Inti's Watcher

  Peter fit the hat over his head and walked into the common area, looking for his group. Marie was in what was becoming their regular spot, watching as the wall showed a slowly spinning blueprint of the maze. A timer was in the top right corner, counting down the three minutes left until the report began.

  Razan and Sophie weren't next to Marie. Peter spotted the samurai leaning against a wall, but couldn't find Sophie. He strolled to Razan, wondering if she was in the climbing room.

  Marie saw him and nodded in greeting, but didn't move from her position.

  Peter got to Razan and leaned against the wall next to him. “Seen Sophie?”

  Razan paused. “If by that you mean to ask if I know where she is… Not precisely.”

  “And where is she, not precisely?”

  Sophie’s voice came from between them. “Honestly, it’s like every single wheeled box on the ship is scurrying around right now.”

  Peter looked down, and Razan held up a communication device, his face neutral.

  “It’s a good thing they don't have eyes that look up, or I'd be caught fifteen times over by now,” she continued.

  Peter grabbed the device and pushed the speak button. “Sophie? Where are you?”

  “Peter? Hello! Have Razan explain, I'm a bit busy,” she said.

  Razan rolled his eyes, taking the device back. “We’re finding out who the Masks are.”

  “You’re…” Peter tried to figure out exactly what that meant, jealousy clouding his thoughts. “Where is she?”

  The samurai lowered his voice. “In the space between rooms. About to enter their rooms.”

  Peter felt the blood drain from his face. “No, that’s- She can't do that. That’s insanely dangerous.”

  Razan held the communication device out. “Granted, I don't care if she lives or dies, but you show a shocking lack of trust in your lover’s abilities.”

  All the blood went rushing back to Peter’s face. He wished it would stop moving around like that. “I- She’s-”

  Marie walked up behind him. “Cowboy, I don't expect you to school your emotions as much as Razan does, but do something or you’ll go into hysterics. Should I get a couch for you to faint dramatically onto? Would you like some smelling salts or vinaigrette?”

  Peter hunched into his poncho, glaring.

  “What did you say to him, samurai?” Marie asked Razan.

  Before he could answer, Sophie’s voice came from the device. “I'm in! That only took forever and a day.”

  Marie looked sharply at Razan. “Where is she?”

  He motioned to the door on his left with a bob of his head. “Exploring.”

  Peter smiled as Marie grew serious, scanning the crowded area for the Masks. She spotted the four people and looked back at him.

  “I apologize for making light of the situation.”

  “Thank you.”

  “All four are still out there, right?” Sophie asked as the wall with pictures on it went black and someone started announcing.

  Razan answered her. “Yes. The report is just beginning.”

  “Wonderful. Well, the man’s side is just a library and a bedroom, I’m going to go through to the other side,” she said.

  Marie took the device. “What language are the books?”

  “Oh, hello, Marie! Either Dutch or German, I don’t know the difference.”

  “Take one, I can tell,” she ordered.

  “Yes, ma’am!”

  Razan frowned. “Is it wise to take something so soon?”

  Marie held down the speak button, looking at him. “I'm sure Sophie knows how to steal a book and make it so no one will notice.”

  “Of course,” Sophie said. “Did you think I was going to take an encyclopedia and leave the hole gaping? I'll take a slim volume and adjust things so its absence isn't noticed.”

  “Forgive me,” Razan said.

  “I still don't think she should be there,” Peter hissed. “Tell her to grab a book and run.”

  “Not yet,” Marie told him. “If she’s there she’s either already in trouble or not. As long as we make sure no humans catch her, exploring more is for the best.”

  Sophie’s voice came through the device again. “This… is odd. Only one person lives here.”

  “What do you mean?” Marie asked into the device.

  “I mean there’s only one bedroom with a bed in it, and on that side there’s only one color of towels,” Sophie explained. “Even when people get married and move into one room, the rostari give them two colors of towels. And on this side there aren't any towels. There’s just- Kitty!” The device went silent.

  Peter had to smile at that.

  They were suddenly distracted by loud, jaunty music. The wall was now showing half-second recordings of people slamming face-first into walls, the impacts timed to the beat of the music. Without sound the show would have been humiliating, but the silly music made everything look more ridiculous than embarrassing. Still, Peter was glad there was no chance of him making an appearance.

  Razan was featured once, Sophie twice, and Marie not at all. After a few minutes the song ended with Grace, who had been shown five times, slamming into a wall and bouncing off to land gently on her back.

  With that, the announcer came back and explained how the rankings worked.

  Razan took the communication device from Marie. “Sophie? Still there?”

  “Oh! Sorry!” she replied. “There’s a cat, the most handsome cat I've ever seen, yes you are, which means pets are allowed here, and I- wait, nonon-” The sound cut off.

  Marie took the device. “Sophie. Did you lose the cat?” she asked calmly.

  There were a few seconds of silence.

  “No,” Sophie finally answered, her voice low. “I can see it, but I don't know how safe it would be for me to get it. It ran out and pounced on one of the rolling boxes.”

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Razan got the device back. “It’s a cat; this probably isn't the first time it escaped. Go back to the library and get out that way.”

  “No,” Peter said, swiping the device. “Sophie, try to lure it back in with food.”

  Marie grabbed it. “Don't do that. Luring the cat with food would mean moving too many things around. Let its owner handle it.”

  Razan pushed himself off the wall, motioning into the crowd. Peter looked, and the person in the suit of armor was walking towards them.

  “Sophie, get out of there now,” Marie ordered. “Right now.”

  “Why?” she asked. “I don't think I can, there’s too much of a commotion outside.”

  “There’s about to be a bigger commotion inside,” Marie told her, impressively calm. “The cat’s owner is on their way over.”

  There was silence for ten seconds, as Peter’s heart raced even faster than before.

  “I'm out,” Sophie finally reported. “I'm not sure how long I'll be stuck here, and I'll probably be seen by the rostari, but I’m out of the rooms.”

  “Good,” Marie said.

  Razan leaned back against the wall to stare apathetically at the pictures. Marie stood at ease, turning the device off. And Peter… was panicking.

  A part of him didn't know why he was panicking. This wasn't the most dangerous situation he’d ever been in. He’d cheerfully lied his way out of dozens of places where people were rightly suspicious of him. Comparatively, this wasn't nearly as frightening a situation.

  And yet the lining of his hat was becoming damp with sweat.

  “Peter,” Marie hissed, glaring at him.

  The person in armor noticed them; noticed him being nervous.

  He had to provide an explanation.

  Peter threw his hands in the air. “Fine,” he snapped. “If you both agree it doesn't matter, then I suppose it doesn't! I’m making a regular mountain out of a molehill, am I?”

  “Yes,” Marie snapped back, playing into the charade. “You worry about every little tiny thing! It doesn't matter.”

  The person in armor paused at their door, watching the scene.

  “You wait and see,” Peter said, pointing at her. He pointed at Razan. “You’ll both see!” He stomped off towards the other end of the room. Glancing back, he saw the person in armor walk into their group area.

  He would have immediately walked back, but several people were watching him. Peter took a deep breath and let it out slowly, continuing on.

  Grace stepped out of the crowd, motioning to him. “Everything all right, mate?”

  He stopped, giving her a half-smile. “Yeah, just…” He sighed. “Just waiting on something.”

  “Ah. Waiting. The hardest part of any plan,” she said, nodding sagely. “Want to wait with us?”

  Peter hesitated, considering, then decided he’d be less stressed if he got his communication device and was able to ask Sophie if she was safe. “No. Thanks, though.”

  “No worries,” Grace said, shrugging as she went back to her group.

  Peter smiled, walking to his group area.

  Sophie sat on a pipe near the ceiling, glaring at the cat.

  It was curled up on top of a rolling box, cleaning its claws. The device was spinning in circles, trying and failing to dislodge it. The scene would have been funny if it hadn't meant Sophie was stuck in this corner.

  Below and ahead of her, the wall slid open. Sophie tucked her knees up to her nose, hoping the dark blue-green of her loose trousers would meld her into the shadows.

  A woman wearing the bottom half of a suit of armor stepped into the corridor, her metal boots clanging on the floor. She ran pale fingers through her short brown hair, sighing when she saw the cat.

  “Sokken, bad puss,” she said.

  The cat didn't even glance up.

  “How did you get out this time?” she continued, clanking towards it.

  The cat suddenly decided it wanted to explore the long corridor and shot off the rolling box. The box was knocked over, and its wheels spun pitifully.

  The woman gave the type of sigh Sophie’s mother always gave when Sophie did anything more interesting than breathe. She set the box back on its wheels, and pulled the other three the cat had knocked over upright, too. Then she followed the cat out of sight. The wall closed.

  Sophie frowned as the rolling boxes left. After a moment of hesitation, she dropped to the ground and moved silently to the corner.

  “Come here you damn cat!” the woman yelled. Her words echoed up and down the corridor.

  The cat was now just out of reach on the wall, sitting happily on a pipe.

  “Sokken, if I have to climb out of the rest of this armor to get you, you’ll be getting no cream for a week!” the woman threatened.

  Sophie smiled. The cat seemed unimpressed.

  “I'll make it two weeks! I’m serious!”

  The cat scratched its ear.

  “Sokken, please? I'll get you salmon for dinner if you come down.”

  The cat recognized that word. It looked at her… and then jumped down and sprinted away.

  “Sokken!” the woman snapped, chasing after it with pounding steps that the whole ship must have heard.

  Sophie took the opportunity to dash behind her. She got from the corridor between areas 1 and 3 to the one between areas 9 and 11 before the woman slowed. Sophie hid, watching. She felt better about her situation now.

  And then her communicator beeped.

  “Sophie?” Peter asked. “Where a-”

  Sophie turned it off before he could finish the question, praying the woman hadn't heard.

  She had.

  She turned away from the cat, glaring down the corridor. “Who’s there?”

  Sophie pressed herself against the wall.

  “I heard you,” the woman said. “Did you let my cat out?”

  Sophie closed her eyes, becoming one with the shadows.

  “If you don't help me catch my cat I'll get you in trouble.”

  That implied Sophie wasn't in trouble yet. She took a deep breath and stepped into the corridor, smiling brightly.

  The woman frowned at her, confused. “You? What were you doing in my rooms?”

  Sophie did her best to look like a perfectly innocent simpleton. “Exploring!”

  Marie was, she admitted to herself, beginning to grow nervous. Two hours had passed, and still no word from Sophie. It shouldn't have taken her this long to get back. She closed her eyes, trying to not remember the last time a girl under her command had gone investigating alone and taken far too long to return.

  Peter was pacing back and forth in their area. Fear for Sophie's safety had turned to annoyance for a while, but was now back to fear. Even Razan was looking a tad concerned. He was writing at their kitchen table, each stroke taking longer than it ought.

  Finally Sophie’s door opened, and the girl came calmly into the room.

  “Sophie!” Peter ran over, grabbing her in a hug. He let go, looking her over. “Are you all right? What happened? What took so long?”

  She smiled at him, apparently not noticing the tension in the room. “I was having tea with the Mask. Her name is Janneke, I helped catch her cat, and then she invited-”

  “Tea,” Marie repeated, cutting her off. She walked up to Sophie. “You were having tea?”

  Sophie’s smile faltered under Marie’s glare. She took Peter’s hand. “Yes. I- Here’s the book, but she said she’s from Holland.”

  Marie slapped her across the face. “Child. You are not working alone any more. You have to let us know if you’re safe! We tried contacting you multiple times, and you never bothered to respond! You cannot leave us in the dark like that. Never dare something like that again.”

  Sophie moved closer to Peter, holding her reddened cheek. “I-”

  “You do not have permission to speak,” Marie told her, and turned to Razan. “Samurai. Come here.”

  Razan slowly got up and walked over, stopping a few paces away to bow deeply.

  “What the hell were you thinking, sending her out alone? How many people are in this group?”

  “Four, Captain.”

  “Precisely. You could have easily gone with her, asking me or Peter to stand guard. Or both of us. There was no reason to make this plan in secret and put our thief in danger.”

  “Forgive me, I-”

  “No. Stand up and look me in the eye,” she ordered.

  With significant reluctance he did as commanded.

  Marie slapped him, a good deal harder than she’d slapped Sophie. Then she stepped back to look at both of them. “Idiots. The idea was good. But the final plan and your execution make me ashamed to have you in my group. The thought that I might lose you in such a completely avoidable way terrifies me. Never try something like this without talking it over with all of us first. You are not alone. You cannot act alone. Am I clear?”

  “Yes, Captain,” Razan said, bowing again.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Sophie muttered, now half hidden behind Peter.

  “Good. Now. Sophie, sit down and tell us what you learned.”