Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7 Paul stayed still as a stone. He tried not to imagine that dog's teeth tearing into his neck, cracking his bones. There was a rustling in the leaves above him. What looked like a feathered gray bullet shot out from the bushes toward the dog. It was Ellie! She flew up to the dog, gave it a vicious peck on the nose, and then landed on its back.

The dog stopped short and yelped in fear. Ellie took off again, flying around the dog like a tiny fighter plane, flapping her wings. She let out a clucking shriek — a pigeon battle cry. The dog leaped up, snapping and growling, its jaws foaming. But Ellie didn't fly away. Either she was the bravest pigeon that ever lived, or the craziest. The Nazis came running over, with Stroop in the lead. They were close enough now so that Paul could see Stroop's face — the white, waxy skin; the thin, crooked lips; and the watery, yellowed eyes. Paul's gut filled with a sickening churn of hatred and fear. Stroop gripped his machine gun and aimed it at Ellie. Brrrrrrrt! Brrrrrrt! Bullets sprayed through the air. Stroop missed Ellie. But now his dog was whining and crying in terror. It turned and went charging across the meadow and through the gate.

Stroop screamed out some furious German words, which sent the other three Nazis on a mad dash after the dog. Paul looked for Ellie, but she'd flown off. Stroop stood there, looking around. Then he stamped his foot and rushed after them. For now, it seemed nothing was more important than finding his dog. Paul and Victor crawled out of the bushes. They stared at each other in relief, but they knew that Stroop would be back. "Is there another way out of here?" Victor asked. Paul nodded. He led Victor down to the corner of the meadow, through a gap in the bushes and into an apple orchard. But this wasn't safe, either. Someone could easily spot Victor and report him. There were people in town — dirty rats — who spied for the Nazis in exchange for money and food. Paul's heart hammered.

Ellie appeared, and landed at Paul's feet. "Coo-roo," she said. "Think!" she seemed to be saying. And then it came to Paul — the one place where Victor might just be safe. "I know where you can hide," Paul said. "And I can take you there." Victor shook his head. "No, Paul. You need to get home. This is way too much to ask…" But suddenly they heard shouting voices. German voices. There was no time to argue. They took off. Paul led Victor through the orchard. It was surrounded by hedgerows. But Paul knew a spot where they could cut through into a wheat field. They ran through the feathery stalks and scaled a stone wall. As they zigzagged across Le Roc, Paul kept thinking of Gerard. They'd explored every inch of this town. There wasn't a secret path they hadn't

discovered. Paul heard Gerard's voice echoing in his mind. Race you! Paul ran faster. Finally, after one last turn, there it was: the one place in town where nobody would go. Not even the Nazis. The Castle Le Roc. It was exactly as Paul remembered — the crumbling walls, the filthy blackened stones, the green vines crawling up to the windows, like thousands of twisting snakes. The tower rose up crookedly into the sky. "What is this place?" Victor asked. "It's an old castle," Paul said. "Nobody ever comes here." "I can see why," Victor answered. Paul didn't mention the dragon. And he especially didn't mention the creepy story he'd heard last summer. People said that a burned body had been found at the base of the tower. The police had searched the property but still had no idea who — or what — had killed the person.

Paul wasn't sure what to make of that story. But this much he knew: The castle was creepier than ever. It was the perfect place for Victor to hide. Ellie swooped down and landed next to Victor. Paul wondered how she'd do against a dragon. Just then there were footsteps behind them. Paul turned as a masked man with a rifle leaped out from behind a tree.