She replaced the telephone receiver before he could respond. They needed to start back right away, if they were going to make it to the stonecutter’s cottages in time. It had taken hours to find a suitable payphone. However, it had been worth it. Now her dad knew that she was safe and to call the police. Together, they would capture her kidnappers. After all she’d been through, at least Nicole and Robert would be going to jail.
It was the longest afternoon of Nicole’s life. Every minute stretched to feel like an hour, every hour a week. It was as if the universe was conspiring to make her go insane with frustration. Robert was driving her crazy, playing one stupid, senseless show after another on the TV.
It was a terrible atmosphere for intense thought, and Nicole really needed to think. Though Robert didn’t know it yet, they had a problem. The girl knew her name, might even know Robert’s name, and because Nicole’s wig had fallen off, the girl could identify her. No matter which way she looked at it, there seemed only one solution: not tell the parents where their daughter was. Leave her in the tomb.
Four hours until they were to go pick up the money, and Nicole had already turned the problem over in her mind a hundred times. But she could think of no alternate solution.
Three more hours. She’d have to lie to Robert if she did. He’d never go along with it. He even liked the kid.
Two more hours, and she still hadn’t answered the question. And there was one other thing to consider: there was still a chance the girl might die anyway. She’d obviously had a concussion when they left her there.
One more hour. If they left her, it would destroy Nicole’s perfect record. Up to this point, she’d never harmed a single kid in the kidnappings she’d planned.
What should she do?
Finally, it was time to go. Nicole carried her backpack into the bathroom and pulled out her all-black clothes. Though the money would probably be waiting for them, unprotected – after all, she’d warned the girl’s father about calling the police, and they were planning to approach through the secret underground tunnel – one couldn’t be too careful.
She took a final look at herself in the mirror and smiled at the color in her cheeks. Now that it was almost time, she was feeling excited. The payoff for all her hard work had finally arrived. And she would decide what to do about the girl after they had the money.
Soon, very soon, she’d have everything she deserved.
The afternoon ride across the Burren had been lovely. The day was glorious and the thud of Talent’s shod hooves along the green road was comforting. The birdsong and leaves rustling in the breeze were like music.
Erin was surprised she was able to relax after her harrowing experiences with the kidnappers and knew it was all because of Angelica. Every time she imagined one of the kidnappers looming out of a gully, or from behind a bush, or sneaking up behind her, Angelica would say something funny or bring up an interesting topic.
Erin asked Angelica a couple of questions about her life, and at first, she thought it odd that the older girl always seemed to turn the topic back to Erin, or to horses, or to the country they were traveling through. However, after a while, she accepted that Angelica didn’t really want to talk about herself. Still, she was incredibly interesting to talk to. In fact, Erin couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so entertained.
Time flew past and Erin was surprised when she first noticed the sun was low on the horizon. She patted Talent on his neck. Their steady pace had been good. They were only an hour away from home and would arrive at the stonecutter’s cottages just before her dad. Perfect timing. In fact, it was probably about time for her dad to arrive at the castle ruins.
Holding her breath, Erin looked to her right, something she hadn’t realized she’d been avoiding until that moment. Yes, there it was – the castle. Miles away, silhouetted against the sea. She inhaled sharply.
“Do try not to worry,” said Angelica. “I am sure your father will be fine. The police will make sure he is safe.”
“I know.” Erin jerked her gaze from the ruins and looked down at Talent’s red mane. She started to tremble, and the horse stopped short, looked back at her, and nickered. “It’s not just that. It’s … it’s… hard to explain.”
“I am listening.” Angelica’s voice was so kind, so sympathetic.
“Well, it’s like Robert and Nicole… are still hurting me in a way,” Erin stammered. She pressed her hands onto Talent’s withers to stop them from shaking. “I feel as if they damaged something in me, something deep inside. Not my bones or anything, but something in my heart, in my mind.” Her voice quavered as she confided in her new friend. “I feel like I never want to leave home again, and I know that’s not good. What if I never get over this fear, Angelica? What if I’m never brave again?”
“They can not hurt you now, Erin. And soon they will be in jail.”
“You’re right. I know you’re right,” she said, though her heart was thudding madly in her chest.
“I am so sorry this happened to you, Erin,” Angelica whispered.
Talent whinnied again and turned his head to nuzzle Erin’s foot. Unable to control her tremors, she leaned forward to lie over his neck. Breathe in his scent. Would she ever dare to ride alone again? Or even go to school? Or visit her friends?
“Do you mind, Erin, if I ask you a question?” Angelica said behind her.
“Of course not,” said Erin, knowing Angelica was probably trying to distract her from her fear yet again.
“It is so open around the castle. I was expecting it to be more protected, with obvious ways for Nicole and Robert to approach unseen. However, there is only barren flat land around the ruins. Are they just going to drive up to the castle, when the police can easily lie in wait for them and capture them? It does not seem a very good plan.”
Erin straightened, forced herself to look toward the ruins. “It doesn’t make much sense, does it? I wonder…” She gasped. She had just remembered something, something that made her blood run cold. Nicole and Robert wouldn’t be going to jail because the police wouldn’t catch them.
“No, Angelica,” she managed to choke out. “And they won’t be caught. Because I made a mistake. A horrible, horrible mistake. I messed everything up.”
“What do you mean, Erin?” Angelica sounded so calm and reasonable. How could she?
“Because,” Erin said, her voice overflowing with dread. “I forgot something. I heard them talking. They have a secret way in and out of the castle, through a sea cave. The castle is on the edge of the ocean, you see? And when they realize that Dad didn’t leave any real money, Nicole will be so angry. She’ll come after me, Angelica. I just know she will!”
Erin held her breath as she waited for Angelica to speak. She deserved to be rebuked, and worse. How could she forget such important information? Of course, at the time, her head was hurting so much it was almost impossible to concentrate on anything else, but that was no excuse. She should have remembered.
“Erin, I think you and Talent should go on to the stonecutter’s cottages and wait there for your father,” Angelica finally said.
Erin released her breath in an explosion of relief, and quickly nodded her agreement. Angelica slipped from Talent’s back. “You’ll be careful, right, Angelica?” she asked, looking down at the older girl. Instantly, she felt such an overwhelming rush of guilt that she didn’t register Angelica’s answer. How could she let her new friend finish this for her? How could she abandon Angelica like this? But could she summon enough courage to go with her? And what if she had to face the kidnappers again? Would they try to recapture her? Or worse, hurt her? Erin unsuccessfully tried to blink back her tears.
“Please, do not worry. I will do my best,” said Angelica. When Erin didn’t answer, she continued in a comforting voice. “And I will see you again soon. I will come to the stone cutters’ cottages afterwards to tell you what happened, and to say goodbye.”
“But I can’t let you do it alone,” Erin’s v
oice was almost a wail. “I have to help you.”
Angelica was silent for a moment, and when she spoke her voice echoed with relief. “I must admit that I am glad to hear you say that. I think this may be the way to heal yourself of your fear, Erin. Sometimes the only way is to step forward when we think we can not, and to do what we are too afraid to do.” She touched the younger girl’s arm gently. “And I will do my best to keep you safe, little one.”
The words sounded so strange coming from someone barely older than she was, but they were oddly comforting – as if Angelica was thousands of years old instead of sixteen or seventeen. As if there were even stranger things about her than hair that could change color and hands that could heal. As if an entire world of wisdom was living behind her golden eyes. “Angelica? Who are you?” Erin whispered. She rubbed away the tears from her face.
A soft smile touched the ivory face. “I am Angelica, helper of horses and their loved ones. That is all.”
“Where are you from? Really, you can tell me,” said Erin, grateful for the diversion.
“You would not believe me,” said Angelica, her amber eyes locked on Erin’s.
“Please, tell me anyway.”
“I am from the wind, Erin, from the light, from the breath of the Great One. I am from the brightness of moon and the music of stars singing in the darkness. I am from the hopes and wishes and loves of all horses, past, present, and future. I am…” She stopped, searched Erin’s startled face, and then smiled serenely. “I am your friend, Erin. And I will sacrifice myself before I let anything happen to you or to Talent. That I hope you believe.”
“I do,” Erin said without hesitation. “And the other… stuff… you said. I believe that too. I just don’t understand it.”
Angelica leapt up behind her onto Talent’s bare back. “That is because I can not explain it well.” She paused. “Are you sure you want to do this Erin?”
Erin nodded. “I want to be brave again, Angelica. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life being afraid.”
“I am glad. So let us make our plan.”
Erin stroked Talent’s neck as she thought. They didn’t seem to have many options. “There’s no time left to find a payphone to let Dad know, and we can’t wait on the road and flag down the police to tell them, because they’re probably already there, hiding. We can’t ride up to the castle because the kidnappers might see us and run off.”
“Then there is only one thing we can do to make sure the kidnappers are captured.”
“Yes,” said Erin. She struggled to speak for a moment, and when the words came out they sounded thin and brittle. “We have to go into the cave and make sure they don’t leave it.”
“If we hurry, we can lock their secret entrance after they go through to get the money,” said Angelica. “Then they will be trapped above with the police officers.” She sounded so confident.
Erin straightened on Talent’s back. I can pretend to be as confident, if nothing else. Maybe pretending to be brave will make me less afraid. “Okay,” she said, her voice full of false bravado. “Let’s do it.”
The drive to the parking lot beside the beach had been uneventful. The sun seemed only inches above the sea when they started their trek along the sands. Soon the sand changed to pebbles, which gave way in time to stones. The dunes at the back of the beach rose higher and higher, turned to dirt, then to rock. The rocky beach narrowed until it was a slender wedge between the ocean and the cliff, and then it became narrower still.
Nicole was about to ask how much farther, when she noticed the dark gash in the cliff ahead. The slit was well over their heads, and thin. It had to be the entrance to the underground passage.
Robert strode past without hesitation.
“Where are you going?” asked Nicole, all the frustration from the last two days packed into her voice.
“That’s not the right cave,” Robert replied, without looking back.
With a clenched jaw, Nicole followed him.
The beach continued to narrow until there were only a couple of feet between the cliff and the ocean, and then they were in the water. A wave splashed over Nicole’s shoes, soaking them instantly. She gasped – it was freezing cold! The next wave was up to her knees.
“It’s getting too deep,” she complained, even though she knew she’d swim if she had to.
“The tide’s going out soon,” replied Robert. “It’ll be lower when we leave.”
They continued to splash through the water. A huge boulder leaned against the cliff in front of them, looking as if it had fallen from above. “It’s right past this rock,” said Robert. “We have to walk around to get to the entrance. Do you want me to carry you?”
“No, I can manage.” The water was halfway up her thighs now. And here came another wave. The wave rolled past her, wetting her to her waist, then crashed against the boulder and sprayed back over her. It took all her self-control to not shriek at the icy shower. As quickly as she could, she edged the rest of the way around the boulder and crept up onto the thin sliver of beach rocks on the other side, shivering. “Where is it?” she demanded.
“Right here,” Robert said, gesturing to the dark hole beside the rock.
Nicole pulled her flashlight from her pocket and shone it on the sea cave entrance. “Are you sure?”
“Positive,” said Robert. When Nicole hesitated to enter the cavern, he added, “Don’t worry. I’ll go first.” He walked in through the cave entrance, and Nicole hurried to follow.
Talent cantered carefully across the Burren toward the sea, the two girls light on his back. Their plan was to gallop along the beach to the cliff below the ruins, where they hoped to find the sea cave. The ground became rougher as they neared the ocean, the gaps between the pavements more pronounced, the evening darker. By the time they reached the beach, night was falling. Without hesitation, Talent turned onto the broad strip of sand and increased his speed. Now they could really make up some time.
“They came this way more than half an hour ago,” said Angelica.
“How can you tell?” A new moon hung in the sky before them.
“I have the ability to track other beings, even though much of their passing has been erased by the rising tide.”
“Do you know how much higher it will get?”
“It will soon be at its peak.”
The beach was becoming narrower now, and Talent slowed to a canter. Then when the water met the cliff, he broke into a trot that became higher and bouncier as the water became deeper. Moon glow skipped and flashed silver all around them.
“There!” said Erin, between bounces. She unclasped Talent’s mane with one hand and pointed at the dark slit in the cliff face in front of them.
“They went past this one, I think,” said Angelica, though she didn’t sound too sure of herself. “I can not be certain, for the water’s wave energy has disrupted much of their trail, but I believe we must go farther.”
“But…” Erin didn’t want to say it. Angelica might be insulted.
“But what?”
“But aren’t… their tracks… totally… wiped out?” Talent chose this moment to slow to a walk and Erin’s speech returned to normal. “The water is almost to Tallie’s knees. How can you track them?”
“I am not tracking them by imprints left in the sand, but by their energy,” Angelica clarified.
Erin didn’t know what to say. It was a bizarre skill – but Angelica hadn’t led them wrong yet. Talent too seemed happy to be passing the sea cave entrance.
A huge boulder lay in front of them, completely blocking the shallower water. “It’s so deep,” said Erin and pulled her feet out of the water’s reach as Talent walked around the massive rock. “Do you think that’ll stop the kidnappers from escaping from the cave?”
“I think they will swim if they have to, to get away. The waves are not too rough tonight and it would be easy to do, although very cold.”
“Look,” Erin said in a dread-filled voice. Sh
e pointed. There it was – the sea cave. Even she could tell it was the right one because someone had recently gone inside. She could see their wet tracks glistening in the moonlight where they’d walked through the opening. This was it. Could she do it?
She shrank back against Angelica as Talent splashed toward the cave mouth. It was so dark, like a black hole in space that trapped light and life, and extinguished it.
“Do not worry. We will be able to see,” Angelica whispered behind her as Talent walked into the cave.
And they could, even though Erin didn’t see how it was possible. The light wasn’t coming from anywhere in particular. Instead, it seemed to be hanging in the air all around them, illuminating everything just enough that their passage was safe. Talent wove through the rocky spires and boulders, around tidal pools and along ledges, the sound of his hooves strangely muffled. Was he stepping on seaweed? Erin looked down. No! His hooves were encased in light!
“Angelica!” Immediately, Erin bit down on her lip. She’d been far too loud.
“I know,” whispered the older girl. “It is nothing to worry about.”
Erin nodded, and looked down again. Maybe the cave was home to colonies of miniscule luminous sea creatures. She’d heard of strange things like this before. And it could explain the strange source of light that seemed to hang in the air as well. They were only brighter against Talent’s hooves because he was touching them. And they were muting the sound of his steps too. How fortunate!
A distant laugh shot from around the corner ahead of them and Erin jerked erect. She’d recognize that laugh anywhere – Robert! Then she recognized Nicole’s voice, speaking just a short word or two.
“It’s them,” Erin hissed and shrank back against Angelica again. The scrape of boots against stones sent her trembling uncontrollably. They were coming closer! They’d already picked up what they thought was the money, and were making their getaway! “Angelica? What do we do?”
Mystic Tide (Horse Guardian) Page 8