"Well. This is touching. I hope you've prayed for each others soul as well."
Light flooded into the tiny cell. The darkness caused the three beings to stir with annoyance. Rowen rolled off of Tintin as Snowy began to stretch. Rastapopoulous sneered at the group from the entry way. Death shone in his rotten teeth.
"Good morning. Prepared our nooses yet?" Rowen yawned.
"You mock child. Just wait. You will die!"
Tintin stumbled into an awakened state to stand in front of Rowen. "Not likely! I shall give you one more chance!"
Rastapopoulos cackled and pulled the boy out by his collar. Several ruffians stood gloomily in the hall. He was shoved into a group he commenced to dragging him toward an adjacent hall.
"Wait! Rowen! Snowy!"
A muffled call and a yip responded from around the corner. "Tintin!"
The hall seamed unending. Every possible chance to escape was rebutted and not a one man would tell him anything. Eventually they began to threaten to remove his tongue. His mind wandered to the Captain. Had he gotten the message?
Rowen and Snowy, on the other end of the sub, were putting up quite a fight: Bitting, clawing and jabbing. Sadly, the two were overpowered and thick handcuff and a leash were used to calm the wild things.
"Where are we going? Where is Tintin?! " she demanded. Snowy growled.
"Do not worry. Directly above us is Prince Philips coronation. Lucky and convenient for us, the beach is currently under light surveillance. We shall appear from the water and I will be holding the scepter like a god!" Rastapopoulos beamed.
"They will not except you!"
"They will not have a choice!"
Rowen stood baffled. For the first time since she awoke, she was speechless. In her mind, there was no escape. Tintin had been separated from her and Snowy, heaven knows where the others were and Rastapopoulos had the scepter. She did not fight or struggle as he lead her and a group of men to a smaller sub. There was no resistance when she was told to sit down and to not speak. The only move she made was to hold Snowy, very tightly.
***
On the surface, a mysterious ship had arrived holding an uncanny crew. An enraged captain, a hard of hearing professor and two bumbling police men. Prince Phillip had been attending to the ceremony when a guard informed him that the strangers were claiming to hold knowledge of one of his old friends.
Upon his command, the four were brought before him in a private meeting room.
"Blue blistering barnacles! I'll get you you slimy, lilly-livered-!"
The Prince was greatly taken back by this mans outrage.
"Why hello Your Majesty!" Called a short man in the back of the group.
The Prince grinned with excitement, "Oh my! Professor! It's so good to see you! How is Rowen? And who are your friends?"
Although the Professor miss heard most of the conversation, he picked out Rowens name, "That's what we've come to speak with you about. Rowen has been taken."
"That's terrible! By whom? Never mind! I shall call on a search party immediately and-"
"That's not the probl'm here. We know where she is." Humphed the Captain.
"Oh?"
"She's in a submarine just off shore of the beach holding your coronation," added Thompson.
"So are Tintin and Snowy," continued Thomson.
"Who is-?"
"Not important now Princy." Interrupted Captain Haddox. "The scepter has also been taken. We've got to do something!"
The prince thought for a moment. He was baffled that Rowen was able to find the scepter. She had kept her promise. But how to end this conundrum? An old law from one of his history books suddenly came flying back.
"Professor! Do you remember the second history book you got me?" The Professor nodded. "Did one of the the laws not say that if a Prince was crowned before the scepter could claim control that they would have to wait for the next Prince to take the kingdom?"
"It did! I'd did my boy!" Cried the Professor happily.
"Then we've got to hurry. The scoundrels could come ashore any moment!"
"Guards! Bring only the necessities inside. Do not act suspicious."
****
A short walk from the beach holding the coronation, Rastapopoulos and his men were unloading the small sub. He was not happy. The beach was deserted. Not a soul stood on the warm sand and not a priest in site ready to proclaim him the king.
"This is outrageous! We must head for the castle! Onward!" Rastapopoulos exclaimed.
****
Tintin's hands were cuffed the the pipe rather tightly. His struggling did little to bring him back to his friends and the men merely laughed at his misfortune. Anger and concern boiled up and threatened to control his actions. But only a cool head could gather answers from his enemies.
"Where are the others being taken? Please! I only want a simple answer." He pleaded.
On man laughed and obliged, "Rastapopoulos is off to be king and they are lovely leverage."
"Scoundrels! Murderers!" Tintin growled.
"You ain't seen nothin yet kid. You're going to drown with this sub." The men laughed as the shut the heavy door to the empty room.
"I must get out!" Tintin muttered. "For the Captain, for Snowy, For Rowen."
Little did he know she was thinking the same thing.
