The Plague Doctor's Daughter

28. Matteo

Matteo turned and looked at Giovanna. She returned his gaze, desperately searching his eyes for guidance. Taking a deep breath, he steadied his palms against the ground in preparation for pushing himself up. His elbows shook against his sides in nervous anticipation, but the tell-tale footsteps on the rungs never came. Instead, only the growing pitter-patter of rain on the roof echoed as the light below went out and a heavy door slammed shut. The clanking of an iron key in the lock confirmed that they had been truly left alone.

Matteo exhaled a sigh of relief. "That was too close for my liking."

Giovanna nodded, the outline of her body just a vague silhouette in the darkness. "Perhaps, but your plan appears to have worked. And lucky for us that Nicco has much more unlawful goods than Hakan's ship can carry," she said, slowly standing. "But what was the purpose of placing the ladder here, I wonder."

Matteo also rose to his feet, sweeping dust from his clothes. "That I cannot say. Perhaps they'd knocked it over and were putting it back to leave no trace of ever having been here," he said before adding, "Which is quite fortuitous for our purposes, but first it would be helpful if we could see."

"I noticed a lantern on a hook earlier," Giovanna said, already moving to find it. "Here it is."

A brief clatter followed as she removed the sturdy, glass paneled dome from its place. Holding it by the ring-shaped handle, she offered it to Matteo. He took the lantern before placing it on the floor at his feet. A small drawer on the bottom offered flint, steels, and char cloth. With their assistance and a few well-executed strikes, the candle inside was soon lit.

"Ah, that's better," he said, closing the door to shield the flame. Picking up the glowing lantern, he stood and extended his arm to inspect the long loft. What he saw in the far corner made him gasp.

"Should I go first or—" Giovanna's question ended abruptly, replaced by her scream as she also caught sight of the unexpected scene.

Matteo threw himself at her and clenched a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. The group who had until then been huddled together with their backs to the duo began to stir.

He'd been right; they hadn't been alone all this time. But never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined the bizarre spectacle that was now unfolding.

"Stay quiet," he whispered to Giovanna as he uncovered her lips, even as he kept his eyes on the dozen—perhaps more—men and women across the loft. "And no sudden moves."

She nodded, but a whimper escaped her throat when the first of the group turned around.

Dirty, disheveled, and plainly not right, each slowly looked around with glazed-over eyes, but ultimately fixated on the lantern's light as though they were moths drawn to a flame. Low grunts and moans escaped their cracked, gray lips, while their bodies slouched unnaturally.

"We mean no harm," announced Matteo, hoping there was a reasonable explanation for the unusual gathering even if deep down, he knew it was unlikely. "And we were just leaving so—"

Loud grumbles and jerking movements from several within the crowd signaled their disapproval.

"You must extinguish the candle," Giovanna murmured as she scooted closer and grabbed his arm for protection. Her body trembled against his, and it brought him a strange comfort to think that she felt just as terrified as he did.

Taking a small step backward, Matteo dragged her with him as one of the slovenly men began to move closer. "No. We need to see the way out," he said in a tone as low as he could manage, but even that caught the ear of a woman in a torn skirt, revealing that she only wore one shoe. "Step slowly toward the opening," he instructed, all the while nudging Giovanna to a safe escape.