Seraphina considered this for a moment.
“We will take the coach and the horses, and you will not tell anyone you saw us tonight. You will go home to your family and forget all about it, and if the watchmen come to you and ask about your master, you are to say you weren’t with your master tonight, that you were at home, and you don’t know anything about his whereabouts. Do you understand?”
“Yes, yes, I promise.”
Seraphina nodded at Rune.
“Let him go.”
The moment the boy’s feet touched the ground, he rubbed at his throat and made a run for it.
“Are you sure we did the right thing?” Rune asked. “I should’ve killed him.”
“I don’t know, but let’s try not to kill two people in one night,” she sighed. “If he knows what’s best for him, he will keep his mouth shut. Now, let’s find that coach.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s our way out of Ingolstadt.”
They walked in the direction the boy had indicated, and sure enough, there was a landau in the middle of the alley, with two horses stamping their hooves impatiently. Seraphina heard Rune gasp, and she nudged his arm.
“What do you see?”
“It’s exquisite. It’s painted in glossy black, and there’s a coat of arms painted in gold leaf on the doors.”
She heard him move closer. The horses snorted at his approach.
“The windows are fitted with real glass,” said Rune in awe. “I see dark leather and purple cushions inside.”
Seraphina hummed deep in her throat. She would’ve loved to see it with her own eyes. It sounded like the one hundred gulden they’d found on the man’s body was nothing, considering hiswealth. Why a man who could have anything he wanted killed prostitutes was beyond her.
“Get inside,” she said as she pulled her hood over her head and obscured most of her face. She climbed onto the coachman’s seat and felt for the reins.
“What are you doing?” Rune asked. “You can’t possibly drive.”
“It will be fine. The horses surely know the way. I’ll pull them toward the western gate, and they’ll do fine. Stay inside, stay hidden. When we reach the gate and the guard asks for documentation, show him the travel papers.”
Rune hesitated for another moment but finally got inside. The vehicle rocked under his weight. When she knew he was settled, she snapped at the reins, and the horses started moving forward at an easy pace. She’d learned how to drive a coach at Saint Vivia’s Convent, where the sisters had to do everything themselves. She wasn’t the best at it, but she could manage. And these horses were well trained. They knew where they were going, and the relic showed Seraphina enough to help her orient herself. She didn’t rush them, and focused on the clap of their hooves, the sway of the landau, and the freezing air on her face.
For a while, the streets remained empty and the city silent. She thought about how insane this night had been. They’d stolen goods, stopped a serial killer, robbed his body, and they were now on their way out of Ingolstadt. She couldn’t wait to leave the city behind. It had once been her second home, but now it was a place of suffering. Dirty, wet, cold. In a city like this, it truly mattered if you had money or not, if you were pleasant to look at or you were marked as a freak. It was the difference between being able to eat three times a day, walking with your head held high, and sleeping in a bed, as opposed to scurrying like a rat in the dirt, surviving on scraps, and resorting to committing heinous crimes.
When she pulled into a wider street, Seraphina sensed other coaches ahead of her and a few people on foot, all heading toward the gate. They were travelers who had come for the holy day and were now returning home. She was grateful she could mingle with the small crowd.
At the western gate, they fell into a line and waited for the guards to open. When they did, travelers went through one by one, and the guards waved most of them off with little concern. When it was their turn, Seraphina drove the horses forward, her hands steady on the reins.
The guard stepped up to the side of the coach and knocked on the door. Seraphina held her breath, her heart thundering in her chest. She heard Rune slide the small window to the side and the rustle of paper as he handed over the travel documents. After what felt like an eternity, the guard waved them through the gate.
The open road stretched ahead, and Seraphina let out a long, heavy breath.
“We made it,” she whispered to herself.
From inside the coach, Rune didn’t make a sound. She thought about him and how she should’ve let him drive. After all, he was a man, and it was unusual for a woman to take the reins. But the road growing wider and the sky lighter might’ve rendered him useless, and they couldn’t risk him panicking. Not now, and preferably not ever again, if they wanted to find Eisengrau.
Seraphina wondered if there was anything she could do to help Rune heal that broken part of his brain. She had to try. He’d killed two men for her, and he was going to kill a few more when the time came. So, try was the least she could do for him.
Chapter Twenty
Her name rumbled out of him, in that low, soul-melting register.
