Echo sat straight up, awake. She had slept peacefully throughout being put in the large cage. Davis had been awake, kind of, but didn't have the strength to fight back as they were moved. He had seen the diamonds on the wall and wondered how he was still in one piece.

The old man seemed to decide that Miriam wasn't going to fit in the cage with them and Davis could do nothing but watch as he dragged her out the door and out of sight. He had been there for hours, slowly getting over the dizziness and nausea that the travelling had caused. Echo had been sleeping the whole time until she quickly sat up and startled him. She wasn't looking at Davis, but at the door. She wasn't blinking. Davis couldn't be sure if she was even breathing.

"Uh, Echo?" he asked, touching her shoulder. She didn't react.

"'One more step and I'll rip your child in two," she said fiercely while still having a blank expression on her face.

________________________

Miriam did the only thing she could think of; she threw the shard of glass at his face. He stepped back to avoid it, stumbling and kicking the jagged pole. The man whimpered when the pole flew into the potted plant and knocked it close to Miriam. She seized it into the cage as he ran towards it.

"No," he squeaked, looking absolutely terrified. He threw his hands in front of his face and began to weep uncontrollably. "Stolen again. Stolen again. Stolen again."

"I haven't stolen anything," said Miriam, glaring at him.

"A spy then," he hissed, his face contorting into a hateful thing.

Then he saw the plant in her hands and broke into more violent tears. He fell to the floor and began beating his fists against it, like a giant three-year-old throwing a tantrum.

"I'm not a spy, either!"

"Thief! Thief! Here to steal my poor children!"

Miriam looked at the plant. Children?

He got up, glaring at her and advanced towards the cage.

"One more step and I'll rip your child in two," she said with as much ferocity as she could muster, catching hold of the leaves. He stopped in his tracks. Anger, fear and confusion worked on his face but eventually, grief won out.

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"Please don't hurt them," he pleaded.

"I had never any intention of hurting anyone. You're the one who locked me in a cage. Now you're going to open this and lead me to the others. Then we're going to leave and you can have your stupid pla-your child back safe and sound. Understand?"

He nodded, tearful eyes not leaving the plant. He snapped his fingers and the spirals on the locks began to unfurl from each other until it fell, looking like a strange metal flower in bloom.

Miriam ordered him back by the door as she carefully came out of the cage. Then she remembered that she had heard two voices earlier.

"I know there's someone else here. But if you try to call them or if they try to help you in any way," she shook the leaves dramatically in her hands.

He covered his mouth to stop from crying out and nodded. Miriam tried not to feel too bad about what she was doing. He wanted to kill her. He'd locked her in a tiny cage. She didn't know how long she had been in the cage but her legs were sore, pins and needles.

"You won't steal him?" said the man, looking woefully at the plant.

"No," she said, "I have no use for a...for him. As long as you do as I say we'll leave here and you and your child can live happily ever after."

A strange look passed his face then. It wasn't something as easy as relief. Something she had said had confused him. He stopped in front of a door.

"Happily..." he said slowly.

"Is this it?" Miriam asked, impatiently, gesturing the door. He nodded, opened it and went inside.

They got a bigger cage, thought Miriam ruefully, all too aware of how stiff her legs were. Echo bounced up at once, making all kinds of happy noises to see her.

"Open it," commanded Miriam, "Leave her out."

The old man tottered forward and did just that. Echo jumped out and ran forwards to hug her. Miriam shook her head at Echo and mouthed 'later'. Echo nodded her understanding and stepped back, happily humming.

Before Miriam closed the door, two small cats wandered in to see what the fuss was about. One was black, and very like the one she had seen in the desert.

This cat hissed lightly at the old man on its way straight towards Echo, to wind between her legs and beg for pets. The other was a slightly larger ginger who regarded Miriam holding the plant and the crying old man before winding between the bars of the cage to sit on a cushion inside of it. Miriam closed the door, aware that there was still someone else around.

Davis stood up, smirking annoyingly and moving the hair out of his eyes. He had been bald before. Now he had a head of floppy, soft looking black hair while Miriam's appeared to have been burnt away.

"About time," he said.

"Close the door," said Miriam. The old man did just that. Davis gaped at her from inside the cage.

"What the hell?"

"I have questions. I want answers," said Miriam. "You both are going to provide them. You, for your child and you, Davis, for out of the cage. Are we all clear on that?"

Davis looked furious.

"What the hell?" he asked again.

"I'll ask the questions if you don't mind. Let's get started, shall we?"