by Diane Rapp
*****
The wolf’s mind reached into the dreamy mind of the human. You are safe, Tessa. We are here to protect you. The girl’s sleep became peaceful. Amber watched with her head resting between her paws.
She felt sorry for humans. They lived alone within their minds, while she could take solace in the company of her ancestor voices. The girl reminded the ancestors of other humans they had encountered and she listened to their stories. She enjoyed listening as she guarded the girl.
*****
Tessa woke to the steady sound of dripping water and her cheeks felt numbed by crisp cavern air. She snuggled deeper into the comfort of her down blanket but couldn’t fall back to sleep. She looked around the cavern. In the luminescent glow she saw Maggie curled under her own blanket, snoring.
Tessa tried to get up. Pain lanced through sore muscles, a reminder of the attack. She shook off the memory and retrieved medicinal herbs from her pack. With trembling hands she prepared the concoction and grimaced at the taste of the bitter brew. Relief soon spread through her body.
She donned a jacket and quietly left the cavern. Amber followed her up a steep trail, sniffing at the fresh breeze that drifted down the tunnel. Tessa stopped at an observation platform hidden from view at the top of the mountain. From this vantage point, Tessa could see the entire valley without fear of discovery.
The sky was still dark. Tessa settled into a comfortable position and made room for Amber as she peered through the spyglass Trenton had mounted on a swiveling base. Tessa spotted a campfire and adjusted the focus to watch the activities below.
Trenton spurned visible campsites but these grisly men moved openly, unafraid of the women they pursued. Four men sat around the blazing fire, laughing and drinking. They didn’t post a guard. The hound was tied to a tree watching the men eat succulent meats. It howled mournfully and one man hurled a bone to the beast. It pounced on the bone, tearing at the sparse meat like it was starving.
A cold chill crept up Tessa’s spine. They plan for us to be his next meal, she thought. Another man kicked at something lying on the ground and the object moved. Tessa adjusted the spyglass to get a better look. A man lay on the ground with his hands tied to his feet and his face covered in blood.
The ruffian kicked again and shouted, “Tell us where to find them. It’s only a matter of time before we catch up to them, so it won’t matter if you keep silent. Tell us and we’ll spare their lives. You don’t want that hound to chase them down do you, Trenton?”
Tessa could hardly control her excitement. Trenton’s alive! We can still rescue him from those men. She scurried down the trail to tell Maggie. What a wonderful turn of events!
Maggie sat fussing over a bubbling pot.
“He’s alive!” Tessa shouted, “Trenton’s alive! I saw him through the spyglass. He’s a prisoner down in their camp!”
Maggie’s eyes widened. “But Sparks came back covered in blood. She’d never return without him.”
“She would if he sent her deliberately as a warning! Believe me, he’s alive. I heard them use his name, asking him where we are.” Maggie wanted to go see for herself, but Tessa held her back. “It’s too dark and we’ve got plans to make. They’re starving that hound so it’ll be eager to find us.”
Maggie looked dazed. “You really think we can rescue Trenton?”
“Yes!” Tessa bubbled with enthusiasm. “We’ll use the boomerang tunnel to set a trap.”
“A boulder fell and blocked off the tunnel last spring,” Maggie objected. “There’s still rubble ready to fall, so it’s too dangerous!”
“Yes! It’ll prove fatal…for those scoundrels! We’ll lay a trail through the winding part of the tunnel. When they turn the sharp corner and find themselves blocked by the rock fall, we’ll drop the rest of the ceiling onto their heads.”
“They won’t sweetly walk into a dead end. I don’t think they’re that stupid.” Maggie huffed.
“Men might recognize a trap but that hound will blindly follow a hot trail. We’ll drag a lure through the tunnel, and the hound will pursue it to the dead end. With his blood up, those men will have their hands full trying to control him. I’ll release an avalanche to trap them before they know what’s happening.”
“Wait a minute! Trenton didn’t set that trap! It’s a natural rock fall and you could get caught in an unpredictable avalanche.”
“I’ll be in the side tunnel when I trigger the fall.”
“I’m not so sure.” Maggie looked worried. “It’s a dangerous plan.”
“Do you have a better one?”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were Trenton’s blood daughter. You think just like him.” Maggie scowled.
“That’s the best compliment you ever gave me.” Tessa beamed.
“Don’t be flattered. Look who’s sitting all trussed up in their camp!” Maggie tried to sound stern.
“He won’t be there much longer.”
“Draw a sketch so I can ferret out the flaws in the plan,” Maggie ordered.
Tessa drew on the dirt floor with a stick. “These early turns are good places to set small traps. A spring trap here and a beam trap there. I’ll run ahead and prime the traps as I go. We might be able to eliminate a few of them early in the run.”
“This is a good place to start dragging the lure.” Maggie pointed to Tessa’s crude drawing. “The tunnel on this stretch is straight. I remember a hole in the roof where you can hide while they pass.”
Tessa grinned and said, “There’s a good shortcut through this side tunnel. I can release the avalanche from there.”
Maggie stared at Tessa. “We’d better go over the route carefully in person. The timing will be crucial.”
They drew more diagrams between bites of breakfast. After eating they laid the trail, dragging smelly old work clothes tied to a rope, and shuffling their feet to enhance the scent. Amber sniffed their handiwork and wagged her tail.
The boomerang tunnel bent back through the mountain to exit near its entrance but a boulder blocked the tunnel about twenty feet beyond the boomerang turn. Another rock, wedged in the ceiling like a keystone, kept a mountain of rubble from filling the rest of the tunnel. Tessa climbed up and tied a rope around the keystone.
“Be careful.” Maggie warned. “That rubble could crash violently if the keystone is dislodged. Do you really think you can release the trap and get out in time?”
“I can do it.”
“Pull the rope and jump in one quick motion, or you’ll get caught in the avalanche.” Maggie sounded worried. “I don’t like it. I’d feel better if I could pull the rope.”
Tessa shook her head. “You’re strong enough to wind the pulley, but I can run faster than you any day.”
Maggie frowned. “Can you get Amber to crawl through this hole under the large boulder to the other side?”
“Here girl, take it.” Tessa placed the rope in Amber’s mouth.
The wolf crouched down on her belly and crawled under the boulder. Maggie ran around to the side-spur and waited on the other side calling out to Amber.
Soon Tessa felt a strong tug on the rope and heard Maggie shout, “She made it!”
“I’ll go clean up,” Tessa shouted. “You get the pulley ready.”
Tessa eased herself into an icy pool of water, holding her breath against the biting cold. She meticulously washed her skin with Maggie’s special soap mixture. As Tessa rubbed herself with a fluffy towel, Maggie appeared with a bottle of smelly oil.
“Brace yourself. This is pungent stuff.” Maggie rubbed the oil onto Tessa’s clean skin. The bitter smell stung her nostrils and made her eyes water. Amber sniffed curiously at Tessa then sneezed.
Maggie and Tessa laughed. “Trenton claims this scent masks any human odor.” Tessa tugged on fresh clothes. “Let’s get going before it wears off.”
Maggie hugged Tessa and left to man the pulley.
Tessa led Amber to the side-spur. “Stay close to Maggie. I don�
�t want your scent to attract the hound.” Amber sat down where Tessa pointed.
She avoided touching the bundle of smelly clothes tied to the rope as she retraced the trail. Dropping the bundle at a spot under the knotted rope hanging from her hidey-hole in the ceiling, she felt satisfied with the setup. She walked to the tunnel entrance, took a deep breath, and left the security of the cave. Staying low, she crept toward the quiet camp.
An hour before dawn, everyone slept, including Trenton’s guard hunched over in a drunken stupor with a bottle hanging loosely from his hand. Trenton lay still, too still it seemed, but she couldn’t afford to check on him.
Tessa took a deep breath and let out high-pitched whoops, Trenton’s “war cry.” Groggy men leapt from bedrolls, tripping and rolling in confusion. Tessa saw Trenton jerk awake and she grinned.
The hound yelped and barked at Tessa. She ran headlong to the cave, whooping and staying in sight as the men scrambled to follow her. One man untied the hound and held onto the rope as the hound strained to chase his prey.
Inside the cave Tessa retraced her trail. The sounds of angry shouts and the bay of the hound in hot pursuit marked the men’s progress while she ran confidently through the dark tunnel. She armed a spring-trap and prayed the hound wouldn’t get loose. Unfettered, the hound’s speed might overtake her. She counted on the lumbering gate of the man to give her the time she needed.
Tessa ran through her childhood playground without delighting in the chase. The cries of the hound sounded too close, and blood pounded through her temples. She reached the bundle of clothes and jerked on the line to signal Maggie. The rope sprang to life, and the bundle bounced down the corridor like a patchwork animal. She armed a beam-trap, grabbed the knotted rope dangling above her head, and climbed for her life. Sweat dripped from her forehead and her wet hands slipped on the knotted rope. She squeezed into a tight hidey-hole and sighed in relief.
Tessa wedged herself in place by pressing her back against one side of the chamber and her feet against the opposite side. She dragged the knotted rope into her hole, wrapped it around her waist, and inhaled deep breaths to calm her pounding heart.
*****
The hound charged blindly into the tunnel, tugging frantically against the rope. The man swore and jerked the rope to slow the beast. The hound hesitated at the first bend, sniffed the ground, and bellowed as he hurled himself down the tunnel. Hot on the hound’s trail, the man tripped over the wire of the spring-trap.
Jerked off his feet, the angry hound turned to snarl at the man, who suddenly stood lifeless impaled on a spear. Enraged, the hound heaved wildly against the rope wrapped around a corpse. It took several minutes for the next man to control the frantic hound and untie the rope.
The second man proceeded more cautiously, checking for traps while the crazed animal snapped frothing jaws at the strong man hampering his gait. The man clubbed the hound with a long stick. The subdued animal tracked his prey through the winding tunnel followed by three men.
*****
Waiting impatiently wedged in her hiding place, Tessa heard the first trap spring. “One more gone,” she whispered. The hound yelped. She willed herself invisible, wiping damp hands against her clothes. Would her sweat attract the hound away from the lure? She could hardly breathe as she waited.
The hound charged down the trail, snarling in increasing fury. His master cursed as the rope bit into his hands. He jerked the rope and the hound crashed against the wall just under Tessa. She saw their figures in the dim light of the tunnel.
The lure’s strong scent enticed him but the hound stopped, briefly confused by a whiff of fresh scent drifting from above. Tessa turned her face into the wall, trying to shrink into darkness as she heard the baying hound below.
The man cursed and kicked the hound. The creature snarled and lunged down the tunnel following the strong scent of the lure. Tessa waited as two more men followed closely behind. She gingerly climbed down into the shaft and rubbed at the cramp in her leg.
Sounds drifted down the tunnel as she slipped into a side passage and picked her way through the darkness. She must arrive at the rock fall in time to release the trap.
*****
The muscles in her arms trembled with exertion as Maggie turned the handle on the pulley that dragged the rope under the boulder. The rope wound smoothly over the spool as the hound picked up its pace. The men ran down the tunnel and passed through a beam of light. The lead man heard a twang and dove to the ground as arrows flew overhead. The second man fell dead, and his companion fled back through the tunnel with the lantern.
“Coward!” the hound’s master bellowed. The frantic hound heaved against the rope, dragging the man blindly through the dark shaft. An ominous rumble and a scream echoed through the corridor behind him. “Serves you right for running into another booby trap,” he snarled and jerked on the hound’s rope. “Find them women and enjoy a nice bloody meal before I kill you.”
Maggie felt resistance on the pulley. She pushed harder on the handle, but something had snagged the lure. She threw her entire weight against the handle and the rope gave way. The handle turned with no resistance and the rope whipped through the hole without the lure, which lay useless in the last leg of the tunnel.
“No!” She sobbed. “We’re too close to fail!” She saw Amber dart into the tunnel to get the lure and felt hopeful.
Amber grabbed the frayed rope. The lure bobbed to life as she dragged it toward the boulder. Scenting live prey ahead, the hound jerked free of his master and charged ahead unfettered by the slow man.
Amber reached the boulder just as the giant hound turned the corner. Amber saw him charge at her with froth dripping from his fangs. She dove under the boulder, scrambling to get away from his gnashing teeth.
The lure followed as she crawled into the crevice but steely jaws snapped onto the bundle. Shaking the lifeless rags gave the hound little pleasure, and he turned his attention to the live prey inside the crevice.
*****
Tessa arrived at her vantage point after the hound darted past and flattened herself against the side tunnel. The man trudged past, following sounds of the hound attacking its prey.
Tessa inched into the tunnel to grab the dangling rope and release the trap. She heard Amber yelp and saw the hound drag Amber back through the crevice. Tessa picked up a rock and hurled it, attracting the attention of the hound and the angry man.
Tessa shouted, “Drop the line, Amber! Crawl under the boulder!”
Amber dropped the rope and crawled into the hole.
Tessa yanked her rope hard to dislodge the keystone. Rubble and dust thundered into the tunnel as she scrambled to escape. The hound master hurled himself at her and managed to grab her ankle.
“I’ll take you with me, bitch!” His fingers dug into her ankle. “You won’t get away, you’ll die with me.”
Tessa fell. She slashed at the man’s wrist with her knife as rocks piled on top of him. With a shudder his tight grip loosened and Tessa crawled through crashing dirt and rubble from the ceiling.
Help me! Her mind screamed as strength seeped from her body and blackness enveloped her mind.
*****
The debris in the crevice shifted, giving Maggie enough room to drag Amber through the hole before it sealed with dirt. The wolf looked gray from dust and chunks of her tail were missing, but she barked and dashed down the tunnel.
“Tessa!” Maggie cried and followed Amber down the side-spur. She tied a handkerchief over her face and searched through the suffocating dust. She saw Amber lick a limp hand and dig furiously through a pile of rubble. Tears streaming down Maggie’s face, she helped Amber uncover Tessa and dragged the girl from the crumbling tunnel. “Don’t you dare die on me, Tessa! I can’t bear losing you now we know Trenton’s alive.”
*****
It was an ordinary day in the garden. Tessa sat weaving baskets with her sisters, their chubby fingers trying to mimic their mother, but the lopsided baskets looked
pitiful. Their mother smiled as each one presented her creation.
Giggles subsided as she saw tears filled her mother’s eyes. Tessa felt frightened. What could make mother cry? She huddled in Lauryn’s arms. Her sister’s golden hair floated like spider silk in the breeze.
“Don’t be afraid,” mother said in a soothing tone. “You must go with my friends and stay with them until I send for you. When the time is right, you’ll dream about this garden and find your sisters again.”
Tessa saw Maggie smile and reach out her hand. “You remember me, Tessa,” Maggie said but Tessa clutched Lauryn’s hand tighter.
Her mother pressed a damp cheek against Tessa’s face. “Maggie loves you as much as I do, and you’ll be safe with Maggie and Trenton. Be brave, my darling.” The sound of her voice echoed in the distance. “Remember the garden. When you dream about the garden it will be time to find your sisters.”
****
“Tessa,” Maggie cried. “Please wake up, Tessa.” She stroked Tessa’s face with a cool damp cloth and Tessa’s eyes fluttered open. She saw Maggie’s tear-streaked face and smiled. Maggie hugged her tight and Tessa enjoyed the comfort of Maggie’s arms. She remembered the garden, remembered her mother. “Don’t cry Aunt Maggie, I’m okay. We’ve got to get Trenton!” She tried to sit up but pain shot through her body.
“Don’t move, dear. Trenton’s safe and resting.”
“I’ve got to tell you about the garden I’ve been dreaming about, my mother’s garden.”
“I know, dear. With all that’s been happening, I thought it was time to find your sisters.” Maggie opened a small box. “I’ve got something to give you, Tessa. Your mother told me to give you this ring when you starting dreaming about the garden.” Maggie held up a sparkling ring. The setting looked like a delicate butterfly but colors swirled in the alluring stone set between the wings.
