Tanglewood Grotto (The Bavarian Woods Book 2)

by Susan Finlay

  Ingrid waited outside while Sofie and Ryan entered to inquire about a room. The horses swished their tails and scratched the road with their front feet and made soft snorting sounds. She patted one of the horses on the head and wished she had some food to offer.

  Sofie and Ryan came out a few minutes later, smiling.

  Ryan said, “I’ll take the horses and wagon to the stable across the street. You two can go find our room.”

  “Will you be able to manage?” Sofie asked.

  “Yeah, I think so. I’ve picked up enough German to handle talking to the stable master.”

  Sofie and Ingrid, carrying some of their belongings, entered the building. Sofie paid for a room while Ingrid waited near the door. When Sofie was finished, she walked over to Ingrid and said, “We will all have to stay in one room. The room has three beds. Unfortunately, we are too late for dinner, but we’ll get food in the morning.”

  Ingrid nodded.

  They were assigned a room on the top floor—where else, of course—the attic Ingrid had seen from outside, because it was the cheapest and they were trying to keep their expenses down. Before heading up the stairs, Ingrid glanced around the dining area, noting the heavy oak beams and long tables. They tromped up the five steep flights of stairs, Ingrid slowing down and wheezing the higher they went.

  As they reached their room, she winced. Mein Gott! Their room with a window facing the street, was too similar to the night they’d spent in that other gasthof.

  She walked over to the window and gazed down at the stable below and across the street. Well, at least they weren’t eating dinner downstairs, like they did on that fateful night. And there were only three of them here, instead of eight.

  Ingrid chose a bed, laid down, and closed her eyes. The inn was quiet, almost too quiet. She had grown accustomed to sleeping outdoors or in her little grotto, listening to small animals rooting around, scampering up trees, or calling out to each another. Would she be able to sleep in such silence?

  After a few moments, Sofie walked across the floor, bare feet softly padding, causing an occasional creak of the floorboards.

  Ingrid smiled to herself. The sound was music to her ears. She was no longer alone in the world.

  Ryan knocked on their door a short time later, and Sofie answered, whispering, “I think she’s already asleep. Did you have any trouble settling in the horses for the evening?”

  Ingrid kept her eyes squeezed closed and listened.

  “Nah. I gave them some hay and water and brushed them a bit.”

  “I guess we should try to get some sleep, too,” Sofie said. “Tomorrow we will look around the town and see if we can find Vikktor. I hope Karl was right in sending us here.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “NICE LOOKING VILLAGE,” Ryan said as they walked down the street after breakfast and saw the town for the first time in daylight. They’d had the dining room in the gasthof to themselves, as the other guests must have eaten earlier. That suited Ryan fine; and he’d ate as much as he could stuff into his stomach. The sun was shining and he felt more rested than he would have thought possible after such a long day of travel the previous day. “Reminds me of Riesen, but prettier. I love the ivy creeping up the sides of the buildings. And look at those turrets and staircases.” He pointed over to the left. “Cool. I wish I had a camera.” Crap, I sound exactly like Dad. He shook his head and smiled in spite of himself. Oh well, I guess there are worse things than taking after my father.

  “It’s even lovelier in the twenty-first century,” Sofie said. “I’ve been here a few times. It’s on the ‘Romantic Road’ tour of Bavaria. It’s smaller than Rothenberg, and less touristy.”

  “Cool.” He let the conversation die off.

  They gazed at the rows of houses as they walked. Only a few people were about, one watering a pot of flowers and another batting a rug with a stick to get the dirt off it.

  Sofie interrupted the quiet. “I checked with a few people at the gasthof to see if anyone knew Vikktor or had heard of him. No luck there. I’m not sure what we should do now.”

  Ryan nodded. “Dad would probably have some ideas. Sorry. Guess that’s not much help.”

  They rounded a corner and the scenery changed so abruptly that Ryan gasped, blurting, “Oh, wow!” This was obviously the downtown, or the merchant district or market square. He still wasn’t sure what to call it in the past. Instead of quiet houses and almost empty streets, the area was lined with shops, their merchants calling out to passersby, trying to entice them over to buy their goods. It had literally been ages since he’d been in a large city, and he wasn’t used to it.

  Horseback riders and drivers of farm wagons and Berlin carriages jousted for the right away, and sometimes seemed willing to run down pedestrians. Horse dung littered the streets. A crumpled old woman with a walking-stick at one point was knocked down by one of the riders. Ryan remembered that happening in Riesen, and his father had started toward her to help, but Sofie had grabbed his arm and said, “You shouldn’t get involved.” Just like then, no one else seemed to care. As they watched, the old woman, apparently uninjured, at least not seriously, got to her knees and used the walking-stick to lever herself up, dusted herself off, and ambled away.

  A squealing pig with a filthy snout waddled away from a merchant’s stall and stopped in front of several sacks stacked up next to a booth. It stuck its snout into one of the bags, and when it pulled it back out, the snout was covered with grain. Ryan shuddered. Eeew. Would someone be cooking the grain from that bag after the pig was done? Yikes, what if the gasthof’s grain for their kitchen was stored the same way? His full stomach churned as that thought gelled, and he quickly pushed the thought out of his mind for threat of losing his stomach contents.

  The stench didn’t help. It was bad, perhaps because the streets were crowded with unwashed people, livestock, horse dung, and the grunge flung from above. Again, his stomach threatened to revolt.

  In front of most of the shops were signs with pictures or symbols, some of which he’d seen before, such as a gilded boot or a barber’s basin, depicting the wares for sale. He tried to focus his thoughts on those.

  Ingrid pulled on Sofie’s sleeve to get her attention. She said something in German, only part of which Ryan understood. Then Sofie translated for him.

  “She suggests we go to the church, St. George’s Minster, a fifteenth century Gothic building and one of the largest structures in this town. The priest might have information about the residents.”

  “Oh, yeah, we did something similar in Riesen, didn’t we? Do you know where the church is?”

  “I vaguely remember visiting it once,” Sofie said. “Ingrid says she can find it. I guess we’ll follow her.”

  A short time later at the church, a priest sent them to see a carpenter, a man named Johan Stumpf, who lived near the town’s wall, in a corner.

  “The priest seemed to think the man knows more of the older residents and might be able to help us,” Sofie said as they walked back toward the town gate where they’d entered town the night before. They would follow the road alongside the wall to find the house. “He also said he remembers Herr Stumpf talking about a friend named Vikktor, though it might not be the Vikktor we’re looking for, and he might not be a local.”

  Ingrid trailed behind them, grumbling now and then, and pleading with them to slow down. Ryan didn’t need a translator for that. Problem was, he didn’t think he could walk much slower than he already was. Damn, the old woman was frustrating as hell.

  After stopping multiple times to let Ingrid rest, losing probably three-quarters of an hour by Ryan’s estimate, they finally reached the house, but they couldn’t get close because a mob of people blocked their way. What the hell? He glanced at Sofie and Ingrid. Both of them shrugged, apparently as bewildered as he felt.

  Sofie moved closer to a woman and asked in German, “What’s going on?”

  The response, Ryan didn’t completely understand, but he did ca
tch the word ‘mord’. Murder. Oh, God. Not again. He turned and stared at Ingrid.

  Sofie said, “We should try to push through the throng of people and talk to the carpenter.”

  “Nein!” Ingrid said. “Wir mussen gehen.”

  Ryan said, “What did she say?” Then his eyebrows creased together. “Wait, did she understand what you said?”

  Ingrid slapped her hand over her mouth.

  “You did understand?” Sofie asked. “Have you been pretending you didn’t understand English?”

  Ingrid’s shoulders slumped. “I didn’t understand everything,” she said in English, with a thick German accent. “We must leave. Schnell. Quickly.”

  Ryan said, “Well, she’s probably right about that. I mean, if someone was murdered, Feldgendarms are probably here or will be here. Let’s get our stuff from the gasthof and get the hell out of town.”

  They turned and made their way around the crowd, rushing toward the gasthof where they’d left their belongings. With luck, they would grab their stuff, check out, and retrieve their horses and wagon from the stable before anyone came looking for them—the outsiders who’d arrived in the dark of night.

  VIKKTOR SONNENBERG CARRIED a lit lantern in one hand and guided the young woman and her little girl down rickety stairs with his other hand. He’d sent two of his men to this town earlier today to clean out the small stone brick cellar but it still stunk. He hoped after a while the smell would dissipate. It wasn’t his usual holding place, but was conveniently located for this mission and would serve his needs. “You will not have to stay here long,” he told the woman and girl. “Make yourselves as comfortable as you can until I come back for you. There’s hay for bedding. I will bring some food and drinks downstairs before I leave. I know this is not what you are accustomed to, a woman in your class, but remember it is only temporary. It will take me a few days to make the ‘arrangements’ we discussed.

  The woman nodded, looked around, her nose twitching and one hand tightly holding onto her daughter’s hand. “What is that smell?”

  Vikktor set the lantern down on an empty crate and then scratched his chin. “Well, I suppose there have been chickens and goats living in here from time to time. But do not worry, it has been cleaned out. Just cannot get rid of the smell immediately.” He shrugged. “You will get used to it.”

  “This is not at all what I expected,” she said.

  Her little girl whined, getting louder and louder as if someone was winding up her motor, and she tugged on her mother’s skirt so hard that Vikktor was afraid she might rip it.

  “Liesel, please stop,” the woman said. “We will only be here a day or two. Let us see if we can make comfy beds and we will lie down and tell some nice stories, ja?”

  Vikktor smiled and said, “Oh, I almost forgot, I have a couple of blankets upstairs and the food and drinks. I will bring them right down.”

  As he rushed up the stairs, the woman screamed out, “Nein, Herr Sonnenberg, please do not leave us down here alone.”

  What did she think—that he was going to stay with them down there? He ignored her and went out, returning a minute later with the promised items. “I have everything here,” he said, holding two blankets up high with one hand and dangling a bag of food supplies from the other hand. He smiled and handed them to her. “See, it will be fine. The door will be locked, for your protection.”

  She opened her mouth, presumably to complain, but he cut her off and said, “I will be back as soon as possible.”

  “Why do you have to leave us here alone? I do not understand.”

  He sighed. “I have some unexpected business to deal with. I must leave immediately. I will be back. I promise.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  HOPING TO TALK to Max, Tobias stepped in front of him while he was working. That seemed about the only way to get his attention. But at the last second, Tobias ducked out of the way to avoid a collision with a large rock, possibly getting dropped on his feet. “Oops. Sorry.” He bit his lip, expecting an explosion of anger for getting in the way and not paying enough attention. His parents had warned him about his reckless behavior many times.

  Max, off balance, trying to avoid hitting Tobias, dropped the rock and jumped backwards to keep the rock off his own feet. Tobias didn’t know if that’s where he’d planned to drop it, or not. “Oh God, Tobias, are you okay? I didn’t see you there.”

  “I’m okay. Sorry.” He looked down at his feet, wishing he could crawl underneath that rock.

  “Come here.”

  Tobias walked over, and Max hugged him.

  “I’m sorry, too, but you shouldn’t be in the work zone. It’s not that I don’t want you around. It’s just too dangerous. That’s why we tell you not to come here while we’re working. I know you feel left out sometimes and, believe me, I wish you were big enough to help. I don’t know what we would do, though, if something happened to you.”

  Tobias pulled out of Max’s arms and nodded.

  “What did you want?” Max asked. “Is something wrong?”

  “I . . . well, I was wondering when Gramps is going to get here. You said he was bringing us some more animals and that I would be in charge of them.”

  “Oh, that’s probably not going to happen until your mom gets back. I don’t think Gramps was thinking clearly when he said he’d bring them in a day or two. Anneliese has been ill and he is tending to her.”

  “But you said he was coming. It’s been almost two days. You lied to me so I wouldn’t complain about not going with Mom.”

  “No, I didn’t lie. I just didn’t question it at the time Gramps told me, but I thought about it again last night and realized he probably wouldn’t come at least until Anneliese was better. Besides, it will take him some time to find the animals and get them ready to bring.” Max ruffled Tobias’s hair, and Tobias jerked away.

  He used to like it when Max did that, but today he wanted to punch somebody or something.

  “What’s wrong, son? You seem agitated.”

  “Don’t call me son. I’m not your son. Ryan is. I’m just your wife’s kid.”

  “What? Why are you talking like that? You know I think of you as my own son. I love you.”

  “No you don’t. I heard you and mom talking the other night. I know that you two are expecting a baby. Your own child. I’m not good enough.”

  “Tobias, a new baby has nothing to do with you. We love you and always will.”

  Tobias turned around and ran inside their cottage, slamming the door behind him. He threw himself on his bed and let tears fill his eyes.

  The door opened, conveying sunlight into the darkened room, its only window covered by dark handmade curtains. Tobias quickly wiped his eyes with his sleeve, but didn’t sit up or look to see who had entered. With his mother and Ryan gone, it was probably Max, anyway, and he didn’t want to talk to him.

  “Tobias,” Max said, “I’m sorry if I haven’t been the kind of father you want me to be. I’m trying. It’s really hard when I have all this responsibility—building the cottages, planning the construction of the stone house, being a new husband and a father. I’m doing the best I can. Please give me a chance. Don’t push me away.”

  Tobias rolled onto his side and looked at Max. His hair was scraggly and his shoulders sagged. Today, Max looked ten years older than he had looked when Tobias first met him four months ago. “I know you have lots of pressure. I get it. Guess I need to help out more around here.”

  “You do help. Everyone here helps in their own way. When we do get those animals, we’ll need you to tend to them, and I know you’ll be good at that.”

  Tobias nodded, perking up a bit. “I love animals. In the springtime I can help with the gardening, too. I used to help Mom with that back home.”

  Max smiled. “I don’t know about you, but I really miss home.”

  “Me too.”

  “Come on, let’s go back outside. You can help me finish cleaning up the work area, then get cleaned up,
eat dinner, and lie in bed, and I’ll tell ghost stories. What do you say?”

  “I’d like that.”

  Several hours later Max finished telling spooky stories and said goodnight. Max had been great tonight. The stories had been fun and scary, just a bit disappointing in that they couldn’t compare to what had happened to them earlier in the year when they’d all come through the portal. Nope, nothing could ever compare.

  Tobias pulled his blanket up over his shoulders, remembering how their adventure had started. He and Ryan had opened a door inside the cellar of the house Max had just inherited and ducked inside, even though the adults had warned them to stay with them. Tobias couldn’t remember if it was his idea or Ryan’s.

  The room was dark because the house had no electricity, at least it didn’t at that time, probably because Max’s grandmother had died and no one was paying the electric bill. That’s what they’d all figured, anyway. Luckily they each carried a flashlight. Ryan, shining his light back and forth, led the way down the long corridor. “Hey, Tobias, I don’t see an end to this corridor, or whatever it is. Looks like a tunnel, but I have no idea where it goes. Tobias had heard of bottomless pits, but endless tunnels? He’d shivered. “Maybe we should go back,” he’d said, stopping while Ryan continued on ahead

  A noise and a beam of light coming from behind him, made Tobias turn around and shade his eyes.

  “Tobias, Ryan, are you in here?”

  “Here I am,” Tobias said, shining his light on Max. He started moving back toward Max. “What is this place?”

  “I’m here, too, Dad,” Ryan called out from a bit further down the tunnel, switching his flashlight off and walking toward his father’s light. “We don’t see an end to this thing, whatever it is.”

  Max said, “We better go back out and wait for the women.” He turned toward the door and his flashlight shut off.