Better twenty four hours late posting than never, Dear Readers. Home improvements have left me with a little clearing up to do.

So, where did we leave Martina?

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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Grasping the vegetation on her right side, the river far below on her left, she inched her way forward, before speeding up a little once she had her footing. Looking ahead, the path continued but at some point, it would start to slope down, and that would be the difficult part of all this. She smiled ruefully, knowing that actually getting off the grounds had been just as dangerous, but she was focussed now.

Looking down, the river looked like a silver ribbon in the moonlight, snaking its way through the valley and toward freedom. Martina had neither climbed up nor down the cliff face and knew no-one who had, but she had looked up at the rock face from the river below one or twice. It had seemed unassailable from that position but she could not afford to think like that. There was a trail, she knew, as she had seen the odd deer over the edge where the ranch fencing was. One or two had had to be rescued and in the end Dr Kramer had had the gate installed but it was permanently locked, for use on those odd occasions when the face of a confused animal had appeared. Then, the gate would be opened and someone put on guard until the animal had jumped through and safely headed into the trees in the grounds, which gave way to the wider forest that spread across the area. She felt a sudden pang, thinking about Dr Kramer's kindness. She could not believe she would not see him again.

The trail narrowed slightly ahead and began to weave through trees clinging to the edge of the rock face. Far below, she gasped as she spotted a lone white wolf on the other side of the river. It was beautiful and for a moment, she was spellbound. It must have sensed her, as it looked up toward her. She stilled and it moved on. She climbed a little higher, her fingers scrambling for purchase as she skirted a tall tree, growing out of the trail and barring her path. She had had no time to change into her hiking boots and anyway, she doubted Aramis and Athos would have allowed her to go back to her room, although she would have liked Lena's photograph which she kept on her dresser. It was a miracle she was still alive, all things considered. If the gang had known she was a live-in, she would have been the first to die, possible in front of Dr K, if they wanted information out of him.

Lost in her thoughts, she started to slide and her eyes widened in fear, her finger tips scrambling in the loose earth embedded between the rocks.

It seemed like a life time before she regained her footing and composure, pulling herself up to a path above her that snaked down steeply, but it was wide enough and looked strong enough to hold her. She was losing the light now and pulled out the torch, risking a tight pan over the trail ahead.

She checked her watch, it was past midnight and although the moon had given her enough light, several clouds were scudding their way above and below it, and it was only a matter of time until one cut across the middle and she was left in darkness. She hoped Aramis and Athos had not discovered her missing yet. She did not want them to do anything foolish, and if they did not wake until the early hours, they would not have time to come after her. Even if they could.

No, she was on her own and it had been her decision. She was determined to help them in the best way she could. She tucked the torch back in the pocket of Athos's jacket and moved on.

A little way along, the trail went up slightly onto a plateau, before dropping again. It felt odd to be climbing up when she needed to be going down, but she had no choice in the matter. The plateau would be a good place to stop anyway. She had no food or water, but she would eventually get down to the river, and she could drink there, before the last leg of her trek. She did not like to think of it as an ordeal, though it most certainly was. She felt that Lena would be urging her on now, and so she placed her feet carefully and stepped up over several rocks, reaching up to the flat surface above at head height. It was easier than she had thought.

As her head appeared over the top, her feet anchored firmly on two separate rocks, her eyes fell on something in front of her, level with her face.

It was a boot.

And suddenly, a hand reached down for her.

/

On the roof and unaware of what was happening with Martina, Athos and Aramis peered over the edge.

"What are they doing?" Aramis murmured as they watched the men below, three of them filling the back of their van with items from the clinic.

The back-up generators had kicked in now, and there was a dim light in the Reception area.

"They are looting," Athos replied, tersely, as he recognised a painting that had been on Kramer's wall. "I suspect some artworks survived the war. Not everything was relinquished."

"Maybe that's what they came for?" Aramis whispered, urgently. "Is it a Picasso? Maybe us being here is a coincidence?"

Athos turned his head and stared at Aramis, dipping his head with a "Really?" expression.

Aramis deflated under the glare. "They do look like …"

"The warehouse crew," Athos finished, confirming their suspicions. "Not the dead ones, obviously," he murmured.

Aramis laughed quietly. "So, once again, we are sitting ducks," he murmured.

"We knew that, Aramis. As soon as we found Kramer, we knew. And the key. It was his message for us, I am sure."

"Well, at least we know they are here this time," Aramis huffed. "We're not going to be blundering in."

Athos raised an eyebrow. "Have we ever "blundered in?"

"There's always a first time," Aramis whispered. "Although, it's still an ambush."

"Technically, yes, it is." Athos agreed.

They watched silently as the men moved in and out of the building, loading their ill-gotten gains. Athos was somewhat reassured that Kramer was not here to witness. There was no doubt a tale to be told for each item.

"This is all very inconsiderate," Aramis huffed. He rubbed at this legs, cramp beginning to set in.

"It is as we suspected. They are not in a hurry. They are taking their time, Aramis," Athos stated, quietly. "And leaving us until last."

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