Safe, page 15
She stuck her head in the air and took a deep sniff. A delicious smell wafted over the camp. ‘Smell that! Come on!’
Chapter 33
Kizzy and Strom joined the others sitting round the fire. ‘What are we eating? It smells lovely. The fire seems to have worked well?’
Anna grinned and passed her a plate with some sausages, potatoes and carrots on. ‘Definitely, and you made some excellent choices when you grabbed the cans. We’ve got canned vegetables that Cook preserved and there were some of the incredible wursts that she made herself.’
All the talking stopped as everyone ate, savouring the wonderful taste of the food and the warmth of the fire.
After a bit, Jakob said, ‘That’s a good sausage.’
Kizzy spluttered, talking with her mouth full, ‘That’s not just a good sausage. I think it is the best one I’ve ever tasted.’ She wiped her mouth, relishing the spices. ‘Sorry, everyone, but it absolutely is.’
Everyone laughed at her.
Kizzy watched them all. They seemed quite bright-eyed considering how exhausted they must be and Zivan showed no sign of the fever he’d had the other day. She couldn’t bear to think how much fear they’d known in their short lives. Kizzy knew she had to get them to safety. This journey wasn’t only about the horses now.
‘More peaches?’ Anna laughed. ‘Either Kizzy wasn’t good at getting a selection of fruit or Cook didn’t hide away anything else.’
Kizzy put up her hands. ‘I took all that I saw. I didn’t see any other fruits. I’m going to blame the cook.’ She winked at Anna.
The coffee tasted weak. Kizzy knew they were running out, but it warmed her up. Sleep called to her. Zuzu was already fast asleep, her head on Strom’s shoulders. He lay her down and covered her gently with a blanket.
Kizzy quietly slipped away. Using the herbs, some water and a stone to pulverise them together, she created a poultice paste. It smelt strongly of dandelion and wild garlic. She took it over to Eda and spread it over her bruised hoof before covering it with one of her shirts.
‘I’m not sure how long that’s going to stay on, but I hope it’ll make you feel a little more comfortable.’
Eda nuzzled into her.
Kizzy put her arms around the mare’s neck and hugged her. ‘Now, rest. I know that’s what I need.’
She stumbled over to Jakob and curled up near the fire, resting her head on his shoulder. She soon drifted off to sleep, lulled by the chitchat of conversation.
She woke, with Jakob shaking her shoulder.
‘Kizzy, Kizzy, are you are all right?’
Her eyes slowly opened, feeling utterly confused. She could feel the warmth of Jakob’s body against her back.
‘What? What’s the matter?’
‘You were whimpering and shaking in your sleep, as if you were fighting someone.’
Kizzy closed her eyes again, trying to remember. ‘I was dreaming, Jakob. There were horses and falling rocks. I could see Heinz in the distance, but I couldn’t reach him.’ Opening her eyes again, she turned to him. ‘Is it a message? A warning?’
Jakob whispered, ‘No, I’m sure it isn’t, just the shock of today playing out in your dreams. Don’t worry. We need to get through the checkpoint tomorrow.’ He squeezed her shoulder. ‘Try to go back to sleep. We’re going to need all the rest we can get.’
Jakob lay down again and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. ‘I’ll keep you safe,’ he whispered.
Kizzy settled back and tried to go back to sleep, muttering as she closed her eyes, ‘It’ll be all right. We’ll get through.’
The following morning, after a night of fitful sleep for everyone and a breakfast of broken biscuits and weak coffee, the older children once again gathered around the map.
‘Well, after sleeping on it, what do we think?’ asked Kizzy.
Jakob spoke first. ‘I don’t think we’ve a choice. We need to get to that other crossing quickly.’
Kizzy glanced across at Strom and Anna. ‘You both know this area the best. How do you feel?’
‘I agree with Jakob, we need to get moving, and yes, this route is more dangerous, but it’ll get us there quicker.’ Strom nodded.
Anna hesitated.
‘Do you disagree?’ Kizzy asked, tilting her head to one side to look carefully at her new friend.
The younger girl took a deep breath. ‘No … no, I don’t think I do. We’ll still be under the cover of trees. They’re not as thick, but I believe it’ll be all right. I want us to get to safety as quickly as possible now. The boys are right.’
Kizzy let out a deep sigh. ‘Decided then. When we get near the checkpoint, all the children, including Damek and Anna, need to hide under the hay. We must make sure you’re covered. It’s going to be scary, but you mustn’t make any noise at all until we are safely on the other side. I’ve papers that say Jakob, Kizzy and Faber can go through. Strom, you’ll have to pretend to be Faber. Is that all right?’
All involved nodded.
‘Now, Strom, can you show us exactly what the route is, so Anna and I know where we’re going?’ She turned to Jakob. ‘Can you and Damek start tacking up the horses? We’ll come and hitch up Xandra before coming to help you, as soon as we get this journey in our heads.’
The boys agreed and Strom went through the route again. It wasn’t long before the eclectic group was ready to move off. They all knew it would be a long day ahead.
Jakob came over to Kizzy, checking she’d got water. He pointed to the now rather tatty shirt. ‘Is this your poultice? I checked Eda’s hoof. It doesn’t look too bad today. Are you happy riding her?’
Kizzy laughed. ‘That’s good news. Ideally, Eda should rest today, but what can we do? I need to ride her because the herd sees her as one of the leaders. I’ll keep an eye on her, though.’ She lifted her canteen and bag. ‘I’m all organised. I am focused on getting to Heinz.’
‘Well, the plan’s not to stop again so, hopefully, we’ll be back with him soon.’ Jakob grinned at her.
She touched his arm. ‘There’s something I need to tell you though. You must keep it to yourself.’
‘What?’
‘I’ve been trying to tell you since we left.’
‘What do you mean, Kiz? You’re worrying me now.’ He frowned.
‘It’s the papers.’
His eyes widened. ‘What about them? I suppose you’re going to tell me they’re forgeries!’ Jakob laughed.
Kizzy raised her eyebrows.
‘No? What the…? What do you mean? Heinz…?’
He walked away from her, then came back. ‘You’re wrong.’
‘Keep it down. We don’t want the others to know. Heinz told me the night before we left. He rushed them through and got one of the administrators to get them sorted in exchange for riding lessons.’ She waited, needing him to understand. She’d carried this pressure for so long.
He turned away from her. ‘And you’ve known this from the beginning and you didn’t tell me!’
‘I kept trying! Please look at me.’
He faced her. She could see the anger begin to melt away in his eyes. He pushed his hand through his hair. ‘Oh, Kiz, I wish you hadn’t told me now. I’m going to panic when we go through the checkpoint.’
Kizzy bowed her head and whispered, ‘And I’m not?’ She sighed. ‘I’m sorry.’
Strom wandered over. ‘Are you two all right? We’re all ready to go.’
Kizzy and Jakob looked at each other.
‘Er, yes, we’re fine. Just getting the last details sorted,’ said Kizzy. ‘That’s right, isn’t it, Jakob?’
He just shrugged. ‘Come on.’
Kizzy’s shoulders drooped. Suddenly things didn’t feel good. Perhaps she should have kept it to herself. The worry had been a heavy weight to carry but sharing it didn’t seem to have made it less. She glanced across to Jakob, but he wouldn’t look her way.
Chapter 34
Tension hummed between the whole group as they moved along. The children sat quietly in the cart. Everyone else rode in silence. They all knew how important the next few hours would be.
Eda could sense that Kizzy was on edge. She pranced around, snatching at the bit, swishing her tail. Kizzy leaned forward and patted Eda’s golden neck. The mare’s skin twitched under her touch. She smoothed down the flaxen mane. ‘It’s all right, Eda, I’ll keep you safe.’ The mare’s ears flitted backwards so she could listen to Kizzy.
The collection of horses and children weaved their way through the woods. Birds sang above them. Kizzy spotted deer leaping through the undergrowth in the distance, startled by the noise. Squirrels sat supervising them from the branches above. A mossy, damp smell permeated the forest. Occasionally, Kizzy and Anna exchanged nods and half-smiles as they negotiated the route. Neither spoke, though, pointing the way they wanted to go. Kizzy liked Anna, but she missed Jakob. She needed to talk to her best friend. Had he forgiven her for telling him about the papers?
On their last journey, Kizzy and Jakob had always travelled at night. Riding during the daylight made her feel far more vulnerable. She wished she had the safety of darkness wrapped around her now. She swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the hard lump of fear stuck in her throat. Peering behind, she tried to see Jakob, but she couldn’t. A sea of horses was in the way.
‘Stop worrying,’ she barely whispered to herself. ‘You’ve survived far worse, Kiz. You’ve lived on your own for many years. This is nothing.’
Anna looked across, frowning. Kizzy smiled and sat up straight. She didn’t want Anna to see quite how afraid she was. How much she was dreading what might lie ahead.
They travelled for many hours. Branches snatched at them as they rode past. Kizzy felt quite relieved when the trees thinned out. She had so many scratches on her arms and face.
A rumbling noise interrupted her thoughts. Kizzy and Anna looked up through the trees to see if the clouds were dark. Maybe a storm was brewing. The sky was a deep, cerulean blue.
Kizzy shivered. She realised it was that noise again. She looked all around. Where was it coming from?
Finally, she spotted them.
‘Look, army trucks! Travelling along the top of that hill. I can’t see whose, though.’
Anna stared where she pointed. ‘They’re slowing down!’
Kizzy’s heart thumped in her chest. ‘Then we need to move faster. Don’t stop and watch. I’m going back to the others to tell them. You move the horses off in a trot, keep them going, don’t stop.’
Anna nodded.
Kizzy swung Eda round and cantered through the herd to Strom, Jakob and Damek.
‘You’ve seen,’ said Jakob immediately, his face pale. ‘It’s trucks, but I can’t see any armoured cars. No machine guns.’
‘Yes, and they seem to be moving away from us, though very slowly. I’m not sure if they’ve seen anything. I think as long as they don’t get out, we’re safe. I’ve told Anna to move the horses faster. Do you agree?’
Jakob nodded.
Strom had Zuzu tucked under his arm. ‘I agree,’ he said. ‘I don’t think they’ll be looking for us. We’ll be in real trouble if someone spots us by chance, but I’m hoping we’ll be too far away.’
Kizzy noticed how pale Strom looked. His dark hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat. ‘Are you all right?’
‘Fine,’ was all the response she got.
Kizzy closed her eyes. Please don’t be ill, Strom.
‘I can’t see who they are, can you?’ Damek asked. Fear was etched across his face.
‘No, I can’t, I’m sorry, but I’m not going to try either. We need to keep going. Right, we’re agreed – I’ll get back to Anna and we’ll keep moving as fast as we can.’
The boys all put their thumbs up. Kizzy swung Eda around and raced back to Anna.
Anna’s face was grim. The two of them increased their speed and the horses behind followed willingly, weaving in and out of the trees and clattering through the undergrowth. Kizzy winced at how much noise they were making.
Glancing at the trunks of the trees, she could tell they were heading in the right direction. There was an old wives’ tale that moss only grew on the north side of a tree. Her pa had told her that, so it was good enough for her, though her ma had thought it was rubbish. She grinned to herself, remembering their ‘discussions’.
Then up ahead, Kizzy saw the ground disappear.
She rode closer. She could hear running water over the noise of the horses.
They had come to a ravine. The wooden bridge crossing it looked quite wide but fairly rickety. Beneath them, the land dipped down steeply to the water.
‘We need to slow down. Let’s take them for a quick drink before we go over the bridge,’ she said to Anna, as she manoeuvred Eda down the bank. The river looked deep and fast.
Eda lowered her head and drank thirstily. Kizzy watched the water as it tumbled angrily over itself. This was no shallow little brook and the current appeared strong.
‘Anna, look at the bank on the other side. There’s nowhere to get out.’ Her friend looked where she pointed. ‘If the horses try to swim, it could be dangerous. What if you stay here to guide them onto the bridge and I lead them across? What do you think? I’ll get Jakob to come forward and guide them with me. Damek can drive them with you.’
‘Good plan.’ She looked to the other side. ‘Let’s hope that bridge holds up.’
Chapter 35
Kizzy knew Anna was right to be worried. She was afraid too. She decided not to answer, as this would make the worry real. She rode back to Jakob, explaining quickly what she needed.
‘Let’s do this.’ Jakob rode alongside her until he was in place. They said nothing, just glancing at each other when necessary. Having worked together for so long, they understood each other.
She nodded at Jakob. ‘Here we go!’
She clicked her tongue and moved Eda on, up the bank and onto the bridge. The sound of her hooves echoed around the forest. Kizzy could hear the wood creaking and stretching beneath her, but she kept going.
They got across safely and looked back. She watched the herd of horses squeeze across the bridge and then haemorrhage onto the other bank next to her. Jakob and Anna guided them on, careful to stop any that wanted to get in the river. Once most were over, Anna came across. Jakob waited for Strom and Damek. They just had to get the cart and the boys across. Jakob went first, to help lead, followed by the cart, with Damek behind it, bringing up the rear.
A long time ago, Jakob had told Kizzy about his silent prayers. Now she gave a silent prayer as she held her breath, watching the cart edge its way across. It took forever and the bridge creaked and protested – it wasn’t used to this much weight. When, eventually, with Strom’s careful steering, the cart was across, everyone cheered. The children bounced in the cart.
Only Damek was still crossing. But as he got close to the bank, the bridge started to fold in on itself behind him. There was a thundering, splintering sound as it collapsed into the tumbling water.
Damek gathered his small body and forced Honza to jump the last bit. The horse just made it, the gelding’s back legs scrabbling up the bank, trying to get on solid ground.
Kizzy could see the panic on Damek’s face as the horse scrambled beneath him and he desperately tried to stay on. Honza looked terrified too, his eyes rolling and nostrils flaring.
Strom jumped down. He grabbed Honza’s bridle and pulled. Jakob leapt off Krasava and did the same.
‘Come on, Honza! Hang on, Damek!’ they both shouted.
With an almighty effort, Honza made it to safety. However, he landed so hard, he jolted Damek out of his saddle and down the bank.
‘Aaarrghh!’ Damek shouted, snatching hold of a root on his way down. The strong river current, filled with broken wood from the bridge, battered him, trying to drag him into its clutches.
Kizzy charged over to grab Honza, who seemed disorientated. Jakob and Strom leant over the side of the bank. Jakob grabbed hold of one of Damek’s arms.
‘You need to push with your legs to help us pull you up,’ said Strom.
‘I can’t. The mud keeps giving away.’
Kizzy could see Damek’s face, pale and terrified. She acted instinctively, jumping off Eda. ‘Helenka, chuck me a couple of lead ropes. NOW!’
The young girl, clearly petrified, threw them at Kizzy.
Tying the two together, she shouted at Strom, ‘Let me tie this around you. I can then support you if you go down and help him. Anna, can you bring the cart here?’
Jakob protested, ‘Are you mad? I should go.’
‘No, you’re too heavy and you’re strong enough to hold on to Damek while we do this. Strom is lighter but stronger than me, so let him go down.’ She could see that both boys understood.
Jakob turned back to Damek, talking quietly to him to try and keep him calm. Kizzy tied the rope around Strom. ‘Ready?’ she asked him. Strom nodded.
Anna had moved the cart close to Kizzy so she could feed the rope through the wheel. ‘Be careful, please,’ Anna shouted at them all.
Nobody responded. They were all focused on what they were trying to do.
Strom edged over the bank slowly. He slipped down towards Damek. Kizzy pushed her feet against the wheel and leant back. She’d wrapped the rope around her back and through her arms and hands so she could release it slowly as she took Strom’s weight when he went down the bank. She could feel the rope burning her skin every time Strom moved. Kizzy bit her lip to distract herself.
She heard Jakob shout instructions, guiding the boys back up. They were edging up slowly. Damek fell over the top of the bank and clung on to Jakob.
Jakob screamed, ‘Hold tight, Strom, you’re about to be hit by a wave!’
Rolling down the river was a tumbling wave with white tips, full of debris coming down from the mountain. Jakob threw Damek unceremoniously to one side before leaning over the bank again. He grabbed hold of Strom just as the wave hit. He pulled against the power of the water, groaning loudly as he dragged Strom free. They both landed in a pile on the bank. Kizzy stumbled backwards as the rope slackened.
