The Flames of Time (Flames of Time Series Book 1) (33 page)

There was an understandable surprise and concern at this. But with Jean’s help I explained about our early morning conversation, and the sudden realisation that Selene, and the organisation that she worked for, would even now be travelling toward us, and may even be upon us before the day was out.

‘You’re both convinced of this?’ was Marlow’s simple question.

There was an energy and determination about him as he asked us this, which seemed to grow in intensity when we indicated that we were indeed both convinced.

‘Then we must leave within the hour,’ was his equally straight forward suggestion, ‘and you can explain your reasons in more detail once we stop and have time.’

He looked at each of us as he said this, that becalming gaze of his travelling from face to face, to invite further discussion, but there was none. And then we were all off in our respective directions preparing and packing with all possible haste.

CHAPTER 22 – THE HUNT

There was a lot to get done within an hour, especially if we weren’t sure we’d be coming back this way. But somehow we managed it without everything descending into chaos, even taking a few minutes to convince the hotel manager to misdirect anyone who might happen to turn up looking for us, before we set off.

We wouldn’t be difficult to find, even once we’d left the lodge, not until we managed to get a few miles away at least. But if anyone from the outside knew Africa and how to travel through and hide in the bush then it was us. We were still like children by comparison to the natives, who had an almost intuitive communion with the land. But we knew enough, so that if we could get a few hours away, then they might never find us.

It was the same route we’d taken the first time, and I knew that if Luke was still with Selene and her friends, then he’d have a pretty good idea of which way we’d go. So it all depended on how far behind us they might be. As we travelled with Nbutu again leading us onward, I tried to do the sums.

We’d left Mombasa six days ago, wasting at least two days while we made arrangements and sorted out supplies and equipment. But in that time Stephanos would be back in the Mediterranean, where I was sure he’d have been found almost straight away. Even if it took them a day to find him and get the information out of him, then they might only be three days behind us.

But how would they travel to Africa? If they went by boat and train as we had, then they couldn’t do any better than we had and would have to be at least five days behind us. But if they got a plane, that would completely change things. They could be in Mombasa the same day, and it wouldn’t take them long to figure out where we might be headed from there, perhaps even flying straight to Nyrobi if their plane could do it. In which case they could have even arrived there on the same day we left.

The heat of the day had started to build now, and even in the shade it was already hot, but at the thought of them being so close behind us I felt a chill creep into my spine, and a cold sweat form upon my brow. It had taken us three days to travel to the lodge from Nyrobi, not a slow pace, but it could be done quicker, especially in a car. The roads and tracks weren’t good, but at this time of year, and with a bit of luck, you could do it in a day. Which meant they could’ve been upon us already if everything had gone their way.

I wasn’t feeling the heat anymore, I was so convinced they had to be close upon our heels, and the more I thought about it, the more I realised that in some ways we’d played straight into their hands. We had all the artefacts they wanted with us, and we were far enough away from civilisation and the law for them to be taken by force, without fear of recrimination. Luke had mentioned that either Selene or her employer had been responsible for the brigand attack just outside Uruk. That kind of thing wouldn’t be as easy to arrange in East Africa, but there were so many other forms of violence that could be used, including bringing their own people in for the job.

We’d been travelling for about an hour and half before being obliged to stop for a few minutes by a herd of Elephant. There weren’t many of them, but they looked like one of the small packs of young bulls that one occasionally sees tearing up the place. They weren’t intent on mischief this time, but equally they didn’t seem in any great hurry to move on, so we just had to stop where we were and wait for them to wander off out of our way.

I took the opportunity to have a quiet word with Mkize while we were stopped, to let him know I was concerned about being followed, and therefore to keep an eye out for any sign that might indicate others coming this way. But he did better than that and also informed Nbutu, who nodded his understanding also, and indicated he would go and look while we waited for the elephant to move on.

I tried to watch him as he moved effortlessly over to some higher ground, with that long efficient stride of the Maasai, but in no time he’d blended into the bush and disappeared.

A few minutes later, as the elephant finally decided to move on, we rode forward again, as best we could until Nbutu came back to guide. We were all keeping an eye out for his reappearance, but he still managed to pop-up practically beside us before we’d realised. I’d no idea where he’d come from, but without a moment’s hesitation he was directing us off to the side toward a more open area of land a short way off.

Nbutu made no attempt to tell us what was going on, but it was clear he was leading as quickly as he could. I couldn’t see where he was taking us until suddenly a few hundred yards further on we crested the edge of small wadi or depression, into which Nbutu now lead us and then stopped, indicating we should all dismount, and then get our horses to kneel down.

I’d seen the Maasai do some amazing things with their cattle, which they had an almost mystic control over, but I couldn’t have been more surprised when, after seeing us struggle for a few minutes, this tall Maasai stepped forward and with no effort at all made each of our horses kneel down in turn.

We'd gone along with all this so far, guessing and trusting that there was an explanation. Now as we waited, crouched in this hollow in the middle of the bush, we listened via Mkize as Nbutu explained that we were pursued by a motor vehicle.

I'd been dreading this news, it could only be Selene and her friends, and here we were still out in the open on horseback. They must have gone for the quicker option of a car to get to the lodge, and then had no choice but to try and catch us before the ground got too rough for them to follow.

We heard them a long time before we saw them, the petrol engine of the small truck they were using sounding so completely alien in the bush. It was a good ten minutes before they finally came into sight. It looked like something they’d hired from a local farmer or business delivery service, as it was by far a poor relation to the two shining saloons they'd had at their disposal in Corinth. But it was obviously a more rugged vehicle, with what looked like Selene and Luke in the cab with a driver, while the servants we’d seen them with in Corinth, rode open topped on the flatbed of the truck with Miriam and Thea. They were all alert, perpetually scanning the horizon with binoculars as the truck jolted along.

We were as good as trapped now. They came out into the clear open area where we were hidden, and then stopped, too far away for us to hear what was being said. But it was clear from the way the people in the back were searching with their binoculars that they were taking the opportunity provided by the more open terrain to do a more comprehensive scan of the area.

We couldn’t move. The wadi was too shallow for us to even think about trying to get the horses back on their feet, but if Selene and her friends decided to drive further into the open, then they’d have to come our way, and there was no way they could miss us.

To the west, the direction in which we wanted to travel, the ground dropped slightly to form a large verdant basin, before rising again, and becoming a little more rugged, as the terrain climbed into the hills beyond. This basin could easily take us several hours to travel through, and there was no way we could pass through unseen as long as they were behind us.

After taking a long time to satisfy themselves that we weren’t in sight, they eventually started to move off to the west, and not toward us. I was just beginning to relax when suddenly the truck drew to a halt, and a moment later both Thea and Miriam were firing large calibre rifles from the back of the truck over the cab at a target I hadn’t seen.

It took me a second to take in the scene, and then to comprehend what I saw.

As the truck had started to move off they’d crossed the path of a young Rhino which unusually, had attempted to charge their vehicle. Now a Rhino is a formidable creature at the best of times, but they’re so short sighted that on horseback one can just stop and wait for them to move on their way, just as it was with a great many of the larger game animals, when one wasn’t deliberately hunting them.

But this animal had obviously strayed close to their vehicle while the engine was quiet, and had then perhaps become alarmed at the noise when the truck started up again causing it to attack. But it was the speed and accuracy of those two young women on the back of the truck that was the truly shocking thing. The servants in the back of the vehicle barely managed to get a shot off in the time it took Thea and Miriam to down the animal. Now that was an impressive feat, period. Even a large calibre round won’t stop a Rhino unless you hit it in the right place. But for two young women to show that kind of proficiency, and with such powerful and difficult to manage weapons, why that was unheard of.

It had all caused a bit of a stir, with our own horses becoming restless for a moment before they were calmed again by Nbutu. Over at the body of the Rhino, our pursuers stopped again to examine the unfortunate creature, before unceremoniously moving on.

I could tell my friends had spotted the efficiency with which they’d wielded their weapons too, and as their vehicle moved away into the distance, I could see from the expressions of their faces they were thinking over what we’d seen. We had no option now but to wait, and it was another twenty minutes before Nbutu checked the coast was clear. Only then could we carefully raise our animals and head off in the same direction.

The horses might have gotten a bit nervous if we’d taken them too close to the dead Rhino, so we took them around, and left them with Nbutu, Mkize and the other guides, before walking back to take a look at the animal.

‘Four clean head shots,’ remarked Marlow, after examining the body. ‘One more straight into the horn, another into the neck.’

Another couple of smaller calibre rounds had hit the animal in the leg and grazed its side.

‘I’d wager the head shots were from Thea and Miriam, and these others were from one of the servants grabbing the wrong weapon,’ Marlow speculated.

It was a very business-like kill. Far too business-like for anyone who hadn’t spent the last few years hunting.

We had to continue our journey for now, and try to make sure we didn’t run into them again, but I could tell we were all still wondering who these people could be, and where on earth they might have developed the kind of skill they’d just exhibited.

Regardless, we got back to the horses and set off again at a good pace. Nbutu had watched our adversaries as they’d travelled into the bush ahead, and had noticed that while they scanned the terrain before them and to the sides with great alertness and care, they seemed to be paying little or no attention to what lay behind them. Their tracks were certainly easy enough to follow, and the din from their engine seemed to be driving most of the animals away before they got anywhere near. So, by following them as close as we dared, we were able to not only avoid them, but also much of the more dangerous game that might have otherwise slowed us down.

It was tough going mind, and I was beginning to get concerned for Androus, as we were obliged to travel quicker and a little more recklessly than we would normally, just to try and stay up with them, all of which was obviously taking its toll on the already tired Armenian. They did gradually get ahead of us, even though we clearly heard them stop and presumably search the area ahead on several occasions. But by then they’d lead us across most of the lower plain, and we were getting close to the point where the terrain would hopefully become impassable for their vehicle.

This was obviously the tricky stage, and Nbutu started to lead us through areas that afforded a little more cover as a consequence, just in case they suddenly decided to double back and retrace their steps. We could hear the engine, but it was difficult to tell where exactly it was coming from, and now we had the added problem of having to avoid the animals that were being made nervous by the sound of the truck. We slowly managed to move forward, but then, just as we were starting to think we were making progress, Nbutu stopped us dead, and pointed out a rocky outcropping atop a Kopje or hillock three-quarters of a mile or so up ahead, from where he’d seen a flash.

We were moving through a small stand of acacia trees at the time, but had been just about to move across an open area toward some tall grass, when Nbutu had raised the alert. Jean had his binoculars handy, and a moment later was scanning the outcropping for the source of the flash.

‘Ah but they are too clever,’ he half mused to himself, before describing what he could see. ‘There are two, no three of them. I cannot tell for sure but it looks like Thea and Miriam and one of their servants, all using their binoculars to scan the land around them.’

‘And the others,’ asked Marlow, ‘with the truck, are they anywhere to be seen?’

We could hear the distant sound of the truck engine, which indicated it was being driven rather than parked, but it was too far away to be able to tell clearly where the sound was coming from.

‘I cannot see it,’ responded Jean after a moment of looking, ‘No wait, that could be it. Half a mile away from the outcropping to the north, something disturbs a flock of small birds, it could be the truck. Yes that’s it. There’s quite a bit over cover over there, but it looks like it’s beginning to circle round a bit now, back toward us and the direction in which they came.