THIRTY-NINE
More than once, Ursula glanced over her shoulder to make sure the rat knight did not follow her. She trusted Bernard, but it would take him some time to make his way from the tower to the kitchen, and if Sir Gosse took it into his head to follow her...
In a week, the snow had melted so much there were clear patches on the ground, and the streams were full. It was time to wake the sleepers, before Vauquelin arrived.
She stopped at the church, going inside to light candles. She stayed there for some time, until she was sure she had not been followed, before rising to her feet and setting off for the cave where her people slept.
Higher and higher Ursula climbed, and more than once, she had to step carefully where the path had become a meltwater stream.
Finally, she arrived
