Delta-Victor (9 page)

Jim's heart sank. The fire had swept through it, destroying everything it touched.

Ailsa went to the river and pulled out the waterproof bag. Unzipping it, she shot Jim a thumb's up. The contents were safe and dry.

Jim shrugged. All that mattered was his sister. “Staci.” he called. “Sta-a-ci. Dee-ee-fer.” No answering shout or bark came, so he turned to Ailsa, desperation flooding him. “Where did you find the fruit? It's possible she is still there or somewhere around there.”

“I'll show you.” Shouldering the bag, she led the way to where they had found the fruit. Here also the fire had swept through. Ailsa called again. Still there was no reply.

“I don't know where else to try,” Jim said in despair.

Amilek, one of the natives, touched his shoulder. “Let's try your camp again. She'll probably head back there. We can't search in the dark anyway, and you need to rest.”

“I can sleep when I've found my sister.”

Ailsa shook her head. “He's right, Jim, and chances are Staci will go back to the campsite anyway.”

As the darkness deepened, they returned to the devastated camp.

Staci and Deefer sat on a rock by the river. She looked up and grinned. “Wondered where you'd all gone.”

“Staci!” Jim launched himself across the clearing and threw his arms around her, hugging, laughing and crying.

Staci looked around. “Where's Lou? Why the escort?”

“Lou's fine. The escort is a long story. I'll tell you about it on the way back to the village.” As they set off, Jim gave Staci the edited version of what happened.

Ailsa filled in the gaps. When she got to the part about Jim trapped in the burning building, Staci paled and stopped.

“Jim? Are you sure you're OK?”

“I am now I know you are.”

Staci ran her fingers over the cut on his head, then waved her hand in front of him. “That's quite a lump. How many fingers am I holding up?”

Jim shook his head. He couldn't tell, but wasn't going to admit that to anyone.

Ailsa grimaced. “He's meant to be resting due to the bump on his head, but you know Jim. The child he rescued was the son of the chieftain. They have invited us to stay with them for a couple of days to give Lou's leg and Jim's head a chance to heal.”

When they reached the village, Jim was taken to the hut that held Lou.

Ailsa took Staci to meet Kelmac and Aryna.

Deefer was tied up outside the hut. He barked loudly.

Jim gratefully sank onto the bed next to Lou and closed his eyes. “OK, you can check me over now.”

Cold fingers probed and poked, but he endured it silently, figuring Lou had probably complained enough for the both of them. After a moment he forced his eyes open and looked at Lou. “Well?” he asked.

“If you mean my leg, the best word he could come up with in English was moldy.”

Jim stifled a grin. “Moldy?”

“Pretty good way of describing it if you ask me.” She reached a hand across the small gap and gripped his firmly. “How's the head?”

“Hurts. Your dog's barking isn't helping any.”

“He's just saying thank you for finding him. Is Staci all right?”

“Not a scratch on her. I don't see how. The campsite and surrounding area was devastated by the fire.”

Staci and Ailsa came into the room.

Mafuso pushed him back down. “Lie,” he said firmly. “No move.”

Staci grinned. “That told you, Jim.” She ran over to Lou and hugged her tightly.

“Thought you were dead,” Lou whispered.

“'Fraid not. Although I did wonder if you guys were.”

Lou shook her head. “Sorry to disappoint you.” She glanced to the door, beyond which Deefer barked furiously. Then she looked at Mafuso. “Can't he come in, please?”

Ailsa translated and after a long pause, Mafuso nodded. “Just for a short while.”

Staci went outside.

Deefer bounded in. He leapt up on the bed and covered his mistress with licks until she begged for mercy. He settled down on the edge of her bed.

“I think he wants to stay,” Lou said. “He won't be any bother, I promise.”

Mafuso frowned as Ailsa translated. “Jim needs to stay overnight, just to make sure his head is all right, then he will be fine. I want Lou to stay a little while longer. At least until her fever has gone.”

Lou scowled. “I'd rather not.”

Jim's scowl rivaled hers. “I'd rather you did. Just shut up and listen.”

“Why should I when you didn't? You stormed out of here to go and look for Staci while I had to stay behind. Again.”

Staci put her hands over her ears. “Oh, stop it, the both of you. I don't want either of you sick.”

Lou nodded slightly.

Mafuso spoke, which Ailsa translated. “I can halt the infection, but it will return if she doesn't rest.”

Jim took a deep breath. “In that case, it would be for the best if we take Kelmac up on his offer of staying in the village. In return we could help in the rebuilding work. At least until Lou is fit.”

“Fit?” Lou scoffed. “That won't ever happen, you know that.”

“Fit enough to continue on to the base,” Jim finished. He closed his eyes. “But I'm tired and want to sleep a bit.”

Staci curled up on the bed next to him. “I'm not leaving you.”

Mafuso shook his head. “You and the dog must leave.”

Staci shook her head. “No.” She closed her eyes, yawning.

Ailsa smiled. “She won't be in the way,” she said. “And moving Deefer will do more harm than good. He'll make sure Lou stays put.” She translated for Mafuso.

Mafuso finally agreed. “Just this once.”

~*~

Lou pushed the food listlessly around the woven basket-like tray as the others ate and chatted over breakfast. She just wanted to sleep. The bed, really a cot, wasn't that comfortable, but it was a heap better than sleeping on the ground in the open air. Maybe she could stay here when the others left.

Jim finished the food he'd been given. “Nice not to have to cook it ourselves for once.”

Staci nodded. “Yeah, it is. How's the head?”

“Still on my shoulders. Which is a good thing.” He looked at Lou. “How's the leg?”

She looked down. “Still there.” She glanced up as Mafuso came over and began to remove the dressing. “What are you doing?”

“Treat leg now.” He turned to Ailsa and spoke rapidly.

“OK, apparently he's got a paste made from the same leaves I made the painkiller with. If he applies it directly to the wounds, then wraps more leaves over your leg, the paste will eat the mold.”

Lou rolled her eyes. “Eat the mold? Maybe he'd rather use maggots or something.”

“I wouldn't suggest that,” Jim commented. “Some doctors actually still do that.” He got up. “Right, I'll go see the chieftain. Ailsa, can you come with me and translate?”

“Sure.”

Staci looked at them. “I'll stay here with Lou.” She held Lou's hand as Mafuso began working on her leg.

Lou's face creased with pain, and she squeezed Staci's fingers until they were white, but she bore it silently. She gratefully swallowed the green liquid he offered. It tasted even more bitter than the one Ailsa made, but hopefully it would have the same effect. She looked at Staci. “I might sleep a bit. Go find the others.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Deefer's here anyway.” She closed her eyes and opened them again. “Are you still here?”

Staci laughed. “OK, OK, I'm going.” She got up. “Don't go anywhere.”

“I won't.”

~*~

Jim smiled at Staci as she came outside. “How is she?”

“Almost asleep. How did it go with the chieftain?”

“He's more than happy for us to stay. He said we don't have to help with the rebuilding, but I want to. These people lost a lot, and I can't expect them to just put us up when they have so little.”

They sat in the sunshine on a fallen tree, eating lunch. Jim passed her some sort of bread one of the village women had given them.

The work of removing the destroyed homes had already begun.

“We missed Christmas,” Staci said. “It's Boxing Day.”

“I would imagine the fish is well done by now,” Jim said dryly.

“Charcoal,” Ailsa said.

Staci sighed. “You two deserve each other, you know that?”

Jim grinned at Ailsa. “Just because great minds think alike,” he began.

“We lost everything, Jim,” Staci said sadly. “Our clothes. Your logbook. My music. Lou's sewing and camera. Everything we saved from
Avon
is gone.”

Ailsa beamed. “Not quite. Back in a tick.” She went into the hut and returned with the waterproof bag. She gave it to Jim. “The clothes I can't manage, but everything else is here.”

“Thank you.” He threw his arms around her.

Ailsa blushed. “I showed you yesterday when I pulled it from the river, but I didn't think you were paying attention.”

Staci hit him playfully. “Oh, stop it, Jim. You're embarrassing her. Besides your emotions are showing.”

Jim immediately let go of Ailsa. “Are they?” he asked. “Sorry. I'll stop it at once.”

Staci grinned at Ailsa. “Jim doesn't have emotions. It's a man-thing, apparently.”

“Oh, right. I see. Good job we women have then, isn't it?”

Ailsa said nothing about seeing Jim sob when he'd thought he'd lost his sister, and for that, Jim was grateful.

“Yep. Let's go see if Lou is awake. I can feel a carol coming on. After all, it is Christmas.”

11

The rebuilding work was exhausting and kept Jim, Staci and Ailsa really busy. Although Staci didn't do as much of the manual work, there was plenty of carrying and cooking to do, to keep the men fed and watered.

Ailsa was only too keen to help. “It's fun,” she told Staci on numerous occasions.

“How can getting covered in mud be fun? If there were horses involved then maybe, but otherwise?”

Ailsa shook her head in mock despair. “I spent the last few years being told women were to be seen and not heard. This is a welcome relief.”

“Then, go, enjoy. I'll keep Deefer out of mischief.”

Jim had begun to pick up the language quickly. He'd done Spanish at school and he'd been right in originally thinking that what the natives spoke was a derivative of Spanish, with a little French throw in. And the odd English word, as well.

Despite the fact Lou's fever had abated, and Mafuso insisted she was recovered enough to do so, Lou showed no signs of wanting to get out of bed. Nor did she make any attempt to integrate herself into village life.

That worried Jim. “Maybe Lou is still ill,” Jim commented over lunch. “I mean she's not arguing over staying in bed. She only ever did that when she had a migraine.”

“Either that or its Mafuso's influence,” Staci said.

“It's Mafuso all right, but I don't think it's his influence,” Ailsa laughed. “I'm seriously considering being ill myself.”

Staci laughed. “Me, too. I mean, who wouldn't want a really good looking bloke like that fussing over you all day long?”

Jim smiled. “Seriously, guys. It isn't like her not to complain.”

“She's not planning on staying behind again, is she?” Staci asked worriedly.

“I don't suppose so. Why don't you and Deefer go and see how she is?”

“Sure. C'mon Deefer, let's go find Lou.”

Jim waited until Staci was out of earshot before filling Ailsa in on Lou's desire to be left behind. “She was adamant that we didn't need her and there was no way she would ever go home.”

“She may still not want to. In which case, we'll just have to persuade her otherwise. C'mon, lunch over. Back to work.”

They had been assigned to the team involved in making a kind of mud slurry to daub over the new walls to make them waterproof.

As Jim said, “it's a dirty job, but someone has to do it.”

They worked hard until dusk, with a short break midafternoon. They cleaned up in the river.

A fire had been lit and several of the women were preparing the evening meal.

While the rebuilding was going on, the meals were done communally and accommodation was cramped, but no one seemed to mind.

“It's so different here,” Ailsa said to Jim. “The clothes may be the same, but the women here are respected. Honored even.”

Jim looked down at his clothes.

The villagers had given them new clothes as the fire had destroyed all of theirs.

Ailsa was used to floor length dresses and Staci was enamored with hers.

Jim was yet to be convinced by his outfit. The trousers were fine, but the sleeveless tunic, worn over nothing, which didn't even fasten, left much to be desired. Not to mention very little to the imagination.

Staci offered to lend him a dress, but he refused.

He should be grateful he had anything to wear, he mused internally, not wanting Staci to know what he was thinking.

When Staci joined them she looked different

“You've changed,” he said. “What have you done?”

Staci beamed at him and did a twirl. “What do you think?” Her hair, which had been almost waist length, now fell to just below her neck.

“Nice,” Jim said.

“Nice?”

“OK. More than nice. Very nice. Super. Lovely. Great.”

Staci shot him a filthy look, and her face fell.

Ailsa said quickly, “It's lovely. It really suits you like that.”

“Thank you. Keika did it for me.”

They walked across the clearing to the hut they were staying in. It belonged to Mafuso's brother, Amilek and his wife, Keika.

Keika smiled as they came in. “Hello,” she said in English.

“I taught her a few English words this afty. She's been teaching me Agrihan in return.” She smiled at Keika. “Shasti.”