"Here, take my hand."
Canidy opened his eyes just enough to see the hand, grabbed it, and do;
his eyes again. Von Heurten-Mitnitz pulled him out of the trunk and led him the curbside door.
"Lie on the seat," he ordered.
"Beatrice, there's a flask in the map box. Gj it to him."
"He's sick?" she asked.
"Exhaust poisoning," von Heurten-Mitnitz said. He closed the trunk, til got behind the wheel and started off.
Canidy felt something cold and metallic at his lips. He took the flask fix the Countess and took a deep pull.
He felt the warmth spread through his body, and then something else.
"I think I'm going to be sick," he said.
"Oh, please don't," the Countess Batthyany said practically.
"You never c get that smell out of a car!"
Canidy fought down the urge to vomit and took slow deep breaths. I desire to vomit passed, and he was able after a while to keep his eyes open."!
found himself looking into the Countess's face.
"You're getting color back," she said.
"You'll be all right now." ' There was genuine relief on her face, Canidy saw, and then decided t most certainly wasn't for him. ' There was another queasy feeling in his stomach. He fought it by sith up, and it passed, but there was a wave of sharp pain behind his eyes. He took another pull at the silver brandy flask and looked out the W shield. They were all alone on a narrow, curving road cut through a dense ( est of mature pines. "Where are we?" he asked.
"How long was I in the trunk?" 1 "It's another couple of hours to Pecs," the Countess said.
"We left Budap at half past nine. You were back there about two hours." ** "What's next on the road?" Canidy asked.
"Am I going to have to get b8 in the trunk?" f' "We just went through Dunafoldvar," the Countess said.
"There's a cott( of small towns between here and Pecs, Sioagard and Pecsvarad, hardly riS than villages. You'll be all right in the back, I think."
"Do we go through Pecs itself?"
"There's a way around," she said.
"But it's dirt roads, and there's no telling how muddy they would be this time of year. And we would attract attention."
"I was wondering whether we could run by the jail,"Canidy said, "and then trace the route the truck takes moving the prisoners to the mine."
"We'll take that road anyway," she said.
"But it would be a detour to go past Saint Gertrud's."
"A conspicuous detour?
"Canidy asked.
She thought that over before replying, "No. It's on the edge of town. But we wouldn't be more conspicuous there than we're going to be anyway."
"Then please tell Herr von Heurten-Mitnitz how to get there," Canidy said.