The Legion of the Lost, стр. 15
He began to push the boat into the water again, then leapt aboard it, all the sounds muffled. The boat went off sluggishly, soon to disappear against the dark water.
It was very quiet except for the occasional whine of the wind. None of them spoke for several seconds. Drusilla, at Palfrey’s side, shivered.
‘Cold, yes,’ said Palfrey. ‘Where there are walls there’s shelter. We’d better move.’ He turned away from contemplation of the dark waters, and after a few seconds was able to pick out the outline of the ruined monastery, which he had seen from the city so short a time ago, and admired, detachedly.
They linked hands and walked slowly up the shingle beach towards the ruins. Drusilla was on Palfrey’s right; Raffleck, who had said no word, on his left. Conroy, next to Raffleck, was the first to say, in a low-pitched voice: ‘I’d like to know where Stefan’s found himself.’
‘He’ll be all right,’ called Brian with forced confidence.
They stopped talking as they laboured up the beach, until Brian stumbled. The others stopped and Brian muttered ruefully: ‘A low wall of some kind! Step over it, all of you!’
It was a crumbling wall, parts of which fell away a little when Palfrey knocked against it in spite of the warning, but it reassured him because it was part of the old buildings. Another wall showed, much higher than the first. They found a gap in it and stepped through into the enclosure which was open to the skies. But because of the walls it was very dark, and they stood quietly for a few seconds, all breathing heavily.
Raffleck broke his long silence.
‘The lad was right, Herr Doktor, we cannot be seen from here, I know this island well. We shall have shelter from the wind, which will be pleasant.’ There was no sign of strain in his voice. ‘If they do now what they have done always before, we shall soon see a picture of great beauty.’
‘Beauty?’ ejaculated Conroy.
‘On nights when there is no danger from English aircraft and there is a disturbance in the city,’ said Raffleck with quiet gravity, ‘they switch on the lights, which are beautiful. The beastliness of man cannot corrupt inanimate things,’ he added musingly, ‘even when it puts them to corrupt purposes.’
He broke off abruptly and fell silent; none of the others spoke. It seemed to them that across the city and the ruffled waters there was a hush which even the wind and the lapping waves did not really break. It was as if they stood still, with the elements and time. To the north the sky became bright with a sudden light, a rainbow brilliance spreading for at least a mile across and reaching some distance into the skies. It reached mostly over the roofs of the houses of the city, making a weird yet beautiful silhouette.
The light had a clear, even garish quality; Palfrey likened it to aircraft flares dropping and illuminating their target, but the glow, which came from the ground, was more diffused. The pointed spires of the churches and the tops of the high modern buildings showed in bold relief, stark and clear, To one side was a different silhouette, as if they were looking at a city of the middle ages set down amongst the bricks and cement of modern Oslo.
‘The Huns are dumber than I’ve calculated if they don’t come to look here,’ drawled Conroy a little uneasily, ‘unless this is a bit of no man’s land?’
Raffleck said in a low voice: ‘The Germans are as thorough here as everywhere else, but they will not come to the island. They have ringed the beaches with mines, there are three circuits of them. Sometimes unfortunates who do not know that come here, and they get blown to pieces. But on certain nights and for certain purposes, patriots come and remove a number of the mines—we were sent along a cleared stretch tonight, you understand.’
Palfrey exclaimed: ‘No wonder Orleck was definite about obeying our guide!’
Raffleck had turned and was staring at Palfrey, the light lending his eyes an unnatural glow.
After a long pause he said, in a hushed voice: ‘Did you say Orleck, Herr Doktor?’
‘We wouldn’t be here had it not been for him,’ Palfrey said.
‘It is incredible!’ breathed Raffleck. ‘It is the most incredible thing I have ever heard! Orleck is the most hated man in Oslo, next to Quisling. He is in constant touch with the Germans, has taken a leading part in obtaining forced labour for them, is suspected of betraying countless patriots. The wonder is that he has been allowed to live for so long! And he has helped to make this possible?’
Palfrey said, simply: ‘He made it possible.’
Raffleck drew a deep breath and turned aside.
Palfrey looked about him, then tucked Drusilla’s arm in his; somehow it was reassuring and comforting. He looked towards the city and saw that the lights were even more brilliant, the garish vividness of the outlines was like a surrealist picture painted by a crazy artist; there was nothing real about it; everything seemed symptomatic.
The silence was the most remarkable thing next to the light.
Something which the little oarsman had said came to his mind.
‘Look for the rings in the floor!’ he said aloud.
‘What rings?’ asked Raffleck.
‘We’re just going to find out,’ said Palfrey. ‘The light is good enough.’ He turned and went on his knees, peering about him; all of them except Raffleck following his example. It was Conroy who said abruptly: ‘Here’s something!’ He was digging in the soil with his penknife. The others, still on their knees, stared towards him. A moment later he exclaimed, ‘An iron ring, I guess! Sap, we’re still having the luck!’
He pulled at the ring which showed against the background of dark earth between the pieces of stone, but it did not yield. Hurriedly he cleared more dirt away