The Master's Apprentice - Oliver Potzsch Page 0,204

well. She struggled to walk at all now and seemed to be in grave pain, especially after eating. She slept a lot and twitched in her sleep. Johann had given her some theriac to soothe her, but he feared the worst.

I’m going to lose her. Just like I’ve lost everyone else I ever loved . . .

At least he’d been able to save Karl Wagner. Johann nodded grimly. It had been his fault—he hadn’t looked after the boy. The meetings with Agrippa had been more important to him. Just like something had always been more important to him than those he loved. Karl was sitting beside him in silence, only occasionally casting a suffering glance at him that looked much like Satan’s.

“Stop looking at me like that,” snarled Johann. “What’s done is done. I warned you, but I also should have looked after you more.”

“I’m so sorry,” pleaded Karl. “You and Agrippa—”

“Agrippa and I were reaching the end of our discussions anyhow,” said Johann. “I found what I came for. It’s time this journey came to an end.”

“You said something similar in Cologne,” replied Karl. “What do you mean? What journey?”

“The journey of my life.”

Johann cracked his whip and shouted at the horse while the wind tore at the wagon’s canvas.

They traveled along the Rhine toward Worms, the old imperial city. A stab went through Johann’s heart when he thought about the fact that Valentin had been taken to this city to stand trial for heresy. As if the heavens were punishing him, the weather grew worse by the day. It was the coldest fall since anyone could remember, and winter was already making its presence felt at the end of October. An icy wind swept across the plains and bare fields. After about two weeks they crossed the border to Bavaria, where the Alps formed a white chain on the horizon. Johann grew more withdrawn by the day. Every time he looked at that mountain range, the memories returned—memories of Salome and Venice, but also of his time at the tower with Tonio.

The tower.

More than fifteen years ago, Tonio had introduced him to the secrets of the black guild there, but to this day Johann didn’t know what the master had really been up to during those cold winter nights. Johann had avoided the area since, almost as if he feared Tonio might be waiting for him there and once again draw him into his dark rituals. But despite his unease about the place, Johann hadn’t forgotten what they had buried inside a heavy crate behind the tower upon their departure.

Books and a tube.

A tube that might allow him to see the stars up close. Johann hoped it was still there.

After ten more days they reached the Alps. Meanwhile, winter had fully arrived. The snow wasn’t hip deep like the first time Johann had traveled this road, but they still struggled to find the right track between the low-hanging branches. Occasionally they were forced to jump off the wagon and lead the horse through snowdrifts. In the sky above them, crows circled, and Johann tried not to think of them as Tonio’s crows. In the last few days, he had frequently heard the cawing of a raven that sounded human, almost like laughter.

Sheel . . . draay . . . sheel . . . draay . . .

Finally, after more than three weeks and a long search, they arrived at the tower.

It still stood atop the hill like a broken tooth, an ancient bulwark at the edge of the Alps. The shed beside it was derelict now, but the entrance to the tower was still barred with the heavy beam, and the windows were still nailed shut the way they’d left it.

Johann breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the solid black walls. Evidently there hadn’t been any unwelcome visitors. Strange, really, because the tower stood in an elevated position and could be spotted from other hills. It was as if it was surrounded by an invisible line that only a few people dared to cross. The black pentagram on the front door probably helped—the drawing looked as clear as on the day of their hasty departure.

Johann jumped off the box seat and rushed to the tower’s rear. He swept the snow aside with his feet and saw to his relief that the white stones were still in place. No one had dug around here. Then he walked back to the front and removed the beam from