Blood Forest (Suspense thriller) (22 page)

Temba didn’t respond. He was used to this one by now. Many didn’t care about Temba’s ways. Many tried to adapt as he did. There were always those bitter voices. The ones who said that the BaMbuti should return to the forest for that was the only way they could survive. It was, as even Temba agreed, where they belonged.

“There is war and death and sadness in the world outside the forest,” Kitu went on. “This we have known. And for many long years, the forest has protected us, as it should. But now you see them. We hide from the armies that enter the forest.” He held a finger pointed at Temba, his teeth gritted. “You know what has happened to my family.”

Temba’s gaze fell to Kitu’s feet.

“We remember that day. We all remember it well,” Kitu snarled, the others nodding. “My sister Ibiza was getting ready to celebrate her
elima
. When I left her, my mother was speaking to her excitedly about it. Little Ibiza was almost a woman, Temba. She never saw that day. Have you ever returned from a hunt to find everything that mattered to you gone? She was lying on her belly. Her flesh was still burning. I knew what they had done to her. The flames did not hide the signs of her rape. Everything was taken from me—taken forever!

“How could the forest allow this, Temba? If it were awake, this could not have happened. It is supposed to protect us and shelter us. No song we sang could awaken it. No
molimo
could bring my sister back. When I remember her, her face to me is the little girl I knew, because I cannot bear to see the young woman who was so defiled. When this man comes—a white man—he says to us that he can awaken the forest. That he can keep out the militias and the Europeans. We do not believe him, because what he says sounds like magic.

“Look at the forest around you, Temba. It is awake. The animals rise up to kill those who do not belong. They are, no, we
are united. The militia fears us! They stay far away from here. If intruders do come, with the entire forest behind us, they
cannot
win.”

“Surely you have felt it, Sam.”

A chill went down her spine.

“You have seen it in your time in the forest,” Guy went on. “The way the animals behave. The level of aggression—”

“We saw the okapi.”

Guy tilted his head.

“And the baboons.”

“You have seen it in the animals; and what about the rest, the feeling in your heart? The forest has a rhythm it did not have before. Maybe you don’t notice. You could easily have mistaken it for your imagination. I can certainly see how an outsider would make that kind of mistake. That pulse is new. Surely you have felt it.”

“There was a ghost.”

“I’m surprised a scientist like you would believe in ghosts.”

“How?”

“You admit you have felt my power.”

“What do you mean by your power?” Sam asked incredulous.

Guy nodded.

“That’s impossible,” she protested.

“Not impossible, very possible. The forest is mine. When I wish, they rise up and attack. They dance to the rhythm I set. And so, might I add, have you.”

Despite every doubt about his wild claims, there had to be some explanation for those experiences. Demons, spirits, and ghosts all passed through her mind.

“How?”

“Magic.”

The pain in Kitu’s words was hard for Temba to ignore. Their loss had left them scarred and desperate.

“Kitu,” Polomo interrupted. “You speak too highly of the white man. He is only a servant like us.”

“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that the forest is awake now and ready to protect us from the war and the death. The first week that he came to live here, we were scattered and frightened and with no women or families. We had not hunted and the honey season was far off so we had no meat to eat. He called an elephant out of the forest. It came into the clearing and fell asleep before our very eyes. An elephant! You know how much meat that is. Unless you are truly deaf, then you have heard the sounds of the forest when outsiders enter it. Every beast shouts in anger. I can feel that anger, here, in my chest. The whole forest rises up to chase them out. For the first time, Temba, for the first time, the forest is truly awake.”

Temba looked up at Kitu’s face and the desperation in his eyes. He glanced to Polomo and the others. Not a single Mbuti argued with Kitu’s words. In those words, they found their justification for their worship of this man. Raindrops grew thick and heavy. They fell in slow motion, bursting about Temba’s brow and shoulders. It washed away the sweat and blood. The cold splashes awakened his mind, even after a whole night and a day of running through the jungle.

“You have gone mad,” he whispered. “Your whole forest is mad. No man commands the jungle. It is higher than us all. Tell me, who is this man that you have made into a god? What does he want with Sam?”

Kitu looked toward the structures. Temba spotted lantern light through the windows of one of the cottages. He saw shapes moving within. His fists tightened.

Polomo stepped forward and placed a hand on Temba’s shoulder. “You could join us, Temba. You could come here and live with us. He can provide us with all the food we need. He can protect us from the militias. Out here we can live the lives we were always meant to, without fear.”

Temba’s eyes met Ndola’s. They were talking about magic. Such things were impossible. This man they were speaking of was a trickster, a charlatan. He had taken advantage of the Mbuti pain and duped them. He turned to Polomo. “Give me Sam. That’s all that I ask. Give me Sam, and I will forgive you for Kuntolo’s death. I will leave this place and never come back.”

Polomo’s fingers slid off Temba’s shoulder and closed around his spear with a look of regret. “We can’t do that.”

“Why, because
he
wants her?” Temba’s back went rigid. His thigh muscles tensed, ready to spring.

“He won’t be happy when he learns Temba was here,” Ndola pointed out. “No one can know of this place. We know Temba cannot be trusted.”

“You should leave here,” Polomo said. “If you will not join us, you need to leave now.”

“I won’t leave without Sam,” Temba answered. “What? Will you kill me like you killed Kuntolo?”

Polomo hesitated. His palm slid across his forehead. A look passed between Ndola and Polomo. Temba watched Ndola’s hand slide to the small bow at his shoulder.

Sam scoffed.

Guy’s grin mocked her.

“You don’t believe in magic, Sam?” he asked.

“Are you fucking serious?”

“‘Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’ Are you familiar with that statement?”

She shrugged half-heartedly. He was teasing her, and she was tired of it.

“Arthur C. Clarke,” Guy clarified. “I wouldn’t have kept you here if you weren’t a scientist. I think I’ve made that quite obvious. But in order to understand the forces at play, you’re going to have to keep a very open mind. And, you’re going to need to be a lot more cooperative. Will you reconsider coming with me now? Have I aroused your curiosity enough?”

She grimaced. “I’d rather sit here on the floor.”

The Belgian scowled. “Suit yourself, American,” he hissed and pulled something from his pocket.

Temba’s heel struck Polomo between the ribs, blasting air from the Mbuti’s lungs. He tumbled to the ground at the feet of his fellows. Temba’s other foot slipped in the mud, and he stumbled, catching himself with one arm before he collapsed.

Ndola’s bow came up, arrow drawn. Half a dozen spearheads rose with it.

Temba turned and sprinted. His feet slipped in the mud, but he kept his balance as he ran. An arrow sliced the air near his shoulder. His instinct kicked in, and he pivoted and bolted in the opposite direction.

The change in direction sent him barreling into a small BaMbuti hut. Wood and leaves splintered under the crashing weight of his body. Mud flung into the air. Temba collapsed amidst the torn boughs to see the others right behind him.

Kitu came down at him, spear thrusting in an overhead jab. Tangled amid the debris, Temba couldn’t get out of the way. The spearhead drove toward his ribs. Temba’s fingertips brushed a wooden shaft to his right. He swung the shaft to block the coming blow. An axe blade hooked around the spearhead and drove it to Temba’s left. Kitu stumbled off-balance, and Temba raised a heel, connecting solidly with the Mbuti’s chest.

Kitu fell back, gasping for air.

Temba rolled to his feet, axe still in hand, now held defensively. He squared off against the Mbuti who moved to surround him. As Kitu climbed to his feet, Temba swung the axe to hold his attackers at bay. They kept their distance for the moment, spears held at length.

Temba found his opening before they encircled him completely. He took off running for the undergrowth at the edge of the clearing. He heard the twang of a bowstring and ducked. The arrow flew overhead and split a low hanging leaf.

Temba dove into the foliage a moment later. With the undergrowth so thick, he kicked his feet up high, arms extended. He hit the ground headfirst and ducked into a roll. As he came up to his feet, he heard a spear thwack into the brush behind him.

He remembered his planned escape route and followed it exactly, only pausing for a moment to retrieve his bow and arrows. Temba heard the others shouting at the edge of the clearing. Instead of chasing after him, they stared into the forest with bows and spears ready.

Temba wondered how many of their arrows were already tipped with lethal poison.

They’ve all gone mad.

He didn’t wait to find out if they’d chase him. Surely they’d only wait so long and they were excellent trackers. Temba picked a direction and ran.

Sam almost expected death. She thought he had gone for a weapon. What he produced confused her even more.

“When you are ready to cooperate, perhaps I’ll answer your questions,” Guy told her. “Until then, you can refuse my hospitality. But I will leave you this to consider.”

Tiny scratches at the corners of the familiar pink plastic casing showed how long she had owned it. She had carried it with her through Africa, even though its uses in the wilderness were limited.

“The battery is long dead. Even if it weren’t, there is no service to speak of in a hundred miles. Take a long look at it. Like me, it holds all the answers you’re looking for.”

Guy tossed it at her feet and turned away. As he disappeared, Sam watched the cell phone skid to a stop on the rough wooden floor. There it sat, just out of reach.