Chapter 23

Meetings

Sylvie and Taryn woke up to the sound of the back door opening. The past few days had been that of endless twisting roads that threw them roughly into the walls and back into space. Other times, the truck would sway like it was on a playground swing. It was all Sylvie could do not to sob in terror at those times. The lack of light made telling time impossible for them. It oozed by, seemingly frozen for them, leaving Sylvie alone with her thoughts. Many of them were bleaker than the last. She had no idea what would be in store for them when they made it to where they were going. The kidnappers had not been very talkative when they were fed and watered, and when they were let out to sleep at night. If not for those times, Sylvie would be hard-pressed to tell what day it was at all. She vaguely wondered if it was a way for them to torment her, stripping her of her ability to tell time so she could never predict what would happen.

"Come on then." It was the rough voice of Big John. She had learned to recognize his voice easily. "Time to get out."

Sylvie uncurled from her position. She had stopped standing on her feet as the last few miles had been so bad, she had feared she would be thrown from her hooves and hurt. The leash on its hook had kept her upper body faced towards the wall to keep the awful collar from choking her. As it was, the jolts had sometimes had her gagging and heaving for breath. Sylvie could not recall a more miserable trip in her life.

As she stepped out of the back and was gently led down the ramp, a wall of sound suddenly assaulted her. There were horses neighing, lions roaring, men and women yelling and talking to each other, equipment and trucks rumbling through…the sheer amount of noise was frightening to her. She shrank back in an attempt to get away from the aural bombardment. How is this possible? Sylvie wondered. I thought they had no clue where Nightshade was. Sylvie was frightened. She had thought it would take them several more days to get to the camp the men had mentioned their first day in Mexico. She had counted on another escape attempt. Now, with this many more eyes on them, escape seemed more remote than before.

"Come on. We're here." Big John said a little more gruffly. He emphasized his point by giving a hard tug on the leash.

Sylvie gasped where the collar rubbed her raw skin. Though hardened by her long incarceration with it, the recent road and constant wear had worn away much of her skin and made it very painful. Suppressing a wince, she slowly walked back down into the chaos of the camp.

"That's much better." Big John said with satisfaction. "Go get the other one." He ordered.

The handler brushed past Sylvie as he walked into the truck. Sylvie listened as he told Taryn to get up. The sound of her hooves clopping on the metal bed of the truck reassured Sylvie that her friend was OK. They had been unable to communicate except during their breaks, and then only with their eyes. Sylvie felt Big John was paranoid, especially with his security measures. She had to admit however, it made planning an escape especially difficult.

As they were led through the circus, Sylvie could hear the bustle die down as people caught sight of them. It was so very strange to be able to tell what people were doing while still not being able to see herself. None of her bindings had been removed, and her blindfold and gag were still in. She had to step gingerly lest she tripped. The sound of Taryn at her heels encouraged her and gave her hope-wherever they were being led they were still together.

A sudden incline beneath her and the sound of hooves on wood told her she was on a ramp. A cessation of wind and the feel of sun on her skin told her she was inside, a fact that was confirmed by the sound of a door closing after Taryn had been led in behind her.

"Ah, John. You've found my wayward packages. Excellent." There was a slight sneer in the voice as it regarded them. Sylvie stiffened at the voice. She had heard that voice described to her by her father, it could only be Nightshade.

"There was a slight complication on extraction, Mr. Nightshade." Big John replied.

"Oh?" Nightshade asked a shade anxiously.

"Yes. Two dead on pickup. An elderly couple that was sheltering the targets. Recon indicates that it was Ben Gardner's parents."

Nightshade sighed, somehow still sounding refined. Sylvie briefly wondered how he managed to make that sound high-class. "I should have expected complications and planned accordingly. Now, it appears I will have to rethink some of my strategy. I'm not particularly worried however. Venezuela is not known for its prompt extradition."

Venezuela! This is so not good. Sylvie thought in a panic. The farther we are from the border, the harder it will be for Mom and Dad to find us. That was her real hope, that somehow her father would find her and take her back home. The chances of that now seemed remote.

"Well. There's no need to be rude to our esteemed guests. John, could you please remove these troublesome bindings?"

A sharp knife slid between her wrists and cut the bindings, causing her to yelp. She hadn't even heard him draw the knife. Bright light assaulted her vision as the blind was removed, and she flexed her aching jaw muscles for the first time in hours as the ball gag was taken away. As the room started to come into focus, she found herself in a richly appointed office. The walls were paneled in some kind of dark wood, possibly teak, and were adorned in several paintings and pictures. The light came from recessed bulbs in the ceiling, while smaller spotlight-style lights centered on the room's desk and occupant. The desk was a massive piece that easily took up most of the space in the room. It was about the size of her! It appeared to be carved from some light sand-colored wood that brightened the room considerably. Finished with the room, Sylvie's gaze focused on the person seated behind the desk.

Nightshade hadn't changed much since the last time Sylvie had seen him. His suit was as immaculate as always, the brass buttons on his black ringmaster's uniform polished to an eye-tearing brightness. He had his hands folded in front of him and a slight smile on his face. His eyes had a slightly amused gleam to them as they watched Taryn be freed from her bindings. As the ball gag was removed, she tried to speak to him, but it came out a slight croaking sound. Seeing Taryn's difficulty, Sylvie tried to speak herself, but all that emerged from her was a frog's call. Seeing them like that caused Nightshade's smile to widen slightly. "John, could you ask for a glass of water for our guests? I do believe they wish to wet their throats."

A glass was rudely shoved into her hands, but Sylvie didn't care at all. She eagerly downed the offered water. As the liquid coursed down her throat, she wanted to scream in pain. That water was cold! Cursing slightly under her breath, Sylvie moderated her drinking to sips to warm the water before swallowing. It was so hard not to down the water in one gulp. Sylvie warily regarded the man opposite her over the lip of her glass, struggling to control the anger welling up inside her. Here this man kidnapped her and Taryn, murdered Mr. and Mrs. Gardner, and he was acting like it was all another day at the office. One day, she promised, I will make sure you get exactly what you deserve. Nightshade noticed and gave her an enigmatic smile. This prodding around was wasting time, but Sylvie didn't dare anger him yet. Nightshade held all the plays in this game, she would have to react to the calls he made, for now.

"Are you enjoying your water?" Nightshade asked politely.
As if you didn't already know. Sylvie seethed. Out-loud, she said, "Yes, Mr. Nightshade." He arched an eyebrow at her, and she added a belated "Thank you".

"There you go. I find that civility is sadly lacking amongst this young generation. Your generation, I suppose. You'll have to learn them while you stay with us."

Ha! Sylvie thought, that's a good one! She had no intention of staying long enough for Nightshade to teach her anything. Taryn apparently echoed that sentiment, for she spoke up: "Mr. Nightshade, you must surely realize that our parents are looking for us, and that the law will catch up with you. If you let us go…"

Nightshade interrupted her with a merry bark of laughter. "I sincerely doubt that your parents will find you here. They simply lack the resources, even if they knew where to go. I also don't think that there will be much danger of them getting additional help. They want to keep your existence a secret. No, my dear," he finished, shaking his head, "While I'm sure a select few are looking for you, they will not find you easily. I'm sure you and I will have many years of each other's company ahead of us." He smiled. Sylvie shuddered at that smile, and the tone of conviction in his voice. My god, he truly believes that he will have years to play with us! Sylvie grimly determined to get the hell out of there at the earliest possible moment.

Nightshade pushed a button, causing one of the far doors to open, and an unpleasant-looking woman to step out. She was very massive, broad-shouldered woman with not an ounce of fat on her, anywhere. She had long, black hair that was done up in a sever bun. Her face reminded Sylvie of a hawk or eagle, hook-nosed and predatory. Taken together, Sylvie had never seen such an unpleasant looking person in her entire life.

"Ms. Sylvie, Ms. Taryn, I would like you to meet your trainer, Ms. Halls." Nightshade introduced her with a flourish, as if he was giving them a big present. Sylvie eyed her with the same enthusiasm as a prisoner to her jailer.

"She will be getting you settled in and your schedules set up." Nightshade continued as if he was quoting from a lecture.

"Wait a minute, sir." Taryn interrupted. Everyone stopped and looked at her in surprise, making her shrink a little. Nightshade seemed surprised at the interruption, but he quickly recovered and looked at Taryn with the utmost attention. She flushed but continued on. "Sir, you've kidnapped us, murdered our best friend's parents", her voice turned sad at the mention of Ben's parents, "and have taken us hundreds of miles from our homes. What on earth makes you think that we will still meekly submit?"

Nightshade smiled at her as if she was the brightest student in his class. "I'm so glad you asked me that, Ms. Taryn. I will tell you simply. Unfortunately, I have decided that only Ms. Sylvie will be appearing in my show. You are merely my insurance that she will do as I say. If she fails, or escapes, then Ms. Taryn I am afraid that you will become a liability to my show."

The flat tone with which he finished frightened Sylvie. There was no way she would stand for that! "Don't you dare hurt her." Sylvie blurted out.

Nightshade turned towards her, unruffled. "My dear, what will happen to your friend is entirely up to you. You do as we ask, and nothing will happen. Fail…" he let the silence stretch for a long moment before shrugging eloquently. "Now," he continued briskly, "I think that is enough of this talk, you have busy days ahead of you, I suggest that you turn in and get a full night's sleep."

The suggestion sounded good to Sylvie, she could hardly wait. The moment she was out of everyone's sight, she would get Taryn and they would be gone out of there faster than they could say "centaur run"!

"Oh, yes. One more thing." Nightshade said calmly.

,Uh-oh! Sylvie thought. She worried that he might have figured out what she had been thinking. His next words seemed to confirm that.

"Your rooms will be a little uncomfortable at first, but don't worry. As you demonstrate your trustworthiness to me, that will change." Nightshade said calmly.

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Uncomfortable was right! Sylvie had been hustled from the meeting with Nightshade by Big John, while Taryn was taken away by the woman. Being split up was bad enough, but now she was stuck in a cell smaller than the truck she had been traveled in! Although, it was a serious improvement in that it wasn't moving at all. Still, the room's door was a big steel affair that was locked outside, and the window was far too small for her to fit through. The wood, upon closer inspection, turned out to be paneling covering a thick metal frame. Experimentally, she had turned around and kicked at it, but found that it wouldn't budge. However, the paneling hadn't stopped the sound from reverberating around her room. It sounded like she was in the middle of a giant bell, and the only thing that she had gotten from it was a splitting headache. Sylvie was now in the middle of the room, standing upright while she churned furiously, trying to think like Taryn.

Sylvie wished, not for the first time, that Taryn was in there with her. Taryn had the smarts of the pair. She could probably have found a way out of the cell by now and been long gone. In a way, Sylvie hoped she had found a way out of there. She didn't want Taryn in the clutches of that woman or Big John, but she especially didn't want her in the grip of Nightshade. There was no telling what that man would do to her. Sylvie had once seen a diamond-back rattlesnake being fed in the zoo. Even behind the glass, the serpent had exuded a cold arrogance, calculating and remote as it focused on its prey. Then it had struck so fast that Sylvie had been unable to see more than a blur. The rat had twitched twice as the bite took effect, wrapped in the strong coils. It had died in seconds, helpless and in terror. Sylvie was deathly afraid that Taryn would be die like that rat by Nightshade if Sylvie tried to escape.

An uncomfortable thought came to Sylvie. If she proved to recalcitrant to Nightshade's "teachings" would he punish Taryn instead of her? Nightshade would definitely be capable of that motion. Sylvie began to realize that it was her that was trapped in Nightshade's coils, waiting for the strike to finish her.

"God," she whispered tearfully, "Please help us."