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Rat settled the satchel full of supplies onto his shoulder, stared up the side of Independence at Boy and motioned for him to pull the ladder back onboard. It was a huge relief to see it go up, to know that Boy was following his instructions to the letter, and a bigger relief when the airship turned and headed away. Instead of standing on the ledge and watching his ship leave, Rat hugged the wall of the cliff and inched his way toward the cleverly concealed doorway.
The wind whipped at his clothes and forced him to pull his googles over his eyes, then to push his hair into the collar of his coat before he continued to edge nearer the doorway. The short trip felt as though it had taken forever, and worse still, he had no idea whether or not they would even allow him in. The thought made him look over his shoulder at his retreating airship. Maybe he should have had Boy and Molly hang around, at least until he knew one way or the other, but by now Independence had become little more than a small speck in the sky. Rat had been so busy making certain Boy and Molly would do as instructed that it hadn’t occurred to him that he might fail in his single-minded quest to warn Isa that her captors were on their way back to get her.
By the time Rat reached the doorway, every muscle in his body ached from the strain of such a slow and intense journey. But now what did he do? Knock? Try to break in? Little did Rat really believe, when he absently tugged at the handle, that the door would just smoothly slide open, but it did. Too stunned to enter, he stood for a moment in the darkened entrance and wondered if anyone had heard. When all remained quiet, he switched on the lights to his goggles, stepped in and closed the door behind him.
Then he noticed that the door could be locked from the inside and he muttered to himself, “Why on earth did they leave it unlocked? Anyone could come stumbling in at any time,” and he slid the lock into place. They clearly believed their remote location, the door’s camouflage and the dangerous trip up the mountainside were enough, although he doubted anyone knew it existed, anyway. But then, the four women had been abducted, so someone must know, which struck him as being more of a reason to keep people out.
Rat now turned to give his surroundings a more thorough examination. The light from his goggles, though, didn’t light much more than a couple feet in front of him, so he had to wait for his eyes to adjust to the dimness.
Rat was just cautiously moving forward when it seemed the sun had come out, the place now blazing under the glare of a series of overhead lights. They were like nothing he had ever seen before. Then, as his eyes once more adjusted, something caught his attention and he was startled to come face to face with another man. Rat pulled the hand pistol out of his jacket pocket and pointed it at the man, then realised he’d done the same.
“Rat. You’re a damn fool,” he sighed to himself, then pocketed the pistol and walked over toward the highly polished metal wall in which his reflection approached him. For the first time in his life, Rat stared at his full length image. It wasn’t a perfect reflection but it still fascinated him.
Once his surprise had subsided he looked around the small room in which he now found himself. It soon became clear he had a puzzle before him, for it comprised nothing more than four blank shiny walls, but for the way he’d come in. Where had Isa and the others gone after they’d entered?
The smell of fresh air and honey drew Rat to look behind him. There was Isa, her raven hair even more beautiful, clean and untangled. His surprise couldn’t block out his desire to feel it between his fingers again, but she looked so different now, no longer in dirty rags but a long yellow dress. The soft appearance of its material made him want to reach out and touch it, to feel the tiny pleats where it was gathered under her breasts. But then he met her steely-blue eyes and they held a warning that made him feel powerless. Her lips moved.
“I thought the next time I saw you you were supposed to have a basket of apples with you.”
He held out his empty hands. “Sorry, but Selena ate them all.”
Rat nodded toward the entrance. “I would have knocked but the door wasn’t locked.”
Isa crossed her arms and her blue eyes narrowed even more. “So you thought you would just come on in and make yourself at home.”
“You should really keep it locked,” but he found himself adjusting the strap of his satchel in his growing unease.
“We don’t get a lot of visitors up here, so it’s normally not a problem,” and then, fortunately, her expression softened. “But I guess we should rethink that now.”
“I locked it for you.” He stepped back when her expression hardened again.
“That was very presumptuous of you.”
Rat scratched his forehead. “I have no idea what that word even means.”
“It means that you assume far too much. You assumed I needed you poking your nose in where it doesn’t belong. It means we don’t need you telling us what we should or shouldn’t do, and it means you should not have come back here.”
He let out a long whistle. “That little word sure means a lot. Good word to remember the next time I want to keep my sentences short and simple.”
Isa rolled her eyes and finally grinned, gesturing that he follow her. “Well, I suppose, since you’re here, you might as well come on in.”
“Come in?” He looked around. “Come in where, and by the way, how did you get in here?”
Isa waved a small rectangular card against a spot on the wall. Like magic, double doors slid open to reveal a smaller room beyond. “Come on,” she said, grinning at his stunned expression. “It’s okay. I promise to take good care of you.”