The boats slowly chugged around the river bend between the high rock walls, and the water depth flowed unheeded. They had followed the GPS route for nearly an hour and still wondered where they were going. Bevis sighed; she had long since let go of the wooden plank. She was beginning to enjoy the ride when Nagid rose in the boat before them, indicating their destination was close. The vessels turned into a large cave; the walls were dark with watermarks, and patches of green moss could be seen in the murky light from the waterproof lights on the walls.

A small sandy alcove was their destination, and Bevis waited until she felt the bump and slight drag before moving to the end of the boat and stepping onto the sand. Looking around as the crafts were carried to the top of the sand, she sighed; where were they, and why had someone basically insisted they come to this cavern?

Two men in black suits appeared atop a high stone wall, raising their hands as multiple weapons were trained on them.

"Welcome to the Mountain Safehouse," one man said, "you are in a safe place. Please follow us to your quarters, where you can rest, shower and prepare for dinner at seven tonight."

"Whose home is this?" Nagid asked.

"The Nisim family own this land and properties that are on this land," the man said, "please follow me."

The group seemed to relax before heading for the stairs indicated by the man. Bevis followed silently, not knowing what was happening or who these people were; if Nagid was happy to allow his guard down, she would follow his lead.

"Wow, I can't believe we're actually on the land of the Nisim," one of the group whispered as they followed the two men through the labyrinth of passageways until they came to a long corridor.

The man stopped at the end of the passageway, indicating the many doors, "Please pick any of the rooms," he said, "each person will have a room to themselves, and we will return to take you to dinner just before the time."

The men left them standing at the passage entrance. Nagid watched them go before looking at the team and shaking his head.

"For once, it looks like we're getting a room each," he said, "pick a room and see you at dinner."

The team slowly moved down the passageway, opening doors and entering the rooms. Bevis followed slowly, picking a room opposite Chelsea's and opening the door to a spacious area with pastel green walls and beige and white furnishings. Pictures of landscapes, rivers at sunset and mountain ranges sprinkled the walls. A long mirror hung attached to the wall on her left as she stepped into the room, and an open doorway showed the bathroom. Looking to the right, Bevis found the wall from door to window covered in cupboard doors. Opening one of them, she found it filled with clothes, toiletries and shoes, boots and other footwear. Shaking her head, Bevis moved to the window, taking in the spectacular view. It was breathtaking. Snow-capped mountains in the distance while the river flowed through a lush green valley and disappeared through a plain sprinkled with various colours that could have been flowers or other plants. It was beautiful. Bevis felt as though she could stand there soaking it in endlessly.

"Hey Bev," Chelsea said from her doorway, "we're going to clean up before dinner and change if you can find anything to fit you …" she walked into the room, looking out the window, "... wow, that is definitely a beautiful view."

"Don't you have one in your room?" Bevis asked.

"Sure," Chelsea nodded, "the river and snow-capped mountains, but I'll have to wait until tomorrow morning to see if the sunrise can be seen from my space."

Bevis smiled, "These rooms aren't too bad. Have you opened your cupboards yet?"

Chelsea nodded without looking away from the stunning view, "It's full of clothes, footwear, sportswear… all sizes too."

"I need to shower, so can you tear yourself from my view and get yourself ready as well," Bevis said, watching Chelsea blink rapidly and shake her head before nodding and leaving the room, closing the door behind her, "huh, that is definitely the first time she hasn't had anything to say."

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Moving to the bathroom, Bevis opened the shower, letting the water run as she stripped her clothes and stepped under the steaming water.

"Ahhh, yes," she moaned as it sluiced over her tired muscles and aching body, "sooo good."

The knock came sharply against the wooden panel of the plush office space; the quick command to enter followed, and it opened. The woman behind the desk glanced up, acknowledging the young woman in a white coat before she continued writing on the pad in front of her. The young woman sighed, closed the door and slowly moved toward the desk, looking around as she waited. The woman at the desk finished what she was doing and folded the paper before pushing it to one side.

"How are the patients?" she asked the younger woman.

The face turning toward her reminded her of her younger sister, who lived on the far side of the property; they rarely saw each other but talked nearly every day. The slender figure moved slowly toward the desk and gracefully sank into one of the comfortable leather chairs.

"Caroline is improving, but I'm concerned about Angie," the young woman said, "Aunt Sabra, she is not responding to many of the treatments. I feared the damage may be more severe so ..." she paused, looking at her Aunt, "... I have requested a full body scan."

"Do you think it necessary?" Sabra asked, frowning.

"She is not waking; she is not responding to the antibiotics," the young woman sighed, "she is not responding to Caroline either. I worry there is more internal damage than we are aware," glancing at her Aunt, she swallowed hard and met her Aunts penetrating expressing, "I know I should have requested permission but when the last of the signs of a coma seemed to be setting in it was the middle of the night and ..."

"I was asleep, and you made a judgment call," Sabra finished the sentence, "I commend you for doing this. I will not berate you for caring for a life. Do you have the results, Adala?"

"I do," Adala sighed, nodded and opened the folder she held on her lap, "there is severe head trauma. The new blows exacerbated older injuries, swelling the tissue around those areas. I have administered medication to keep the swelling down so she can heal, but that was not the only previous injury that has been disturbed. There are several fractures throughout her body, with the last round of beatings they fractured pelvic bone ..." Adala paused, "... this woman has not had an easy life. Yet, somehow, she was determined to get out of there. You say you found them outside the far east tunnel on the boundary of the Calderone land?"

Sabra nodded, "They must have walked that tunnel in the condition they were," she frowned, "it shows the tenacity of the woman named Angie that she could do so. Help her as much as you can. I sense she will not give up easily ... if at all."

Nodding, Adala remained seated with a thoughtful expression before continuing, "That brings me to Caroline," looking at her Aunt, she sighed, shook her head, closed her eyes and inhaled before continuing, "I've never met someone who is ... so insistent when it comes to something the wants."

Sabra chuckled, "I remember Josiah's father saying the same thing about his son. What does she want?"

"She wants to know where the women who helped them are, if they have arrived at this place, are they safe, and the questions continue ..." Adala said, "… on learning they arrived here safely, she wants to talk to them ... no that is wrong, she demands to talk to them."

"Then make it happen," Sabra said, looking at her watch, "we still have an hour and a half until dinner, and I'm sure the women have showered and changed by now. Take them to the infirmary, and I'll let their security detail know where to collect them."

Adala cocked her head to the side, looking at her Aunt, "You're very accommodating with these people, why?"

"I knew their families and parents," Sadra said, "I know what the children have been doing, and I know what they are trying to accomplish now to end everything that has previously happened."

"When it ends," Adala said, "what will happen to us?"

"Nothing," Sadra said, smiling, "we will continue maintaining harmony and exacting justice where necessary."

Adala chuckled, "When my great-grandfather started in this … line of business," she said, shaking her head, "I doubt he ever thought the power obtained from building that business would ever be used as it is."

Sadra shook her head, "I know he didn't… but that is the beauty of choice," Sadra stood walking around the large desk, motioning for Adala to come with her, "I chose to use that power to help those who cannot help themselves."

Adala followed her from the office, "We always have a choice."

"Yes, my dear niece," Sadra nodded, "we do. Now … you go put some minds at rest, and I'm going to do a few things to put some lives at rest."

The women parted ways, leaving a silence in the passageway. A tall man stepped out from behind a bushy potted plant, looking in both directions before dialling a number.

"Josiah, they are both here," he paused, "I have seen Caroline and Angie in the infirmary and just heard that the other two women came in with a team a short time ago. I have not heard about mobilisation yet."

He listened for a while before cancelling the call, rechecking the area he moved in the direction The Nisim's had taken.