The Place of Dead Kings (46 page)

C
ormac squatted in the hut’s entrance, silhouetted in the late afternoon light. ‘Chiefs come soon.’

‘We’ll wait here,’ Jack said. ‘Come and get us when they arrive.’

Cormac nodded, bowed his head towards the Great Shee and slipped away.

Jack sat back on his bracken bed. He and Rao were in their hut in the village, after being greeted joyously by the Mar on their return. Chief Domnall had announced the local chiefs were returning to the village to hear what the Great Shee had discovered at the Place of Dead Kings.

‘What are we going to do?’ Rao was sitting cross-legged beside the smouldering peat fire. ‘They’ll expect me to fight Mahajan. They think the Great Shee is here to save them.’

Jack rubbed the back of his neck. ‘You’ll have to oblige them, then.’

Rao’s eyes widened. ‘I can’t do that! Mahajan’s a siddha. You said he has some sort of shield.’

Jack had told Rao everything he’d found out about the castle, including what he’d learnt about the underground workshop, avatars and the dungeon.

‘Don’t worry. Not you on your own.’ Jack looked out the open door. The sounds of the village wafted inside. ‘I’ve been thinking about it. We can’t leave Saleem and Parihar behind, can we?’

Rao’s moustache stiffened. ‘No. This Mahajan seems to be a brute. Before, I’d assumed Parihar would be well treated by a fellow Rajthanan. Now I see I was quite wrong.’

‘Right. And we can’t leave Mahajan to have the Brahmastra, if he really does have it.’

‘Indeed not. The man appears insane.’

‘So, as I see it, our only choice is to fight Mahajan and his men.’

‘Fight them? With what? They’ve got muskets, guns. Who knows what powers Mahajan has.’

‘I’ve been talking to Cormac and Domnall. They reckon they can muster three thousand warriors if most of the Mar and a few neighbouring tribes join forces.’

Rao rubbed his moustache. ‘That is a large number. If it’s true.’

‘With three thousand, I reckon we can take the castle. It’s not all that well defended at the moment. I had a good look at the place. They can’t have more than forty guns and mortars. And I’d take a stab at estimating they have about four hundred fighting men, if that. Apparently another large Cattan war party’s just been sent south, but they won’t be able to get back to the castle quickly.’

‘They have muskets.’

‘True, but if we can get inside the castle that won’t count for much. In hand-to-hand fighting we’ll beat them through weight of numbers.’

‘What about Mahajan’s powers?’

‘That is an unknown. I’ll grant you that. We’ll have to deal with whatever comes up.’

‘And the Brahmastra?’

‘Mahajan might not have finished it yet. Sonali wasn’t sure. He hasn’t used it yet, has he?’

‘That’s no guarantee.’

‘No. But the Brahmastra doesn’t sound like a short-range weapon. If it can lay waste to a whole city, you wouldn’t want to use it against someone a few yards away, would you?’

‘I hadn’t thought of it like that. The problem is, we know so little about the thing. This all seems very risky.’

‘You got any other ideas?’

Rao rubbed his moustache more vigorously. ‘I have to say, I don’t. We can’t go back to Dun Fries now. We can’t do nothing. We have to act. I fear your plan is the best option we have, but I’m not sure it will work.’

‘A little faith. That’s all we need.’ He had to appear confident in front of Rao, despite the fact he was far from certain about their chances.

‘I wish I shared your optimism.’

Jack toyed with a piece of bracken. There was something else he had to talk to Rao about, and it wasn’t going to be easy. ‘Have you thought what we should do with the Brahmastra?’

‘Assuming we actually beat Mahajan?’

‘Yes.’

‘And he really has managed to build the thing?’

Jack nodded.

Rao stared into space. ‘I will put it in the hands of the army. They can decide what to do with it.’

Jack had thought Rao might say something like that. This was going to be a difficult conversation. ‘Are you sure that’s for the best?’

‘Whatever do you mean?’

‘The thing is . . . the army might try to use it, mightn’t they? Imagine the damage that’ll do.’

‘I believe they would only use it where necessary, in the service of dharma.’

‘Not sure I agree with that.’

Rao frowned. ‘What?’

‘I’ve seen the army do some terrible things.’

‘Nonsense. I don’t think I like the gist of what you’re saying, Jack.’

Jack stared hard at Rao. ‘That’s because you haven’t been on the receiving end of what the army can do. You haven’t had to face an assault by the European or Rajthanan Army.’

‘And neither have you.’ Rao paused. ‘You haven’t, have you? You said you were
in
the army.’

‘I was. But when the mutiny started . . . well, I found myself on the other side.’

‘What?’ Rao’s voice was no louder than a whisper. ‘You’re not . . . a traitor.’

‘Afraid so.’

‘You.’ Rao leapt to his feet, his eyes blazing. He pointed his finger at Jack. ‘You. Treason! Traitor!’

‘Sit down—’

‘I will not sit down. You’ve lied to me and led me astray. Why did I trust you? I must be mad. My father told me the English were treacherous brutes. I should have listened to him.’

‘Calm down. Let me explain.’

‘I will not hear another word from you. You . . . you’ve let me down, Jack. You’ve let me down very badly.’

Rao stormed out of the hut, his turban brushing against the top of the low door frame.

Jack jumped up and followed. The Captain was striding away from the village and up the lip of the hollow. Dusk was approaching and the trees and huts were tinged golden.

Cormac ran across to Jack, a frown locked on his forehead. ‘Where Great Shee go?’

‘Don’t worry.’ Jack raised his hand. ‘I’ll talk to him.’

‘There is problem?’

‘No problem.’

Jack strode after Rao. The Captain soon vanished into the shadows beneath the trees. Where was he going? He wasn’t setting off into the wilderness, was he?

Jack started running. He forced his way through the undergrowth and found Rao standing on the far side of the stretch of woods, staring up at the bare slope of a hill.

Jack walked across and stood beside him. What to say? ‘Look, I’m sorry.’

Rao’s eyes were glassy and his moustache rigid. ‘You lied to me.’

‘Not exactly. I just didn’t tell you the whole truth.’

Rao looked at his boots. ‘So, were you going to slit my throat and take the Brahmastra for yourself, then?’

‘No. I mean, I wasn’t going to kill you. That was never my plan.’ He stared up the hill. ‘But when I set out, I was thinking to get the Brahmastra for the rebels.’

‘I see. You knew about it all along?’

‘No. My commanders heard a rumour that Mahajan had some sort of weapon.’

‘So, that’s why they sent you.’

‘Yes.’

Rao stared at him. ‘How could you betray your oath? How could you betray the army?’

‘It wasn’t easy. It took me a while to decide. It was a complicated situation.’

‘You have abandoned dharma. You have walked away from everything that’s right in this world.’

Jack shook his head. ‘You’ve only been in these lands for a few months. You don’t understand. England is my country. The empire has taken it from my people.’

‘The empire has brought dharma to this place.’

‘You think so? Look at Mahajan. See what he’s done here. He’s taken these lands from the Mar and enslaved them. All to further his own power.’

‘Mahajan is a traitor to the empire too.’

‘But it’s the same, don’t you see? He’s come here with his powers and avatars and taken over. That’s what the empire’s done in England.’

Rao stared into the distance and went silent for a long time.

Finally, Jack sighed. ‘Look, we have to plan our next move. We have to work together.’

‘And what makes you think I’m going to take part in this plan of yours?’

‘We have to put aside our differences. For our friends.’

‘And after we free them? What about the Brahmastra?’

Jack scratched the back of his neck. ‘We’ll have to agree what to do with that.’

‘I will not let it fall into the hands of the rebels. I would die to prevent that.’

‘I wouldn’t expect you to agree to that. The thing is, I’m not sure I want the rebels to have it anyway.’

‘What are you talking about now?’

‘I’ve been thinking about the Brahmastra. Thinking about it a lot. If it’s real, I don’t think anyone should have it. Not the crusade. Not the empire. It’s too dangerous.’

‘What are you saying?’

‘I reckon we should destroy it. Destroy all Mahajan’s work so no one can get their hands on it.’

‘You are asking me to betray the empire.’

‘And I’ll be betraying the crusade. But I don’t see it like that. The Brahmastra is evil. In the wrong hands it could be devastating. We can’t leave something like that in this world.’

‘You make a good case for destroying it. I’ll give you that.’

‘So, we’ll put this disagreement aside? Work together?’

Rao straightened his shoulders and lifted his chin. The late afternoon light turned his eyes crystal. ‘I’ll consider it.’

A bonfire blazed in the heart of the village. Chief Domnall sat outside his hut, the red light playing over his face. Eva and her four sisters sat next to him, while warriors from the village were spread out to either side. The local chiefs had returned with their retinues and they all squatted about the fire in a wide circle. Jack and Rao crouched with Cormac in an empty space on one side of the crowd. The numerous village dogs skulked in the dark and watched the proceedings.

Domnall stood and limped forward a few paces. A longsword in a leather scabbard hung at his side. Cormac had explained this was the only sword in the village and had been passed down through the generations since the time of the dead kings.

The Chief gave a long speech in Gaalic, which Cormac translated for Jack and Rao’s benefit. Domnall thanked the chiefs for assembling once again, praised the Great Shee and exhorted the gathered leaders to join forces against the Demon. Finally, he turned to Rao and asked him what he’d learnt at the Place of Dead Kings and how they were to fight the Demon.

Jack took a deep breath. He and Rao had barely spoken for the past hour and he had no idea how the Captain was going to respond. Rao hadn’t left the village, so presumably that meant he hadn’t completely rejected the idea of attacking the castle.

Jack wished he’d had the chance to tell Rao what to say. But he was going to have to leave it up to the Captain to speak in his own words.

Rao cleared his throat, stood up and straightened his tunic. He pressed his hands together and bowed slightly. ‘Namaste. You have come to hear the words of the Great Shee. So, I will do my best to explain myself. I have returned from the Place of Dead Kings. I and my assistant have seen the defences. I believe we can defeat the Demon, but only if we all march on his castle and attack him together. If we don’t join forces,’ he looked down at Jack, ‘we will never succeed.’

Once Cormac had translated the words, the crowd leapt to their feet, cheered loudly and broke into chants and war cries. They waved their spears, the firelight casting them red as devils.

Domnall raised his hand and called for quiet. The assembly calmed and the Chief then asked Rao whether he had powers that could defeat the Demon. He solemnly recounted that many said the Demon had great magic. Some even said he could never be killed.

Jack tensed his hands. Rao had to say the right thing now.

Rao coughed, looked at his boots, then gazed at the gathering. ‘Yes, with your help, I can beat the Demon.’

The crowd roared with delight at this. Domnall drew his sword and held it up with two hands, the ancient blade rippling in the firelight. He called for the fiery crosses to be lit and carried throughout the Land of Mar.

‘This way we call all to fight,’ Cormac explained to Jack and Rao.

Ten men approached with wooden crosses on tall poles, which they held in the bonfire until the wood caught alight. They then raised the poles high above their heads, the crosses blazing and sparking against the black night.