Death and the Devil

Branches tore at his face and limbs. He tried to find something to hold on to, to arrest his fall, but he just kept falling down, the tree giving him the worst thrashing he’d ever had. Something struck him a painful blow across the back and the world turned upside down. He scrabbled for the nearest branch, like a cat, and hung there for a moment, kicking his legs. Then he dropped to the ground, got to his feet, and shot down the nearest alleyway.

By the time the guards in their heavy armor had unbolted the door and dashed out into the street, he was well away.

RHEINGASSE

“You did what?” said Johann angrily.

Theoderich looked embarrassed.

Matthias tried to calm him down. “Urquhart told me he had made sure he left the servant looking as if the dean could have done it. That gave me the idea of increasing the pressure on this Jaspar Rodenkirchen.”

Johann shook his head in disbelief. “Increasing the pressure! The last thing we need is the sheriffs hunting high and low for Rodenkirchen, and you go and increase the pressure! Why didn’t you at least wait until you’d gotten him?”

“That’s what I meant to do,” Theoderich insisted.

“Meant to? But you’d no idea where he was.”

“I thought I did.”

“You thought you did. But you didn’t know?”

“We assumed he was hiding with his relations. Which turned out to be the case,” Matthias explained.

“Oh, well, that’s different,” said Johann, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “You assumed. You probably got some old witch to tell you the future from your palms. Fools!”

“We were right,” Theoderich cried in fury. “How should I know he’d clear off before we got there? Someone must have warned him.”

“Who, then?”

“Obvious. Bodo Schuif, of course.”

“So what do you propose to do about Bodo Schuif?”

Theoderich hesitated.

“You can’t do anything about him,” Johann declared. “You can’t do anything about anyone. Nothing we’ve tried has worked out. Everything’s gone wrong from the word go. Marvelous! Congratulations, gentlemen.”

Matthias waved Johann’s objections aside. “We didn’t tell anyone else Jaspar had killed his servant.” He went to the window and looked out into the dark street. “Nor will we. All right, it was a mistake. So what? Urquhart’s killed Kuno. That should stop them letting their tongues wag.”

Johann gritted his teeth together so hard it hurt. He could not remember ever having been so angry before. “Yes, killed. Nothing but killing,” he said through his clenched teeth. “We’ve turned into a miserable gang of butchers. You promised me—”

“What do you want me to do, for God’s sake?” Matthias shouted. “You do nothing but whine on and on about your moral scruples. I’m sick of it! I’m fed up with your ‘We’ve burdened ourselves with guilt, there’s blood on our hands, blah, blah, blah.’” He thumped the windowsill with his fist. “Kuno would have betrayed us. He had to be gotten rid of. If I had my way, I’d eliminate the lot of them this very night. I’d send a few lads around to the Brook to slit the throat of that Goddert and his filly. That would be two fewer who know about it. And we’ll get the others, you mark my words.”

“You will not get anyone else. Enough is enough, Matthias.”

“Yes, enough is enough. Just think, Johann. I’m willing to bet they’ve not told anyone else. They haven’t had time. Let Theoderich lock up Goddert and Richmodis von Weiden in the Tower. The pretext doesn’t matter. We’ll invent one.”

“No.”

Matthias wrung his hands. “We must protect ourselves, Johann.”

“I said no. Where is Urquhart?”

“What?” Matthias seemed confused. “Why? I don’t know where he is. It doesn’t look as if he was so badly burned he won’t be able to carry out his commission. Otherwise he’d have sent word.”

“And where will he be when the time comes?”

Matthias gave him a suspicious look. His lips twisted in a faint smile. “Are you thinking of—”

“Where, goddammit?!”

“In a good position.”

Johann stood right in front of him. “I suppose I will not be able to stop Conrad being killed”—his voice was trembling with rage—“even though I have come to the conclusion that I have never agreed to anything more evil, more sinful than this alliance. That must take its course. But I can stop more people being killed in the name of this unholy alliance, the aim of which is nothing more than a cowardly murder to allow each of us to satisfy his personal desires. For too long I have stood idly by while each of you does what he wants. From now on every decision is in my hands. Did you hear, Matthias? Every decision. No more killings.”

“You’re crazy,” Matthias sneered.

“Yes, I’m crazy to have listened to my mother at all. From the outset I should have—”

There was a knocking below. They fell silent and looked at each other. Further knocking, then the shuffle of footsteps as one of the maids went to see who was demanding entry at that time of the night. They heard the sound of quiet voices, then the maid came. “It’s the archbishop’s secretary, His Excellency Lorenzo da Castellofiore, sir.”

Theoderich’s jaw dropped. “What can he want?”