This was it. Jest like Saba had promised. This was the big gawdamn rumble. And she was ready. She was ready to move.
We draw back a bit an talk in whispers. Nell’s inside. That’s the first step. I’d feared Webb might be the excitable sort, that I’d hafta rein him in, but it turns out he’s steady. An he claims his Nell’s steady too. I hope so. She’ll need to be.
Lugh starts tellin us this plan he’s cooked up. It’s way too complicated an won’t ever work. But I keep my mouth shut. Let him have his say. It’ll gimme some time to think this through. I glance at Nero, who’s jest lofted into the branches above. He’s so well trained as a messenger, he might be the key. Meantime, I’ll keep my eye on what’s happenin. You never know what lucky chance might arise. I train the looker on the yard.
I catch the last flash of another girl, as she disappears back inside the bunkhouse. By her size it’s one we ain’t seen before. That’s four girls, plus Nell, an now this one makes six.
Emmi ran back inside and scrambled onto her bunk.
As a couple of the girls rushed to mop the tracks of mud, scolding her in low, furious voices, Nell said, Emmi? What is it? What’s up?
By now she’d pulled the wire cutter from the gap next to the wall. She jumped to the floor. Listen, she said. Listen! There ain’t much time! The girls fell silent and stared at her. At the cutters she held in her hand.
You stole that? said Frankie.
What do I care fer stealin? she said. My real name’s Emmi of the Free Hawks. I defeated the Tonton at Resurrection an Hopetown. My sister’s the mighty warrior they call the Angel of Death. She’s here, right now, in the woods with our fighters. They’re gonna take you back to yer families. An I’m gonna git you outta here. She held the cutter high. We’re gonna escape through the fence.
I know! said Nell. The buckets! We’ll pretend to weed. She seized the nearest one and dumped out the water. Here! She shoved it at Bly, who was standing there, open mouthed. Well, are you comin? she said.
Yes, said Bly.
Me too! Frankie jumped to her feet and emptied her bucket.
The Angel of Death! Lin clutched her scrub brush to her chest. Only just eight and timid to the bone, she’d do whatever her friend Runa did.
Don’t be afeared, she won’t hurt you, said Emmi.
Runa dumped out their buckets, saying, Me an Lin’s comin too. But today ain’t a garden work day. Becuz of the mud. An there ain’t no weeds to weed.
Now that the moment was here, Emmi was surprised at how cool she was. How calm. Just like Saba had told her to be. If we do it like we mean it, she said, nobody’ll say boo. They’ll think somebody else told us to weed. We walk there in a line, like normal. Nell goes first. Me last. When we git there, stick close together, right next to the fence. If there ain’t no weeds, pick the mud. Frankie, you keep watch. The rest of yuz, cover me while I cut the wire. Git ready to move fast when I tell you. If we do this quick an quiet, nobody’ll even know we’re gone. Don’t worry, I done loads of escapes. You ready?
They all nodded. Their eyes were wide and excited and fearful.
She put the cutter in her bucket. Let’s go, she said.
As I sweep the looker back to the bunkhouse, Nell slips out the door, bucket in hand. A little line of girls follows behind her, different ages an sizes, all carryin buckets. They’re makin a straight line fer the garden patch in front of us. Webb’s right, his Nell’s got a determined look about her.
Quick, this might be our chance, I says.
They hustle to crouch beside me. Look! says Tommo. At the back there!
I train the looker on the girl bringin up the rear. My heart stops. That stubborn chin. Them eyes. As big an blue as the sky.
Emmi! says Lugh. What’s she doin here?
Ohmigawd, I says.
The penny drops. Why nobody could find her the other mornin at the Lanes. She was gone. She was already here.
She followed us, I says. The other night. She’s bin here ever since. C’mon, we need to git closer.
We dodge our way to a big bull pine that crowds the fence next to the garden patch. The girls squelch their way through the mud an kneel near the wire, close together. They start dumpin handfuls of wet dirt in their buckets. I stare, puzzled fer a moment. Then I realize. From a distance, it’ll look like they’re weedin. This ain’t no lucky chance. Em saw Nero. She’s got a plan.
Lugh an Tommo huddle close to me. They know we’re here, I whisper. Lugh mouths it to Webb, behind the tree next to us. He nods.
There’s one girl on watch. She keeps checkin to see if anybody’s takin notice of ’em. Nobody is. The ducks paddle on the pond. The junkbarn work party bashes an clatters a good seventy foot away. Emmi scuttles right to the fence. She takes a wire cutter from her bucket an starts snippin. She has to use both hands.
Emmi, I hiss, it’s me! No, no, don’t look. Stop what yer doin an listen. What the hell’re you up to?
She keeps on cuttin. Whaddya think? she says. I’m cuttin the fence so these can escape. That’s why yer here. I told ’em so.
Emmi, stop! I says. We need more’n six to git out. D’you hear me, Em? Stop!
She don’t pay no heed. On she snips. We still okay, Frankie? she says.
All clear, says the girl on watch.
While they’re talkin, Webb’s sayin to me, I dunno whatever else you got planned, but my girl’s comin outta there right now.
Nell’s head shoots up. Pa, is that you?
It is, but you hush, girl, he tells her. Play it steady.
While they’re goin on, Lugh’s whisperin to me, I want Em outta there, Saba.
Listen, I says, there’s more at stake than—
Nearly done, says Emmi. I’m through. She throws down her cutter. Help pull it back, she tells Nell. Careful, mind yer fingers. They bend back a flap of wire. She’s cut a hole big enough fer a child to slip through. Go, Nell, quick!
Then it’s all happenin. All at once. All too fast.
As Nell bellies through the fence an Webb grabs her into his arms, Em’s sayin, Now you, Bly, an the blonde girl’s wriggled through the hole an Tommo’s pullin her behind the tree with us.
At that moment Frankie, the girl on watch, says, Emmi! He seen us! He’s comin!
A boy workin on the barn’s noticed what’s happenin here. He pelts towards the girls as fast as he can. Judgin by his speed, he aims to join ’em, not to stop ’em. The man in charge shouts, Where you goin? Git back here!
Other kids workin on the barn start to run this way.
Suddenly the man twigs. There’s kids escapin through the fence. Jest as he opens his mouth to yell, Lugh pulls Tommo from behind the tree. Lugh raises his arm an shouts, It’s okay! We got ’em!
The man sees what he thinks is two Tonton. They seem control of the trouble. He stops dead, not knowin what to do.
Meanwhile, Emmi’s goin, Lin! Runa! Come on!
The littlest girl’s froze to the spot. I cain’t! she says. They’ll catch us! They’ll beat me! She takes off, back towards the bunkhouse. Lin! her friend cries an races after her.
Em’s sayin, Frankie! Quick! An Frankie’s scramblin towards the fence an crawlin through. By now, the barn boy’s scant feet away an Em’s callin to him, Hurry!
Emmi, come through, that’s enough, says Lugh.