Page 62 of Villa of Secrets

Zeus continued to snort and grumble. If we were shot for defying the curfew, our bodies would be left to bloat in the sun, as a warning to others. Would the soldiers see the horse was saddled and come into the shack to investigate? Thank goodness I hadn’t put the bridle on first as they would be sure to notice that.

The vehicle stopped and doors slammed. German voices approached. Two Nazis seemed to be right outside the stable. I remembered the pitchfork and its slim, sharp tines near the door. If they probed the hay pile we would be speared, and I wouldn’t be able to endure such a thing in silence.

We clung to each other under the itchy mound, hardly daring to breathe. Something tickly crawled up my leg. I clenched everything. Footsteps and German voices came closer. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears.

‘Shush!’ I said, as loud as I dared to Zeus.

Through the straw, I saw the Nazis’ torchlight dance around the inside walls. The narrow beam hit our bundles in the back corner. The soldiers seemed to be discussing the situation.

Zeus was panicky, making exaggerated nods and snorting. A hand reached over the half-door, groping for the bolt.

Zeus lunged forward and nipped the intruder’s fingers.

The German withdrew. ‘Was zur Hölle?!’ he yelled, cursing the horse.

We were terrified but, perhaps due to nerves or exhaustion, Irini started giggling silently as the Nazis stomped away. Hugging each other with our heads pressed together, we vibrated with contained laughter. Moments later, when the jeep engine sprung to life and the soldiers continued their patrol around the city perimeter, our brave charade disintegrated. Our mirth turned to misery. Wracked by sobs of both terror and relief, we cried into the crook of each other’s neck, gulping for air, clinging to one another, tears raging.

‘I want my mother,’ Irini said.

‘Me too,’ I sobbed back. ‘Papa would know what to do. I miss him so much.’

‘We should imagine they are here. What would your father expect us to do now?’

But thinking about Papa only made me more upset. I wondered if the Germans would check the stable again on their next round and, if they did, what would happen when they discovered the horse had gone?

We untangled our limbs, climbed out of the itchy hay, and hugged for a moment.

‘Without you, Dora, I’d go mad.’

‘Don’t think about it,’ I whispered. ‘We’ll always be together, Irini. Nobody can take away what we have.’

She nodded and squeezed me hard. ‘Let’s tie the bundles and sling them over the horse’s back.’ Luckily, they weighed almost the same, so it wasn’t difficult to balance them.

We bridled Zeus. Irini sat upfront and took the reins. Her parents had a mule, which she rode competently. I got behind her and hung on.

Afraid and vulnerable, we listened for soldiers and then walked Zeus towards Filerimos. We gave the city a wide birth, keeping to the shadows and soft ground.

Once we were clear of the suburbs, the view from Zeus’s back took my breath away. Now I understood why Danial loved riding. Poor Danial. When he comes home, I will show him what good care I have taken of Zeus. I’ll learn to ride, too. That will please him. I wish I had left a note for the stable boy. He’s bound to worry when he finds his precious horse gone.

Halfway up the mountain, a gap in the trees appeared. Irini stopped so we could look down over Rhodes Town.

Beyond the city, the sea was the colour of liquid silver and the bright moonlight danced over its gently rippling surface. In a landscape of dull mauve and dark blue, the island of Simi was nothing but a careless smudge above a veil of mist on the horizon. No sign of the three old ships. Where were they?

I patted the horse. Can you see further than me, Zeus? Can you see the ship that carried your Danial away?

I squeezed my eyes closed and whispered, ‘I’m thinking about you all. Can you hear me? Papa? Anybody? My spirit’s with you. Come back safe.’ Desperate for them to know they were in my heart, I pleaded, ‘Whatever happens, don’t any of you ever give up. Irini and I are doing all we can to help end the war. Hang on, please, just hang on.’ I listened intensely, trying to hear Papa’s thoughts, but my head was dark and empty.

I had my arm around Irini. She sniffed hard, and I guessed she was evoking her parents and her older sister too. Her body shuddered and she sobbed, and I longed to make her feel better but couldn’t think of anything to say.

‘Do you believe they’re okay, Dora?’ she whispered. ‘I’m afraid Giovanni might be right, that our families are being killed because they are Jewish.’

‘What can we do? I’m scared for them too. We must try to stop the war, then they’ll come home and everything will be as it was.’

We sat in silence for several minutes, praying for our loved ones, then without speaking Irini nudged the horse on.

*

We were sleeping when Giovanni turned up this morning. ‘Get ready for a meeting with the Andartes,’ he said, dropping a bulging sack near the fireplace. ‘They want to speak to you again.’