Mystic Tide (Horse Guardian) Read online

  With a sinking feeling Erin realized it would be too dangerous to call out for help. She had to let any passing hikers know she was being kidnapped without her kidnappers knowing what she was doing. It would be hard to do, but somehow she had to wordlessly tell them to not try to save her right then. Instead, they’d have to pretend they didn’t know what was happening, and once Erin and the kidnappers passed by, use their cell phone – if they had one – to call the police. But how was she to communicate so much without saying a single word? Or without the kidnappers understanding what she was doing?

  And there was another problem. The sun was setting. A pink glow spread across the gray stone all around them, and the tiny alpine plants that flourished in every crevice were alight with the sun’s last rays. If they were going to meet anyone, it had to be soon.

  As if on cue, she heard distant voices. Instantly, Nicole spun around to face her. Erin stopped short, and the woman leaned close to her ear. “Say nothing,” she hissed. “You understand? Nothing. Or else you’ll be sorry, and so will they.”

  “Don’t worry. She won’t say anything,” the man said, in his deep, slow voice. “Will you?” he asked Erin.

  “Quiet now,” Nicole whispered, and turned around. “They’re coming.”

  Talent, this must be the place they stole her from you. Fright hangs in the air like a fog in this place.

  We must not linger. I will track her into this rock wilderness, following her life force even though I find it difficult to open myself to her fear.

  Come, let us hurry!

  Beyond Nicole, Erin could see two people hiking toward them along the green road: an older man and woman. As they drew nearer, she could tell that the couple must either be locals or travelers staying overnight in the area. They didn’t have any camping gear with them, only daypacks. Binoculars hung around each of their necks. Instead of looking at Erin and her kidnappers as they approached, the couple seemed captivated by the beautiful rocky vistas stretched beneath the sunset.

  “Hello,” said Nicole, politely, when they two groups came together.

  “Good evening,” said the woman walking in front, then her gaze swept back to the scenery. Erin slowed and tried to speak through her eyes as the stranger strode past, but the woman didn’t even look at her.

  Then the male hiker was passing Nicole. He nodded to her… and his eyes slid on toward Erin… This was her chance!

  “Great evening, isn’t it?” The voice boomed behind Erin.

  The older man’s gaze skipped past Erin and he smiled at her kidnapper. “It surely is,” he replied. “A grand evening to be sure.” And then he too was past and striding onward.

  Erin’s body shook with her desire to run after the hikers, to scream and beg for their help. She had to try – she couldn’t bear just walking on, calmly and casually, as if nothing was wrong!

  She took one step, then the thought of Nicole’s gun made her hesitate. As if he knew what she’d been about to do, the man’s two large hands came down, one on each of her shoulders. “Don’t even think about it,” he said, his voice strident in the stillness.

  “Is everything okay?” A distant voice.

  “Just fine,” Nicole yelled to the hikers. “Our little sister’s tired, that’s all. But don’t worry. We’re almost back to our camp.”

  Erin realized that the hikers had stopped. The male kidnapper’s voice must have alerted them. She longed to scream to them: “Help me!” But she didn’t dare, and then it was too late. They were already turning around. They were already striding away.

  “Sit down on this rock,” the man said, and this time his voice was much quieter. Erin sat, clasped her shaking hands together, and blinked back sudden tears. She’d come so close to being rescued, or at least discovered. She stared longingly after the retreating couple. Maybe, just maybe, the hikers hadn’t believed everything was fine. Maybe they were just acting nonchalant as they hiked away, thinking they’d phone for help as soon as they were out of sight. But even as the notion crossed her mind, she knew it was hopeless. Unless the hikers were as good at acting as Siobhan, there was no chance. They probably believed she was out hiking with her big brother and sister, and was tired – just as Nicole said.

  There was a long silence as the kidnappers waited for the couple to hike farther away. Erin wished she could just sink down into the rock and disappear. Somehow the man had sensed she was about to run, despite Nicole’s gun. Now what would they do to her? Would they punish her?

  “Couldn’t you have said it a bit quieter,” Nicole spat out. The elderly couple must be out of earshot now. “Don’t you ever think? I can’t believe how careless you are. Or are you just stupid?”

  “Sorry.”

  “It’s a good thing one of us has brains, Robert! I had the girl believing my cell-phone was a gun,” Nicole continued vehemently, patting her pocket again. “It worked like a dream, but you almost ruined everything with your loud, stupid voice. What’s wrong with you?”

  Erin ducked her head, on the verge of tears. The bulge wasn’t a gun! She’d been tricked. And now it was too late to yell for help. Too late to run after the hikers. The only good thing about the entire frustrating experience was that now she knew the man’s name – Robert.

  “But it worked out okay,” Robert responded, in an unwise attempt to defend himself. “Nothing happened. They kept going. So what’s the big deal?”

  Even Erin knew that this was the wrong thing to say to Nicole. She clapped her hands over her ears to block out the woman’s infuriated retort the best she could. And besides, she needed to think. Now that she knew Nicole was unarmed, there might be another chance to escape. They might pass more hikers, and this time Erin would find a way to raise the alarm. How, would depend on how many there were. Three or more hikers could easily overpower Robert and Nicole, so she could just tell them she was being kidnapped. Even two hikers should cause the kidnappers enough trouble that she could escape.

  And if they passed a single hiker, she could pretend to feel faint. That would make the hiker stop, and her kidnappers might be convinced she wasn’t faking because she was awfully stressed. In fact, maybe she should even plan ahead and pretend to be a little unsteadier on her feet than she actually felt. And after the single hiker stopped, what then? How would she let him or her know the situation?

  Good question.

  Somehow she had to figure out that part of the plan.

  Talent, there they are. Finally we have caught them. I know you can see them too, with your sharp eyesight, even though night is coming on.

  Come, let us move closer, as close as we can and still not be discovered. Let us see what opportunities for rescue arise. I promise you, we will attempt to rescue your girl this night.

  When they started hiking again, Erin was careful to pretend to stumble every few minutes. Thankfully, the kidnappers seemed to accept that her unsteadiness was real. Siobhan wasn’t the only one in their family who could act. Now if only some more hikers would come along.

  The sunset slowly faded, the night crept nearer, and Erin felt her hope dying as the minutes slid past. By the time day had completed its transformation into night, she knew there was no point in pretending to stumble any longer. Everyone on the Burren would be camping now, settled into their tents or around their campfires.

  They hiked on through the darkness for what felt like hours. The moon rose, then both the stars and moon disappeared as clouds covered the sky. Erin pulled her thin jacket tight around her body and kept trudging along behind Nicole. She was beginning to stumble for real and could feel blisters forming on her feet, when the woman finally let them stop.

  Nicole lowered her backpack to the ground with a moan, stretched, then sat at the side of the green road. Erin slumped gratefully down beside her. She heard the woman unzipping her pack, and then Robert doing the same with his. What were they doing? If only the cloud cover would dissipate, she’d be able to see them by moonlight. A moment later, she heard the ripping of wrap
pers, then a delicious smell wafted toward her. Her stomach complained loudly. “Can I have some too?”

  Nicole sighed. “You can give her some.”

  Erin heard a bit more rustling, then Robert pressed a piece of chocolate into her hand. “Thanks,” she said, and stuffed the morsel into her mouth. The single bite was heavenly. She’d never tasted anything so wonderful! Probably because she was famished! Too soon – far, far too soon – it was gone. “Can I…”

  “Time to go,” said Nicole, interrupting her. She towered over Erin as she stood, a black form against the dark sky.

  “Where are we going?” Erin tried again.

  Once more, Nicole ignored her question. “Don’t leave your wrappers for anyone to find,” she said to Robert.

  “Sorry,” the man said. He always seemed to be apologizing to Nicole. His dark hulk bent to find his wrappers.

  “Did you hear that?” Nicole asked abruptly. “Listen.”

  Erin held her breath. What had Nicole heard?

  There! An almost inaudible clang, far, far away. Hope leapt to her heart, instantly rekindled, making her heartbeat roar in her ears. Had she heard right? Was it really horseshoe against stone? The noise was too far away to tell for sure, but that’s what it sounded like. Was Talent coming to rescue her, just as she’d imagined? How wonderful!

  “I don’t hear nothing,” said Robert, interrupting her thoughts.

  “I’m sure I heard something, just for a second,” said Nicole, puzzled.

  “Goats,” said Erin, trying to keep the jubilance from her voice. “It must be goats. There are wild herds on the Burren.”

  “Maybe,” said Nicole, but she sounded doubtful.

  “What else could it be?” asked Erin, hurriedly. Nicole didn’t sound nearly convinced enough for her.

  “I don’t know,” Nicole said, immediately suspicious. “You tell us. What else could it be?”

  Erin clamped her mouth shut. All she was doing was making Nicole more wary of the sound. Now the woman was going to become even more guarded and watchful! Maybe if she pulled Nicole’s own trick and simply ignored her question, the woman would drop the subject, thinking it was nothing.

  But Nicole wasn’t about to let it go. “What else could it be?” she asked again, even more insistently. “Do you know something you’re not telling us?”

  “What could she know? Let’s get going. We’re wasting time,” said Robert from behind her.

  With an exasperated sound, Nicole turned and began striding along the green road. Erin hurried after her. The last thing she wanted to do was incur the woman’s wrath again – or remind her that the noise of iron on rock might mean something more important than goats.

  The energy from the piece of chocolate didn’t last long and soon Erin felt even more tired than before, but still, there was a bit of spring in her step, despite the blisters forming on her feet. She was positive Talent was out there somewhere, waiting for her to come to him, waiting to carry her to safety. She listened for any sound behind the sound of their hiking, beneath the sound of their breathing, between the occasional arguments between Robert and Nicole, as they trudged on and on and on. While she heard nothing more that might indicate he was there, still, she was sure he was near. She could feel him close by, as if he was somehow connected to her heart.

  The clouds finally parted and moonlight splashed across the rocky Burren. Erin could see no living thing beneath the gentle glowing, and was relieved because she could tell that Nicole was looking too. The woman’s head moved back and forth as she scanned the landscape. Thank goodness, Talent had known to hide once the moon unveiled its light.

  Erin gasped as one of her blisters suddenly burst, sending sharp jags of pain into her foot. Her boots were made for riding, not hiking. Surely, her kidnappers would see that she was limping now, and stop to rest a while. Then, if they slept, she could attempt an escape.

  However, as the night wore on, Nicole showed no signs of stopping. Time lost meaning to Erin. The night seemed endless, eternal. She was sure they had trudged forever and would forever more. When Nicole led them from the green road, Erin risked pushing the button that lit up her watch to discover it was after three in the morning. The woman led them about a hundred yards to the right and stopped at an old ruin, a nondescript shepherd’s shack.

  Light speared from Nicole’s flashlight as she searched the stone structure. Moments later, she emerged. “We’ll stop here for a couple hours. I’m beat.”

  Robert slid his backpack from his back, too tired to comment.

  Nicole straightened after spreading her sleeping bag out near the door. “You tie up the girl,” she said to her partner.

  “But…” Erin had to speak. She’d waited as long as she could.

  “Shut up.” Even Nicole’s ‘shut up’ didn’t carry much vigour anymore.

  “But…”

  “I said shut up.”

  “But I have to pee,” she blurted out.

  Nicole groaned. “Okay. Robert, tie her hands first. I don’t want her running away from me in the dark.”

  Erin put her hand over her mouth to stop her satisfied smile. The woman was so tired, she didn’t realize she’d said Robert’s name – again. And neither did he.

  Robert pulled a coiled rope out of his pack. “Now don’t struggle. This won’t hurt.” He pulled Erin’s arms in front of her and wrapped the rough twine around her wrists. Erin flexed her muscles as he pulled the ropes tighter, and when Robert finished tying the knots, she lowered her arms and loosened her muscles. Her efforts had been successful. The ropes weren’t too horribly tight. At the very worst, her circulation shouldn’t be cut off, and at the best, if she were lucky, she would be able to squeeze out of her restraints after her captors were asleep.

  Robert left a length of rope about two yards long, hanging from Erin’s bonds, and Nicole grabbed it. “Come with me,” she said, and tugged on the rope. Erin hurried after the woman as she led her around the side of the shepherd’s stone shack and on a few yards further to a jumble of stones. “This is far enough,” said Nicole. She stared off into the distance and tapped her foot as Erin fumbled awkwardly with her pants, and used the facilities.

  On the way back to their camp, Erin studied the terrain in every direction. If she was going to escape tonight, she needed to know everything about the land that surrounded them. The Burren stones stretched like silver paving stones in every direction, open and visible to everyone who cared to look. If Nicole and Robert woke up when she was still close to the shack, they’d see her in the moonlight. She had to get far enough away that…

  Suddenly, Erin’s breath stopped short. She could see something moving over the Burren, something large and dark. Talent! It had to be! The form was far away, but was unmistakably a horse. And a rider.

  “Hurry up.” Nicole sounded impatient.

  Erin ducked her head to follow the woman inside the shepherd’s shack, her mind racing. The rider had to be her dad. He’d come with Talent. A thrill raced through her body and she felt lighter. Both of them had come to rescue her, and Nicole and Robert didn’t have any idea they were there.

  Now Erin just needed to wait for her kidnappers to fall asleep and her dad to burst in to save her. Or maybe she should stick to her original plan, and free herself from her bonds, then sneak away to where he and Talent waited. That would be far less dangerous for her dad. She would have to act fast, that’s all.

  Soon they will be asleep. They must be tired. They have traveled so far this night.

  I hope your girl saw me, Talent. I think she did. If so, she should know to stay awake, and to be ready to run. We must get away without waking the kidnappers. Then we can be miles away before they discover she is gone.

  Stop here and wait, my dear. I will go on alone. I know you want to come, but you must stay here, Talent. We can not risk alerting these horrid people with even the slightest brush of hoof against stone.

  I will return as soon as I can. Watch for me, and for yo
ur girl!

  Nicole was instantly irritated by what she saw inside the shack. Robert was lying close to the door, right in the spot she wanted for herself. When she turned on her flashlight, she felt even more annoyed. Crumbs and granola bar wrappers were scattered around him. He was such a dolt, eating most of tomorrow’s food tonight. And then leaving the wrappers for the police again!

  “You go sleep over there,” she said to the girl, and pointed the flashlight beam to the back of the shack. It was stony back there, probably too rough and uncomfortable for the girl to actually sleep. She would be cold too, but Nicole didn’t have an extra sleeping bag to give her, and she certainly wasn’t going to give the girl her own. Besides, as soon as the kid was back with her family, she’d be pampered and cosseted beyond belief. A little discomfort right now would probably be good for her character.

  Nicole followed her to the back of the shack. First, she checked the knot Robert had tied, and added a couple extra loops around the girl’s wrists. Then she tied the end of the rope to the girl’s ankles. She didn’t want her running away in the middle of the night. Finally satisfied there’d be no trouble, she walked back toward the door.

  The girl’s needling voice followed her. “Is there a blanket for me?”

  “No.” Nicole quickly picked up Robert’s wrappers, glared at his serenely sleeping face, and carried her sleeping bag outside.

  Under the night sky, she felt the tension leave her shoulders. There was nothing to do now but rest. She rubbed her eyes. Yawned. She was so tired.

  But there was still that strange noise she’d heard, hours before. Nicole frowned. Even more bothersome than the noise was the way the girl had reacted to it, as if she knew what it was and was purposefully keeping information from her captors: important information. The presence of a rescuer? Or someone the girl hoped was a rescuer? In the kid’s own words, ‘what else could it be?’ And yet Nicole had seen no one on the Burren all night.