Chapter 27

Robin woke up as Slade slid into the car beside him. It took a few moments for him to take in his surroundings, but he sat up quickly and struggled out of the blanket that he was wrapped in.

"Easy," Slade said as he tried to get up. "We're in a car, you don't want to hit your head by standing."

"Where are we going?" Robin demanded, fighting off Slade's attempts to wrap him back up. There was no way he was going back to sleep.

"We're going away," Slade told him, abandoning the struggle to get him wrapped back up. I have a feeling that someone is going to show up tonight, so I made the arrangements that we arrive later tonight instead of first thing in the morning."

Robin sat back, suddenly sick to his stomach. He had hoped that he could get away, and now they were off to. . .well, wherever it was. "So where are we going?"

"You'll know when we get there," Slade said, using one of the universal answers that adults used to drive kids crazy. "Try to enjoy the trip."

"With you in the car?" Robin said in disbelief. "Not likely."

Slade glared at him. "You should mind your manners, Robin," he ground out. "After all, you are my apprentice, and I will not stand any rudeness from you."

Robin looked at him. "Well, if you don't like me, you can always let me go," he snapped back. "I hate, loathe, abhor, and despise you, Slade, and even you can't be so stupid as to assume that I actually enjoy your company; so don't expect any congenial attitudes from me."

Robin saw the blow coming, but he wasn't fast enough to dodge it. He careened off the side window and was left nursing a splitting headache with Slade fuming silently beside him. Robin didn't mind the headache; at least Slade had shut up and was leaving him in peace to think. A headache didn't matter, his mind could still function. He curled himself into what appeared to be a dejected ball and faced the window, happy to let Slade think that he had hurt him badly enough so that he didn't want to look at him. Gazing out at the passing moor, Robin began to make plans to get away from Slade.

Space

Robin fell asleep sometime later, and woke up as the car was heading up a ramp into a ferry. It took him a moment to realize what a ferry meant. They were either going across a large river or bay, or they were going to cross the Channel into continental Europe. He had a bad feeling that the latter was the most likely.

"Where are we going?" Robin asked, staring at the ferry.

"Oh, so you're speaking to me again?" Slade snarled. Slade looked sideways at him, and noticed that the boy was looking distinctly worried.

Robin said nothing.

"This ferry will take us across the Channel," Slade told him, leaning back into his seat. "We are heading into France."

"Is that where this new place is?" Robin asked quietly, suddenly very worried. How would the Titans ever find him in France?

"Yes, it is," Slade said, sounding happier by the moment. The boy had stopped being so horrendously rude. Perhaps he had learned his lesson. "Your French is adequate for you to be here, and the people I am taking you to are friends of mine, and they have been for some years. They sounded quite happy when I asked them to take you."

I bet, Robin thought.

Space

Robin slept again as the sky turned rosy pink with shoots of gold as he and Slade rode through Brittany. He woke as the car slowed, and he looked around, surprised at the rugged but beautiful landscape surrounding them.

Slade, seeing he was awake, began to explain what he was seeing. "Those stones over there are called monoliths," he said, pointing out the window. "They were erected by people thousands of years ago, and it was most likely done just after the Stone Age, perhaps during the Bronze Age or even later." He stopped, checking to make sure that Robin was still listening. "No one knows why they built them, but most believe that the same sort of people who built Stonehenge built these stones."

Robin nodded. "We're in Brittany?"

"Well, you know France better than I thought you did," Slade complimented him.

"We studied French geography in French class last year."

"Did you learn any of the Breton language?"

Robin shook his head.

Slade shrugged. "Your teachers should really pay attention to your education more, it is woefully inadequate in some respects."

Robin stayed quiet, not really knowing what to say.

Slade kept up a running commentary on Brittany, and Robin let his mind wander. It was when he was beginning to be a little bit hungry that they turned and began to drive up a long lane that was lined on either side by large oak trees. A few minutes later saw them pulling up to a large stone Tudor house. It looked almost like something out of The Three Musketeers.

"This is it," Slade said, getting out of the car. Robin, feeling no small amount of trepidation, followed him.