Fitzhugh laid the bangstick across a corner of his desk. That piece of furniture was scarred and worn, and the weapon looked right at home. “Maybe now that Shaw’s out of the equation we can fight some kind of real war. Maybe.”
As Fitzhugh lounged into his wooden chair, Ariel leapt nimbly onto the desk and began nibbling at the bowl of comestibles which the major always kept there for her.
“You’re getting fat,” grumbled Fitzhugh. Ariel waggled her tailless rump in cheerful agreement. “The daughter—if found,” continued the major, “would probably be more of the same as her father. Cronies for general staff, and war-materials-contracts for buddies.”
He sat up straight and reached for a pile of as-yet-unstudied intelligence reports from the front. “Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say. I wouldn’t be surprised if who ever did it was trying to do the war effort a favor. Ought to be decorated, if anybody wants my opinion.”
He started scrutinizing the first report. Sourly: “Which they don’t.”
Chapter 7: Even heroines need to eat.
Virginia had gotten over feeling nauseated . . . eventually. Naturally enough, she hadn’t gotten over being scared. But enough time in the unchanging darkness passed for her to start thinking, puzzling things out and piecing them together.
“How did we get here, Fluff?”
He nuzzled her neck. “I don’t know, Virginia.”
“Last I saw you, you were clinging to the back of the car.”
“Um. You don’t remember any more?” Fluff sounded distinctly embarrassed.
“No.” She tried, but it had just . . . vanished. “Tell me how we got here?”
“I woke up here. Just like you,” answered Fluff.
Fluff was definitely being evasive. “I saw you outside the car, Fluff. Where did we go? How did we get captured? And is the Professor all right?”
“I don’t know, Virginia.”
“Then how did you get here, Fluff?”
There was a silence. Then, in a small voice: “Inside your blouse.”
“What?!”
“But I was unconscious! I swear it! On my mother’s grave—I swear it, Señorita!”
When Fluff was deeply disturbed he went all Spanish. That was a side effect of his Cervantes download.
“Tell, Fluffy.”
The galago hated to be called Fluffy. But—it was a sign that all was forgiven. So:
“The car stopped . . . the policemen came closer, and the Professor opened the door. I jumped in. I do not think he noticed. You were . . . asleep . . . I was a little, um, upset. I burrowed into your blouse. The door closed . . . and then I woke up with you. Here. I explored this cell and I found this hole. I looked out and there were Magh’. Then I heard you speak. That is all.”
“So, maybe they don’t know you’re here! The Magh’ must have captured the Professor, too. Oh, I hope they aren’t torturing him! We must escape, Fluff, and rescue him!”
“How are we going to escape, Virginia?”
“You can get out, Fluff. You must steal the key to my cell. We can unlock the door and go and rescue the Professor.”
He nuzzled her neck. “Um. There is no door, Virginia.”
“But . . .”
“We are walled in. There is just the air hole. And I do not know if I can squeeze through it.”
“But we’ll starve!” Already, just thinking about it, she felt hungry and thirsty. “Or will we die of thirst first?”
“Never fear, Virginia. I—Fluff!—will go out and find food and drink for my beloved!” The little creature shivered on her shoulder.
“Oh, Fluff! What’s wrong, dearest?”
The galago was silent for a moment. Then: “It is all very strange. I’m frightened.”
“Then stay.”
“No! A hidalgo must do what he must do. Honor demands it! I shall go.”
“Just be careful. Please. You’re not really a hidalgo, you know. You’re a galago who’s way less than a foot tall and weighs hardly anything.”
Fluff bounced off her shoulder. “For you, I dare anything! I will prove to you I am a hidalgo.” She heard him scrabbling at the air inlet.
Then, seconds later, there was a muffled voice . . . Fluff’s. “I’m stuck.”
“I can pull your tail,” she offered.