The cursed towers 213
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They found Tomas in the main hall, gripping the edge of Jorge's robe with both hands. His thin, white face
was frightened. "I can feel such hatred!" he whimpered. "They hate and fear us, Jorge, I can feel it. Why?
Why do they hate us so much?"
Jorge smoothed back the little boy's blond hair with a trembling hand. "They do no' understand our
powers," he answered gently. "What they do no' understand, they fear, and they hate what makes them
afraid, for they think it is a sign o' weakness."
"They want to do us harm," Tomas cried, tears brimming in his cerulean blue eyes, far too large for his
wizened little face. "We have to flee, Jorge. They mean to break in and hurt us, I can feel it."
Jorge nodded. "Indeed, ye are right, laddie. I too can feel they mean us no kindness. They are
witch-haters, thinking our powers are born o' evil. They are angry because o' their defeats, and long for a
chance to have their revenge. I would rather it was no' ye that they wreaked their revenge on, my lad."
There was another resounding bang, and the whole building seemed to shake. They heard a malevolent
shout of glee and excitement, then there was the sound of metal clashing..
"Have they breached the wall?" Dillon cried.
Ryley nodded. "I fear so, laddie. We must seek some way out. We canna sit here waiting for them to
come and find us. There is a dinghy moored down by the kitchen. We shall have to try and escape in
that."
"Where is Johanna?" Tomas wailed. "We canna leave her!"
"She was with the other healers in the kitchen," Dillon answered, hurrying down the stairs, Jed at his heels
as always. They heard shouting and the clash of arms grew louder. "Quick, master, they come!"
Jorge's face was drawn and gray. As they hurried down the passage toward the kitchen he whispered,
"Let us hope it was no true sighting."
"What, master?" Dillon cried, urging the old sorcerer along.
"But my heart misgives me," Jorge continued, not heeding him. "Indeed, my heart grows cold within me."
He gave a shudder and faltered, and Dillon had to push him to make him continue.
They reached the kitchen, a long room that ran the length of the building, almost level with the water. The
caretakers were hovering by the door, their old faces anxious, while Johanna and her team of healers had
gathered together their belongings and were waiting calmly. Occasionally one whimpered in fear but
Johanna reprimanded them with a glance.
"Thank Ea ye have come!" she snapped at Dillon. "Ye have been such an age. Come, they search the
main building. We must get Tomas and the master away. I have readied the dinghy."
Dillon looked at her in some amazement. He had always known her as an anxious-faced girl with long,
skinny plaits who had been scared of everything. Now a tall girl of sixteen, her plaits were wound round
her head and her face was set in an expression of determination. Preoccupied with his own dreams and
duties, he had not noticed how much she had changed in these past few years.
At one end of the kitchen was a great iron-bound door that led out onto a stone platform. Tied at one
end was a shallow dinghy, used for sculling about the loch. Piled next to it were some sacks with supplies
and cooking utensils spilling out of them.
