Katie Watson Mysteries in Time Box Set

by Mez Blume

  Pulling her head back after a moment, she whispered, “There are a ton of horses in there. We might just be able to get away with sneaking in one more.”

  I nodded. “On your signal.”

  She craned her head through the stable door again, waiting. Then, with an excited nod, she waved her hand for me to come forward and, unlatching the corral door, pulled it quietly open while Robin Hood and I crept through.

  My heart jumped into my throat when I heard voices close by. One of the grooms was bragging to his companions about a game of cards he’d won against a soldier. I exhaled and kept moving away from the voices, leading Robin Hood past the row of stalls right down to the end. The last stall was empty, making the perfect hiding spot for our next stage of plan-making.

  “All right,” Imogen began. “Now the real question. How do we cross the courtyard? I don’t see any way of getting to the prison without parading right in front of the Governor’s mansion.”

  Once again recalling my escape from the Garrison just a couple of days earlier, I suggested, “We can go behind the Governor’s mansion. There’s a narrow passageway, and nobody’s likely to be there at this time.”

  “What, you mean with Robin Hood?” She looked doubtful.

  “If we leave him here, we might not be able to get back to him once we’ve freed Wattie.”

  She blew out a gust of air. “Let’s do it then.”

  We inched along between the house and the outer wall, retracing my steps from my earlier escape from the Governor’s mansion. Only this time, we were walking right into danger’s way … and we had a horse. An enormous, stolen horse. One day, I tried to reassure myself as we tiptoed along, we are going to look back and laugh about this.

  I tried to keep my eyes straight ahead, focused on the shortening distance between us and the prison, but the lights and sounds coming from the mansion windows drew my attention.

  “There are people dancing up there,” Imogen whispered, her eyes glued on a tall row of windows in the upper storey.

  I looked up and winced. It hadn’t occurred to me that the ballroom where the Governor would be hosting the delegates might face the back of the house. “Let’s hope they keep dancing and don’t look out,” I answered, dropping my eyes down to the lower floor windows where they connected with the stunned gaze of a woman holding a silver tray. I smiled innocently while pushing Imogen forward. “Hurry up, hurry up. We’ve been spotted.”

  Throwing caution aside now that our cover was blown, we picked up the pace to the end of the house and turned the corner. The relief of being in the dark side of the house, safe from window-gazers, lasted only a second. The prison was in sight now. The real danger was just beginning.

  “There’s just one guard, a young one,” Imogen said as we crept to the edge of the shadows to scout the area. “Katie, do you think you could shoot him from here with that venom stuff?”

  I shook my head. “What if I miss? Hitting Black Fox was just a lucky shot. I’ll keep a dart ready, just in case, but can’t we think of a less violent way of distracting him?”

  “Like what?” Imogen demanded.

  I bit my lip. “You remember how you persuaded the guards to let us into the Garrison?”

  “That’s not gonna work again.”

  “Why not? You were amazing!”

  “Because I’ve been riding through the forest on the back of a sweaty horse and I have dirt on my face.”

  I stared through the darkness at her slightly frazzled appearance. “We can tidy you up. And as to the smell, well, I don’t think anyone’s wearing body splash around here anyway.”

  Imogen grimaced as I spat on my sleeve and wiped her face, then smoothed back the flyaway bits of hair around her face. “There. He won’t be able to resist you now.” I bit my lip again, trying not to smile.

  She rolled her eyes. After straightening up and taking a few deep breaths, as if getting into character, she strolled confidently out into the clearing, her hips swishing slightly more than normal.

  I led Robin Hood as close as we could get while remaining hidden in the shadows and cupped my hand to my ear.

  “Oh!” She squealed, followed by a girly giggle. “I do beg your pardon. I was just coming out for a bit of fresh, American air. But what are you doing out here in the dark? All the other officers are inside, dancing.”

  The guard’s voice was high, as if it hadn’t broken yet. “Well you see, Miss, somebody has to guard the prisoners.”

  “Oh, I see.” Imogen sounded convincingly dimwitted. “It’s so brave of you. Must be some terrible ruffians locked up in there. But still… it does seem awfully unfair. I don’t see why you should have to do the job while all the others get to enjoy themselves.”

  “I’m just a junior cavalry officer,” the boy replied modestly. “The others leave all the bad jobs to me.”

  “How horrid!” Imogen sounded scandalised. “You have as much right to enjoy the banquet as any of them. And I’ve been longing to have a dance with a handsome American officer like you.”

  The boy’s voice was even higher when he answered. “But what about the prisoners?”

  “Oh, don’t worry about that. I’m sure they’re all locked up. What could possibly happen during one dance?”

  “Well, I’d hate to disappoint a…a lady…”

  They were walking towards the mansion. I couldn’t believe it! Imogen’s expertise in flirting had saved the day again. If she could just manage to get the keys and then lose the guard, we might actually pull this off.

  “Well, if it isn’t the little horse thief.”

  My smile fell as my blood turned to ice at the sound of Lovegood’s callous, haughty voice. I turned slowly around to face him. His cold smile glinted as he made his way towards me through the dark passage.

  I stood frozen until he was no more than an arm’s length away and glaring down at me smugly. “You know, you shouldn’t get mixed up with those Cherokee. You’ll end up just like them.”

  With gritted teeth, I looked him in the eye. “I am Cherokee,” I growled, and without a moment’s hesitation, I launched myself up onto Robin Hood’s back. Together we shot out into the clearing, but before we’d passed the prison, I pulled back on the reins and turned to face Lieutenant Lovegood as he stepped out into the moonlight, the frosty smile still making his face a menace.

  “You really think I’m going to let you take my horse again?”

  He raised his right hand gripping a pistol and squinted one eye, pointing the weapon right at me. “I don’t normally hurt little girls, but I will shoot horse thieves. This is your last chance to give me back my horse.”

  I looked from the horse to the weapon. “I’ll give him back,” I said, and the pistol lowered ever so slightly as he opened his shut eye. “When you give back everything you stole from Nickajack.” Robin Hood and I charged forward.

  “How dare you?” he said, his face turning furious. He raised his gun hand again, but as he did, Robin Hood gave a mighty roar. Next thing I knew, I was holding on for dear life as the horse reared up on his hind legs. Before Lovegood knew what had hit him, one of the horse’s hooves pawed out and struck him on the side of the head, sending his cap with the golden sabres spinning like a Frisbee disc and the pistol flying from his hand.

  Lovegood stayed on his back only for a moment before he sat up, clutching the side of his head with a look of dazed pain. I glared down at him as he squinted, trying to focus on me. “You shouldn’t run around with criminals, Lieutenant. You’ll end up just like them.”

  With an enraged growl, he stumbled to his feet, staggering back and forth. I jumped down and sprinted for the pistol just as he made a clumsy lunge for it. I got there first. He raised his hands up beside his head, and at the same time, someone ran up behind me. I spared a quick glance over my shoulder to see Imogen approaching, her eyes wide and mouth open.

  “Well, looks like you found something to do while I was away,” she said with what was almost a disbelieving lau
gh in her voice.

  “Did you get the keys?” I asked.

  She held up a ring of keys and gave them a shake. “My new little friend has just been enjoying his first few glasses of rum punch.” She practically skipped past Lovegood towards the prison door. “I even got him to tell me which keys to use.”

  Within a minute, Imogen swung the door open.

  I motioned towards the open door with my head. “You first, Lieutenant.”

  He didn’t move. His eyes were becoming more focused, his hands lowering. “Do you even know how to shoot that?”

  “You wouldn’t want to find out, would you?” I tried to sound fearless, but I felt unnerved by the slight smile that was returning to the corners of Lovegood’s mouth. With a sudden swoop, he reached back and grabbed Imogen around the shoulders, pulling her in front of him like a shield.

  “Now give me the gun,” he demanded through clenched teeth. All his arrogant dignity had vanished. He looked like a wild man.

  I stood frozen, but glanced at Imogen, who looked terrified at Lovegood’s menacing face so close to hers.

  “Ok,” I breathed at last.

  “Don’t, Katie!” Imogen screamed and started flailing her legs around wildly, trying to stomp on Lovegood’s feet. The struggle bought me the time I needed to pull the blowgun out of my quiver. The dart was already prepared. I pulled it out by the thistly end – I couldn’t afford to miss – and hurtled towards the struggling pair. Moving behind them, I raised my fist and jabbed the dart into the back of Lovegood’s neck.

  With a howl, he let go immediately and reached his hand back to feel what had hit him. Imogen and I scurried back as he yanked out the dart and blinked at it a few times before slumping over in a heap.

  “Quick. Someone will have heard all that,” I said, grabbing hold of Lovegood’s limp arms.

  Imogen took hold of his legs and together we dragged him into the prison.

  “What the devil?” came a familiar voice from the corner.

  “More like your guardian angels,” Imogen grunted back as we heaved the Lieutenant against the wall and let him flop over into a pile of straw.

  “Dilli? Katie Fire-Hair? How in heaven’s name—”

  “No time,” I whispered hoarsely. “Immy, can you unlock him? I’ll get Robin Hood ready.”

  The next few minutes felt like hours as I stood in front of the wide-open prison with the reins clutched in my fist. My eyes darted from the Governor’s mansion to the main gates to the stables, expecting to see troops at any second. But no one stirred in the clearing. They seemed not to have heard a thing or to have noticed that the Lieutenant had gone missing from the party.

  At last, Wattie came out blinking in the moonlight and rubbing his wrists. With a huge smile on his face, he shook his head in disbelief. Imogen quickly shut the prison door and locked it. Then the three of us climbed up on the horse.

  “What’s your plan?” Wattie whispered from behind me.

  I turned to speak over my shoulder. “We don’t have one.”

  Just then, the double doors of the Governor’s mansion burst open. Two cavalry officers swayed out onto the porch, their arms over one another’s shoulders. They were singing at the top of their lungs, but sounded more like a couple of sick hound dogs.

  “Let’s go!” Wattie said, giving Robin Hood a slap on the rump that sent him shooting like an arrow for the open gate. I shot one look back as we passed through, but saw no sign of pursuers. Still, I didn’t let Robin Hood slow down until we were safe under the cover of dense, dark forest.

  34

  Facing the Snake

  We bedded down in a dense patch of ferns to wait for help. Wattie listened with amazement as we told him all that had happened since his arrest.

  “That villain Blunt,” he said after a moment. “To think he had the stone all the time. I knew Old Grizzly had to be innocent, but I must admit, I did sometimes suspect he might’ve taken the stone for Ramona. She was… an unusual woman. Kind, but there certainly was something strange about her.”

  As he trailed away, Imogen and I shot each other a glance. We had both carefully left out the discovery of Ka-Ti’s magic painting from our retelling of the day’s events. We could tell Wattie the truth about where we’d come from another time. The important thing now was to wait and watch.

  But as the night hours wore on, a sinking feeling started to take over, and from the worried expressions on the others’ faces, they were feeling the same. What if no one was coming? After all, any number of things might get in the way. What if something had happened to Ka-Ti on her journey to Nickajack? Or what if she’d reached Nickajack only to find it in shambles? There was no telling what mischief Lovegood and his posse might already have played in the past two days. He might’ve left guards to keep watch in case I came back for help. With rising horror, I wondered if we’d sent Ka-Ti straight into a trap.

  “You two should get some sleep,” Wattie said, breaking into my nightmarish thoughts. “I’ve had plenty of rest chained up in that prison, and you’ll need your strength when Nickajack gets here.” He smiled faintly, but I could hear the doubt in his voice. Still, he was right. Whatever happened, we would need all the strength we could muster to face it.

  I lay down and closed my eyes, but worries continued to stab at my mind. Here we were, on the verge of enemy territory, and possibly no one coming to our aid. Soon the sun would rise, Governor Blunt’s treaty would be signed, and Lieutenant Lovegood would wake up and call for help. Then the whole cavalry would be on the hunt for three fugitives on a big grey horse. What chance would we have of escape then? And—perhaps the most terrifying thought of all—what chance would Imogen and I ever have of getting back through the painting if we were locked up in a jail cell?

  After what felt like only a few minutes, I was shaken out of my restless sleep by Wattie.

  “Have they come?” I asked, springing upright.

  Imogen bolted up beside me, looking around expectantly.

  But Wattie shook his head, his expression hard as stone. “It’s nearly sunrise. No one’s coming.”

  Imogen and I looked at each other, and in that look, we both knew that all our worst fears had come true. All we’d fought for had come to nothing. We’d lost our chance of getting home, and it was unlikely that another one would ever come.

  But there was something else in that look… something that shone through the fear. We both saw it and nodded. And then I spoke. “Well, we’re not just going to lie here and wait for the Governor’s men. Let’s go make as much trouble for him as we can.”

  Wattie looked surprised, then shook his head. “No. I can’t let you give yourselves up. I’ll go back. I can buy you some time to run at least.”

  Imogen got up on her knees and looked Wattie straight in the eye. “Look, we didn’t come here just so we could run away from danger. If standing up for Nickajack… for your family… for Little Beaver is the reason we’re here”—she gave me a meaningful sideways look— “then we’re going to make the most of it.”

  Wattie looked between the two of us uncertainly, no doubt confused by what Imogen had said. But whether or not he understood what she meant, he realised there was no point arguing. At last, a defeated smile broke out on his hardened face. He held his hand out. “Wado.” Then shaking Imogen’s hand as well, he added, “you are brave to take a last stand for Nickajack, and you are true friends to face capture with me. There’s no telling what Blunt may do with―”

  He was interrupted by a swift soaring sound and loud ping! We all craned our heads back to look at the arrow stuck in the pine tree just an arm’s length above our heads.

  Imogen and I immediately ducked down low, but Wattie stayed standing, his sharp eyes sweeping the forest. Then a haunting, low bird call sounded out of the gloom.

  I looked at Wattie. A smile spread across his face and I understood. “Is it—?”

  Before I could ask, Grasshopper dropped out of a tree right in front of us. Imogen scream
ed, but after the initial shock, she was beaming and hugging Grasshopper with the rest of us.

  “Have any others come with you?” Wattie asked after we’d all embraced.

  Grasshopper threw back his head and hooted. “Come and see for yourself. They are waiting for you on the road. Waiting to follow Katie Fire-Hair into battle against the Governor.”

  I felt my stomach plummet. “Follow me?”

  “Yes, you, Katie,” Imogen said in an exasperated tone. “This is all happening thanks to you.”

  I shook my head. “You know I wouldn’t even be here if you hadn’t saved my life from Lovegood on the first day.”

  She smiled with a modest shrug.

  “Come,” Grasshopper urged. “There’s no time to lose. The sun already rises.”

  It was a glorious sight that met our eyes when we reached the road at the edge of the forest. There must’ve been twenty men as well as a few fearsome-looking war women on horses. Leading the group were Mr. McKay, Terrapin Jo and—my jaw dropped when I saw him—Jim with his leg bound up, and beside him, Ka-Ti.

  As Wattie rushed forward to greet his father, Imogen nudged me in the ribs. Her eyes were glued on a handsome, proud-looking man with a long black ponytail beside Terrapin Jo. “Is that…?” she whispered.

  “Crow Feather!” I said more loudly than I’d meant to, and all eyes turned to me. I blushed, but Crow Feather’s stern face softened into a smile and he nodded. “Yes. I am well, and I have you both to thank.”

  A strange little giggle came from beside me where Imogen stood, and I was relieved when Jim spoke up and drowned it out.

  “Now ain’t no time for a powwow. We got business to take care of. Now I reckon if we’re to beat Blunt at his own game, we’re gonna have to outfox Black Fox.”