Chapter 4
The popular idea that a drowning person goes down three times is quite untrue. Sunny, for example, was going down for the second and last time when she felt a rope brush past her face. She clamped unto it with her strong teeth and the next moment found herself lifted out of the water by the bottom edge of a huge net.
She scaled the net mesh by mesh like a rope ladder, hanging on with her arms, legs, and teeth to avoid being blown off in the blasting wind. When she reached the top, she discovered that the net was hanging from a door in the floor of a large helicopter. The back of the helicopter was stuffed with an assortment of potted botanical samples. A familiar young man was piloting, concentrating so hard on keeping the helicopter aloft that he had not noticed her arrival at all.
"Quigley!" Sunny called out.
He looked around in surprise, and smiled when he saw her.
"Sunny, how did you get here?" Quigley asked.
"Climbed," Sunny answered.
"Your speech has really improved," Quigley said. "I understand you better."
"Polglot," said Sunny, reverting to her private language, which meant "I'm glad you find me more understandable, but I think my speech was more expressive before."
"Sunny, would you do me a favor? The net is catching the wind and dragging in the water and I'm having trouble keeping this helicopter flying. Would you please cut it loose? I worked two days to make it, but it's better to let it go than be dragged down with it."
Sunny attacked the ropes holding the net with her sharp teeth and soon had them cut free.
"Help Klaus, Violet?" she asked hopefully.
"All right," said Quigley. "I'll do some low runs and see if I can spot anyone."
Quigley ran the helicopter expertly back and forth but in the dark and rain they found no-one.
"Skilled," said Sunny. "Where learn heli?"
"Oh, it's just something I picked up," said Quigley evasively, a word which here means "not telling the truth."
Sunny picked up on this instantly. "Why lie?" she asked.
"Tell me first, is Olaf still after you?" Quigley asked.
"Olaf dead," Sunny said.
"That changes everything," said Quigley. "All right, I'll tell you the truth. I was recruited for the V.F.D. at age two and I've been intensively trained in everything from codes to disguises to flying helicopters."
"No fire?" Sunny asked sadly.
"There was a fire at my parent's home and they did die," said Quigley. "But I wasn't at home when it happened. V.F.D. trainees seldom get to visit home."
"Lied Mortmain. What changed?" Sunny asked.
"It has to do with recruiting rules," said Quigley. "Olaf had custody of you. That means he was recruiting you for the other side of the schism. Only he had the right to train you and initiate you into the secrets of the V.F.D. I tried to help you without breaking that rule."
"Olaf no training. Olaf stealing," said Sunny.
"It was still the rule," said Quigley. "We can't go around interfering with each other's takings. It would be chaos."
"Chaos anyway," said Sunny.
"Until he gave up or died, there were limits on what I could tell you. But it's all right now that he's dead. You can become full-fledged members on our side of the V.F.D."
"Don't want. Liars. Cruel," said Sunny.
"I saved your life," Quigley said icily. "At least you owe me something for that. I still have a mission to save Duncan and Isadora. Help me, or stay out of the way."
"Help," said Sunny sullenly.
"I've heard you're good at mixing things up in the kitchen," said Quigley. "What about going through those botanical samples and seeing if you can mix up something to repel eagles?"
For the rest of the night, Sunny worked with the plants -- sniffing, tasting, juicing and mixing. Making eagle repellant wasn't much like cooking, but she did her best.
She hoped her siblings had made it to safety somehow, but the doily of destiny and doom kept coming back to her mind. Her tears mingled with the recipe she was brewing.