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They took off and flew straight north across the enormous
lake. Featherstone had hired
two airplanes. He and Melissa
were in one, along with Stoddard, Engles, one other
man, and the pilot. The other
aircraft contained the rest of his expedition, for a total of twelve
men.
Melissa tried not to think of what had happened to Larra, but the thoughts
of the English adventuresss death dominated her
mind. Featherstone had made a
point of describing in great detail what he had done before he left the
cabin. Melissa wondered what
it had been like for Larra. Perhaps
she had not been conscious when the cabin had burst into flame and had died
painlessly. But Featherstone
had insisted that she was very much aware of her dilemma when he left the
cabin. She could picture her
lying tied to the bed, struggling to escape while the candle slowly burned
down. And then the terrible explosion
of fuel and the horrible pain of being burned
alive. She vowed that no matter
what happened, one day she would take vengeance on Featherstone, even if
it meant that she would die in the attempt.
The flight over the lake was uneventful.
Featherstone tried to draw Melissa into conversation, but she remained
unresponsive. Then he tried taunting
her about what he was going to do to her every evening, but she refused to
take his bait. Finally the English
spy fell silent. Melissa could
tell that he was very angry, but he could hardly do much more to her than
what he had threatened to do. If
he killed her, he would lose his new sex
toy.
The plane began to descend.
Featherstone began talking to the pilot when they were a few hundred
feet above the surface of the lake.
The plane banked and flew parallel to the frozen
shore. There! exclaimed
Featherstone.
There!
I see it, replied the pilot.
He banked the plane again.
Slowly, the plane began to drop toward the
ice.
It took Larra several days to recover, from her harsh treatment at
Featherstones hands.
Fortunately, she had been able to write to
She had no difficulty in following
Featherstone. After all, she
had given him the directions to his
destination. Their first stop
was
Without fuel, said Larras pilot, we have no way of
returning from the northern shore of the
lake. We cannot
continue.
Larras decision was instantaneous.
She knew that the remote outpost could not expect another supply of
fuel until next summer. How
much do you want for your plane? she
asked.
You want to buy it? Id
sell it to you
I will, Larra replied.
Dont worry about me getting
back. I will find a
way. She turned to Sawatis
and Lemaire. You two stay
here. If I am able to save Melissa
I will come back for you. If
not, then I want you to convey a message to the British
embassy. I will write it
now.
No way, protested Lemaire.
Youre not going into the north by
yourself. You know nothing of
how to survive in that environment.
You wont last a week on your
own. Sawatis nodded in
agreement.
You dont quite understand, said
Larra. Im not a qualified
pilot. I know how to fly, but
I cant guarantee that I can land safely or handle the aircraft if I
run into any difficulty. Ive
never flown solo.
I want you two alive in case I need
you. There is no point in all
of us being killed.
Faced with this argument, Sawatis and Lemaire gave
in. Larra had them transfer much
of the gear from the aircraft, taking only what she
needed. Within a day or
so I should be back. If not,
she handed Sawatis a manila envelop, you know what to
do.
Larra boarded the plane. The
pilot spun the prop. The engine
sputtered to life. Larra turned
into the wind. Well, here
goes, she thought. I
hope they are wishing me luck.
Ill probably need it.
Slowly she pushed forward on the
throttle. The plane picked up
speed. She pulled back on the
stick, and the plane lifted.
Gaining altitude, she headed north, over the Great
Bear.
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