The Silver Sword Read Online Free

of the house. And there, in the devilish glow of the fire, Anika saw two black-robed men steadying a ladder for a plump, balding man in red who moved slowly and carefully downward, as if he had all the time in the world.
    Ernan O’Connor rushed forward, and Anika ran to keep up.
    â€œLet me use this ladder.” Anika’s father grabbed one of the black-robed men and tugged on his sleeve. “There are women still in the building, at the south end.”
    â€œWould you take the ladder while the cardinal is still upon it?” The man’s eyes went wide with surprise. “Patience, fellow. He is nearly down, thank God.”
    The man in the red robe landed heavily on the ground, and the two men in black sighed in relief. Anika’s father grabbed the ladder, but the man in red shook his head and pointed up toward the window he had just vacated. “My vestments,” he said simply, staring at one of the black-robed ones. “You must get my vestments and the satchel with the parchments.”
    â€œBut, Your Eminence—” one of the men protested.
    â€œWhat sort of amadons and eejits are you?” Anika heard her father roar. With the strength of two men he laid hold of the ladder and pulled it from the window, but the black-robed ones stopped him.
    â€œI’ll go.” After tossing a single guilty glance toward Anika’s father, the tallest man sprinted up the ladder. As black smoke billowed overhead, he crawled through the window, then a moment later a pair of bundles flew out the opening and landed at Anika’s feet.
    The man in red nodded soberly and turned away, not even waiting to see if his servant would return. Other men had gathered about now. Pushing Anika back, they pounded on the ladder, urging the man upstairs to hurry down while at the far end of the building the women wept and screamed and tore their hair.
    â€œPapa!” Anika stood on tiptoe, but she could no longer see her father. She slipped away from the crowd and found him beneath the window where the women waited. Dense clouds of black smoke rolled out the window above the women’s heads, and Anika could hear a whispering, crackling noise, as though the fire contained a horde of gremlins who laughed and cackled to themselves.
    â€œJump, me darling, and I’ll catch you.” Father’s voice broke with terrible sadness as he lifted his arms to Mother. “Don’t wait a minute more; just jump!”
    Anika watched her mother move out onto the edge of the window ledge, ready to leap into Father’s arms. A cloud of smoke rolled out the window and hugged Mother like an old friend. Anika felt the heat slap her face; it was like the rare days when her father had money enough for two logs in the fireplace and set them to burning at once.
    â€œJump, love!” Mother nodded and leaned forward, but in the instant before she could slip off her perch, the roof roared like the sea and rushed downward. Amid a flood of flames and cinders and sparks the other waiting women flung themselves toward the open window.
    For a moment Anika thought it had begun to rain bodies, timber, and ashes. Father was knocked off his feet as a falling beam hit him on the head. He lay sprawled on the ground, his hands extended in front of him, his eyes closed as if he slept.
    As Anika whimpered softly, the innkeeper and his friends began to untangle the other bodies. Of the three women, the first was scarcely hurt at all, and the second suffered only a broken leg and some singed hair.
    But Mother lay quiet and still, her head bent to the side as if she were laughing. She wasn’t burnt at all; she lay asleep on the ground. “Mama, wake up,” Anika urged. She squatted low to whisper in her mother’s ear and could smell smoke on her mother’s skin. She reached out and shook Mother’s arm; the skin was still warm and soft as a rose petal. “Mama! Why won’t you wake