Hi,
I'm here again, with a brand new story. Ok, not so new, but for me English readers it is.
It's another part of my famous series. :DDDDD So please read the precious stories (New friends, The storm, Snyssa, The Ability to Forgive) before, you start this one.
Disclaimer: I don't own the main characters. They are form Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World. :)
I had to thank everybody, who read my previous stories, and who wrote a review.
Thank you Kssarah, for your help!
I dedicate this story mostly to the members of the Lost World Discussion Board. They are very kind and I had a lot of fun posting to them my thoughts, and getting nice answers.
After the peace became frequently in the treehouse, something had to happen. Am I right?
Dear reader, this time I will guide you to a mysterious land with a story full of adventure, action, fun and romance.
Enjoy yourself!
Just a nice picnic...
The Inner Sea was as beautiful as ever. The sun was shining, the sky was a clear blue and only rarely could be heard the sound of dinosaurs roaring. The women of the treehouse were enjoying a wonderful afternoon.
"It was high time we got out for a little while." Veronica lazily spoke as she stretched out on the ground. "I felt myself locked up."
"Yes, especially after the boys left us to go fishing last week." Added Marguerite as she took a sip of her orange juice."
"I don't know" said Charlotte, sitting up to take out a banana from their pack. "I have a bad feeling."
"Should we know something?"
"No, there's nothing special... It's just a feeling..."
" You have better have a drink. It will make you more relaxed ." Laughed Marguerite and the others joined in.
Suddenly they became alert of movement behind some rocks. But before they could do anything, a door opened in the rocks and men on horseback rode thru the opening and surrounded them. The women didn´t get a chance to grab their weapons, because the men grabbed them and quickly tied their hands.
One of the men jumped down from his horse to examine the captives.
"Well! Women. Beautiful women. Abdul will be glad!" With a disgusting grin on his face he held a hand out for Charlotte, but she backed away. He angrily grabbed her.
"Release her or you´ll regret it!" Growled Veronica.
The man turned away from Charlotte and stepped over to the blond. He ran his eyes over her, than wordlessly turned toward Marguerite.
"A shy and a wild one. Both are very enjoyable. But what is like the third one?"
"It depends on the situation." She answered.
"A sly one! We have great success, men!" he shouted "Take them!"
In the treehouse everything was in chaos. The men were packing their rucksacks with water supplies and emergency equipment.
"Come on John! Can it not be that they´re just simply enjoying themselves?" asked Richard as he followed his cousin around the tree house. "They went out because they wanted to be alone for a while. You know speak about women things and so on..."
"I don´t care! Four hours is far too long for a simple get away. Anything can happen in four hours. "
"He´s right." Added Challenger as he stepped into the elevator. "Malone, bring the first aid kit!"
"I´ve got it!" he answered running after him.
"Well? What are you waiting for?" Roxton asked Richard
"Women cause trouble..." He murmured, than grabbed his hat and pistol to follow the others.
After they stepped into the rockwall, they find themselves in a secret corridor. They rode for maybe a half an hour, than they arrived at a city. It seemed like a bazaar from the mysterious east. Narrow alleys, crowded streets, little huts and many-many loud stall-keepers. In the distance a beautiful palace could be seen and their captors lead the women towards it. Veronica who had been looking for an escape from the moment they were captured now saw an opportunity. She pushed Marguerite to the ground and started to run. The guards immediately started after her, and when an unguarded Charlotte turned to help the fallen heiress, Marguerite just shouted at her to run. And she did . She ran as fast as she could, but she didn´t know where to go.
"I knew there was trouble, I felt it," said Malone, as he picked up one of the picnic baskets.
"I don´t know, if I have ever mentioned it, but in my opinion Women cause..."
" ...Trouble. Challenger finished Richard´s sentence. "Yes, you´ve told us many times."
"Horses, they were outnumbered. Not even a chance to escape. But the trails are disappearing at the rocks," said Roxton "I should have come with them..." He added in a whisper.
"Maybe, a secret passage?" Asked Ned, as he patted the hard rock-wall.
"What are you searching?" asked Richard as he stepped closer.
"A key." Explained Challenger " A little rock, a brunch, a spot that..."
"Something like this?" Richard asked as he pushed a small stone and the rock opened.
"Yes!" cried Malone "that was great Redgrave!"
Richard grinned proudly, but not for long, because the worried hunter was quickly moving his way down the hidden corridor.
The door of the dungeon opened and the guards pushed in the heiress. She managed to hold her balance and didn´t fall.
"Thanks for this hospitality guys, but would you be so kind a tell my why I am here?"
The guard only growled low and went away without a word.
"I will not forget your kindness until my dying day." Than added. "Or until yours."
"If you´re lucky, you´ll be a part of the harem," said a voice behind her.
Marguerite turned around to find a black haired women sitting in the corner. She wore a dark long robe and her black eyes shined through the mist.
"Luck? Why? What will you be?"
"By tomorrow dead."
The three man arrived at the marketplace. They soon became the center of attention.
"Well? What´s your advice, Chalenger? Mix up in the crowd?" Asked Malone
"No, rather, follow me."
They walked into a nearby alley. When they were sure no one was watching, the professor stopped.
"Put the guns, hats, and everything else unusual for this place here in the bags. We must be plain and simple."
"And now?" Richard asked as he closed his bag.
"Now, we go separate directions. Said Roxton, "Am I right professor?" Challenger nodded. Roxton continued: "Let´s try to get more information or find them and we´ll meet in the bar at the end of this alley in an hour."
"Bar? I like that idea?" Grinned his cousin.
"Then hurry. Be careful. Don´t forget that it won´t help if you also get caught," reminded the professor as he stared directly at Roxton. Roxton nodded and the men split up to start their search.
Marguerite nervously paced the cell floor as she listened to her cellmate´s story.
"You are telling me, that if you don´t marry him to legitimize his power, he will execute you for breaking the law?"
The girl nodded yes.
"My father was poisoned and in his delirious state he ordered me to become the wife of my cousin. If I do this, I break moral law, if not, I break an imperial order.
"And you are the only heir?"
"Yes. Before my father died, this was a beautiful flowering city. Slaves, poverty or mistresses in harem did not exist. Everyone worked for everyone."
"Touching. And now the bad boy rules."
"Something like that"
Marguerite sighed and sat down beside her.
"You know Zafira, I can´t tell you anything, but I´m sure my friends will come. They will be here any minute and they will save me. Will you come with us?"
" I´m sorry, but I can not."
" Why am I not surprised?"
"How can you be so sure, that they will save you?"
"I just know it."
The door opened and the guards grabbed Marguerite. "Roxton, where are you ?" She whispered as she stood and went with them.
The streets started to became darker as the sun set but the air stayed warm. A thin figure, clad in a white sheet slipped through the street. Suddenly the woman heard foot steps, and stopped. As she listened more carefully and didn´t heard anything, she let out the breath she was holding. In that moment she felt a hand on her shoulder and automatically tried to free herself, but another hand held her waist and the sheet came down from around her head.
"Calm down Charlotte! It´s me!"
The girl stopped her struggling, and as she looked into the mans eyes, a teardrop fall down on her face. She embraced him tightly as she buried her head into his chest. Richard didn´t know what to do, so he listened to his instincts which told him to hold her until her shivering finished.
"Maybe we can say, you´re happy to see me." He broke the silence.
"Well," She pulled away, and the next minute she was again the calm gentlewomen, she was raised to be. "I didn´t ever think that it would happen, but... yes."
"In this case, would you be so kind and tell me where the others are?"
"As you can see, at the moment I even don´t know where I am" Than she added slowly with a sigh. "The last time I saw them, Veronica was running through the market, while Marguerite yelled at me to do the same, and not turn back. But what are you doing here?"
"All of us are here and we´re searching for you. So far I´m the luckiest. .. or... most successful. " He corrected himself. "Come, we must go back to the bar."
"But the soldiers are searching for me... If they find us..."
"We will be alright...come...not to say, the others would kill me if I left you here..."
They heard footsteps and a couple of soldiers appeared at the end of the street. The girl paled, but Richard pushed her back to the wall, embraced her, and seized her mouth in a burning kiss. The kiss was long and hard trying to lessen the cry of her first reaction. After hearing the soldiers steps disappearing in the distance, he released her lips, and pulled away. For a moment they looked into each others eyes breathing heavily, than suddenly Charlotte turned away her face, and started to go, but his strong arms still held her in place.
"Let´s go!" She breathed, trying to free herself from the situation.
"What´s the matter?" He stayed immobile
"Let´s go, please."
"Charlotte..."
"Why did you do that?"
"What?.. It saved our life, they thought we were lovers in an alley..." He started
"Just drop it! Let´s go."
"Bloody hell! You behave like you´ve never been kissed before!" He sighed irritated.
The girl just looked into his eyes, than turned her face, pushed him away and went on her way, leaving a bemused Richard to follow her.
Please read and review!Pleeeeeeeeeeeas:))))
