Nirvana Effect (34 page)

Tomy
finally reached the temple.  He collapsed
at the feet of his master.  He had run in the lightness faster and longer than any Onge had ever run in their oral history.  His body was shaking.  He had thought that if he had run fast enough, he could warn his master about the white man

  It was obvious as he ran through the village that he had arrived too late.  The whole place was in uproar.  No warrior was to be found.  The women and children were running here and there,
collecting
their
possession
.  Everyone was talking, jabbering to one another, not making sense.  “It is time…we are traveling…the white man…I hope they get him…Manassa…the temple…Manassa.”   He’d only heard them in passing.  He had
but
one goal - to relay his information to his lord.

“The white man,” wheezed Tomy, unable to even look up at his god.

“He has come and gone,” said Manassa. 
Tomy could hear the anger riding under Manassa’s tone.
 
The god
yanked Tomy up to his feet.  “He came without you warning me, messenger!  He came and surprised me and now knows of our plans.  He is a traitor of the worst degree, that white man, and you let him beat you!”  Manassa’s face was beat red.  He slapped Tomy, who collapsed on the ground.

Tomy groaned.

“You were weak, messenger!  I know you had a moment of weakness, where you acted as a child, and he got the best of you.”  He was down in Tomy’s
ear.

Tomy’s
terrible sin flashed in his mind.
“I got too close…” groaned Tomy.

“What?!” yelled Manassa.

“I…I got too close on the porch,” he mumbled.  “I was watching the house, and watching them, and they started kissing.  I was thinking about a girl
…I got too close…h
e saw me
.  I didn’t think he’d see me
.”  Tomy
sobbed
his confession to the ground.

Manassa kicked him.  “Get up!  Get up, fool!”  He kicked him again.  Tomy just rolled over. 

The living god knelt down over him, menacing just inches from his face.

“Listen to me, Tomy.  Tomy, you are dead.  When you stand up, Tomy is dead.  Tomy will never be any more.  Tomy is just a child
, an embarrassment to our race
.  You will kill him, now.  And when you arise, only Tome will rise.  As Mahanta died, and Manassa rose, so it will be with you, Tome.  Tome, ‘word,’ the word of your living god.  Now rise up, and leave Tomy dead in the dirt.”

Tomy forced himself up on shaky legs.  He dried his tears.  He had failed his master utterly.  He
did what was asked.  He
let Tomy die inside of himself. 
It was a quick and easy thing in the half consciousness of exhaustion. 
He would be only what his living god would need of him now. 
Tome. 

Manassa pulled out a vial from beneath his throne and
emptied its contents into
Tome’
s mouth.  He
was giving
him the lightness again.  He knew the boy had just used the lightness to get here.  He did not care.  There were penalties for failure. 

“I will tell you this once.  We are leaving now.  There is no time.  The white man could ruin everything.  Go now to
Lisbaad
and raid Liang’s mansion.  Then come to the launch point.  Bring everyone.  Evacuate
Lisbaad
.”

“There is a woman
,” said Tome.  “A doctor.  The white m
an worked with her in Lisbaad
before he saw…Tomy.” he said, hesitatingly.

“You have her?” asked Manassa.  Tome nodded.  “Then bring her along with you.”

“What about the white man?”

“There’s no need to find him.  He’ll find us.  We must
only
be ready.  Be sure everyone is on the highest alert.  We must move NOW,” said Manassa. 

Tome felt the effects of the lightness surge over him.  “Yes, master.  Thank you for your forgiveness.”

“There is no forgiveness, Tome.  There is only
living, and on the other side, death
.  Now, go.”

“Callista,” said the priest.  “What happened to her?”

“Callista?” asked James vaguely.  “Callista…who…”

“We’re on the same side, Seacrest, so just tell me what’s up.”

“I’m not too sure of that.  I’m still tied up.”

Styles slammed the brakes.  He
did a rough job of untying
James and then started driving again. 

James rubbed his wrists.  “I don’t know what happened to Callista.  How do you know Callista?”

“An old friend,” said Styles cryptically.

“Wait a moment.  You must be
him
.”  Seacrest laughed.  “Am I right?  You’re
him!
”

“What do you mean?”

“Funny that you’re
American
. 
I would have taken her to be one who fancies the foreigners and not the down home cooking.  Though that was why she had started
falling for me.”

“Falling for you?” asked Styles.

“She must like the accent…Don’t worry about it, old boy.  Now she’s got the real
deal
.”  James patted Styles on the back humorlessly. 

“So when’s the last time you’ve seen Callista?”

Old boy’s got a one-track mind.  Kind of like his girl.
  “Last week.  I brought her flowers.”

“She didn’t make contact with you today?”

“No, no contact.  She didn’t even say hi.”

Styles taxed the engine further.  The Corvette started catching air over little bumps in the road.  James didn’t like it but wasn’t going to say anything. 

“Mind filling me in on what the hell’s going on?”
asked James.

“You first.  How’d you end up here?”

James took a moment to collect his thoughts.

“Listen,” said Styles, more softly.  “I’m only interested in protecting Callista.  I’m afraid she’s been abducted just like you were.  So the more you can tell me the better.  I promise I’ll fill you in, too.  I just need to know what’s happening.
  When were you abducted?
”

“
About three in the afternoon yesterday.  I had just shut down my clinic and was on my way home when I was stopped in the middle of the road.”

“What happened?”

“They were natives, with no shirt, just loincloths, guns and clubs.”

“
Onge.”

“Is that what you call them?”

“Yes, Onge.”

“Well, the
s
e Onge
were parked in the middle of the road.  When I stopped one of them clubbed me over the head a couple times.
  When I woke up they made me take them to my house.  At first they didn’t speak any English.  One was reading a book, though, and somehow learned pretty quick
.  Amazing, actually, sort of fightening
.  Wanted to know if I knew anything about pharmacology.”

“What did you say?”

“I just acted like I still didn’t understand them.  It was freaking me out, really, watching some guy in a loincloth
learn English in half an hour.”

The priest nodded understanding
ly
.  He seemed to know what James was talking about.

James continued.  “Even though he was speaking some English, he kept saying this word.”

“What was the word?”

“Lay-yek-tah?”

“
Lleychta?
” Styles asked, putting the emphasis on the first and last syllables.

“Yes, that’s it.  That’s it exactly.”  James snapped his fingers.  “That’s just how they said it!  What does it mean?”

“You’ve been in this sort of situation before, haven’t you?” asked Styles.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean this whole life and death thing.  You’re a bit chipper for having just been kidnapped, rescued and now on the run from a band of vengeful Onge.”

James shrugged. 
The priest
was right but
James
really
didn’t
want to get into it.  “What’s the word mean?”

“It means nectar,” said Styles.

“Nectar…nectar…hmm…” reflected James.  “Ahm…What do you suppose that means?”

Styles winced.  The car skidded and Styles slowed it down. 

“You okay?” asked James.

“Fine.  We’re well enough ahead now,” said Styles.  He didn’t look fine, though.
  He looked a bit green and was rubbing his head.

The road took them into
lower terrain
.  Mud covered portions of the road.  The sun was rising, and James hoped it dried
things out
.  James leaned over to check the gas dial.  The car still had a quarter tank, more than enough to get them back to
Lisbaad
.

“Thanks for bailing me out, there,” said James. 

“No problem,” said Styles.  “Another question for you.”

“Shoot.”

“How far is your house from Callista’s?”

“Directly across the street,” said James.

“And you haven’t seen her in a week?” asked Styles.

“I think she’s been avoiding me.  Like I said,
starting
to fall for me.”

Styles didn’t comment.  “When did you leave your house?”

“I suppose around midnight,” said James.

“Did you see any Onge at Callista’s house?”

“No, I don’t believe.”

“Anything suspicious?  Are you sure?  Any cars in the driveway, anything out of place, any Onge coming from her house?”

James looked over that wild night
through his mind’s eye
.  “No, no, I don’t think so.  Ahm…no.  Nothing like that.  They were at my house.  Only mine.”

“All right,” said Edward.

“Do you know why I was abducted?” asked James.

Edward nodded.  “At least, I have some idea,” said Edward.

“Well, all right, I answered your questions…”

“Right,” said Edward. 
The priest
hesitated for a moment
before he started his explanation.  Just that little pause told
James’s experienced ear that he wasn’t going to get the whole truth.  “The ‘nectar’ is what
you could call a designer drug,” said Edward.
 
“
A sort of an upper.  The Onge have a new young leadership that’
s trying to export
is to the mainland
, but right now it’s got a nasty kick that makes it unsalable.  I’d assume that they were going to use you to try to fix it.”

“Why me?” asked James.

“No idea.  Ask yourself what might lead them to you in particular.  There are a few other doctors on the island, no?” Edward asked.

Liang.
 
I’ll never get away from that bastard.  Especially while I’m stuck on
t
his damn island.
James shrugged again noncommittally.  “
Maybe it was just bad luck,” said James.
 
“
I seem to be running long on that.”

“Maybe so,” said Edward.

“So what’s your gig?” asked James.

“Hmm?”

“How come you’re kicking ‘Onge’ ass left and right?”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, you know…”

“Just bad luck, I guess.”  The priest smiled a bit too knowingly.  He could tell that James was not satisfied with that answer.  “Actually I was the missionary assigned to that
tribe.  They tried to get me to do what they were
‘
recruiting
’
you for.”

“And what’s Callista got to do with all this?”  James smelled a rat, but he tried to keep his eyes from slanting in suspicion. 
This priest is in the drug game.  I don’t care what he tells me.
  James knew
bishops, politicians and superstars
all
in the drug game.  A priest was no surprise to him.

Edward hesitated.  “I escaped a few nights ago.  I ran into Callista by accident. 
Then I
discovered that I’d been spotted, that
the Onge ha
d seen me with her.  I told her to go hide somewhere she felt safe – which she said was with you.  I came back to the Onge village to try to reason with the leader of the tribe.  He had been my pupil for a time and I stupidly thought I could change his mind.  I almost got captured again in the process.”