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Chapter Seven
Little Bo Peep has found her sheep
Wherein there are rescues, explosions, and running
Night had fallen and Jack was resting in a meditative state; Irina didn’t have a monopoly on them, the benefits of sleep while still being alert. He’d gotten used to Marshall’s snores so the quiet clunk of rock on rock caught his attention. A few more clunks sounded allowing him to determine that they were coming from the vicinity of the window behind him. He opened his eyes enough to watch out of the corner of one eye. Shortly the dull gleam of metal moved into the corner of his vision, then a gun followed by Sydney slid into his sight. Her head turned in his direction and when she spotted him her face lit up in a smile and she hurried over to him.
“Dad! Are you okay?” she whispered while beginning to work on his restraints.
“I’m fine,” he quietly returned. More movement at the edge of his vision drew his attention and a sharp frown to his features.
Sark’s blonde head moved across the room, barely sparing them a glance, as he moved to the door. Once there he cracked the door open and stood listening and watching the hallway with one eye.
“Sydney,” he gravely and disappointedly said.
She flashed him a smile as she moved to his other hand, “I promised him you wouldn’t shoot him.”
He sighed tiredly as Sydney moved to unfasten his ankles. It was clear to him now that Sydney had left a few things out in her explanation of her disappearance directly relating to Sark. She had told him they had worked together to get home, but something else must have transpired that she’d be willing to bring him with her. He didn’t even want to think about how she knew how to contact him on short notice.
Once free he stood from the chair, working out some of his cramped muscles. Sydney was holding out a gun to him, but she didn’t release it once he had a hold of it.
“I promised,” she bit her lip.
“But I didn’t,” he reminded her, slanting his gaze to the door and Sark.
“It was tactically sound to have backup coming here,” she tried to rationalize.
“But Sark?” he raised an eyebrow.
“Who else? Vaughn?” she quietly snapped.
Privately he smiled at her subtle insult of the other agent, he was happy that she was moving on from her crush of the other man. He slid his eyes again to Sark, but perhaps not in a very appropriate direction. Time was passing swiftly.
“Very well. I’ll refrain from shooting him, for now,” he gravely told her.
She flashed him a blindingly brilliant smile, “Thanks Dad.”
She hurried over to Marshall who had managed to sleep through the whole rescue attempt so far. “Marshall,” she softly shook his shoulder.
Marshall jerked awake and Sydney put a hand over his mouth, just in case. Once sure he wasn’t going to yell she removed her hand and started on his bonds.
“Syd! Am I glad to see you! Your dad said you’d come….” he trailed off looking over Sydney’s shoulder to the door. “Sydney,” he hissed, “Sark’s here.”
She smiled indulgently at him, “I know. He’s helping.”
While a bug eyed Marshall looked on Sark closed the door and shrugged off his pack, “Someone’s coming.” He then proceeded to pull out a block of explosive and attached it to the doorframe.
Jack looked on in begrudging approval as Sark then pulled out a detonator cap and a trip wire, rigging the explosive to blow when someone opened the door.
“Alright let’s go,” Sydney pulled a free Marshall from his chair and hustled him towards the window. “It’s a steep climb but we’ll have gravity on our side.”
Marshall gave a quiet ‘meep!’ as she helped him over the window ledge. Jack waited for Sark to re-cross the room.
“Mr. Bristow.”
“Sark,” he narrowly eyed the younger man then brought up the rear of their procession.
The fortress was built into the rocky mountain making it easy for them to scramble down the slope. They hadn’t gotten too far when an explosion threw their footing out from underneath them.
Waving dust from his face Jack turned his head from where he was clinging to a protruding rock. Marshall was wedged between two large rocks and looked fine although a bit squished. Sark was lying on his back on an outcropping with Sydney sprawled over him, neither seemed to be in a hurry to move.
“Keep moving,” he snapped as he slid down, un-prying Marshall.
The explosion, while no doubt stopping anyone from following them, also had the unfortunate effect of calling unwanted attention their way. They made it down to level footing, but were spotted by a sentry despite the darkness. Sydney took off in the lead as the sound of horns drew more soldiers to their position.
Fortunately they had a head start, but unfortunately they didn’t know the terrain as well. Sydney was obviously trying to lead them in a certain direction, but it seemed there was always a patrol of trolls, with dogs, in the direction they wanted. They scurried into a corpse of trees after they had to turn away again from the predetermined path. They used the cover to take a breather, Marshall collapsed on the ground, gulping in deep breaths of air.
Bent over with hands on her knees, Sydney tried to explain the situation, “The mirror opening is in the Beanstalk Forest, but that’s to the south of us and they’re cutting us off, forcing us north.”
Marshall made faint choking noises, but as he was still breathing no one paid attention.
“There’s another mirror in the 4th Kingdom,” she pointed east, “But they’re cutting us off from that direction as well.”
“What’s to the north?” Jack asked, trying to come up with a plan, yet slightly put out by the utterly unbelievable situation.
“A bay or gulf of water, across which is the 2nd Kingdom,” Sark supplied.
Sydney nodded, “I think it had something about wolves and gingerbread houses.”
Marshall made more choked noises.
“Would we find boats there?” Jack questioned.
Sydney and Sark exchanged glances then shrugged. “Don’t know. If we make it to the 2nd Kingdom we can then walk a short distance across to the 4th Kingdom,” Sydney offered as horns and dogs barking sounded in the distance.
They levered up Marshall and started off again.
They had been traveling sometime, northerly, the faint sounds of pursuit behind them when Marshall fell down and didn’t get right back up. He rolled over, “Sorry…tired.”
Everyone stopped and Jack could see that even Sydney and Sark were starting to tire. Looking around he tried to assess their options. They had been moving through a wooded area and he could hear, over laboured breathing, what sounded like running water, a creek perhaps.
“It sounds like a creek or river up ahead. If we walk in it a ways that should confuse the dogs and we’ll try to find some cover to rest,” he authoritatively announced.
With some grumbling Marshall was once again hoisted up and they made their way to the creek. It was only about calf high, but it would suit their purpose.
Jack took up the rear position and watched darkly as Sark would put a hand on Sydney’s elbow occasionally to assist her or she would smile at him. Every now and then one would whisper something to the other and maybe laugh lowly.
“Dad,” Sydney turned to look back at him and pointed up ahead. A rocky outcropping could be made out in the moonlight.
Nodding slightly they waded along the creek as far as they could before they clambered out. Fortunately the ground was quite rocky; it would help cover their tracks. Sydney helped a severely tired Marshall as they climbed the slight incline. The outcropping had several nooks and crannies where they could hole up and get some sleep.
Finding a suitable one Sydney produced a blanket from her pack and Marshall instantly dropped to sleep after wrapping himself up.
“I’ll take first watch,” Jack said and when Sydney looked like she was going to argue, “When did you last sleep?”
She smiled sheepishly, “It’s probably been almost 18, 20 hours.”
He nodded, “I’ll wake you at dawn, which should be in a couple of hours. I’ll rest for a couple more hours then we need to be on the move again.”
He placed himself just inside the opening of their nook where he had a view of the surrounding area. A glance back showed him that Sydney and Sark had curled up in their separate cloaks, facing each other. His lips pulled down into a frown as he turned his attention outwards, one problem at a time.
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