"Perhaps you have for a change now once a reasonable idea," grumbled Carlo. "An idea that ensures that we get out of this hole as quickly as possible. First, it is here damp and cold, and secondly ..."
He paused.
Out of the darkness was heard a faint croak.
"Toads and frogs!" said Carlo horrified. "That's the limit! There's nothing I find more disgusting than that."
"You should be glad that there aren’t any rats yet!" said Leonardo.
"We probably have just not seen them, because it's so damn dark!" replied Carlo. The only light that came in this damp vault, came out of the ventilation holes.
They were at a level that Leonardo and Carlo could not even reach if one stood on the shoulders of the other. Besides, they were far too small to use them to escape.
After all, sometimes you could hear the voices of the gang members ...
Leonardo walked across the room, knocking against a box reaching him to the chest. What was inside, was difficult to tell. It was relatively light and the lid was not closed. So Leonardo opened the box. The content was so much in the shade, that you could not see it. But hundreds of flies buzzed against him. He flapped his hands around and when he stepped aside, the light fell into the box for a moment so that at least Carlo could see what was in it.
"Bones!" he exclaimed.
The stench was almost unbearable and so Leonardo shut the box again.
"Probably bones from freshly slaughtered cattle and pigs by the farmers in the surroundings," said Leonardo.
"Master Flavio uses them probably to produce the animal glue, which he needs for making paper."
"I hope you're right," Carlo said in disgust.
"What do you think?"
"Well, who knows who was all left here by the gang to perish in this dungeon and whom the bones actually belong to!"
"Ah, that’s nonsense, Carlo! You are already imagining things!"
"What do you think, what will they do with us? Do you think that they allow us to betray them?"
Leonardo pushed the box with the bones into the narrow cone of light rays coming in through one of the ventilation holes. Then he opened the lid again and reached with his right hand into it. With his left hand he tried to drive away the flies.
"Help me, will you, Carlo!"
"Definitely not!"
A moment later Leonardo fetched a skull, which was strongly arched forward and had a mouth with flat, almost cube-shaped teeth.
"Look at this! Looks like a human being, Carlo?"
"No."
"A real cow head! Pity! This box I would like to take, if that was possible! All these bones ... They all could be examined carefully!"
"I think your grandfather would throw this box right back out of the window. With the stink and the many flies!"
Leonardo sighed and let the skull fall into the box again.
"Yes, unfortunately. On this point, he has become a little fussy lately. He really makes a fuss, I think ..."
In the background the toads were croaking.
"Them, you would probably also like to catch and analyze", believed Carlo.
"Yes, of course!"
"You'll probably have enough time for it, because who knows how long we must languish here. Obviously, you don’t seem to have a reasonable idea about how we can escape from here ..."
Leonardo felt that Carlo was truly angry.
"Sorry," Leonardo said. "We were probably too reckless."
"You were too reckless!" corrected Carlo. "I have just accompanied you – and now I am sitting in the dirt."
"We can manage it – somehow," Leonardo was confident.
"My father's ridden to Florence to inform the Medici family about the theft of the watermark-form."
"Oh, and you think that the city guard or the bodyguards of the Medici family first have the idea that we are in the basement of Master Flavio’s mill and desperately need help?" Carlos's voice almost cracked with anger. "You do not believe it yourself!"
"Maybe yes ..."
"Why?"
"Well, what do you believe how did I get the idea that it might be worthwhile to look here around? By the conversation with my father! There won’t be so many paper mills whose contracts the Medici have cancelled – but without a paper mill the theft of the watermark makes no sense at all! You'll see, sooner or later my father, the Medici family and their bodyguards surely come to the same conclusions ..."
"... And it is only a question of time before this mighty army that you dream about, appears here and put a stop to the game of this Ruggero and his gang!"
"Of course!"
"Ah, Leonardo! Just forget it! What do you think, what's going on when the gang goes away from here, and each of these men perhaps has a handful of counterfeit Medici-banknotes in his pocket? Then they have to get rid of us somehow and I tell you, then we will get trouble! Until then, no help has already emerged! And additionally ..."
"Be quiet!" muttered Leonardo. Both were silent in the next few moments. Nothing could be heard – n othing but once a croaking toad and a noise that sounded like the hooves of a horse and that was getting louder and louder.
Through the air holes you could clearly hear a rider dashing closer. The horse snorted. The rider jumped out of the saddle.
"Well, there you are finally," you could hear a voice say.
"Where's Ruggero?"
"Our leader is taking a bathe in the creek," said another voice. "A piece along the bank, away from us. It's probably just too embarrassing for him ..."
Hot from the press the newcomer was then told how Ruggero had fallen into the tub with animal glue. His comrades adorned the history of anything and described how violently Leonardo had allegedly resisted Ruggero. "Certainly, Ruggero had never imagined that he, one day, would lose a fight against a child!"
The others laughed roughly.
The newcomer finally said with a serious tone: "I'm sorry, but I have no good news."
Leonardo assumed that this was the man with a beard. He believed pretty sure he could recognize the voice.
"I just came from the Noble Lord," he told his accomplices.
"And?" someone asked.
"The paper quality is not sufficient. And the watermark does not satisfy the Lord either! He thinks that every merchant apprentice discover the falsification and would not dare to go to a branch of the Medici bank with such a document!"
"Ruggero will not be pleased about that! Thus, we will have to stay here a few days longer!"
"And Master Flavio won’t be happy either because he must have pulped back again a part of the paper produced!"
The men went several steps away and so Leonardo and Carlo could not understand what was being spoken now. Leonardo snapped his fingers. "Well done!" he said. "So we might gain some time ..."
Chapter 10: Liberation from the Dungeon of Toads
Time passed by. In the meantime, Leonardo and Carlo heard the loud scolding of the leader. After Ruggero returned from his bath in the river, he was apparently furious because the mysterious person who had been called Noble Lord, was not prepared to accept the paper quality.
"That guy shall come himself and show this third-class paper miller how to make correct sheets, that don’t even present a shadow on the noble watermark of the Medici!" he growled. "Pah, my ass! Who looks at these banalities? As if these documents would be handled with clean hands and as if never get a grease spot on the noble paper!"
"We depend on him, Ruggero," said another voice. Its owner was, in Leonardo’s opinion, the man with the beard.
"He thinks that you should execute our plan either properly and with care – or not at all, because otherwise, it would fail!"
"Yes, yes ... the Noble Lord speaks well! Stays in the background and let us pull the chestnuts out of the fire. What does he think how long Master Andrea would be too scared to report the case to the Medici bank?"
"The Noble Lord told me he would have a solution for that," replied the man with the black
beard. He spoke very calmly and so Ruggero was also calming.
"Was he perhaps so graceful to tell us which kind of solution he had in his mind?"
"Yes, indeed ..."
The two men continued to talk, but Leonardo could not understand them now. Their voices became quieter. It sounded as if they moved away.
Leonardo stood at the cold basement wall and looked up at the ventilation hole. Carlo hardly dared to breathe, because he didn’t want to make a noise in any case.
But as hard as the two boys tried – finally, even the last bits of conversation drowned among the chatter of the others. The crackling of the fire was heard.
"It’s useless, we couldn’t understand no more," Leonardo said.
"What has the one man meant that he will find a solution concerning Master Andrea?" asked Carlo.
"I have no idea," admitted Leonardo. "But in case of doubt, this never means anything good considering these people."
"And the Noble Lord?"
"I would also like to know who that could be ... Anyway, he's quite a coward."
"Why?" asked Carlo.
"Well, because he waits somewhere outside what is happening and apparently not even dares to visit the people who have to do the dirty work for him!"
The hours passed by and the light that was coming in through the air holes got more and more sparse. Outside apparently dusk began to fall, and if it was once night, you could probably see nothing in the cellar.
"Now Grandpa will miss me long ago," Leonardo said finally, after they hadn’t spoken a single word for a while. "I hope he will get the idea where we are ..."
"In any case, there will be a lot of trouble if we get out of here at all," Carlo said.
"I think that will be our smallest problem!"
"You say that because your grandfather in general is very forgiving compared to, for example, my parents."
During all the time, Leonardo had intensively thought it over how they would maybe able to escape from their prison, but there just seemed to be no way.
The vent holes were simply too small and the hatch through which they had descended was not reachable for them because the ladder had been pulled to the top.
Another exit did not exist.
The two boys looked for a place in a corner of the basement, where the ground was fairly dry and you could sit down.
Whether they liked it or not, they had to accept spending the night in this cold dungeon of toads. In between Leonardo went out of sheer boredom on the search for the toads which were creaking repeatedly. But he was not able to find them. For this purpose it had simply become too dark. Particularly the damp corners where standing pools of water were and from where a musty smell rose, were largely in the shadows. And right there suspected Leonardo the animals.
"Be glad that the beasts do not seek our nearness!" Carlo remarked.
"What do you have against toads? They really don’t do you any harm!"
"But the idea that there ever anything crawling around worries me," he replied. "And even if I'm really tired – I will not be able to shut a single eye!"
After a while, it was almost completely dark in the basement. Outside the voices of the soldiers were heard. They fooled around, fell in the meantime also in heated argument and shouted at each other. Once you could even hear the clash of weapons and a shot from an arquebus went off.
Whether this shot had happened only because of mischief, the boys could not judge easily. Leonardo believed the latter, because the men kept their high spirits.
Meanwhile in the paper mill, the work continued. The waterwheel turned incessantly, letting the rags pounder hammer. Sometimes, there was a pause.
"Master Flavio lacks in rags, I suppose", Leonardo commented. "He should have accepted our offer!"
"At best, we could have given him the rags that we ourselves wear on our body," said Carlo. "In my view Martino has namely already collected all rags in the district of Vinci so that it’s empty."
"I suppose you're right."
Midnight had already passed when the work stopped in the sawmill. Without doubt, fatigue and exhaustion overcame, at last, the journeymen and apprentices and so Leonardo and Carlo did not wonder about it.
As it then also had become quite calm among the mercenaries, Leonardo listened to a whispering conversation between Ruggero and Master Flavio.
"Why do not you let work through the night, Master Flavio?"
"Because rags are missing."
"And how do you imagine that? Shall we wait here until the lame rag pickers who work for you, have collected something again?"
"No, no ...," defended Master Flavio.
"Maybe your apprentices are willing to sacrifice some clothes!" Ruggero said quite annoyed.
"We would have gotten along well with all, if the Noble Lord had had less high expectations and we had now been forced to pound again valuable paper!"
"You knew how good the quality has to be, Master Flavio! Finally, you have worked for the Medici Bank for years! No wonder you have lost the contract, with your incompetence!"
"Stop it now!" said Master Flavio excited, raising his voice.
A few of the mercenaries complained about the disturbance. "Don’t you tell me what to do," Flavio added a little quieter, but still annoyed. "And after all, a charge with rags will arrive tomorrow morning."
"Well, I'm glad," said Ruggero. "I have been afraid that I would have stuck here with my men for several weeks. Every day, we are here longer, increases our risk. "
When it was, during an extended period of time, perfectly quiet and so dark that you could barely see your hand before your eyes in the basement, Leonardo and Carlo also fell into a light slumber. Although the toads didn’t stop croaking all the time. Leonardo had no idea how much time had passed, but a noise woke him. It creaked, as if a door opened whose hinges were not lubricated for at least a century.
Leonardo was immediately wide awake.
He nudged Carlo.
"What’s the matter?"
"Just listen!"
As Carlo noticed the noise, he sat upright immediately and listened intently.
A scraping sound could be heard now. An animal!, was Leonardo’s first thought, but then he found that it truly just sounded like a piece of wood that has been scarred along another piece of wood.
Leonardo rose. Carlo followed his example.
Outside was probably full moon. At least a little bit of moonlight fell through one of the vent holes. But if you didn’t go directly into the beam, you could not be seen in the darkness. Leonardo took two steps forward, Carlo followed Leonardo. He went there where he thought he recognized the shadow of his friend and pushed against the box with cattle bones.
The next moment, it could be heard nothing. Leonardo and Carlo froze. Who or what was lurking just on the other side of the room in the dark was impossible to tell. Leonardo thought he could perceive a dark shadow. Something that was even darker than the darkness itself.
Then, a step was heard. Two, three steps that sounded like bare feet on stone floor.
Or an animal!, thought Leonardo.
Suddenly it splashed.
The shadowy figure seemed to step into one of the puddles that existed down here.
Leonardo's heart was beating to the throat – and Carlo felt the same. For moments, both held their breath. Then they heard a small voice whisper: "Where are you?"
At first, neither Carlo nor Leonardo dared to answer. The shadow moved up a bit forward and bumped against another box.
"We are here!" Leonardo finally said aloud, fearing that the shadowy figure would make even more noise.
"Come now! You can run away if you hurry up!"
Leonardo did not have to be told twice. No matter who might this person be, when a chance to escape revealed Leonardo wanted to use it.
Carlo hesitated at first, but he wouldn’t stay there alone, under no circumstances.
They went forward cautiously.
Leonardo tried to see
who was standing before him, but that was impossible in the darkness.
"Follow me!" whispered the voice. "I've put down the ladder. You can climb up."
The stepladder was nowhere to be seen. Leonardo and Carlo had to grope for it. One after another, they went up into the neighbor room of the mill. There it was a bit lighter because a shutter was open. Moonlight fell in.
Lastly the shadowy figure climbed up. For a short moment, the pale moonlight fell on the head.
The red-haired boy!, Leonardo understood. Now he remembered how long this apprentice had observed them.
"I suggest you to go to the horses," said the redhead. "There will be no time to saddle them. Additionally, it could also happen that the animals get restless!"
The redhead led them to the mill door. He opened it, creaking, looked just outside and then waved Leonardo and Carlo to follow him.
"Why are you doing this?" asked Leonardo. "Why are you helping us though you are apprentice by Master Flavio?"
"Shhh!" hissed the redhead. "Not so loud! Or do you want to wake up anybody?"
"No, of course not."
The redhead creeped forward a few steps, so that he could watch the camp of mercenaries.
Then he returned.
"And?" asked Leonardo.
"Everything’s okay."
"You haven’t answered my question yet."
The redhead took a deep breath. "Making paper with a stolen watermark is one thing - but locking someone in the mill cellar, this is something quite different. I thought that was not right. That’s the reason why I am helping you."
"Thank you."
"I hope you know that I thereby risk a lot!"
"Of course," nodded Leonardo.
"Anyway, I do not think that I can bring my apprenticeship with Master Flavio to an end when he finds out what I've done!"
"If that was the case, maybe you could start in the mill by Master Andrea di Marco ...," said Leonardo.
"Why do you think that? He rejected me once."
"Really – why that?"
"Among five candidates, I was the slightest and he told me that one must also have longer arms to hold tight the scoop sieve."
Da Vinci's Cases Page 7