The
two of them reached Rudi's place several hours later, both of them
freezing cold. They entered the little wagon as softly as they could,
but there were simply too many things lying around for silence to be
possible. Celestia bumped into a row of pots and pans suspended from
the ceiling, waking the old woman who owned the cart.
"What
are you doing at this time of night?" the crone snapped. "Young
ladies are to be in bed when it is dark, even if they are rogues like
you! Now get to sleep, and be quiet about it, or I will find my green
willow switch. I know I left it around here somewhere..."
Rudi
cleared a pile of yarn off the window-seat and replaced it with a
blanket. She helped Celestia into bed, then crawled in herself and
promptly fell dead asleep.
Celestia
had never shared a bed and was highly disturbed to find that Rudi
both wiggled around in her sleep and stole covers. It was a long time
before she was able to drift off into a fitful rest.
The
next morning was a blur to Celestia - figuratively, since the world
was a blur to her anyways.
Rudi
woke her up at around five and brought her outside, then tried to
explain the normal morning routine to her. "Before everyone else
gets up, we need to collect wood for the cooking fires. After that, I
usually spend the day in the forest, looking for food. There are also
possible job openings in the town we visited yesterday, and sometimes
I work there for a while - are you listening to me?"
Celestia
slumped onto the carriage steps. It was hardly light out, and
bitterly cold. She pulled her hands inside her jacket and wished she
could go back to her uncomfortable bed.
"Oh,
I forgot, you're dumb," Rudi realized. "We'll have to work
on that right away." She led Celestia into the woods. The little
girl put a few sticks in the collection, then was distracted by some
colorful plant life. She lay on the ground examining it for some
time, forgetting her skipped breakfast entirely. She was almost
relaxed enough to doze when an ominous sound of wings slashing
through air jolted her to alertness.
"Oh,
you finally came to visit me!" Rudi exclaimed, taking a break
from her work. "Westy, come here!" Although she didn't
recognize the name, Celestia could tell that something interesting
was occurring. She scrambled up and hurried toward the sound of
Rudi's voice.
"
Westy, this is my raven," Rudi explained, letting Celestia pet
the luminous black feathers. "I think she's a girl, so I named
her Annie Corvusi. I even taught her to talk a little. Annie, talk
for my new friend!"
"That
day, humankind was given a grisly reminder."
"Pretty
good, huh?" Rudi said. "I just had to repeat it over and
over."
"I
think she learned that from someone else. The other thing she says -
"
"Neeener.
Neener."
"
- I taught her by accident."
Celestia
was entranced by the talented bird, and Annie Corvusi seemed to like
her too. The bird didn't mind when Rudi set her on Celestia's
shoulder so she could use her hands again.
"Now
since it's lighter out, I think we can start some language lessons,"
Rudi began. "I'll be teaching both you and Annie." She had
Celestia sit down, then went over some basic things. "My name is
Rudi A. Jones," she said pointing to herself. "You, as a
protected witness, will go by the name Westy for now. Can you say
'Westy'?" She repeated it a few times before Celestia would
repeat it back to her.
"Now,"
Rudi said, pulling an ancient, ragged leather book from her satchel,
"we will try something harder." She read: "'The
eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the
ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall
eat it.'"
From this, she taught Celestia and Annie 'eye', 'raven', and 'eat',
but 'mother' and 'father' were beyond her explaining capacity, given
their surroundings and her pantomime skills.
"That
one was pretty hard," Rudi decided after a few minutes. "Let's
try an easier one: 'Noah
opened the window of the ark which he had made: And he sent forth a
raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up
from off the earth.'"
Using a stick, Rudi was able to draw most of the nouns recognizably
on the ground. Then she taught Celestia and Annie how to say the
words. Despite her species, Annie was the brighter pupil of the two.
They
moved on. "'And
the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and
flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.'"
Rudi
closed down the teaching session only when yells from the camp
indicated that the Gypsies were awake and in urgent need of firewood.
~
❧
~
As
it got colder, Celestia's days followed nearly the same routine. Rudi
would wake her up early and they would go to get firewood. When they
had gathered enough for the day, Rudi would teach an English lesson.
Celestia was not a fast learner. It took many repetitions for her to
learn a word, and her concept of sentences was shaky. But Rudi was a
diligent teacher. She was motivated by the desire for 'a little
intelligent conversation around here.' Even though Celestia could be
a frustrating pupil, Rudi seldom lost her temper.
After
the lesson, they would bring the gathered firewood to camp and wait
while the old lady cooked them a breakfast of porridge. Celestia
quickly grew bored of the food, so Rudi taught her to find berries
and herbs in the forest to supplement her diet.
Once
a week, they would journey to Beetle's village to see if there was
any news from London. It was one such day in the middle of November
that it began to snow on their commute to get firewood. Celestia was
so excited that she was inattentive to her language lessons.
"'Better
is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in
spirit is better than the proud in spirit.'
Patience means willingness to endure. You need to work on being more
patient!" Rudi advised, becoming annoyed when she saw that
Celestia was more interested in a snowflake caught in her hair than
anything she was saying. Rudi took a route that she often did when
Celestia was distracted. "How about, 'Benaiah
the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had
done many acts; he slew two lionlike men of Moab: also he went down
and slew a lion in a pit in a snowy day.'
Now that is pretty interesting, isn't it?" Rudi went on to
explain the story to the best of her ability. Celestia listened. As
she learned new words, stories had become her new favorite thing.
Although longer ones that took multiple chapters were beyond her
attention span, she found short ones like this highly engaging.
"All
right, Westy, today I want to go visit Beetle, so we need to get this
wood back to camp and eat as fast as possible. No messing around!"
Rudi commanded when they had finished. "Since we had a long
lesson today, we're running a bit late." Celestia nodded.
As
they walked back to camp, they heard wings scissoring through the air
over their heads. Annie dropped quietly out of the air and onto
Rudi's shoulder. She had discovered that the two girls would feed her
if she talked for them, so she usually showed up right before
breakfast. Today was not a disappointment, and all three of them left
camp feeling full and ready for whatever the day had in store.
On
the first leg of the journey, Celestia stopped often to admire the
thin layer of snow coating everything. After about thirty minutes,
however, she got cold and Rudi didn't have to hurry her along
anymore. It was a relief when they finally stepped into the
blacksmith's shop and were met with a blast of hot air. They found an
out-of-the way spot where Gustav wouldn't step on them and waited for
Beetle to get his lunch hour.
When
they finally saw their friend, Rudi could tell right away that
something was wrong.
"You
have to get away from here!" Beetle's voice was urgent. "There
are two men hanging around town, and they are looking for someone who
fits Miss Westing's description exactly!"
~
❧
~
"What
kind of men?" Rudi asked excitedly. "Young men or old men?
And what are they wearing?"
"I
can't tell how old they are or what they look like, because they're
wearing cloaks. But they say they are searching for a missing girl
who is blond, blue eyed, and mute!"
"Well,"
Rudi said, her mind racing, "Westy only meets one of those
descriptions right now. Her hair is black and I've taught her to say
a few words. If we are subtle, it shouldn't be too hard to smuggle
her away from here."
The
three hurried to the door and stopped, aghast. An open wagon had been
parked on the road in front of the shop, and two dark-cloaked men
were standing in it, giving a speech to the townspeople gathered
around them.
"Children
are the purest beings that walk this earth," the shorter one
announced emotionally, "so it is the darkest tragedy when an
innocent child is stolen from her family, her home, everything that
is familiar to her -"
"Sounds
like boarding school," Rudi remarked sardonically.
"-
and falls into the hands of renegades, despots, criminals!" The
crowd nodded in grim assent. "Such an Unfortunate has been
reported in this very village. If you have seen a quiet little girl
with blond hair and blue eyes, please tell us so we can apprehend her
captors and deliver her safely to her family."
Beside
Rudi, Celestia shivered. "Bad," she told her friend.
"Yes,
this is bad, Westy. Though I'm not sure you understood everything he
said. Fortunately, not many people have seen you without a disguise.
Only an old Gypsy who is miles away, Beetle and I, and..." Rudi
was interrupted by a sharp gasp from Beetle. Reaching the same
conclusion herself, she felt her eyes magnetically drawn to Gustav,
who was sitting on his fence, looking thoughtful.
"He
knows," Beetle whispered fearfully, "but we never told him
the whole story. Given your reputation, Rudi, I doubt he'll think
twice before turning us in!"
"My
reputation?! I'm going to hit you for that when this is over!"
The
two stopped fighting immediately when they heard Gustav clear his
throat and begin to talk.
"If
I had seen something," he began, causing Beetle and Rudi to
flinch, "why should I tell you people about it? It's not as if I
have seen any proof that you are police. How do we know you are
trustworthy?"
"Um,"
the speaker hesitated momentarily. "We are friends of the
family, as well as concerned citizens. We feel it is our duty to help
out - as much as it is your duty to tell us what you saw!"
Everyone's
eyes were on Gustav as he thought about his answer. Beetle was
sweating, Rudi was chewing her nails, and Celestia was shaking like a
leaf.
"I
didn't say I had seen anything," Gustav declared finally. "It
was only a hypothetical question."
Rudi
nearly lost herself and squealed with joy. Instead, she high-fived
Beetle behind Celestia's back. When she saw that Celestia was still
afraid, she tried to calm her. "Westy, it's okay. Gustav isn't
going to tell on us!"
Celestia
made no sign that she had heard. "Bad," she mumbled again.
"Hypothetical,
eh?" the man in the wagon growled. "I get the feeling you
know something. Townspeople, if you have any morals at all, you must
apprehend this man!"
Uneasy
murmurs spread through the crowd. Despite his intimidating
appearance, Gustav was known for his integrity and was well liked in
the small community. Nobody moved.
"Then
it is come to this," the man intoned savagely. "Attack the
man, brother! But try to take him alive."
The
tall, silent man who had stood perfectly still beside his associate
turned suddenly into a whirlwind of motion, a streak of matter
focused solely on the surprised Gustav. The cloak he had been wearing
couldn't take the strain of such movement and fluttered off,
revealing a whirling mass of silver hair under the brim of a tall
hat.
Celestia
hadn't heard a word that had been spoken. She had only heard a
familiar voice, one that had always heralded terror. The Boots
brothers had found her again.
Gustav
was surprised when Anya attacked him, but only for an instant.
Dodging skillfully, he avoided Anya's rush. The momentum carried Anya
into the fence, mercilessly shattering beams, posts, and several of
his ribs. The tattered man collapsed in a pile of splinters for a
moment, then slowly raised himself onto his hands and knees.
In
the doorway, Rudi and Beetle leaned out to see better. Celestia
stayed hidden, but she could hear the sounds outside, along with
Rudi's excited commentary: "He smashed into that fence so hard!
No way can he get up! Impossible!"
Gustav
was trying to reason with the two men. "I think your friend is
ill," he warned O., backing away warily. "He shouldn't be
fighting. He might actually need a doctor..."
"Anya!"
O. commanded. "Get on your feet and pulverize that man!"
Anya
picked himself up.
"I'm
telling you, you'll only get hurt worse if you try to fight me,"
Gustav cautioned.
"..."
Anya stared at him. "...ah..."
"Just
leave town," Gustav continued calmly.
"...ah...
AHAHAHAA!" Anya attacked again. This time, instead of dodging,
Gustav punched him in his unguarded face. Anya seemed unaffected,
however, and caught hold of Gustav's arm. As the blacksmith tried to
shake him off, Anya took the opportunity to sink his teeth into the
man's shoulder.
"Aaugh!"
Gustav hit him so violently that he released his hold. "Revolting!
Nobody bites me. I guess I'm going to have to get serious about
this!"
The
townspeople had formed a wide ring around the combatants, but as the
battle became progressively more dangerous, most onlookers moved to a
neighboring yard. Some of the more adventurous or nearsighted
watchers sheltered in the doorway with Rudi and Beetle. Due to the
decrease in space, Celestia was shoved to the front since everyone
could easily see over her head.
Suddenly,
a figure loomed up beside her. "Move," he ordered.
Celestia
froze in fear, recognizing O. But he took little notice of children's
faces and forgot their features quickly. Unfortunately, he had even
less regard for their comfort. He shoved Celestia aside in annoyance
so he could stand in the sheltered doorway. Clumsy from nervousness,
she toppled headfirst into a snowbank. When she sat up, most of her
hair dye was left behind in the slush, leaving her hair a dirty,
greenish blond. Even O. couldn't miss that.
In
one movement, O. swept her up and carried her away. She let out a
tiny, strangled scream, which tore Rudi's attention away from the
fight.
"Westy!"
Rudi cried, running after them. Beetle followed, and they caught up
with O. as he attempted to climb into his parked cab. Rudi grabbed
Celestia's leg and held on fiercely, while Beetle held onto her other
foot. O. looked back, irritated. He slapped at Rudi's hand, but she
refused to let go. O. pulled the cigarette from his mouth and stabbed
the lit end into Rudi's face.
"Owww!"
Rudi let go.
"Are
you all right?!" Beetle loosened his grip as he tried to see
Rudi's burn. "Did it get in your eye?!"
O.
slammed the door and commanded the cabdriver to go as fast as
possible.
Outside,
Rudi ignored her pain and stood up. "Don't let them get away!"
she cried. Desperately, she caught hold of the retreating cab and
grabbed Beetle's arm. She pulled Beetle up into the luggage rack
beside her, then reverted back to whimpering about her burn.
As
they rushed away from the familiar village, Beetle turned and looked
back. Before they rounded the bend, he saw Gustav choking Anya
senseless.
~
❧
~
Celestia
struggled and screamed for several minutes before O. was able to gag
her and tie her hands and feet. He tried to blindfold her as a
precautionary measure, but she kept thrashing her head around.
Eventually he gave up, deciding that, with her intellect, she
wouldn't remember how to get back if she escaped. Celestia wiggled
around for a few minutes, then realized resistance was futile. She
sat quietly looking out the window. She wondered unhappily what O.
planned to do now that he had caught her. At least Anya wasn't
around...
In
the luggage rack behind Celestia, her silence was causing some
concern.
"Why
is she being so quiet all of a sudden?!" Rudi asked. "Do
you think that man killed her?"
"Doubtful,"
Beetle reassured her. "If that was the case, he could have just
killed her before they got into the carriage. Most likely, she is
drugged or knocked out."
"I'm
going to check. Hold onto my feet!" Rudi climbed onto the top of
the carriage, holding on tenaciously to the ornamental railing to
avoid getting thrown off. As Beetle held her feet, she leaned over
the side and peered into the window. Since it was a cloudy day, it
was hard to see inside. Instead, she was confronted with her own
concerned reflection on the glass. "Are you holding on still?"
she called to Beetle.
"As
tightly as I can," he answered. "Why?"
Rudi
released her hold on the roof and cupped her hands around the glass.
Now she could see quite clearly. Celestia stared back at her
unhappily. "That is so dangerous! If you fall off, you'll die!"
Beetle cried angrily from behind her.
Rudi
sat up and held onto the railing. She turned around and pulled Beetle
up, too. "Come here. I want to check something out."
Noticing his hesitation, she accused, "Chicken."
"I'm
not cowardly," Beetle argued, "I just don't want this
adventure to be my last. Now what do you want to see?"
A
gust of wind hit them, swirling Rudi's hair around her head and into
her mouth. "I just realized," she spat, "that the
driver must be in league with those men. No normal rental driver
would drive two creepy guys to a small town, see them kidnap a little
girl, and then drive away totally nonchalantly while they tied the
kid up. It must be an accomplice, and if we see his face, we can
describe him to... um... Mr. Home."
"Holmes,"
Beetle corrected. "If we can see him without falling or being
seen ourselves, that sounds like a good idea. But can we pull it
off?"
Minutes
later, Rudi snuck a peek over the cabdriver's roof. Just then, the
carriage turned abruptly down a wooded lane. Rudi slid precariously
towards the edge and Beetle pulled her back immediately.
"My
hat!" cried Rudi sorrowfully, as her cherished headgear flopped
into the road and disappeared rapidly as they sped away.
"Better
than your head," Beetle reminded her. "Did you get a look
at the driver?"
"Hardly.
He was wearing a kerchief around his head, and I think he had a
mustache. Other than that, I couldn't tell."
After
several more moments, Beetle said, “I'm worried. The forest is
getting really thick. This would be a great place to hide a body...
or three..."
"Now
you're just trying to scare me," Rudi said, rolling her eyes.
"Look! We're coming to a fence!"
~
❧
~
Celestia
was less afraid and more annoyed by the time they reached the gate.
Instead of eating her, as she had expected, O. Boots had sat quietly
the whole way. Celestia decided that Anya must be the one to watch
out for. O. was actually pretty boring.
There
was a short pause, then a man opened O.'s door. "Mr. Boots,"
he reported unhappily, "the front gate is locked."
"Well,
use the telegraph machine and call the house," O. answered
imperiously. He obviously considered the man to be below his rank.
"Use your head, Neotoma."
"They
won't answer at the house," the man answered tensely. "Mr.
Boots, I think we would get along better if you called me by my
surname. Since we're colleges an' all."
"It's
colleagues,
and unless you are struck by lightning and gain vast intellect, I
will be calling you by your first name, as befits a peasant or
servant." O. stepped outside, then picked Celestia up and
dropped her into the man's arms. "Hold this, Neotoma," he
commanded, then inspected the home-made telegraph machine. "Perhaps
the line was cut."
"It's
Phinks," the man answered. "Neotoma Phinks, if you'd kindly
remember it." Celestia looked up. She saw that the look on
Neotoma's face matched his tone precisely: angry, but attempting to
be polite. It appeared that he could snap at any instant.
Just
then, an insect dropped out of Mr. Neotoma Phinks' eyebrow and into
his pointy mustache. Celestia was fascinated until she realized that
it was a louse, and watched in horror as it fastened itself onto his
upper lip.
Celestia
squirmed and made muffled sounds as she attempted to escape his grip.
O., who had been smoking a cigarette, told her to quit making noise,
then stated his plan for getting past the fence. "You climb
over, Neotoma, then I'll toss the girl to you. Then open the gate."
"But
why throw- but the fence is-" Phinks was trying to figure out
why O.'s plan seemed a little off when he caught sight of someone
coming down the driveway. "Ah, we're saved. It's Cass."
All
Celestia
could see of Cass was a blur of sky-blue fabric growing bigger. Then
she heard a young, soft voice welcoming them to home. "It even
looks like we have a guest! Will she be able to play with me?"
"No,"
O. answered bluntly. "Why didn't you respond to our messages,
Cassandra?"
"The
machine at the house is too complicated for me," she answered
sadly, then opened the gate. Everyone piled into the carriage and
they drove away.
Celestia
was unable to see their destination at all, squished as she was
between Neotoma and Cassandra. The latter turned out to be cheerful,
friendly, and only a few years Celestia's senior. Neotoma thwarted
her attempt to play a game with Celestia. At her insistence, O.
removed Celestia's gag.
"What's
your name?" Cassandra trilled.
Celestia
looked dour. "'and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the
pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver:
and they brought Joseph into Egypt.'" Then, to comfort herself,
"Oebalus Pugnax."
O.
shuddered and stuffed the gag back into her mouth. "I quite
preferred it when she didn't speak," he exclaimed.
"Creepy,"
Neotoma agreed. "Was that Shakespeare?"
~
❧
~
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