surprised.
“ Yes, sir.” He was on the verge of tears.
“ Did you spend them already?”
“ No, sir.”
“ What happened to them?” I asked.
“ I can’t tell you,” he said. “They’ll kill me.”
I laughed and squatted down beside him, no mean feat in a tunic that was a bit too short for comfort.
“ What’s your name?” I asked.
“ Kevin.”
“ They won’t kill you, Kevin. C’mon. Tell me what’s going on and we’ll go sort it out.”
The boy looked relieved. “It’s those ’Piscopals. They took everyone hostage.”
•••
It seems that while the tent-mothers were having their tea and Kimberly Walnut was worrying about the skit and the shopkeepers were putting all the crafts in order, the tribe of Issachar had taken over much of the camp, one tent at a time, with a stealth that had to be admired. The Naphtali tent was empty, but Kevin pointed silently to the next tent over. Benjamin. The flaps were closed and when I pulled them apart and stepped inside, I found ten scared children sitting in the corner of the tent, their hands bound behind them with leather thongs and Dewey standing guard over them, a spear in one hand and a sword in the other. He was wearing a leather breastplate over his tunic and a matching headband. Wrist bands and flip-flops completed the outfit.
“ Dewey,” I growled. “Come with me.”
Dewey’s eyes went wide and he followed me meekly out of the tent.
“ Kevin,” I said, “go inside and untie them. If you need help, go get your tent-mother.”
Kevin darted inside the tent, and I put an ominous hand on Dewey’s shoulder. “Which tent is next?” I asked.
Dewey pointed to the tent with the Zebulun sign in front. “We only used the ones that had flaps,” he said. “That way, we wouldn’t be discovered until our mission was accomplished.”
I walked him over to the Zebulun tent. “And what was your mission?”
“ To get all the coins, of course. That was my idea,” he said proudly. “Samantha planned it. She’s great!”
“ Then what?”
“ Then we take the coins to the candy shop, buy all the candy, and disappear.”
I opened the flaps, walked in and found the same situation that I’d found in the previous tent. This time it was Bernadette standing guard and twelve little frightened faces looking back at me. Bernadette looked like a Celtic warrior queen. Boudica, maybe. Her hair was wild and she was adorned with some sort of green face paint. She was leveling a spear at the nearest prisoner. Her face fell when she saw me come in. I took the spear out of her hand and snapped it in half.
“ The jig is up,” I said.
Kevin came running in a moment later. “The rest of them are in Asher,” he said.
I left Kevin to free the prisoners and took Bernadette and Dewey with me to the next tent. I pushed them in ahead of me and followed a moment later. Moosey and Samantha were sitting on the ground dividing a huge mound of candy into six smaller piles. Christopher was standing guard over about fifteen kids, not tied like the others, but all sitting quietly at the back of the tent. Christopher had a sword in one hand and a dagger in the other and would occasionally jab one of them toward a hostage in a threatening manner. Ashley was busy tying their ex-friend Robert to a tree stump that the Asher tent-mother had been using as a table. I was afraid to ask the reason. Some sort of sacrifice, I presumed.
“ Oh, crap,” said Samantha, when she saw me.
“ Oh, crap, indeed,” I replied. “The law is here. Let’s go.”
The six of them piled their weapons on the ground and lined up. “What about the candy?” asked Moosey.
“ Spoils of war, I think they call it,” I said. “Anyway, that’s the least of your problems. Your tent-mother is going to open up a can of whupass on you guys.”
“ You can’t say ‘whupass’ to us,” said Ashley. “We’re just little kids.”
•••
I wasn’t far off. Meg was so mad I thought
“ Yes, sir.” He was on the verge of tears.
“ Did you spend them already?”
“ No, sir.”
“ What happened to them?” I asked.
“ I can’t tell you,” he said. “They’ll kill me.”
I laughed and squatted down beside him, no mean feat in a tunic that was a bit too short for comfort.
“ What’s your name?” I asked.
“ Kevin.”
“ They won’t kill you, Kevin. C’mon. Tell me what’s going on and we’ll go sort it out.”
The boy looked relieved. “It’s those ’Piscopals. They took everyone hostage.”
•••
It seems that while the tent-mothers were having their tea and Kimberly Walnut was worrying about the skit and the shopkeepers were putting all the crafts in order, the tribe of Issachar had taken over much of the camp, one tent at a time, with a stealth that had to be admired. The Naphtali tent was empty, but Kevin pointed silently to the next tent over. Benjamin. The flaps were closed and when I pulled them apart and stepped inside, I found ten scared children sitting in the corner of the tent, their hands bound behind them with leather thongs and Dewey standing guard over them, a spear in one hand and a sword in the other. He was wearing a leather breastplate over his tunic and a matching headband. Wrist bands and flip-flops completed the outfit.
“ Dewey,” I growled. “Come with me.”
Dewey’s eyes went wide and he followed me meekly out of the tent.
“ Kevin,” I said, “go inside and untie them. If you need help, go get your tent-mother.”
Kevin darted inside the tent, and I put an ominous hand on Dewey’s shoulder. “Which tent is next?” I asked.
Dewey pointed to the tent with the Zebulun sign in front. “We only used the ones that had flaps,” he said. “That way, we wouldn’t be discovered until our mission was accomplished.”
I walked him over to the Zebulun tent. “And what was your mission?”
“ To get all the coins, of course. That was my idea,” he said proudly. “Samantha planned it. She’s great!”
“ Then what?”
“ Then we take the coins to the candy shop, buy all the candy, and disappear.”
I opened the flaps, walked in and found the same situation that I’d found in the previous tent. This time it was Bernadette standing guard and twelve little frightened faces looking back at me. Bernadette looked like a Celtic warrior queen. Boudica, maybe. Her hair was wild and she was adorned with some sort of green face paint. She was leveling a spear at the nearest prisoner. Her face fell when she saw me come in. I took the spear out of her hand and snapped it in half.
“ The jig is up,” I said.
Kevin came running in a moment later. “The rest of them are in Asher,” he said.
I left Kevin to free the prisoners and took Bernadette and Dewey with me to the next tent. I pushed them in ahead of me and followed a moment later. Moosey and Samantha were sitting on the ground dividing a huge mound of candy into six smaller piles. Christopher was standing guard over about fifteen kids, not tied like the others, but all sitting quietly at the back of the tent. Christopher had a sword in one hand and a dagger in the other and would occasionally jab one of them toward a hostage in a threatening manner. Ashley was busy tying their ex-friend Robert to a tree stump that the Asher tent-mother had been using as a table. I was afraid to ask the reason. Some sort of sacrifice, I presumed.
“ Oh, crap,” said Samantha, when she saw me.
“ Oh, crap, indeed,” I replied. “The law is here. Let’s go.”
The six of them piled their weapons on the ground and lined up. “What about the candy?” asked Moosey.
“ Spoils of war, I think they call it,” I said. “Anyway, that’s the least of your problems. Your tent-mother is going to open up a can of whupass on you guys.”
“ You can’t say ‘whupass’ to us,” said Ashley. “We’re just little kids.”
•••
I wasn’t far off. Meg was so mad I thought
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