own cool gray eyes to Devane’s colder gaze. “I’m going down to that village. Come with me or not. I release you from your vow.”

“Oh, certainly! But you’re not the professor, Corbett … so you cannot release me.”

“Suit yourself. I’m going.” Matthew dared not give another glance at the child’s corpse, for he indeed did intend to steel himself for the task ahead and he felt his foundations turning to

wet paper. He got out of the circular room, down the series of staircases and out of the damned watchtower. They went to the horses in silence, untied the mounts from the thicket in silence still, and with Matthew in the lead they trotted toward Adderlane and whatever the fates held in store.

Four

It was not much of a village, but it faced a decent harbor where seven or eight fishing boats were docked at a wharf, nets were hung up to dry and sails were stretched out in the process of being mended. Evidently, Matthew thought, Adderlane’s fishing routines had been interrupted by the visitors and were yet stalled by the shock of having Cardinal Black in their presence.