She didn't know how long they had been walking, but Eliza was certain they had crossed half the island. Sometimes they stopped at bodies of clean water to refill their canteens, so she waited until they moved, then helped herself before following. To add insult to injury, they stopped for one lunch break, to which she averted her eyes. They occasionally passed wild mushrooms and berries but Eliza couldn't remember if they were poisonous. She almost caved in, forgetting that she hated mushrooms, before deciding the risk wasn't worth it.
At last, the trio stopped at the face of a cliff. As far as Eliza could see, nothing stood out. Until Covington took the doll by the shoulders and twisted it feet first into the stone. A series of clicks followed before part of the cliff swung out, revealing an orange glow within a cave. A sharp gasp escaped Eliz. She muffled it, but the men were distracted by this discovery.
"I've done it!" gasped Covington.
The two badgers looked at each other and rolled their eyes before following their eccentric partner into the cave. Eliza made to follow them but hesitated. Fear was not the only thing holding her back. There was that feeling of uncertainty. That sixth sense, or perhaps it was ordinary common sense. One thing was certain: going in would put her at a disadvantage. No foliage or rocks to hide behind. Kit told her about booby traps he and Baloo encountered on their adventures. From what she read about ancient temples, this place was certain to hold them.
Whatever risks those treasure hunters were willing to take, it was better for her to read the situation. Eliza leaned against a tree trunk and slid down, closing her eyes, and breathing deeply as she had been practicing. The island seemed to vanish as her mind floated onto an abyss. She let it carry her back to the past twelve hours, recounting every act of her opponents. This much she did know: greedy, distrustful, ambitious. Exactly like Don Karnage.
Eliza's eyes shot open. Karnage! He had pursued her for a fortune just as Covington's group pursued that doll. Perhaps she bargain her own ransom. Eliza approached the doll lodged in the keyhole, turned it counterclockwise, and pulled it out. The doll's stern eyes stared at her, as if to say, "Now what?"
Eliza glared back. "Well, you got me into this, so you're going to get me out."
She watched from the bushes. If she met them right outside the entrance, they would react like panicked cobras and strike before she had the chance. "Be the smart predator," her uncle would say. Eliza scoffed. Easy for him. She had more experience as prey, while he ran an empire with the mask of a predator. Then again, maybe that's all it was: a mask and patience. She passed the time practicing her claws. Summoning them was getting easier, and she managed to hold them out for as long as five minutes.
Finally, Covington emerged, bearing a flaming torch like a beacon, his partners following. Their cheering outshone the scratches and disheveled clothes and hair, answering her questions about traps. Eliza squinted through the object's glow to find that it wasn't a torch, but another doll. This one she could only assume it to be ruby. Her heart sank. It must have been worth at least half her uncle's fortune. She looked at its plain, wooden twin in her hands. What would they want with it now?
"What the blazes?" Covington spewed. Eliza jumped, thinking he might have seen her, but he was examining the empty keyhole. He checked on each side of the door before scrambling on all fours, tearing up grass. "Where is it?" he screeched.
"I thought you said you got it!" said Wallace, looking under a rock.
"No, I said 'you get it.' Arnold was the last one in."
Arnold had been feeling along the cliff face for any nooks or openings, when he swung around, pounding a fist into his palm. "Do you want to take that up with me?"
Covington flinched. "Let's just keep looking."
Despite the circumstances, Eliza stifled a laugh. Beneath that fearsome façade, they really were pathetic. Lucky for her, they were also greedier than she had given them credit for. She took a deep breath. As she exhaled, she flicked out her claws, stepped out of her hiding place and cleared her throat. "Looking for this?"
The men whipped around and chorused, "You!" Covington snarled and fanned out his claws as he made his way towards her. "I don't how you survived, but this time I'll-"
Eliza hovered her claws over the doll's face, fighting to keep her own face as wooden as the doll. Using a monotone she had heard on a daily basis, "I wouldn't do that." She swallowed to keep her voice steady. As she hoped, they froze. "I'm guessing this would lose a lot value if scratched up, right?"
To her relief, they backed away. "Look, kid," said Wallace. From his expression, one would think he was the one with claws over his face. "Be reasonable."
"Reasonable?" There was no telling what pushed the button, but it was connected to a boiler within the young girl's blood. "You don't get to say that." Her voice had taken a gravelly tone as her hands clenched around the doll. "I tried being reasonable from the start."
Covington noticed how close her claws were to the doll's body. "Easy with that!"
"I'm tired," Eliza continued, "hungry, and really," her teeth ground, "really irritated!" Like self-destruct button set in motion, her thumb claw curved, creating a hairline crack from the doll's chin to the feet. The scraping sound snapped her out of it. She observed the damage with horror. I just ruined an artifact!
Covington's voice and footsteps broke her new stupor. "You little whelp!"
"Hey!" Eliza whipped her head up and repositioned her claws over the doll's face. "You want me to ruin its face too?" as she hoped, Covington backed away. Get a grip! she scolded herself. Play the game. She took a deep breath to calm herself. Using that familiar business manner, "Now that I have your attention, I'm sure we can come to an arrangement."
The thieves exchanged a look. Wallace and Arnold seemed ready to protest but Covington held up a hand, keeping his eyes on the girl. "What arrangement would that be?" he seethed.
"I just want a ride back to Cape Suzette. And, as I said before," she emphasized with annoyance, "I won't tell anyone. Until then, this," she gestured to the doll, "stays with me. Once we're home, you get it back, and never hear from me again. Oh," she turned to Covington, "and you stay away from the Cunninghams." Her eyes narrowed, brows crossed to the center.
Covington recalled the same expression back on the boat. He couldn't place it, but he was sure he had seen that look somewhere. For a child, her composure was almost admirable.
"Tell me the truth now," Eliza said flatly. "How does that sound to you?"
The three bared their teeth, as if ready to devour her. Arnold growled while Wallace hissed, "Fine."
Covington bit his lip and inhaled through his nose. "Sounds," he exhaled through his teeth, "fair."
Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm trying to write in between a busy schedule. But I'm planning to finish in another two or three chapters. So I'll probably wrap up around the time Attack on Titan and Ducktales wrap up.
