She crept into the scrubby forest that lined the footpath. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do yet if Robert was even there but she knew it wasn’t a good idea to approach the shack from the main trail. She said a quick heartfelt prayer that she would touch only tree trunks, branches, and leaves as she felt her way through the darkness, and not snakes or tarantulas. Something skittered in the bush to her right and she froze. A few seconds later, she heard small rustlings as the creature moved away from her. She exhaled in relief and continued on.
When she saw the break in the forest canopy ahead, she moved even more cautiously. The building was in the center of a small clearing, and Giselle crept to the edge of the trees, her heart pounding like mad. The shack was in front of her. Moonlight shone down on the rusty tin, illuminating the entire shed – and the man who leaned against the door. He was huge.
There was no doubt in Giselle’s mind that she’d found her little brother at last. And this man was guarding him. His head drooped over his chest and he looked as though he might be asleep, but he was still a formidable foe. He could wake in an instant if he heard something, if he felt something. As if proving her reasoning, an ashy-faced owl hooted from the other side of the clearing and the man’s head jerked up. Giselle watched breathlessly as he looked around the clearing, the whites of his eyes gleaming in the moonlight. Then the man stretched his arms above his head and relaxed again against the door. Giselle smiled in the darkness. The owl’s cry had given her an idea.
She waited a full minute before she lobbed a stone to the far side of the clearing. The small rock bounced on the ground and the man jumped to his feet. He stalked in the direction the sound had come from and peered into the forest. Then, with a muttered curse, he returned to the door. Two minutes later, Giselle threw another stone. This time the big man only looked up. The third and fourth times, he didn’t even do that.
Moving stealthily, Giselle moved from her hiding place. She stayed close to the forest edge as she crept toward the back of the building. When her foot brushed against a cluster of leaves, she froze, her eyes locked on the guard. Her heart thundered in her ears as she waited. But he didn’t look up. Her plan had worked. He was accustomed to the slight noises.
A few seconds later, she was at the side of the building and out of his line of sight, and then finally at the back. She felt along the metal wall. The trees grew close to the building at the back and the moonlight couldn’t penetrate the tangle of leaves and branches. Giselle found a crack between two sheets of tin with her fingers and bent close to the ground.
“Hello. Is anyone there?” she said in the softest whisper.
There was no response.
“Hello? Robert? Can you hear me?”
There was a rustling noise from inside the shelter. Giselle waited impatiently for a response.
“Who are you?” came the frightened whisper of a young girl.
Sophie, you called me? What is wrong?
You remember what I told you when Starlet was a foal, that she was meant to be with your best friend, Max, someday but now your parents have sold her to someone who lives on the far side of the state.
Please Sophie, be calm and listen to me. You must have faith. You have been told that Max and Starlet were meant to be together and it is true, but now is not that time. First, Starlet must go to her new home. She will experience a new type of life there, and in a year or two she will come back. You will be key in returning her, so do not lose touch with her. Go to visit her in this new place, whenever you can. When the time is right, Kalene and Joel will buy her back. Then, tell them she is the perfect horse for Max. They will agree.
There is only one caution. Do not rush things. Do not attempt to convince Kalene and Joel to buy her. If you try to force Starlet’s return, her new people may become suspicious and sell her to someone else. If that happens, dear Starlet will forever be beyond your reach. She and Max will never be united.
I must go, Sophie. Please try not to worry. Trust that everything happens in its own time. And please give my love to precious Aria and Melody. Good-bye.
Rocket, my dear Rocket, I hear you. I am coming!
“My name is Giselle. Is there a little boy there? About five years old? He’s my brother.” Giselle’s whispered words tumbled over each other in her excitement.
A sound of movement came from inside the shed, then, “He’s here. He’s sleeping.”
Giselle closed her eyes and drew in a shaky breath. “Wake him up,” she said, a little too loudly. She heard the girl’s quick intake of breath. “Sorry,” she whispered again. “Please wake him.”
“What good will that do? He’ll just start crying again.”
Though she was anxious to talk to Robert, Giselle knew the girl was right. She needed to find a way to get him out first, then wake him and escape. The owl hooted again, almost over her head.
“Are you there, Giselle?” the girl’s whisper came from the crack. She sounded desperate.
“Yes. How many of you are there?”
“Eight,” came the hushed reply.
“Is there any other way out? Is there a window?” Giselle asked, her voice so soft she could hardly hear herself above the distant drums.
But the girl heard her. “No, only the door with the guard.”
Giselle was puzzled. If there was no way out but the one door, why did the children need a guard to keep them in? Couldn’t he just lock the door and go somewhere more comfortable to sleep? Unless...
“Is the door locked?” she asked, a hint of excitement in her voice.
“No, there’s a rope tying it shut.”
“Can you untie the rope?”
“No, but...” Movement from inside the shed. Low voices. Then the girl was back. “Mark has a knife. Just a little pocket knife, but it’ll cut the rope.”
“Okay,” said Giselle. “Let me think for a minute.” She unconsciously rubbed her bruised arm as she thought. There was just one guard and a rope between the eight children and freedom. If the guard could be distracted, somehow led away from the door, the children inside could cut the rope and scatter into the forest. But what could possibly lead the guard away from the door? Giselle inhaled sharply when the answer came. She leaned close to the crack in the tin. “I know what we need to do. But before I tell you, you have to promise me that you’ll help my little brother escape. You can’t leave him behind.”
“I promise,” the girl said, suppressed excitement making her whisper a little too loudly. She dropped her voice. “We all promise, anything you want.”
“Okay,” said Giselle. “Now listen carefully.”
She left the road. I don’t think she saw me behind her but still, for some reason she’s heading toward the shed. Could I be wrong? Maybe she’s not trying to run. Maybe she’s looking for her brother. She’s a cheeky one if she is. Thinking she can outsmart both me and Claude.
I need to handle this right. If I go into the clearing and start talking to Claude, she’ll just hide in the bush and it could take us all night to find her. I need to stalk her, get closer to her, and take her by surprise. Hopefully, I can grab her before she even knows I’m here.
Hey, wait! Who’s that?
Come to me, Rocket. Please! Quickly! I am blind and weak, but I can open your stall door. You must come through the smoke. I know it is frightening. I know you can hardly see and can barely breathe. I understand that the thought of leaving your stall, where you have always felt safe, is terrifying but you must come before it is too late. Your home is on fire!
Thank you for trusting me, my love. Now let me hold your mane. I am still too weak to walk unaided. Let us leave this place. Let us breathe the fresh night air. Come.
When the children understood what they had to do, Giselle crept back into the trees. She knew they would need a few minutes to prepare themselves, to awaken the smallest children and caution them to be ready to run. When they were ready, they would move the plan into action. She waited breathlessly, almost unable to
bear the suspense. This plan had to work.
“Hurry, hurry,” one of the children inside the shed said in a loud whisper. Someone rattled the tin at the back of the shelter. The plan had been put into action.
“I can’t fit,” said another child, sounding panicky.
“I’ll push you,” said a third.
“What’s going on back there?” the guard shouted. “You kids be quiet.”
“Hurry, he’s coming.” More banging on the tin.
“I’m through,” said Giselle, and she shook a bush at the back of the shed. It’s branches scraped against the tin.
“My turn,” said another child.
“Now mine.” Banging. Scraping.
“Hurry! He’ll be coming! Let me through!” Branches rustling.
“You kids can’t fool me!” the man shouted. “I know you can’t get out.”
“Let’s go!” Giselle yelled. She ran around the side of the building, heading back in the direction she’d come. “Hurry, hurry,” she said in a differently pitched voice. Her feet whispered over the ground and she cried out when she reached the edge of the trees at the side of the shed, pretending a branch had poked her. “No! Go this way,” she called out in a yet a different voice.
“Hey!” the guard yelled behind her. “You kids get back here!”
Knowing he’d finally been convinced, Giselle ran into the forest. She pushed at the branches and bushes as she ran, trying to sound like many people running through the undergrowth. She had to lead him far enough away to give the others time to cut the rope and run off. The man’s heavy footfalls were lost in her noise, but she heard his voice, bellowing close behind as he charged into the trees. “You little brats! Get back here!” The plan was working perfectly so far. Now she just had to avoid being caught herself.
Suddenly, a tall, dark shape loomed out of the night directly in front of her, its arms spread out to catch her! Acting purely from instinct, Giselle dove to the earth and rolled between the man’s legs, then was up and running again, hardly missing a stride.
“What the...” She heard the confused exclamation behind her. Then a loud “oof!” followed by angry shouts.
Giselle stopped short and looked back. It was too dark to see anything beneath the trees, but she didn’t need to see to understand what was happening. The man who had been chasing her had run into another one who’d been sneaking toward the shed. Their angry voices shot toward her, and Giselle turned to run again. This was her chance to escape. What luck to have the two agents run into each other!
She couldn’t help smiling as she moved, silently now, through the woods. By the time the two sorted themselves out, gave up on finding her, and went back to the shack, the other children would be safely away. The girl Giselle wished she’d asked her name would be taking Robert to the bridge Giselle had crossed earlier. Soon she would see her little brother. She had triumphed over the restavec agents!
She came to the narrow road and stepped out without looking. After all, the men were behind her, both of them. She was completely stunned when a dark shape detached itself from a nearby tree trunk. Moonlight flashed on corded muscles and the next thing Giselle knew, a hand clamped over her mouth.
“There you are,” a rough voice said, and a man leaned over to peer into her face. Giselle tried to turn her head away from his putrid breath as he spoke, but his hand kept her immobile. He laughed. “Not so smart after all, are you?”
The agent spun Giselle swiftly around, grabbed her sore right arm in an iron grip, and twisted it behind her back. Giselle would’ve cried out in pain if his other hand still wasn’t over her mouth. She was totally and completely helpless.
“We’ll just wait here quiet-like, while Claude takes care of the cop,” the man hissed in her ear.
The cop? Giselle blinked. Had she heard right? A policeman was here? Suddenly she remembered the confusion she’d heard in the second man’s voice when she’d dived between his legs. Was he a police officer?
Tears brimmed her eyes. If he was, all she’d needed to do was stop and ask him for help, hide behind him, and he could’ve saved all of them. Giselle felt sick. Here she was, after all her efforts, after all her evasion and planning, back where she would’ve been if Serena had never warned her – in the hands of a child labour agent.
But Robert’s free, she reminded herself and felt a flash of triumph. And the police officer might be stronger than Claude. There’s still a chance! The guard was big and the officer had been tall and thin, but it wasn’t always size that won battles. It was more the surprise she’d heard in the policeman’s voice that made her wonder if he could subdue Claude. He’d been caught off guard.
An idea leapt into her mind. Maybe, just maybe, she could use the same tactic. A few moments ago, the shock of seeing a man on the road had kept her frozen long enough for him to grab her, so she knew first-hand how effective surprise could be. Maybe she too could use some swift and unexpected action to her advantage. If the agent would only relax his grip a bit or possibly become distracted by the fighting, it could be all she needed.
Domi. I am here. Oh no! He has her. We must help her!
I cannot hurt him in any way, but I can call for help. There are two men struggling in the forest. I hear them crashing in the undergrowth. Let us pray they will put aside their conflict to help your girl.
And if not? We will think of something, I promise. We will neither stand idly by nor give up. This evil man will not be allowed to steal her away. We will stop him, because we must somehow.
Almost instantly, her chance came. His grip on her arm relaxed and Giselle kicked back as hard as she could. She felt momentarily pleased when her heel made contact with his shin, but her satisfaction was short-lived. The man jerked upward on her arm as he tightened his grip over her mouth. But this time his hand covered her nose as well.
Giselle tried to inhale but she couldn’t breathe. His hand was blocking all of her air passages. She closed her eyes and kicked again, suddenly desperate. This time she missed. He laughed softly but she hardly noticed. Her lungs were screaming for air! Stars exploded in front of her eyes and her efforts became more frantic, less effective. A mist rose before her eyes and float in front of her. I’m going to die! She kicked back again, but her attempt was feeble. She was losing strength fast.
“Help! Help!” The sharp cry ricocheted out of the night. Another girl was calling for help just a short distance away. The agent swung Giselle around to face the sound. Distracted, his grip loosened and Giselle sucked in the pure, sweet air. One deep breath. Two. Three. The fog lifted from her vision.
“Help! Please help!” the voice came again. Was this the girl who was supposed to take Robert to safety? But no, Giselle didn’t think it was. This girl sounded different – older and not frightened.
The sound of struggle in the woods paused for a split second. Then another loud “oof” shot toward Giselle, followed by a groan, and the sound of someone treading through the underbrush toward them.
Giselle knew she had to do something – anything – and fast. There was a chance the man walking toward them was the policeman coming to help, but she didn’t think so. She couldn’t imagine him just walking when someone was calling for help. And the agent’s hand over her mouth had relaxed even more. He thought it was the guard too.
Sheer desperation lent Giselle strength as she bit down on the flesh of the agent’s palm. At the same time, she drove her free elbow back into his stomach and then kicked back, a little higher this time, and made contact with his kneecap. Once! Twice!
The man cried out and jerked his hand from her face. His grip on her arm loosened for an instant and Giselle twisted away and kicked again. She was free!
Without wasting a millisecond, she rocketed into the darkness on the other side of the road, away from the approaching guard, away from the agent’s grasping hands and the girl calling for help.
She sent a silent thank you back to the unknown girl who had distracted her
captor, but didn’t slow her headlong flight. She had Robert to think of now. And besides, there was nothing she could do. If she tried to help the girl, the men would just catch her again. And what help could she be then, for either the girl or for Robert? She could only hope her saviour had had enough time to escape as well.
As the pain subsided, the man strode to the edge of the road. He could hear the girl moving swiftly away from him – too swiftly. There was no way he’d catch her in the dark, not unless he was able to surprise her again.
Suddenly he remembered the plea for help and ran in the direction of the strange voice. The road was empty.
But his partner was lumbering through the bush. “Claude! Hurry up!” the man yelled.
“Coming, Boss.” Claude stepped onto the road.
“What happened?” the man asked in an angry voice. “Did you get him?”
Claude was breathing hard from exertion. “Yeah.” He wiped sweat from his forehead. “He’s tied up. I need to find some rope so I can get my belt back.”
“Did he get a good look at you?”
Claude looked up at the moon. “Don’t know,” he said, his voice worried. “Maybe.”
“We better get moving, then. We’ll stop on the way out of town and get the money back I paid for the girl.” He walked to where he’d left the machete and bent to pick it up. “We got to get them kids out of here before morning.”
“Uh, Boss,” said Claude, not moving.
The agent turned back to see Claude looking down at the ground and shuffling his feet in the dirt. “What?” His voice was hard.
“I think they might be gone,” Claude said, looking up. “I heard them at the back of the shed.”
“What do you mean?” the man barked. He tapped the machete against his leg and leaned toward the guard.
The guard flinched away. “They must’ve bent that rusty tin back, or something. I heard them, and then I saw some of them running. I chased them and that’s when I ran into that cop.”
Slave Child (Horse Guardian) Page 4