Flight

by Vanessa Harbour

  He heard Herr Engel’s loud, forced whisper. ‘Cut the rope, set him free.’

  Fumbling with the sheath, he pulled out the knife. The blade flashed in a moment of moonlight. Jakob looked up at the Schloss and all the air emptied out of his lungs.

  There, a couple of metres away, at the top of one of the garden tiers, a soldier stood watching him. Not any soldier. It was Bauer!

  Their eyes met.

  But Bauer swayed. Jakob realised the officer could barely stand up straight. Tipping the contents of a brandy bottle down his throat before tumbling forward, Bauer shouted, ‘Oh Pegasus! I shot one of those the other day. Maybe I’ll shoot another!’ He pulled out his gun.

  ‘Cut Pluto free and run,’ Herr Engel shouted. ‘Now!’

  But Jakob had frozen. He watched Bauer stumble towards him, brandishing the gun.

  ‘Time to die, pretty horses…’

  ‘Jakob, move!’

  ‘Jakob?’ slurred a halting Bauer. ‘The elusive Jew boy?’

  Pluto reared again, tugging on the rope, dragging Jakob back to his senses. The SS officer was getting closer. He had to do something, fast, before he was pulled out of the saddle.

  With two quick swipes, he cut through Pluto’s rope. The stallion stared at him briefly before fleeing along the path, nostrils flaring and tail swishing.

  Jakob knew he had to take a risk and move. Now. He pushed Raluca into a trot, pulling the remaining stallions with him. His arms screamed with the effort as he wrenched them forward.

  Glancing back, he saw Bauer lurch down the garden shouting, ‘Come back, pretty horses, I want to shoot you.’ Waving his gun around, he tried to take aim. ‘Stand still! I need you to stand still.’

  ‘No! You’re not shooting another one,’ muttered Jakob.

  As they rode past, Bauer held both arms up in an attempt to keep the gun steady. Instead he tripped over his own feet. In the corner of his eye, Jakob saw him tumbling down the bank. He heard shattering glass. Holding his breath, he glanced behind him, to see if the officer had got up. He hadn’t.

  Jakob didn’t hang around. He urged the stallions seamlessly into a canter and on to Herr Engel.

  ‘Keep going, don’t stop,’ shouted the groom, as Jakob and the stallions came towards him. He pushed his own horses into a canter too.

  ‘That was Bauer. Knew it was me. Heard you call me Jakob.’

  Herr Engel looked shocked. ‘We must get away from here.’

  Jakob could hardly breathe. ‘Oh God … he fell … I don’t think he got up … he was so drunk… What … about … Pluto?’

  Herr Engel shook his head. ‘We can’t worry about him. He’ll have to find his own way.’

  Jakob started to say, ‘I think…’

  ‘Don’t think, Jakob. Just ride. Come on.’

  Jakob squeezed his legs against his stallion’s sides, urging him to go faster. ‘Let’s get out of here, Raluca.’

  Chapter 6

  Jakob lolled in his saddle, his head drooping forward. Raluca shivered gently underneath him. He leant forward and hugged his neck.

  ‘We’ll get there soon.’

  It was difficult to see beyond the trees surrounding them, but he could just make out mountains pushing skywards. The welcome sounds of the river as it rolled through the countryside echoed around him. Maybe that meant it wouldn’t be too long until they got to the resting place.

  In an effort to keep awake, Jakob searched around for any sign of Pluto. There was nothing.

  ‘I’m sorry.’

  ‘What for?’ Herr Engel seemed surprised.

  ‘Losing Pluto.’ He knew how precious these horses were.

  ‘If he’s the only stallion we lose on this journey, I’ll be more than happy,’ said his guardian. He turned in his saddle and looked at Jakob properly. ‘You’re doing well, boy. Not many people can lead that many horses.’

  Jakob nearly fell off his saddle. Herr Engel never complimented anyone. ‘Are you all right?’ he mumbled, scratching at Raluca’s neck.

  ‘Pardon?’

  ‘Nothing.’ Jakob smiled.

  They fell into a companionable silence until they reached the river. Herr Engel twisted round once again.

  ‘Let’s stop for a moment, the horses need a drink. We’ve pushed them hard.’

  ‘Are we nearly there yet?’

  ‘Not quite.’

  Jakob sighed as he dismounted. When he’d unravelled the ropes, his arms were red and raw. He tried to shake the stiffness out of them. Parched, he pulled a bottle off the saddle and took gulps of the lukewarm water.

  ‘Eat,’ said Herr Engel, handing Jakob a small chunk of bread and a bit of sausage.

  He turned them over in his hands. He wondered what other food they would get on their journey. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘We’ll eat more when we get to the resting place.’

  The horses drank. Everything was the colour of night, shades of navy and grey.

  Something made the hairs on the back of Jakob’s neck stand on end. He started.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ asked Herr Engel.

  Jakob shook his head. ‘Nothing, I’m seeing things.’

  Herr Engel knelt down and filled his water bottle again. ‘Now is not the time for nothings.’

  ‘I keep thinking I see something. It feels like we’re being watched.’ He ran his hand through his hair. ‘Could it be Bauer?’

  Herr Engel laughed but his eyes didn’t. ‘I’ve never known a Nazi be quiet about anything and certainly not that SS scumbag.’ Grabbing the boy’s arm, he pulled himself up. He peered around, but Jakob knew there was nothing to see. ‘Could it be people looking for food? Keep your eyes open.’ He started to gather together his stallions’ ropes. ‘Come on, we need to go. Too dangerous to stand still for long, particularly if you’re right.’

  Jakob dragged his ropes together too. They’d been dangling in the water while the stallions had been drinking. Now they were sodden, making them much harder to manipulate.

  ‘Go on, mount up, I’ll hand them up to you.’

  Jakob launched himself on to the back of Raluca. His muscles hurt so much he cried out.

  ‘You’ve no stamina, boy,’ Herr Engel laughed. He handed over the ropes. ‘You will do by the end.’

  Jakob wasn’t so sure. He watched his guardian leap on the back of his stallion, taking all his ropes with him.

  An owl hooted in the distance again. Jakob looked up. ‘Do you think it’s announcing our arrival to the animal world?’ Swinging Raluca round, he said, ‘You’d almost think there was no war going on.’ But just as he spoke, the drone of Allied planes shattered the peace.

  ‘Another raid on Vienna maybe,’ said Herr Engel. ‘Let’s hope they leave the School alone.’ His guardian grabbed his reins, turned and moved off.

  Jakob followed, watching the outline of the planes high up in the sky. ‘B-17s and B-24s.’

  ‘What you say?’

  ‘Nothing.’ Knowing the name of Allied planes was a dangerous game. Planes were a secret passion of his. Not just his, it’d been his father’s too.

  The wind whipped around them, briefly shaking the trees, distracting Jakob from his plane spotting and making him look back down.

  A flash of white streaked through the forest. There was no form to it.

  ‘Did you see it that time?’ asked Jakob.

  ‘No. What?’ Herr Engel swivelled round in his saddle.

  ‘Something white over there.’ Jakob pointed.

  His guardian looked, but it had gone again. Away with the wind. A will-o’-the-wisp.

  ‘Your imagination playing tricks?’

  He shrugged. What could he say?

  Where the ropes were wet they were really burning now. Letting Raluca’s reins hang down, he rubbed at his hands and wrists. The stallion’s head lowered as they plodded along. Thankfully the others had settled after their drink. They seemed to have learnt the rules now and Jakob was beginning to relax, almost enjoying the ride.r />
  The trees began to thin and they came out into a clearing. There were green fields on both sides of the river leading to more trees in the distance.

  Herr Engel twisted round. ‘This is dangerous, there’s a road up there.’ He pointed to the left of the river. ‘We need to move faster. We’re really visible.’ Gesturing ahead, he added, ‘We need to head for those trees, can you see?’

  The distant rumble of lorries on the wind broke the silence. It seemed to be getting closer. A brief look of panic swept across his guardian’s face.

  ‘Move now!’

  Herr Engel didn’t say anything more. He rode straight, into a canter. Jakob followed suit, Raluca moving effortlessly, all the horses spanning out. It must have looked like a white fan charging across the field. He kept Raluca heading forward. The wind flowed through his hair as the grass passed rapidly beneath them. The horses slipped into the woods, where they slowed to a trot, just as the first lorry rumbled round the corner.

  Herr Engel wiped his forehead with a hankie.

  ‘That was close,’ said Jakob. He couldn’t help but smile.

  ‘Definitely. We need to keep going. I reckon another hour before we can stop.’

  Chapter 7

  Just over an hour later, Herr Engel led them into the clearing as a weak, milky sun peeked above the horizon. It was perfect, with lots of space for all the horses. They were surrounded by trees on three sides and the river on the other. Jakob checked and could see no houses or barns in the distance. He took a deep breath. The air was fresh and clean, mingled with hints of spruce and the damp forest floor. He felt good until he looked up.

  In the distance the mountains stood guard. He sighed. They’d be the next challenge. He slid down from his saddle, stiff and sore.

  ‘Let’s get them settled first,’ said Herr Engel.

  Jakob undid the girth, slipped the saddle off Raluca, and placed it on the floor. He patted the horse, who was as sweaty as he was. Picking up a swathe of grass, he started to rub his coat.

  ‘There, does that feel better? Let’s get rid of that sweat and mud. I’ll give you a good brush in a minute. You’ve done a good job tonight. Allegra would be proud of you.’

  Jakob moved rhythmically across the stallion’s coat, massaging the horse’s tired muscles. ‘What’s the matter, lad? Can’t you relax? You’re breathing a bit fast too – are you in pain?’ Examining him closely, he noticed Raluca was holding one front leg slightly awkwardly, resting his hoof on the grass. ‘That doesn’t look good.’ He ran his hand gently down the leg. As he got near the knee, he found a large thorn sticking out of a lump. ‘Damn!’ He pulled the thorn out and threw it on the floor. He shouted across the clearing, ‘Herr Engel!’ before resting his hand back on the lump. It felt warm and Raluca flinched. ‘I know, I know, I’m sorry.’

  His guardian came over. ‘What’s the matter?’

  ‘Raluca had a thorn in his front leg. Look, it’s all swollen now.’ He pointed out the soft swelling.

  Herr Engel rested his hand on the leg too. ‘Oh Raluca! Let’s finish the others and then we’ll get him sorted. Don’t worry, though. I’ve got a cream.’ He patted Jakob on the shoulder.

  Reluctantly, Jakob left Raluca and he and his guardian quickly and quietly untacked all the other horses, rubbed them down and groomed them. When they’d finished, Herr Engel went over to the pile of saddlebags and started sifting through them.

  Jakob watched, idly scratching at Raluca’s withers. The horse snuffled at his head. ‘What are you up to? Ah, I see, time for a bit of mutual grooming, eh?’ Jakob laughed quietly. He put both arms round the stallion’s neck, rubbing his ears, while the horse gently nibbled him. ‘You may be poorly but you still look after me, don’t you?’

  Herr Engel was getting more and more agitated, throwing the bags and their contents around. ‘For God’s sake, where is it?’ He emptied bag after bag. ‘Have you seen my horse medicines?’ he said, with despair in his eyes.

  ‘No. I’ll have a look too. They must be here.’ Jakob quietly collected all the bits strewn across the clearing and replaced them in the bags. There was everything but the medicines. He shook his head.

  His guardian sat down heavily on a log with his head in his hands. ‘I must have forgotten it. I can’t believe I didn’t bring the most important bag.’

  ‘So how are we going to treat him?’ asked Jakob. He didn’t want to lose another horse. They had to do something.

  ‘All we can do for him is bathe his leg with river water and pray.’

  ‘It’s got to be worth a try.’ At that moment Jakob would have prayed to any god who would listen, if it meant saving his stallion. Taking hold of Raluca’s head collar, he led him down to the river.

  ‘All right, lad, in we go.’ The two of them stepped gingerly into the water. It was cold and swirled around them, the current pulling at their legs. Jakob stood in front of Raluca, talking to him calmly, as Herr Engel worked at his side, gently bathing the swelling with the clear water. Jakob wasn’t sure it would help as the swelling seemed to be getting bigger and bigger.

  ‘You’ll be OK, I promise.’ He wished he truly believed that. ‘I hope you can’t read minds,’ he mumbled as he scratched Raluca’s forehead then leant his head against it.

  The stallion blew gently into Jakob’s hand, nickering quietly.

  It wasn’t long before Raluca was settled, resting with all the other horses who grazed on the sweet grass or drank from the river. His guardian had chosen a good spot, Jakob decided. He began to relax slightly. They could stay here quite safely during the day and no one would find them. He let out a deep sigh, as he rolled out his blanket, desperate for sleep.

  Herr Engel stopped him. ‘Let’s set up a fire before we sleep. Go and collect some kindling. We need to eat.’

  He glared at his guardian.

  ‘Don’t look at me like that. You’ll be pleased when you wake up.’

  Jakob trudged into the wood, stopping every now and then to pick up twigs and small branches. The dawn chorus echoed around him. The Nazis and the war seemed a hundred miles away.

  A twig snapped in the distance. Jakob stopped, holding his breath. That didn’t sound like an animal. He looked around to see if Herr Engel had followed him but he couldn’t see anything. His heart was racing. Perhaps it was Bauer.

  He shook his head. Idiot! Stop panicking. It’s a deer or something. He carried on picking up wood. Every other moment, he looked up and round, listening hard for the slightest sound.

  He heard something or someone pushing through the bushes, much closer this time. He blew air out of his cheeks, trying hard to pretend that he couldn’t hear anything. ‘I must have enough for a fire now. Time to get back.’ His hands felt clammy as they grabbed onto the kindling. He spun round ready to go.

  Jakob stopped in his tracks. The armful of sticks tumbled to the forest floor with a clatter.

  There standing in front of him, half hidden in the shadows of the trees, was a horse. It was Pluto, with a girl sitting on his bare back.

  ‘Thought you’d like your horse back,’ she said.

  He nodded. His heart was close to bursting through his ribcage, it was beating so fast.

  ‘Can’t you talk?’

  Jakob stuttered, ‘Are you alone?’ He stretched his neck, peering beyond the stallion, searching for Bauer and all the grey and black uniforms.

  ‘Of course,’ said the girl.

  ‘You’ve just appeared from nowhere with one of our horses, there’s no “of course” about it.’

  The girl shifted on Pluto’s back. ‘Well, that’s not very friendly. I thought you’d be pleased I brought him back.’ She leant forward and patted Pluto. ‘After all, I did save him,’ she smirked.

  That stung Jakob. ‘You’ve been watching us,’ he snapped. It all began to fall into place. The noises, the flash of white. It was this girl. ‘Why?’

  She looked down. ‘I didn’t want to be left behind.’

  He stared into h
er face. ‘It’s you! You’re the one who tried to steal the potatoes. I’ll never forget those eyes.’ Except this time they weren’t scared, they were defiant.

  ‘I’m sorry. I was so hungry.’

  Jakob moved towards his horse. ‘You must have been to steal just potatoes. Were you going to eat them raw?’ He stroked Pluto, who nuzzled at him.

  ‘No! I’d kill rabbits or catch fish to eat with them. I can look after myself.’

  ‘This way.’ He walked back towards the clearing, but she didn’t follow. He turned around. ‘Herr Engel will want his horse back.’

  ‘But he won’t want me,’ said the girl.

  ‘No, he won’t, but…’ He picked up the sticks and kindling he’d dropped.

  ‘Look,’ she murmured. ‘I’m … Roma.’

  Jakob shrugged. ‘Shows how little you know. He took me on and I’m a Jew,’ he whispered, half to himself. He left her and walked back to the clearing. This time the girl followed with the stallion. He didn’t look back but he could hear her. He smiled to himself.

  Walking to the fire, he dumped the sticks and went to stand next to Herr Engel. ‘We’ve got a visitor.’ He watched the colour drain from his guardian’s face.

  ‘What the…?’ Herr Engel grabbed the gun.

  Pluto walked into the clearing with the girl sitting straight on his back. All the horses whinnied their welcome. Raluca slowly walked over and the two stallions rested their heads together, nickering.

  ‘Pluto!’ Engel snarled at the girl. ‘Who are you and what do you think you’re doing? You could’ve led the Germans straight to us.’