Phantom Prospect - Alex Archer [68]
“Who said that?”
“I did.”
She frowned. The voice had an accent but one she couldn’t quite make out since the speaker’s volume seemed deliberately hushed.
Annja scrambled to her feet. Where was it coming from? She’d gone over every inch of the cell, and yet someone was talking to her, presumably through a speaker of some sort that she must have missed.
“Why am I here?” Annja asked as she continued searching for the source of the sound.
“You’re here because you threaten our plans.”
It seemed to be coming from near the roof of her cell. But there was no way Annja could reach the ceiling to check it out. From where she stood, it appeared to be smooth stone, uninterrupted with any cracks or holes that would permit an intercom system from being installed.
“And what plans would those be?” she asked as they searched.
“All in good time.”
“Tell me now.”
There was a long pause. “No. I can see that you’re busy trying to find the speaker system, so I’ll leave you to that. Don’t want to make it too easy for you, now do I?”
Annja frowned. It had to be some place in the roof of her cell. Did they have a camera up there, as well?
“How long are you going to keep me in here?”
“As long as is necessary.”
Annja slumped back down against the wall. “Well, if you’re planning on holding me here for any period of time, I hope you have the whole bathroom thing worked out because I’m going to need to use it soon.”
She heard the lock release on the shutter and saw a pail come through before the shutter slammed closed again.
“You can use the pail.”
Annja frowned. So much for modesty. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Don’t you have a bathroom around here?”
“Of course we do. You do not, however. So I suggest you use the pail. We’ll empty it during your meal breaks.”
“This is disgusting.”
“No one told you to get involved. Now you’re simply living with the consequences of your own decisions.”
“Go to hell,” Annja said.
“As you wish.”
Annja heard a click as the speaker system switched off. So she was under surveillance, after all. And she had to use a pail as a bathroom.
Fantastic.
She looked at the walls again and wondered if the sword would be able to cleave the rocks enough to get her out.
It might just be worth attempting if they didn’t clue her in on what was happening soon.
Next meal, she thought. If I don’t have some answers by then, I’ll take matters into my own hands.
But what if the stone shattered the blade?
Well, that would mean she might be free of the sword. She could go back to living her life the way she wanted to.
Wasn’t that a good thing?
She frowned. Who the hell knew anymore.
She pulled the blanket around herself and started to fall asleep. Then she opened her eyes again. They could still watch her.
Annja got to her feet and reached for the light cord. With a pull, she plunged the cell into darkness.
“No free shows,” she said aloud.
But it didn’t seem as if anyone was listening.
27
Annja woke up and switched the light back on. She figured that at least several hours had passed since she had fallen asleep. She drank the last of her water, but Annja felt refreshed and energized. She couldn’t detect any trace of narcotics in the food or water, nor did she feel the sluggishness typical of having been drugged, so it seemed fairly certain they weren’t trying to keep her doped up.
Just a prisoner.
Within the confines of her cell, Annja had no way of knowing what time it was. She could only guess, but it seemed that another food break should be coming soon. Nothing had happened since the mysterious voice overhead had started speaking to her, so Annja decided that it might be time to get herself out of the cell.
If she could.
First things first. She had to figure out where the surveillance was. If they saw what she intended to do, they might be able to send people to stop her. And Annja didn’t want her party interrupted by those she hadn’t invited.
The voice had come from above. But where? She stared at the ceiling, trying to scan it in-depth. But even so, the ceiling was at least three feet