Bartonâ¦â said Deidre soothingly. âThere are no sheep. Thereâs nothing here.â
The warriors managed to hold their breath under the mud until the humans had led a jabbering Alice away to the showers. Then, when everyone had gone, they slipped back out through the gap in the fence.
âWhy did she scream like that?â asked Oxo, as they trotted away from the scene of all the noise and fuss.
âWe frightened her, man,â said Links. âEven fairy godtingys get fright when theyâre woken up too quick.â
âWeâd frighten anyone looking like this,â moaned Jaycey. âLook at my poor fleece. Look at my hooves. Look at myâ¦â
âI donât suppose,â said Wills, before Jaycey could add to the list, âyou saw their truck from the top of the geyser? The one they call Trevor?â
Jaycey thought, then shrugged. âUmmâ¦It was over that way, I think.â She nodded vaguely in several directions.
âMaybe we should find it and wait for the godtingy there,â Wills suggested. âWhile sheâs getting over her fright.â
⢠⢠â¢
It took a lot of chamomile tea and concerned attendants bathing her forehead to settle Alice down. And a lot of showering to wash the gray mud off. And a lot of very expensive perfume to mask the smell of bad eggs. Nobody had mentioned how much that lingered. âMe Timeâ had been a disaster but Alice was determined to get a grip. The stakes were too high to be frightened off by a bunch of sheep. No matter who was behind them. She strode from the changing room, ready for anything, and with not a hair out of place.
Shelly and Deidre were waiting. Deidre looked worried.
âRight, poppets,â said Alice, with a brisk smile. âBrisbane.â
âDâyou want the good news or the bad news?â asked Shelly.
Alice flinched, but only inwardly. âThe bad,â she said, still smiling.
âIâm afraid the airportâs closed, Miss Barton,â said Deidre. âFor a week. Theyâre relaying the runway.â
âAnd the good news?â
Deidre wasnât sure if it was good news or not. âUm, Skipper Ed phoned. Destiny âs been repaired. Heâs moored at Rotapangimouth. Awaiting your instructions.â
âWhereâs Rotapangimouth?â asked Alice.
âMouth of the Rotapangi River, strangely,â said Shelly. âAbout half an hourâs drive from here.â
âAnd how long will it take to sail from there to Brisbane?â
âDepends how fast your boat is. Three days?â
Alice counted quickly on her fingers. âExcellent. Weâll still be in time. Deidre, phone Captain Ted and tell him we sail today. Then call a taxi.â She looked at Shelly. âTrevor is historyâexcept as a luggage wagon. Meet us at the quayside.â
Five minutes later, Alice and Deidre were being whisked away in a posh car.
Shelly was quite happy to have Trevor to herself for a bit. She climbed in, made to start the engine, then stopped. And sniffed.
âWhat the kiwi juice is that?â she said.
She turned and saw five mud-covered sheep blinking at her from the rear seat. Shelly blinked back.
It was a quick journey. Shelly took the back roads and arrived at Rotapangimouth quayside ten minutes before Alice and Deidre.
âOutâ¦â she said, holding Trevorâs door open for the warriors. It was an order but Shelly was laughing. âAnd donât tell her I brought you here. Go on, move.â She grinned as the sheep wandered away. âMaybe see you in Oz.â
âWhatâd she say?â asked Oxo.
âSee you in Oz,â replied Wills. âI think thatâs the same as Australia. Which is the other part of Down Under.â He stopped and stared. âLook!â
They looked. And saw that they were standing slap bang in front of a large, sleek motor cruiser. The same motor
C. J. Cherryh
Learning to Kill: Stories
John O'Riley
Brenda Sinclair
Christopher George
Stephen Lloyd Jones
Karl Iagnemma
Celya Bowers
Jill Gregory
Aria Cunningham