The Way Back (Champions of the Crystal Book 4)

Chapter 11.2

But Ford had not returned by the time the Ministers began to disperse, and it was Justek who walked her back to her apartments, leaving her at the main doors after they agreed to have a business meeting tomorrow when the clothiers left. Sabrina went inside by herself, telling herself firmly not to be silly. This was her home. She ought to feel at ease here.

She frowned when she saw a duffel bag on the bed, recognizing it as the one she'd packed on Earth and that she'd left aboard Ford's ship. Obviously he'd brought it down here for her while she was at the reception. "Ford?" she called out. But there was no reply.

With a sigh, she wandered into her library. Selémahs had made her promise to return for supper, but she had some free time, and she didn't think she remembered the way through the warren of corridors to her conservatory well enough to risk it alone. So she might as well check on her books and see what depredations Ford and his friends had made on it over the years, besides making off with her copy of The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

It had always been one of her favorite rooms, and it, like the rest of the rooms, was exactly as she had left it—more or less. She thought some of the furniture was placed slightly wrong, and there were two books lying on chairs as if someone had been reading here recently. She picked them up; one was The Man in the Iron Mask, by Alexandre Dumas, which she thought with a smile that Ford must have loved, and the other was Agnes Grey. She doubted that Anne Brontë would have been much to Ford's taste and wondered if it had perhaps been Aurora.

As she turned the books lovingly over in her hands and walked to the shelf to put them away, she thought she heard a muffled thump, followed by a high, thin giggle. "Is someone there?" she called out sharply. "Show yourself!"

The sound of scurrying footsteps sent her dashing out of the room after them. She paused in her bedroom, yanking open her nightstand drawer and grabbing the blaster that she'd kept there in case of assassins. "Lock main doors!" she ordered the security system, then ran toward the entrance foyer.

The two intruders were pulling frantically at the doors, trying to open them; Sabrina leveled her blaster at them and said, "Turn around, hands up, and identify yourselves!"

"Put that down!" The boy turned first, stepping in front of his companion. He had brown hair and flashing dark eyes, and he looked thoroughly angry. Sabrina guessed he must be a very early adolescent; his voice wavered between high and low pitches. "How dare you! Don't you know who we are?"

"If I did, I wouldn't be asking you to identify yourselves," Sabrina retorted. She thought about lowering the gun, but the safety was on, and she didn't like his attitude. "These are my rooms; you're the intruders. Now, who are you?"

A giggle startled her; it came from the young girl peeking out from behind the boy. She had wavy, golden hair and mischievous blue eyes, and she looked as if the entire situation was a huge joke. Sabrina found her expression familiar and realized who they must be. She lowered the blaster. "Let me guess: you are some of my cousins?"

"I am Prince Malick!" the boy declared. "Open the doors! How dare you stop a Prince of Praxatillus from going where he wants to?"

"Well," Sabrina said wryly, folding her arms, "I wouldn't've thought it customary for a Prince of Praxatillus to be a common housebreaker, so I suppose we are both surprised."

Laughter from behind her made her glance in alarm over her shoulder, but it was only Ford, amused at the scene he found. "Getting them in hand already, Cousin?" he asked, nodding at the blaster. "It's about time someone did. Malick, make your bow and apologize to Cousin Sabrina. And Marie, you do the same, you naughty girl!"