Underground, overhead

Molly led the slightly-confused group up the stairs.

On the landing, she spoke. "Ladies, as you're all aware, the upstairs of the Wee Hoose is rather more spacious than it might appear to the casual observer."

They nodded, some of them smiling at the memory of their first sight of the labyrinthine rooms, connected to so many of the neighbouring buildings.

"However," she continued. "The upstairs is nothing compared to what the attic holds."

She opened the hatch above their heads, and pulled down a ramsay ladder.

"Now, this is a bit of a difficult one to understand, but in the attic is the entrance to a tunnel."

"Eh?" squawked Margaret.

"I knew I could rely on you not to get it, Margaret," smiled Molly. "But think about it; the roof is partly built into the hillside. And while I was having a tidy-up one time, I found a boarded-up tunnel - one that takes you all the way up to the cellar of the old church.

"Close your mouth Margaret. If you ever did a hand's turn, who knows what you might find?"

As they all knew, there were plenty of stories about the old tunnel systems. People would find odd holes appearing in their gardens, and it was assumed they were connected to the smuggling that had once been common in the town. But as this one went up through the rock of the hillside to the church, maybe it was more to do with hiding priests. Or at least, smuggling communion wine.

Molly didn't know, and didn't care. Either way, it was a direct route to where Adam was being held.

"And what's more," finished Molly, "we won't be advertising our arrival, either."

With that, she led the way up the ladder into the attic.



Part Three begins here.