She narrowed her eyes, tilting her head. She must have heard wrong. “Doors to where?”
“Other worlds and universes.”
She had not… Anouk opened and closed her mouth. All she wanted to do was to go to the police, not have a bloody astronomy lesson. “What are you talking about?”
“It is my understanding, your people haven’t found a way to travel through them yet. Am I correct?”
What did he mean by her people? Anouk frowned. “There are theories about wormholes, if that’s what you’re talking about by doors. But it sounds implausible, because even the top minds haven’t been able to find them, let alone travel through them.”
“That’s what I thought.” Nat fell silent and fiddled with his glove.
“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. What are these ‘doors’ and what do they have to do with me?” Anouk growled. Why was he stalling?
“You see this?” Nat lifted his gloved left hand and turned it so the box attached to his wrist faced Anouk.
“Yes. What of it?” Anouk furrowed. Was he trying to distract her?
“This is called a Gadget. It has two crystals in it—one is for producing a protective shield; it’s a kind of orange bubble. You have already seen it. And the second is for…” Nat looked at her with an intent expression, “…creating the door.”
Anouk snorted. “What rubbish are you trying to feed me?”
“No, I’m not trying to do anything like that.” Nat’s tone was dry. “This Gadget opens the door and allows you to travel to the other places that aren’t on your planet. I decided to take you with me for your own safety. We are in Anglea. This is a kingdom on a planet in a different part of our mutual universe.”
Anouk’s mouth fell open. Was he on drugs? Had he somehow slipped her some? Was this a drug-induced hallucination? Well, it would explain the lights, the wind and near instantaneous change in scenery.
Nat continued, “I know this sounds incredible, but it’s the truth. I can take you back if you really want, but Stalo is the kind of person who hates loose ends, and you’ve become one. He will come after you again, and I may not arrive in time to save you.”
“Is this door the same as a wormhole? Is that what you are saying?”
“I don’t know what a wormhole is, but if you can travel through it to another planet or universe, then yes.”
“Okay, this is too much.” Anouk leaned forward, hugging her knees. Her mind struggled, trying to grasp what Nat had just told her. What… No… But what if… No… It couldn’t be… It shouldn’t be possible… Was she going… crazy?
Nat looked at her with a concerned expression. “Are you ill? You look very pale.”
“I threw up half the night. Maybe that’s it. I’m still sick and I’m hallucinating.”
Nat sat next to her. “I know this is a lot to take in. And about being sick, vomiting is a side-effect of looking directly into the light, but it doesn’t cause any permanent damage or last long.”
“Guess I should be relieved,” she muttered and fixed her eyes on Nat’s. “If this is true, that I’m in another part of the galaxy…”
“Not galaxy, but the universe,” Nat corrected.
“Okay, galaxy, universe, whatever.” Anouk threw her hands up in frustration. “How am I going to get home?”
“As I said, I can return you the same way we came.”
“But Stalo can come after me, is that what you said?”
“Yes, and he will.”
“Right.” Anouk fell silent and stared at her hands, letting it all sink in.
It all had been so strange and many things failed to make sense. On the other hand, travelling through wormholes—or whatever those doors were—wasn’t a completely fantastical idea. There were numerous theories in physics about traversable wormholes, and science fiction books and films were full of stories about time and intergalactic travels. She should know, she had been consuming them since a young age. Maybe that box on Nat’s glove did contain exotic matter that allowed such travel. Maybe Nat was telling the truth, and he and Stalo were… aliens. Well, this definitely wasn’t the typical alien encounter thingy with UFO sightings and abductions she had heard stories about. Besides, Nat looked remarkably sober and genuine to her. Stalo had been too good, too convincing at playing a sadistic villain—maybe he really was one. Anouk shuddered. She had no desire to find out.
A distant thrum above made her look up. A dark rugby ball-shaped balloon glided over their heads. Under the balloon, a rectangular gondola hung from the ropes. On the far end, a big propeller beat the air, pushing the airship forward. Anouk’s mouth slacked and she narrowed her eyes. She couldn’t discern any company logos.
She turned to Nat and pointed towards the fading airship. “Is that a…”
“A dirigible? Yes. It belongs to one of the big chartered companies and is heading to the capital.”
“Oh.” Anouk let her hand drop on her lap. “To Rondon?”
“Aye.”
She took a deep breath. “Okay, for the sake of argument, let’s say I believe you’re telling the truth. So, you think I would be safer here with you until Stalo is caught?”
“Yes.”
“And since he has the same kind of Gadget you have, he can creep up on me and finish me anytime and I wouldn’t have time to be able to call for help?”
“Yes. Next time, I might arrive too late.”
“Quite.” Anouk blew air slowly out of her lungs. Maybe she should check what this ‘door-to-other-planets’ was all about. If Nat was telling the truth then… well, she would be damned. Besides, she didn’t want to be surprised by Stalo again. Hell, no! “In that case, I will stay on two conditions.”
Nat lifted his eyebrows.
“One, we go back
