Sky Pirates (35 page)

He did not answer her. The only sound between them were the click and slide as he disassembled the gun again and started rubbing away some invisible speck of dirt with the cloth.

“It’s all right,” he said after a while.

“Is it really?” She looked up into his face.

He gave her a lopsided smile. “Of course it is. It’s this place. I think all those fertility symbols in the river rocks makes the water do stuff to people. We both got caught in the water magic, is all.”

“I think you might be right,” she said, not believing a word of it. Let the man at least walk away from her with his pride intact. It was the least she could do after everything that had passed between them.

“Of course I’m right. I am always right. You should try to remember that for the future,” he said.

She laughed. Her captain was back, she thought with a tremendous rush of relief.

She took a deep breath. There was one more thing she had to say. The most important of all perhaps. “I have been doing a lot of thinking, as I said.”

“So have I,” he admitted.

“I must find the city of Angkor. Hari says he’s been there and he will take me there on a pilgrimage. It is only fifty miles away. So close.” She picked at a thread that was peeping out of the seam of her
sampot
. “I wanted to know if you might find it within yourself to come with us. I need you,” she said.

“Hari spoke to me too. I swear that sneaky old monk has been playing us all along,” he said. He put his gun back into its holster and started cleaning his hands on the cloth. “Well, then I suppose we had better start getting our things together. Sounds like we have a long walk ahead of us. I’m not going to let you walk away with all that gold by yourself. We had a deal. Sixty-forty, if I recall.” He stood up and held out his hand in order to help her up. “What do you say?”

His large hand felt strong and warm around hers when she took it. Close to him, he smelled like sunshine, gunmetal and the coconut oil he had been using to clean his revolver a few minutes before.

“I say we leave first thing tomorrow morning.” Elle smiled at him. Here, in the sunshine, she had the sudden urge to kiss him, but he turned away before she could.

Yes, her captain was back, and the knowledge made her very happy even if she did have to ignore the fact that his smile could not quite erase the sadness in his eyes.

The trek along the narrow jungle paths toward Siem Riep was not one for the fainthearted. After two days of walking from sunset to sundown, Elle was hot, sticky and burned from the sun. However, this time, things were different. They had food, water and a guide who knew the way. And so they made their way through the jungle, stopping off at villages and farms where Hari attended to the spiritual duties of his order for people they served.

“How are you doing back there, Mrs. Marsh?” Dashwood looked over his shoulder and smiled at her. They were both out of breath and sweating in the humidity.

“I think I preferred it when I didn’t have anything to carry,” she said, hitching up the bundle she was carrying, hooked over her shoulders like a rucksack.

Dashwood unclipped his metal water canteen—a gift from Hari—and handed it to her.

“How far do we still have to go today?” Elle said.

Hari, serene in his robes and staff, seemed entirely unfazed by the heat and the jungle. “Not too far. We can stay at the next village.”

The jungle tapered off and the landscape opened up as they walked. Before them lay acres upon acres of rice paddy fields, punctuated by houses on tall stilts, their roofs thatched with palm fronds. Women and men shaded themselves from the sun in wide, woven conical hats and worked knee-deep in the waterlogged rice
fields, while giant longhorn water buffalo grazed and lowed as they were herded along.

As they passed on the road, people bowed to Hari with their palms pressed together.

“No one would believe me if I told them I walked here,” Elle said.

“I don’t think they get many outsiders visiting,” Dashwood said. Not all the faces watching them were friendly.

“Hari, are you sure this is the right place?” Elle asked the monk as they walked along the palm-lined footpath that led into the village.

“Yes, I have stayed here many times. The chief is very friendly. Big fat man. Very friendly.” Hari gestured with his arms to indicate the chief’s girth, which did indeed seem considerable.

They had reached a cluster of palm-thatched houses in what looked like the center of the village. People were standing in little groups, staring and pointing at them. This was very unusual because in the culture of the Khmer, staring and pointing was considered most disrespectful.

“What is going on here?” Dashwood said out of the corner of his mouth.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Elle said. “Look!”

An old woman in a brown
sampot
came stalking down the footpath. Her thinning gray hair was tied in a tight knot at the back of her head. As she walked she waved her thin arms, all the while shouting at them.

Hari blanched. He extended his hands in supplication, but the woman would have none of it. She walked up to Elle and before Elle could react, the old woman’s bony hands clasped the hair on the side of her head. Her wrinkled face and eyes were alive with anger and she started shaking Elle about, all the while shouting at her in
Khmer. This too was most unusual as the touching of the head was an even bigger insult.

Hari had turned quite pale at the sight of the woman.

Elle was so shocked by the outburst that it did not ever occur to her to do something—until Dashwood intervened.

He grabbed the two women and wrenched them apart. Elle stared at the old woman, unsure what to do. The old woman, on the other hand, was full of energy. She was doing her best to claw at Elle even while Dashwood held her at arm’s length.

“Seems like you have a new friend,” he said.

“What did I do?” Elle said.

By this time, everyone had come to see what the commotion was. All the people around them were glaring with open hostility.

“Hari?” Elle whispered. “I don’t think these people like us very much.”

The monk started speaking rapidly and inclined his head, until eventually the old woman stopped fighting Dashwood.

“She says you may let go of her now,” Hari said.

Gently Dashwood released his grip on the old woman who stalked off, casting filthy looks at them over her shoulder as she went.

“Come, we must go,” Hari said.

“Wait, what about dinner and a dry bed?” Dashwood said.

“Tonight we make camp in the forest. It will be nice. You’ll see.” Hari started walking quickly along the footpath that led out of the village. It was a good half hour before Elle or Dashwood could get anything more out of him.

“What happened back there?” Dashwood said once they had stopped to rest.

Hari looked distraught. “The old woman is the village
wise woman. She can see things that others cannot. She says that she does not want, forgive me, Miss Elle to be allowed to come into the village. She says a dark thing follows her. Word has spread from other villages and farms. Something terrible came out of the jungle in the night. Something with terrible teeth, growling and sniffing, always searching for something.”

Elle felt the blood drain from her face. “Did you say it was following us?”

Hari nodded. “It is probably just superstition, but sometimes superstition is more than enough, so for tonight, we are the guests of the jungle.”

“I say we stop here,” Dashwood said, looking around the clearing that was just off the road. “It looks dry enough for a fire.”

“Yes, let us rest here for tonight,” Hari said. “I have some rice we can cook for dinner.”

Dashwood looked at Elle. “You don’t by any chance happen to know anything about this strange darkness following you?”

Elle swallowed. “I have a theory, but it’s not possible. It can’t be possible.”

Dashwood crossed his arms. “Let’s hear it.”

“I was warned that something had been sent out to find me. A Shadow creature. It’s something between a dog and a wolf. It’s a big black beast with two heads. Yellow eyes.”

Dashwood frowned.

“But I trapped it in the Shadow realm the last time it chased me. It should be stuck there.”

“The last time it chased you?” Dashwood’s lips were in a tight line.

“Well, yes. Technically my body was on board the
Inanna
, but my Shadow-self had taken an unexpected trip into the other realm. It’s complicated.”

“The last time it
chased
you?” Dashwood said again.

“Look, I don’t know what’s going on,” Elle said. “I honestly don’t. It may be that it escaped when the barrier went all funny.” She looked at her feet, suddenly ashamed. Yet again, she had let everyone down.

Dashwood drew his revolver and checked that it was loaded. “Not much we can do about it now. If it’s out there, we’ll have to face it one way or another. I’ll take the first watch.”

“I will stay awake too,” Hari said. He was sitting with his legs crossed, his back perfectly straight. “On life’s journey, faith is nourishment, virtuous deeds are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day and right mindfulness is the protection by night. If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him.”

Dashwood shook his head. “Whatever that means,” he said. “Let’s get the fire going.”

The night was very dark. There was no moon and the sky was littered with a thick crust of stars.

Elle sat staring into the fire. She held a hot mug of tea from the pot Hari had brewed. The monk was still in his spot, sitting very still with his eyes closed. Beside her, Elle watched Dashwood’s body move steadily up and down as his breath slowed in sleep. His revolver lay on the blanket next to her, at the ready. Beside the gun lay the storm rider blade they had carried with them from the wreck.

She closed her eyes in frustration. Would the constant parade of monsters and creatures through her life ever stop? She had to admit that the thought of saying yes to Dashwood, so they could get as far away from all the Shadows, was becoming more tempting every time she thought about it. Especially alone here in the dark of night.

High up in the sky no one seemed to be able to find her. Closeted within the iron bones of an airship she
would be safe. Up in the sky, who knows, she might even be happy.

But what about when she had to go ashore? The thought niggled. Would she not simply be placing everyone within a half-mile radius in danger? Had not enough people died because of her?

A twig snapped.

Elle looked up and peered into the lush darkness around her. Something was out there. She could feel its strangeness in the air.

Everything went eerily silent. It was as if the very jungle that surrounded them was holding its breath. It was here. She could feel it in the hum of aether that surrounded her.

As silently as she could, she moved so she was crouching. Then she took Dashwood’s revolver up in one hand and the blade in the other. She gripped them tight for courage, measuring the weight of the weapons. Then she rose to meet the danger. It was time to face the monster Patrice had sent for her.

Slowly she walked toward the edge of the camp. Her feet barely made a sound on the soft ground.

Outside the light cast by the fire, it was so dark that sight was almost useless, but Elle held firm. She listened. Instinctively her nostrils flared as she took deep breaths of warm night air. Something was watching her. She could feel its eyes following her every step.

“Come on, you bastard. I am sick and tired of all these games. Let’s have you then. You and me, what do you say?” she whispered. There was no need to speak louder, for she was sure the creature could hear her heart pounding in her chest.

There was a soft rustle to her left and she swiveled round to meet it, but there was nothing.

“Come on!” she said a little louder. “Enough with the
skulking. Come out and fight like a man. Or a beast. Or whatever kind of mongrel you are.”

Those are brave words. Brave but foolish for someone so helpless
.

The voice came out of the dark to her right. Elle turned quickly and her breath caught in her throat. From the darkness, the massive black hound stepped forward. His yellow eyes glowed in the light of the fire.

“I am not afraid of you, dog. And I am not afraid to die. So either you do what you have to do right now, or leave this place and never bother me again.”

The matter is not that simple, Pythia. You know it is not
.

“Oh yes it is. I’ll not have you bother innocent people who have no stake in this battle any longer. Enough is enough. You and I are having it out right here. Right now!” She did not bother to speak softly. She doubted it would matter anyway, because she had a feeling things would be over soon.

The hound let out a soft menacing growl and pounced.

Elle managed to fire a shot before the creature got to her, but the bullet went wide.

The weight of him knocked Elle to the ground. She dropped the blade as she fought to keep his massive snapping jaws from her. Round and round they rolled, kicking up a dust cloud filled with snarls and spit.

The creature locked one of his jaws round Elle’s forearm and bit down.

Elle squealed in pain as his sharp teeth sliced through skin. She could feel its teeth touching the bone, deep inside her arm.

Holding the beast off with one of his sets of jaws around her arm, she reached back and punched the creature in the center of his other face. Her fist connected with the soft, sensitive wet part of his nose and she felt the bones of her knuckles give as it connected.

The hound let out a yelp of pain and shook his head, but the other set of jaws held her firmly. Slowly, he started dragging Elle away from the fire. As he went, he sneezed and shook his head to assuage his smarting nose.

She panicked. She could not allow this creature to drag her off into the undergrowth to do goodness knows what with her. She dug her heels into the ground as hard as she could, straining against the sheer force of the hound as he held on to her arm. She felt muscles and tendons tear as the dog dragged her.