The Band of Merry Kids

by David Skuy

  Up ahead, Arabella had stopped by a round stone struc-ture about ten hands high.

  “Is this the rock we have to move?” he asked, dropping to one knee.

  She shook her head. “This is a Roman well,” she said.

  Arabella held the torch over the ridge. Pip looked down. He could see the light reflecting off the water.

  “My father told me once that the Romans were the great-est builders in history. From what I have seen, I think he is right,” Arabella said.

  The rest of them had caught up.

  “I think I broke my skull,” Archie said, rubbing the side of his head with his hand.

  Harold groaned.

  “Is this the place?” Lucy said.

  Arabella pointed her torch at a spot on the wall above the well. There was an opening. “There’s the last tunnel. It leads to a room with a staircase, and that staircase goes up to a smaller second room above. The prison wall is there.”

  “Let’s go,” Harold said. “These tunnels are cold.”

  “I agree,” Archie said. “Come on.”

  Pip was still worried about his friends. They were loyal, but it wasn’t fair to make them take this risk.

  “Why don’t I go first and see if there’s a guard,” Pip began.

  “Let’s not argue about this again,” Lucy said. “We all go. Besides, we still have to move the rock.”

  “You guys are the best friends anyone could ever have,” Pip said. “And I’ll try to —”

  “Pipper, I don’t think this is the time for a long speech,” Lucy said. “I’m freezing too.”

  “She’s right,” Arabella said urgently. She seemed obsessed with getting into that prison. Pip admired her kindness.

  Arabella climbed onto the edge of the well and into the tunnel. Pip went next. The tunnel was small, barely wide enough for his shoulders. He prayed Merec and Anne would fit. They were very thin — maybe it was lucky the baron practically starved them.

  The tunnel was about fifty paces long, and it led to a room. The house must have belonged to a wealthy family because the room was fairly large, with tall windows and high ceilings. On the far wall, Pip could make out the faintest outlines of a staircase.

  Arabella led them up the stairs, and she stuck the torch into a crack in a wall. She pointed at a large square rock. “This is how we get in,” she said.

  The mortar had fallen away, and the rock’s edges were chipped away all around, as if someone long ago had taken a hammer and chisel to it. Pip reached down and tried to pull the rock toward him. Then he stopped himself. He was doing it again. Lucy and Archie were the strongest.

  “You guys try,” he said to them, stepping back.

  Lucy grabbed hold of the rock. Archie knelt next to her. Together they began to pull. The rock slid ever so slightly.

  “It’s working,” Arabella said excitedly. She flew next to Lucy and dug her fingers into the crack.

  They pulled again. The rock slid further.

  Pip and Harold reached in.

  “We can do it,” Arabella urged. “Harder. Pull harder.”

  The rock moved further still. A dim light appeared around the rock’s edges — and it was coming from inside the prison.

  hey crawled through the hole and emerged into a small, rectangular room lit by three small candles resting on a chair. Barrels were stacked on the far wall. To the right, a series of shelves reaching to the ceiling were filled with glass jars, stacks of metal plates, and wooden boxes. A broom, a few pails, and some brushes had been pushed into a corner across from the shelves. Pip crept slowly to a door and pushed it open a crack. He listened and then opened it enough to look out.

  Arabella leaned over his back. “What do you see?” she whispered.

  “Nothing yet,” Pip said. She didn’t seem like the same girl. Her voice danced with excitement.

  Pip and Arabella crawled out. Arabella touched her lips with a finger and pointed — a guard! He sat on a chair, his head leaning back against the wall and his hands interlaced and resting on his big stomach. Arabella put her hands together and pressed them against the side of her face. Pip let his breath out. The guard was fast asleep.

  The guard was sleeping at the far end of a long, dimly lit hallway about five paces wide. Behind the guard, Pip could make out a stairwell, which he guessed went up to the first floor. He counted six doors on each side of the hallway — the prison cells, he figured. Each door had a small window near the top.

  Pip waved the others to follow. He went to the first door. Unfortunately, the window was too high for even Archie to look into. Pip had an idea. Lucy was the strongest and Arabella the lightest. He pointed at Lucy and cupped his hands. Then he pointed at Arabella and pretended to step into his hands and look into the cell.

  They understood instantly. Lucy lifted Arabella up, and she peered in. She shook her head. They went to the next one. Again, she shook her head. They went to the next door — empty.

  This was taking too long. Pip glanced nervously at the guard. They were less than ten paces away.

  Lucy picked Arabella up to look into the next one. She smiled and nodded her head. Lucy lowered her down. Archie grasped the round brass handle on the door. He shook his head and pointed to the keyhole.

  Arabella nodded at the guard. Above him, hanging from a hook — the keys!

  Pip took a step forward and then stopped. He remembered how swiftly and quietly Arabella had run away from them in the market. She was the one for this job. He looked at her and then at the keys. She nodded and tiptoed ever closer, each step a torture for Pip. It was so hard to just watch. Her hand reached out and lifted the keys off the hook.

  The guard snorted and shifted in his seat.

  Lucy grasped Pip’s arm. Archie stepped back.

  The guard gurgled, let out another snort — and began snoring, loud and regular.

  Arabella scurried back.

  Twelve keys! Which one? Pip tried one. It didn’t work. He tried another. After the fifth key, Harold touched his arm and nodded at the stairwell.

  Voices!

  They froze. The voices faded away.

  As Pip tried another key, Arabella pulled on Lucy’s arm and pointed at another cell. Lucy cupped her hands and lifted Arabella up. Pip slipped another key in — and he felt something give way. Pip turned it more. The lock let out a creak. He turned it all the way, and the door opened. Anne stood to the side, leaning against the wall. Fendral sat on the floor, his knees pressed to his chest. Barda lay on a bed of dirty straw.

  “Pip!” Anne exclaimed.

  “Shh!” Pip put a finger to his lips.

  He ran into the cell and pulled on Anne’s arm. Fendral leapt to his feet. He shook Barda and whispered in his ear.

  Barda sat up.

  “Hi, Pip.” He grinned and waved Felix’s hand at him.

  Fendral whispered in his ear again, and Barda laughed soundlessly and put a tiny finger across Felix’s lips.

  Pip mouthed the words Where is Merec to Anne.

  Anne pointed to the opposite cell. Pip ran out. Lucy and Arabella were checking the last cell on this side. Pip slid a key into Merec’s cell door.

  Suddenly, Pip heard the voices again.

  “It is unfair that we have to stay here when there’s food and beer to be had,” a man complained bitterly.

  “We always do the hard work,” another man responded.

  “Waste of time — guarding a bunch of peasants,” a third voice said.

  “I bet he’s sleeping,” the first man said.

  “I could use some sleep,” a man grumbled. “I hate the fair. All we do is work.”

  Again, the voices faded. Pip looked up at the door’s window. Merec was looking down at him. He gave Pip a reassuring nod. Pip steeled his nerve and slid in a second key. As before, it gave way and the door o
pened. Merec walked out. He and Anne hugged, and then Merec hugged his sons. Pip held the keys out to Arabella. She was very pale, as if she’d seen a ghost, and her lips were quivering. Pip pointed down the hallway, and everyone headed back to the storage room. Arabella took the keys and, without making a sound, hung them back on the hook over the guard’s head.

  Pip gave her an encouraging look when she came back. He figured she was getting scared. She’d been so brave up to now.

  “I’ll bet you ten pennies he’s sleeping,” a man said from near the top of the staircase.

  “Of course he is,” a second man said. “Heaven’s choir wouldn’t wake up that scoundrel.”

  Pip pulled on Arabella’s shoulder. She looked at him in a daze, as if she’d forgotten the danger.

  “Arabella, they’re coming,” he whispered frantically in her ear.

  All at once she seemed to snap out of it, and together they ran down the hallway.

  Behind him Pip heard a man say, “I wouldn’t mind a little nap myself.”

  Pip and Arabella leapt into the room, and Merec closed the door, but kept it open a crack to listen. Anne, Barda, Fendral, and Harold were already through the hole. Lucy was going next.

  “I wasn’t asleep,” the guard said.

  Pip closed his eyes in relief. They hadn’t been seen — yet.

  “Why stay awake, anyway?” the guard continued. “Nothing to do but stare at these walls.”

  “Sir Lanford said we had to check in on you.”

  “Well … tell Sir Lanford it’s mighty nice of him to think of me, but how about something to eat and drink? I’m starving, and I have a thirst on me that an ocean would not satisfy.”

  “No beer when you’re on duty.”

  “Since when?” the guard growled.

  “Since the sheriff came to town.”

  Archie’s feet disappeared. Arabella dropped to her knees.

  “I don’t know why I have to sit here all night,” the guard said. “That family hasn’t made a peep since I locked them in.”

  Arabella was through. Pip pointed at Merec. He shook his head and pointed at Pip to go next. The hole seemed so small. Could Merec possibly fit?

  Pip listened to the guards.

  “Hey, prisoners, wake up. Inspection.”

  Merec and Pip exchanged a startled look. Pip pushed Merec toward the hole. He had to try, or they would all be caught. Merec put his arms through the hole — and he began to slide forward! The others were pulling him. Pip raced back to the door.

  “Prisoners. Get up. I need to see you.”

  Merec twisted his body left and right. He was stuck.

  “Prisoners!”

  Merec let out a low moan. The wall was digging into his back.

  “Escape! Escape! Sound the alarm! Sound the alarm!”

  Pip pushed on Merec’s hips with all his might. He could hear Lucy, Archie, and Fendral grunting under the strain. Pip dug his toes into a crack in the floor. His arms were burning, but he didn’t dare quit.

  Suddenly, Merec’s feet disappeared, as if he’d been enchanted by Merlin’s spell. A large hand reached out. Merec’s! Pip took it, and Merec pulled him through.

  “I’ll check the storage room.”

  Heavy footsteps grew louder.

  Merec, Anne, Archie, and Lucy pushed the rock back into place.

  Pip pressed his ear against the wall.

  “They’re not here,” a guard said in a muffled tone. “Where could they be? Sir Lanford will have our heads.”

  He sounded terrified.

  They waited until the voices had disappeared and then tiptoed ever so quietly down the stairs.

  hey remained quiet until they were all back at the Roman well — and then they hugged and kissed each other in joyous celebration. Arabella stood to the side, her head lowered.

  “This has been the most terrifying day of my life,” Merec said quietly. “I’m a little angry at the risk you took, but I will be forever grateful.”

  “We had to — at least I did,” Pip said. “It was my fault.” He took a deep breath to gather himself. They had to know the truth — and he had to tell them. “I was the one who stole the food and animals from the baron.”

  “We helped,” Lucy said.

  “It was my idea,” Pip said.

  “We did it together,” Harold said.

  “I’m just saying I forced you to —” Pip tried to explain.

  “You didn’t force us. We can make our own decisions,” Lucy said.

  “I know, Lucy, but —”

  “Stop thinking you’re in control of everything. You’re not — and Harold and I aren’t your servants.” Lucy glared at him, arms crossed.

  Pip was startled. Lucy never got this mad at him. Pip looked at Harold. He was mad too.

  They were right, though.

  Pip turned to Merec. “We all did it. We only wanted to give you more to eat. I never thought about Sir Lanford or the Baron or the sheriff, and we never thought about them finding out.”

  “You are wonderful children,” Anne said, her voice break-ing. “Your hearts are pure, and that is the most important thing. The baron is a cruel and miserable man. He is to blame.”

  “It’s cold down here,” Barda said. “I want to take Felix home.”

  “Unfortunately, we cannot go home, dear Barda. The baron is angry with us. We will have to go elsewhere and find a new home,” Merec said.

  “Where will we go?” Anne said.

  “I have heard there are lands in the north where we can find work. We shall go there,” Merec said.

  “We need to get you out of Bradford first,” Archie said.

  “You have not told us how you found a way into that horrible prison,” Merec said.

  “It was Arabella,” Pip said. “She discovered these tunnels, and she led us there.”

  Anne ran a hand over Arabella’s head. “Poor girl, how is it you know about these tunnels? This is no place for a young girl like you.”

  Arabella was unable to hold her tears back. “I am over-joyed that you have escaped,” she sobbed. “But I had hoped to find someone else in those prison cells.”

  “Who?” Anne pressed.

  Arabella swallowed heavily.

  Anne cupped Arabella’s chin in her hand. “You speak and hold yourself like child of noble birth. Am I right that you were not born in Bradford?”

  Arabella nodded.

  “You have a northern accent, and your hands are too soft and delicate to be a street beggar. Tell us who you hoped to find.”

  “You are right. I am not from Bradford,” Arabella said. “I’m from Lincolnshire. My father is Sir Sanford of Winchester, but he has been away for a long time, fighting in the war with King Richard.”

  “I wonder if your father knows mine, Sir Duncan of Raventhorpe?” Archie said.

  “I am not sure. My father returned from the war six months ago,” Arabella said. “Prince John invited him to the royal court — and then arrested him. Prince John hates my father because he supports King Richard’s claim to the English throne. Four weeks ago the sheriff arrested my mother on Prince John’s orders. She is being held prisoner at Lincoln Castle.” Arabella held her chin up proudly. “I am going to save my mother — and my father. Everyone else in my family is too afraid of Prince John and the sheriff to do anything.”

  “How are you going to save them?” Harold said.

  “That’s why I am here. My aunt was told my father had been brought to Bradford, to this prison. That’s the real reason why I had to get in. I come every night and chip away at that rock. I am too small to move it myself — and that is why I led you to it, so you could help me. I am sorry for not telling the truth.”

  A small tear fell down Arabella’s cheek.

  “We would never have gotten into
the prison without you,” Pip said. “You do not have to be sorry.”

  Now he understood why she’d been so upset in the hallway. He could only imagine her disappointment after working so hard to save her father. She was the bravest girl he’d ever met.

  “But he’s not here,” Arabella said, stamping her foot. “I am starting to believe I shall never find him.”

  “We’ll help, if we can,” Pip said. “We’ll think of a plan.”

  “Pip, we have other problems right now,” Lucy said, nod-ding at Merec and his family.

  “The sheriff’s soldiers will be guarding the town’s gates,” Archie said.

  “Maybe we could sneak them out in the wagon?” Harold said.

  “The soldiers will search every cart and wagon going in and out,” Archie said. “It’s too risky.”

  “Arabella?” Pip said.

  She looked doubtful. “The wall around Bradford is tall. The two gates will be closely guarded, as Archie suggests. I know of a tunnel, but it is too small for all but Barda.”

  “Felix could make it too,” Barda said.

  Arabella smiled and gave Felix a pat.

  “Can we climb the wall?” Pip said.

  Arabella shook her head. “The new section of the wall is made of rock, and so perhaps we could climb it, but I fear it is much too tall, more than a hundred hands high. The old section, the original wall, is only seventy hands high, but it is made of wood and is far too smooth to climb without ropes.”

  “Could we get a ladder?” Harold said.

  “How can we carry it without being seen?” Lucy said.

  Pip thought about Sir Duncan’s advice — understand what your opponent expects and then do the unexpected.

  “We will be seen,” Pip grinned. “And we will not need a ladder. We will walk through the middle of Bradford to the old wooden wall — and then they will climb over and be free.”

  “Pipper, are you Merlin the Magician now?” Lucy laughed.

  “No — sorry — but the guards are on the lookout for the baron’s peasants dressed in torn shirts and pants,” Pip said, “not a lord and his lady dressed in the finest clothes out for some air with their children.”