BreadCrumb Trail (The Yellow Hoods, #2): Steampunk meets Fairy Tale

by Adam Dreece

  “Ugh!” yelled Hans as he doubled over in pain.

  “Oh, goodness, it worked!” yelled Franklin, hopping around joyfully. “What to do? Right—run!”

  Franklin dashed ten yards before briefly stopping. He looked back at the old, decrepit house and thought about the children inside. Leaving them didn’t feel right. “I’ll get help, and come back for them—that’s the only thing that makes sense,” he said, convincing himself. He started running again, with every ounce of remaining energy.

  When the front door opened, Gretel and Saul saw Hans still hunched over. They could guess what had happened.

  Saul grabbed his cloak and staff, and Gretel her cloak, bow, and quiver.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  The Canopy Trail

  “That’s a good find, Richy,” said Pierre, looking at the patch of soft earth where Richy thought he could make out a recent footprint. “What jumps out at you?”

  Richy pointed to the heel. “It looks heavy—here, and here. Maybe they were carrying something heavy, like a kid?”

  “Maybe,” said Pierre. “You have an amazing eye, Richy. Amazing.” He looked back to the two captains and the guardsmen tending to the horses and sail-carts. “Captains! We found a possible footprint.”

  “Let me guess—a lone print again, isn’t it?” said Matthieu, shaking his head. “Either these kidnappers are a hundred feet tall, with tiny feet, or you aren’t able to track them.”

  Captain Charlebois didn’t like the idea of calling in some kids to help, but Captain Archambault had convinced him to include them. Matthieu questioned the wisdom of having Richy involved, given his past. He was uncomfortable talking to Richy—he only nodded to him, or talked indirectly to him by way of Pierre.

  “One thing is clear, Captains,” said Pierre, looking around. “Someone trained these people. They know how to avoid leaving tracks. If this is the same Ginger Lady, maybe someone trained her kids.”

  Over the past three hours, Pierre and the Yellow Hoods had discovered only subtle clues that they might be going in the right direction. It felt like one guess followed by another.

  Tee looked around at the thickly clustered trees. It had been a challenge to pilot the sail-carts through other than single file. She looked up at the thick forest canopy. “You know, Elly,” she said, “something feels funny. We know they were around here. How would we get around, without people seeing our footprints?”

  “You think they were around here,” corrected Matthieu, visibly frustrated.

  Elly walked around in silent thought for a moment. “Well… we might use our sail-carts, but it’s spring, and they’d either leave tracks in the mud, or get stuck if we weren’t careful.”

  Richy felt the soft ground. “We might make the tires thicker, or of softer stuff—but there would still be some clear trace.”

  “Right,” said Tee, trying to imagine what they were missing.

  “Hmm—what if they traveled on the ground as if it was snow—you know, like a lynx?” suggested Richy, looking at Elly. “Hey Pierre, is there a way to walk on the ground with snowshoe-type things that don’t leave tracks? Like a lynx would on snow, but better.”

  Pierre stiffened at the word lynx, briefly flashing back to his narrowly escaped fate and the debt he owed the Yellow Hoods. “Not that I’ve seen, no. Mind you, someone like Monsieur Klaus might come up with something like that. They would be great shoes, if he could.”

  Matthieu looked at Gabriel. “Really? Impossible machines? That’s what they’re contemplating?”

  Gabriel motioned for Matthieu to calm down. “Wait—you’ll see. If you know Monsieur Klaus, the Yellow Hoods are sometimes like mini versions. They will see something that we don’t.”

  Matthieu grumbled. “I have more faith in my five guardsmen. Yes, Richy found a footprint—one footprint. Everything else we’ve found, and, sadly, that isn’t much. I think we should send these kids home—with their strange sailing land ships, or whatever you call them.”

  Tee wiggled her lips in thought. “Not leaving tracks would be easier if they just didn’t walk on the ground. Eliminates the problem, altogether.”

  Matthieu stormed over to Tee. “Okay. And just how would they get around… fly?”

  “Don’t be silly. People can’t fly,” said Tee. “But, they could use long poles, or stilts—I don’t know. There’s a way, though.”

  Matthieu was taken aback by how Tee spoke to him. She’d parried his frustration and talked to him like a peer, not a superior. He was about to yell at her to show some respect, but was interrupted.

  “I’ve got it!” yelled Elly. She jumped up and down excitedly and tapped a tree.

  Captain Charlebois frowned. “What, a tree? Seriously? Gabriel, I’m done—”

  “Look,” said Elly, pointing at the tree’s trunk. Then, right before their eyes, Elly climbed twenty feet up the tree, as if she were using a ladder. She disappeared into the forest canopy.

  Matthieu was stunned.

  “Oh, cool!” said Richy. He and Tee climbed up after Elly.

  It took a moment for everyone else to see. Carved carefully into the trunk of the tree was a well-worn ladder. It had been gently carved into the tree, and then painted to make it blend in.

  Captain Archambault walked over to his counterpart and slapped him on the shoulder. “Care to reconsider your opinion of these kids?” he asked, smiling proudly.

  Matthieu turned to one of his men who stood about twenty feet away. “Hey, what do you see when you look at this tree from over there?”

  The guardsman looked at the tree and shrugged. “Just a tree, sir.”

  “A tree, indeed,” said Matthieu, grinning from ear to ear. “Brilliant! Captain Archambault, I’m enough of a man to admit I was wrong, and I love it when I’m wrong like this. So! We’re dealing with someone very smart.”

  Pierre ran his fingers over part of the carved-in ladder. “Those we’re looking for might not be the ones who made this. This is old—I’d say more than thirty years, judging by the tree growth.”

  Gabriel stroked his mustache. “Maybe the Ginger Lady made it a long time ago? Or, more likely—”

  “She simply knows about it,” said Matthieu. “Perhaps the Ginger Lady has allies, and they told her about this, or built it for her. Perhaps this woman is tied to something bigger.”

  Captain Archambault looked around and wondered. “What if the bigger thing isn’t around anymore? What if she’s doing this on her own? Maybe she needs the money, or something else?”

  Tee climbed down. “You won’t believe what we found,” she said. Looking up, she called, “Okay, pull it!”

  There was a silent second after Elly and Richy pulled a rusty lever hidden up in the tree’s canopy, but then came the sound of gears moving, and leaves rustling. Through the leaves, they could make out some metal parts moving across the canopy. It almost looked like a wave that passed from the tree Elly and Richy were in, over to a tree twenty feet away.

  Everything went silent again. Pierre, Gabriel, and the guardsmen looked at the canopy, unsure there was anything different.

  Captain Charlebois squinted, and pointed carefully. “Fascinating. At first, it looks all the same, but look, carefully, for the brass and silver colors… Some kind of platform?”

  “You’re right, Captain,” said Tee. “It’s a metal bridge that extends through the canopy. I’m guessing these zigzag through the forest in places, from large tree to large tree, and the reason we see the odd footprint is because these bridges aren’t all close enough together.”

  Richy climbed partway down. “Tee, come up and see this,” he said. “This thing has weights and stuff that remind me a lot of the treehouse mountain pulleys. Definitely older, though.”

  “Wait—before you go, tell me again what I’m looking at, Tee? I don’t understand how this is possible,” said Captain Archambault.

  “Someone talented like my grandfather made this. We know of something else similar, but newer. Whoeve
r designed or built this must have taught others.”

  “Wait, Tee—another question,” said Gabriel.

  “Sure,” said Tee, containing her excitement.

  “Could someone use this to—?”

  Just then came the sound of the gears going again, and the leaves rustling. The wave that had extended out now moved in the opposite direction. After the sound stopped, no hint of shiny metal showed through the canopy.

  “Guys! What happened?” yelled Tee.

  Elly replied, “It retracted on its own! Richy… what’s that? Hang on… Richy thinks it must have a timer of some kind, once there’s no weight on the bridge. This is more sophisticated than we thought.”

  “Captain, were you going to ask—” said Tee.

  Gabriel waved his question away. “Never mind. Go.”

  Captain Charlebois turned to Gabriel. “Bridges that disappear… hmm. The trees with the contraption are surrounded by red pines, so even in winter, it would seem invisible from the ground. And the ladder—invisible any time of year.”

  “People could be using this for all sorts of things,” said Gabriel, amazed, “and right under our noses.”

  Pierre thought back to Solstice, and asked Gabriel, “Could these have been used to chase Mounira into the forest without leaving a trace?”

  Tee briefly stopped her climb, having overheard Pierre’s question. “Actually, Pierre, that makes sense. Maybe those same Red Hoods are the ones who took the children.”

  Captain Archambault sighed and turned to his colleague. “While you were away during Solstice, there was an incident. I don’t know if you were briefed—so let me tell you about it. I’d forgotten until now.”

  As Tee climbed up the tree, she thought of Mounira, who was spending the day with Tee’s mom, doing some mother-daughter “girly” type things. Tee didn’t mind, as she knew Mounira must be missing her own mom terribly. If anything, it was a relief for both Tee and her mom, as doing “girly” things was not something Tee usually enjoyed.

  Suddenly, from a little further into the forest, came the sound of gears turning, and a bridge extending, followed by the sound of someone running over the metal bridge.

  Tee, confused, looked at Richy and Elly.

  “That’s not us,” said Elly.

  Down below, Pierre yelled, “Hey, someone’s coming!”

  “Help me!” yelled a teenage boy. He ran toward the captains and guardsmen as fast as he could. “Whoever you are, help me!”

  “Men, defend the boy!” ordered Captain Charlebois, unsheathing his sword and charging forward.

  Tee pulled the lever to extend their tree-bridge while her friends pulled out their shock-sticks and started cranking the handles.

  Pierre ran to the teenage boy, who promptly fell into Pierre’s arms. The boy was exhausted. The captains and the guardsmen took up positions surrounding the two. Each guardsman had his sword drawn, and his other hand ready to draw his pistol.

  “What’s your name?” Pierre asked the boy.

  “My name… is Franklin… Charles… David… Watt,” whispered Franklin, almost out of breath. “I was held… prisoner.”

  “What was that?” yelled Captain Archambault over his shoulder.

  “The boy says his name is Watt,” said Pierre. He scooped up the boy, looked around, and wondered what was next.

  “Watt!” yelled the Yellow Hoods, looking at each other.

  Tee yelled down to the captains, “We’ve been looking for him! Watt!”

  Captain Archambault looked at his counterpart. “The Solstice attack on Mounira, kidnapping children, and now this Watt boy? I suspect it’s the same group.”

  “Agreed,” said Captain Charlebois.

  Just then, a tall red-hooded figure in black leather boots appeared at the other end of the tree-bridge.

  “Looks like Watt was running for a reason,” said Elly, twirling her shock-sticks and then charging forward.

  Richy did a double take. “You’re acting like Tee!” said Richy, running right up behind Elly.

  “What can I say—she’s a bad influence!” said Elly, switching to a battle cry as the red-hooded figure ran toward them.

  Tee pulled out her slingshot and a couple of stones.

  “This is going to be awkward—I didn’t think this through,” said Richy, realizing the narrow tree-bridge constrained them to a single file.

  “Richy, no shocking me!” ordered Elly, stopping at the mid-point of the tree-bridge and waiting for their opponent.

  The red-hooded figure pulled back his hood, revealing his light brown hair. He grabbed the staff from his back and slowly moved forward to meet Elly. “Yellow hoods? Seriously? Are you supposed to be kid copies of us?” he said, swinging at Elly.

  “More like the other way around,” said Elly, nearly landing a shocking blow on Saul.

  Hans and Gretel, below, stopped their running and looked at the guardsmen and captains.

  Pulling out his rapier, Hans yelled up to the trees. “Saul, we’re going to need your help here, so whatever you’re doing, hurry up!”

  The guardsmen and captains started moving toward Hans and Gretel, who appeared to be just standing there, fifty yards away. Pierre headed back to the horses and sail-carts with Franklin.

  Hans took a couple of swipes at the air to warm up.

  One of the guardsmen slowed his advance and laughed.

  “He’s fighting no one—and still missing, with that flimsy sword,” said another.

  Hans smiled as the guards got to the perfect distance. “Firstly, it’s called a rapier. And now, dear sister, if you’d do the honors?”

  What had looked to the guardsmen like a walking stick, being partially hidden by Gretel’s red cloak, became quite clearly a bow as she quickly raised it up for use. Her quiver was now visible over her left shoulder.

  Immediately, one guard went down.

  “One!” chirped Gretel.

  “Mother did do one thing right,” said Hans, running forward to engage the surprised adversaries.

  “What’s that?” yelled Gretel.

  “Getting us those lessons so long ago!” he said, swinging at the air.

  “Two!” yelled Gretel.

  “She’s an archer?” said Tee. “They’re all bigger, older, and more deadly than we are.” Tee loaded a stone and crept along the tree-bridge until she was above Gretel. Glancing to her friends, who were dodging and weaving Saul’s attacks, Tee decided they could handle it. She looked back toward the ground, found a line of sight through the canopy, and took the shot, hitting the red-hooded head.

  “Ouch!” yelled Gretel, letting loose an arrow into a tree, below. “Where’s the little troll who threw that?”

  “Uh oh,” said Tee, trying to scurry away.

  “There you are!” yelled Gretel, aiming up at the moving, yellow Tee.

  “One!” yelled Hans, having made short work of the guardsman who tried to take him on.

  Gabriel and Matthieu started to pull back as the two remaining guardsmen went forward to challenge Hans.

  Every time the guardsmen raised their pistols, Gretel raised her bow at them, and when they lowered their pistols, she lowered her bow. Hans giggled with delight.

  Above, on the tree-bridge, Elly slipped and dropped one of her shock-sticks as Saul again narrowly missed hitting her in the head with his staff.

  Richy pulled himself up onto the thin railing of the metal bridge and then sprang at Saul, armed shock-sticks in hand. Elly looked in disbelief as Richy jumped over her.

  Saul let go of his staff and grabbed Richy’s hands, falling backward with him and avoiding getting shocked.

  “Hotaru?” said Saul. Having seen Richy’s face, Saul let go of him, backed up, and stood. “Is—is that you, Hotaru?”

  Richy, seemingly ignoring Saul, curled himself into a ball, and then yelled, “Ready!”

  “Lights out!” said Elly, putting one foot on Richy’s back, leaping, and jabbing her remaining, armed shock-stick into Saul�
�s chest.

  “I’ve got you now!” yelled Gretel below, loosing a second arrow at Tee, but narrowly missing. The canopy between her and her target presented a challenge.

  “Bye-bye,” said Tee, clicking the button to activate her shock-stick, and then dropping it on Gretel. Fortunately, it made contact.

  Hans finished off the last guardsman and wondered why his sister was no longer responding to his banter. He turned to see her lying on the ground, twitching. “What have you done?” he yelled, running over to her.

  “Guys, we better get out of here, now!” said Tee to Elly and Richy. They dashed for the tree ladder and regrouped with the captains, Pierre, and Franklin.

  “Best we get out of here,” said Captain Archambault. “We’ve no idea if there are more of them coming.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  The Fare of Failure

  The Red Hoods picked themselves up from the deserted battlefield and slinked off to recover in another part of the forest. The loss of Franklin angered them, and Hans took his frustration out on some travelers they robbed along the way. Afterward, they visited a small village, to fill their stomachs, and then headed home.

  “Saul?” said Gretel as they extended one of the last tree-bridges on the way home. “What happened out there? You’ve been in your own little world ever since.” Hans trailed behind, out of earshot.

  “Nothing,” replied Saul firmly. He couldn’t forget Richy’s face and it bothered him deeply. He couldn’t remember how he knew the boy he’d called Hotaru. He felt like his memories had a wooden floor, and he’d somehow peeked underneath to rediscover a truth hiding there.

  Gretel came down the tree first. While Saul and Hans descended, she motioned for them to remain silent, and pointed to the brown horse tied up near their run-down house, and the four children playing, unattended, in the yard.

  “Do you think the captains came back with new guards and already found the house? We were only a half mile away,” whispered Hans.

  Gretel tied her hair into a neat ponytail again, using thin leather strips from her belt pouch. “I don’t think so. First, they would’ve tried to hide their horses, and second—”