Blood Covenant (22 page)

FORTY-THREE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 11:12 P.M.
REBEL BASE CAMP

Jonas stood in the corner of the room and watched his daughter Yara sleeping on the thin mat. Smoke from the cooking fire filtered through the open door of the mud hut, filling the room with its haze and burning his eyes.

He folded his arms across his chest. He should be preparing for tomorrow, not worrying about domestic issues. But even he hadn’t been able to ignore Eshe’s request.

“What’s wrong with the child?”

One of the nurses squatting beside Yara looked up at him. “Measles.”

“Measles?”

Jonas bent down beside Yara and touched her forehead where dots of perspiration glistened beneath the yellow light of the lamp. When Eshe had asked him to have the nurses from the refugee camp check on several of the children who had runny noses and coughs, he’d complied, but he hadn’t expected this.

He recognized the telltale marks of the disease — tiny dots on the inside of Yara’s mouth — because he’d seen it in one of his own children. First the spots, then the cough, then the struggling to breathe … Afterward, he’d watched his wife cry as he wrapped the child’s lifeless body, then buried her in the field beyond the walls of their compound.

He backed away from Yara’s small body. Why had the ancestors insisted on sending their curses upon him now?

Ngozi entered the hut and stood in the doorway behind him. “Yara is not the only one. It is spreading. Abah and Zaid are now sick as well.”

Jonas stroked his stubble and stared at his friend. Ngozi might be one of his oldest friends, but the birth of his children had made him forget the injustices they faced together and why they fought against President Tau and his men. But this disease was not something he could control like the men who now followed him. He might as well attempt to control the winds blowing across the vast savannah.

He turned back to the nurse. “Where did this illness come from?”

She stood and brushed her hands on her skirt, fear still lingering in her eyes. “There has been a measles outbreak in the refugee camp. It could have come from there or maybe from one of the surrounding villages, brought in by your men.”

“So what do we do?”

She shook her head. “There is no cure for measles. As long as there are no complications, she should be fine in a few days. In the meantime, we isolate anyone who is sick, make sure they stay hydrated, and control the fever. Beyond that — ”

Ngozi stepped forward. “What kind of complications?”

“They … they can be common, especially if malnutrition is involved. It becomes a secondary issue of the disease. If the child becomes dehydrated or gets pneumonia, then … then they can die.”

Jonas stepped outside and drew in a deep breath.

Ngozi followed. “We need medical help.”

“And tell me who is going to help us? The talks in the capital are going nowhere, which means despite everything we have done, nothing has changed for any of us.”

“You told me you’d sacrifice your life for revenge, but look at your daughter. Is it really worth it? Our wives, our children, are without medical help, and we live on the run.”

Jonas’ stomach burned. “I’m starting to question your loyalties. Don’t you remember what they did to us? Why we have to stand up?”

Ngozi dipped his head. “Of course I remember.”

“Look at me.”

Ngozi’s mouth tightened, but he kept his gaze lowered.

“Look at me! They killed our fathers in front of us, raped our women, and yet now we are the ones the world sees as evil, all so they can rake in more foreign aid that will never leave their pockets. They made us who we are.”

Ngozi pressed his shoulders back and looked Jonas in the eye. “And who are we? Soldiers who fight blindly, taking every order as we kill our own people? I am no longer convinced this is how it must be done. Nor do I want to sacrifice everything I have just to have my throat slit by the president’s army.”

“Once again, you have forgotten that my brother lies rotting in one of their prisons along with the rest of our leaders.”

“I have not forgotten, but I do want to know one thing: you have risen to be our leader, Jonas, but where do you lead us? I’m no longer convinced I want to go where you are taking us.”

“Because you have forgotten the truth. We started this for the sake of freedom — ”

“But you now seek revenge, not freedom.”

Jonas felt a twinge in his shoulder and reached up and touched where the soldiers had shot him. “I will not go through life cowering at the government’s whims, and then, when the noose begins to tighten, find out that it is my neck ensnarled in their rope.”

“But for what? To what end?” Nzoni reached up and ripped the amulet from around his neck, throwing it on the ground. “This was to make me invisible to our enemies, yet they have found us. There is no longer anywhere to hide. They will find us, and when they do, there will be nothing left … not even a marker above our grave. And our children won’t even remember to pray to us.”

Jonas crushed the charm with the heel of his boot. “Then we die, but at least we die fighting for our freedom.”

Ngozi spat onto the dusty ground in front of him. “I will stay and fight, but we need medical help here or this disease is going to wipe out everything worth fighting for.”

“Then go back to the camp, and this time bring back the doctor.”

FORTY-FOUR

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 4:34 A.M.
REBEL BASE CAMP

Nick heard the roar of the vehicle before he saw the headlights through the cracks of the metal gate of the compound. Besides the constant chatter of insects and the occasional wail of an infant, there had been little noise from inside the rebel base camp since their arrival just before midnight, making the middle-of-the-night entrance even more pronounced.

Rolling over onto his elbow, he tried to count the shadows of the guards who had jumped into action to unlock the gate, but above him clouds blocked out the stars, leaving the humid night shrouded in black and allowing him to see little of the surrounding compound.

He slapped at the annoying buzzing in his ear. Sleeping outside with no mosquito net meant a constant barrage of the offensive insects that had continuously feasted on him during the long night. Which was yet another reason he’d lain awake on the reed mat, trying to come up with a way past the armed guards. But so far, every idea he’d come up with seemed too risky a plan for civilian hostages.

The heavy metal gate creaked open and allowed the vehicle to enter. A moment later a 4x4 screeched to a halt inside the walls of the compound, stopping inches from the base of the knotted trunk of a shade tree.

Paige stumbled from the vehicle.

Nick felt a rush of adrenalin surge through him. “Paige?”

He jumped to his feet, stopping only at the sound of the cocking of an assault rifle behind him.

He held up his hands. “I just want to make sure she’s okay.”

Ngozi’s familiar form exited the car behind her. “She’s not here for you.”

Paige moved in front of the car to where the vehicle’s yellow beam of lights illuminated her profile. But even her steady stance couldn’t hide the look of fear — and surprise — marking her expression.

She turned to Ngozi. “I’ll need his help.”

“We have nurses from the camp here — ”

“You want me to treat your patients? I need his help.”

Ngozi hesitated, then nodded. “Fine. Take her to the isolation hut.”

Paige walked toward Nick. For a moment, all he could see was the last time he’d told her good-bye, but for the moment he needed to forget the memory of their kiss. The only thing that mattered right now was their safety. And the anger simmering behind her expression told him she wasn’t done fighting, which was good. It was going to take every ounce of courage they had to get them all out of here alive.

Paige jutted her chin toward Ngozi, who was momentarily distracted talking with one of the guards, then followed him to the hut. “Is he the leader here?”

“Second in command, from what I can figure out, and the father of one of the sick children.”

“An advantage?”

Nick nodded. “He’s genuinely worried about the child.”

“What about Brandon, Samson, and the others?”

“Long story short, Brandon and Samson are fine, but Nigel was a mole and murdered Philip. He let them know where we were; then they brought us here.”

She took a moment for the information to sink in. “What are the chances of escape from here?”

“Extremely risky.”

Clouds overhead opened up, allowing a sliver of moonlight to shine on the courtyard and letting him catch the intensity of her gaze along with the fatigue marking her expression. She’d probably fallen asleep in her scrubs in the clinic, then been jarred awake by the rebels. And now, her attempts to assess the situation were the only way to find a measure of control in the nightmarish situation.

Nick rubbed his stiff neck with his fingertips, longing for the same control she did. “The only problem in escaping is that even Samson, who knows this region better than any of us, isn’t sure where we are. And we could tell from our arrival that the area surrounding the camp is heavily forested.”

“And heavily guarded.”

“Yeah.” He stopped in front of the isolation hut. “You looked surprised to see me here.”

“Shouldn’t I be?” She glanced up at him, her eyes widened, her voice laced with resentment. “You were supposed to be out arranging our rescue. There are people dying in that camp.”

“So you think this was my fault? I — ”

“I’m sorry.” She shook her head, reached out, and brushed her hand against his forearm, then dropped her arm to her side. “None of this is your fault. I’m exhausted, scared, and struggling with the daunting reality that I can’t fix everything. And sometimes …” Her gaze dropped. “And sometimes it’s hard to hold onto the fact that whatever happens around us, God is still in control of this mess.”

He opened the solid wooden door to the isolation hut. She wasn’t the only one struggling. “He is still in control.”

“I know.”

“I talked to Paul at the embassy, so he is aware of the situation at the camp.” He kept his voice to a low whisper. “But our taxi was hijacked on the way to Kingani. Brandon and I believe that there’s a mole somewhere in the embassy as well.”

“So Paul doesn’t know where you are now?”

“No.” Nick hesitated at the doorway. “He’s probably wondering why he can’t get a hold of me.”

“Nick, this has to end. The number of cholera cases has slowed some, but now measles is trickling through the population, and there’s nothing I can do about it. I need to be at the camp, and I need those vaccines and supplies.”

“I know.” Nick glanced at Ngozi, who now walked toward them. “Let’s deal with things here, then see what we can do about getting you back to the camp.”

Nick ducked and entered the thatched-roof hut. The one window was shut, blocking out any chance for a breeze. He took in a stale breath of air. Sleeping outside on the hard ground hadn’t been his first choice of accommodations, but it had obviously been better than the stifling heat inside one of the huts.

Inside the small room, six or seven mats covered the dirt floor where those diagnosed with measles slept. Along the edges of the room were bags of rice and corn and an assortment of pots and pans. Paige joined one of the nurses on the far side of the room where a little girl’s forehead glistened in the light of a candle set on the table.

Paige opened up her medical bag and pulled out her stethoscope before addressing the nurse. “How many are sick?”

“Five children and one old woman.”

Movement to the right caught Nick’s attention. One of the children stiffened, then began to jerk. Nick shoved aside the pile of metal pots stacked beside the small girl’s head. “Paige … she’s having a seizure.”

Ngozi pushed his way into the room. “What is happening?”

“I need you to move back now.” Paige crossed the room. “Nick, hand me that blanket on the floor beside you, then time how long the seizure lasts.”

Paige took the blanket from Nick, laid it beneath the young girl’s head, then turned her onto her side. Nick pressed the light on his watch and started counting.

“I said, what is happening?” Ngozi’s voice rose above the commotion in the hut. “That’s my daughter.”

“Please, sir. I need you to move back.”

“You told me she had the measles.”

Paige turned to the nurse, ignoring the man’s interruptions. “Has she had a seizure before?”

“No.”

In less than a minute, the jerking movements stopped. Paige leaned down and checked her breathing.

“Nick, hand me my medical bag.”

Nick shut the door on the crowd gathering outside the hut, then stepped across the row of crying children to get the bag from the other side of the room.

Paige spoke to the nurse. “What are her other symptoms?”

“Fever, headache, rash … Just like the other children. I thought it was the measles.”

Paige glanced up at Ngozi, who hovered over his daughter. “What’s her name?”

“Abah. Two days ago she was running and playing beneath the afternoon sun.” Ngozi’s expression darkened in the flickering candlelight. “Tell me what is wrong with her.”

Paige wiped the back of her neck and shook her head. “It’s impossible for me to be one hundred percent certain because I can’t do any tests, but it looks as if she’s contracted encephalitis. Typically, cases are mild and many even go unreported, but it can be life-threatening.”

Ngozi took a step closer. “What is that?”

Abah lay still on the ground, her breathing regular again.

Paige set Abah’s head against the mat, then rolled onto the balls of her feet. “Sometimes, when a child contracts a disease like the measles, they end up with secondary infections. More than likely, her immune system overreacted to the foreign substance in her, which in this case is the measles.”

“What can you do?”

“I can try and treat her, but measles isn’t the biggest problem here, and there are a number of risk factors working against her. Her age, her weakened immune system … For now, we need to work to reduce both the fever and the brain swelling.” Paige stood and faced Ngozi. “Your daughter is very sick, and while I’ll do whatever I can to help her and the others who need medical help, I expect to be taken back to the camp once I’m done here.”

“I don’t believe you understand that you’re not in a position to make demands — ”

“I don’t think you understand the severity of what is going on here, because what happens in the camp obviously affects what happens here. Some of your men have families in the camp, which is why the disease is here, isn’t it? And that is why this disease will continue to spread and some of your wives and children will die if you don’t let me do things my way.”

“I had my orders to bring you here from the camp and to ensure no one leaves this compound.”

“Do you have other children?”

Ngozi’s gaze dropped. “My son’s in here and I have another one due to come when the rains come again.”

“Then you know how important it is to protect them. You’ve seen your daughter. I promise to do everything I can to help her, but there’s an even bigger problem out there that I intend to deal with.”

“I have my orders. The two of you are not going anywhere.”

Paige stared at the door as Ngozi left the hut, slamming the door behind him. “What do you think?”

“He’s scared he’s going to lose her.”

Paige knelt down beside her newest patient, who now lay sleeping again on the thin mat. “So am I.”