The creaky old hay cart rambled out of the gates; it was stopped at the
gate to be thoroughly pitchforked. They were searching for two escaped
prisoners, unfortunately the Spanish guards did not think to look under the
extremely floppy hat of the tall cart driver.
They took no notice of the dirty young driver girl; evidently out to see the fort with her father, by the look of wide-eyed excitement on her face.
Besides a criminal would never be brave enough to go out in plain sight.
Or would they.
By the time they began to doubt, the hay cart was well into the city, and out the other side. Rumbling further inland.
Once inside the cover of forest, sparse as it was, the girl dismounted and unhooked the mule.
Then she turned it towards the city and slapped it into moving.
Jack stared after the beast as it lumbered back down the road. Then he turned towards the youth, who was wrapping a piece of rope she had taken from the cart round her shoulder.
"What'd ya do that for?" he asked in his usual impassive voice. She turned back to him, still sitting in the hay cart driver seat. She looked slightly surprised that he was still here.
"I've got horses", she explained casually.
"Ah, so you're gonna get the horses to pull the cart" he clarified, but she shook her head.
"No, the cart is too slow. We'd be caught" she saw his slightly creased brow, "We're going to ride the horses" she said slowly.
"What!" Jack yelped. "Oh no, I don't ride horses. Stupid animals" she arched an eyebrow at this and turned into the nearby bushes.
"You don't have to come if you don't want to" she called back crisply. Jack turned back to the city and spotted a guard of about 12 men galloping up the road at breakneck speed. His eyes widened and he chased after the lock picking, hay cart stealing, half-crazy teenage girl.
She wasn't far ahead; when he caught up she was taking pirate steps to get somewhere, although it all looked the same to Jack. She took eight right, then three right again and pushed back a few leaf litter to reveal a rope. Which she pulled hard on, lifting a door to a passage way in the orange cliff face in front of them both. She concealed the rope and entered.
Jack followed without hesitation.
****************************************************************
They took no notice of the dirty young driver girl; evidently out to see the fort with her father, by the look of wide-eyed excitement on her face.
Besides a criminal would never be brave enough to go out in plain sight.
Or would they.
By the time they began to doubt, the hay cart was well into the city, and out the other side. Rumbling further inland.
Once inside the cover of forest, sparse as it was, the girl dismounted and unhooked the mule.
Then she turned it towards the city and slapped it into moving.
Jack stared after the beast as it lumbered back down the road. Then he turned towards the youth, who was wrapping a piece of rope she had taken from the cart round her shoulder.
"What'd ya do that for?" he asked in his usual impassive voice. She turned back to him, still sitting in the hay cart driver seat. She looked slightly surprised that he was still here.
"I've got horses", she explained casually.
"Ah, so you're gonna get the horses to pull the cart" he clarified, but she shook her head.
"No, the cart is too slow. We'd be caught" she saw his slightly creased brow, "We're going to ride the horses" she said slowly.
"What!" Jack yelped. "Oh no, I don't ride horses. Stupid animals" she arched an eyebrow at this and turned into the nearby bushes.
"You don't have to come if you don't want to" she called back crisply. Jack turned back to the city and spotted a guard of about 12 men galloping up the road at breakneck speed. His eyes widened and he chased after the lock picking, hay cart stealing, half-crazy teenage girl.
She wasn't far ahead; when he caught up she was taking pirate steps to get somewhere, although it all looked the same to Jack. She took eight right, then three right again and pushed back a few leaf litter to reveal a rope. Which she pulled hard on, lifting a door to a passage way in the orange cliff face in front of them both. She concealed the rope and entered.
Jack followed without hesitation.
****************************************************************