Читать книгу Book of Fire - Michelle Kenney - Страница 11

Chapter Three

If I disliked the tunnel when Eli was with me, I detested it on my own. Although the guide rope stayed in place, there was no encouraging tug, no ray of daylight to pierce the numbing gloom. Summoning all my resolve, I kicked down into the tight tunnel as fast as I could, the rough walls scraping my skin relentlessly until finally, the roof began to rise. Straightening my arms, I powered upwards until my head broke the surface of the outside water.

For a moment, it was as much as I could do just to crawl out and lie on the stone floor, savouring the sweet night air. But as my strength returned, I pulled a dry blanket from the emergency rations box and patted the excess moisture from my tunic. The task force had left little behind save for a small cracked mirror, a handful of nuts, and a portion of dried fruit wrapped in large elephant-ear leaves, another newcomer to our warmer climate. I pocketed the mirror, and tossed a couple of the sweet hazelnuts into my mouth.

With fresh life seeping through my veins, I forced my gaze out towards the rushing water separating our cave from the rest of the thick forest. The stepping stones were only visible twice a day, and by the look of the swirling rapids, I hadn’t got lucky.

Carefully withdrawing the small mirror, I shone it in the direction of the submerged stones. I could just make out the slimy jade surface of the first flat surface beneath the white torrents. Every instinct told me it was madness, that the river was at its most dangerous, and yet I knew from experience there was no other passing place for several miles. The task force had to have passed this way.

I pocketed the mirror again abruptly. I’d used these stones countless times, and I could jump them blindfolded so long as I got the rhythm right. Not allowing myself to dwell any longer, I leapt onto the first foothold. My feet were immediately submerged in about two feet of the surging water, and as I staggered under the sudden, violent pressure, instinct took over. Gripping my leather-clad toes into the rough rock, I pushed off and leapt. My feet barely had time to graze the top of each submerged stone before I was springing to the next, every jump knocking me further off-centre and towards the foaming black.

Then finally, just as my legs threatened to buckle with the sheer velocity of water, I landed in the soft, quiet grass of the forest bank. I shuddered with relief, but there was no time to rest.

Throwing a swift glance around, I set off at a quiet sprint towards the south perimeter of the forest, where the intrusion had been detected. It wasn’t long before the trees beckoned above ground, and the forest was flying by. This was my natural place, running through the branches, knowing instinctively which branch to trust, where to swing and which to avoid.

As the surrounding area became less familiar, I slowed my pace. The outside forest was different to home – not only was it much denser, there were yellow eyes everywhere, watching too. I ran to the end of a willow branch and tensed, sensing the forest’s sudden heaviness, its expectation. Just before a terrified scream split the night air. Fear spidered through my veins as I scanned the shadowy, still trees. It was human; I was sure of that.

I took my route further up again, the only sound the scratching of my leather-clad feet against the rough bark of the branches. And then it came again.

I pressed myself into the knotted trunk of an old banyan tree, my heart thumping like a young rabbit’s, and peered through its fortress of branches. While my eyes were well used to the night, this part of the forest was full of interwoven, aerial roots.

That was when I saw them. Standing in a small clearing just off to my left. There was a figure sprawling face down on the forest floor, and a slighter figure standing in front of him holding his hands out, palms forward in submission. I inhaled sharply. I knew every contour of the face silhouetted in the pale moonlight as well as my own. Eli.

I craned my neck to try to see what was holding his attention, and was amazed to spy a small monkey creature standing no more than two feet off the ground, its back arched aggressively. I frowned. I’d seen Eli calm many wild animals, even fighting boars, it was unusual for any animal to be resistant to his charms. The night air resonated with an unfamiliar sound.

‘Hhgggrrrrrr!’

Its tone was low and aggressive, like a warning from a rattlesnake sizing up fresh prey. A shiver rushed down my spine, like the white water of the river. I knew most of the sounds of the forest, and this one was new to me.

I watched as Eli shook his head, before pointing slowly around at the trees and bushes. He indicated he was going to crouch down, one of his cardinal rules when communicating with an animal: getting on its level. The creature only pushed itself up further on the balls of its tiny feet, and glowered with hostility. Fear flooded my body as I felt for my catapult. It was the first time I’d ever seen my brother in need of backup where an animal was concerned.

Carefully, I selected a rounded stone from my leather pouch, and placed it in the worn leather strip of my small wooden catapult. Although I wasn’t much use with a knife or axe, I had a pretty decent aim with my slingshot. Eli’s signing grew more rapid and warier, as the creature maintained its offensive body language. It didn’t look good. I took careful aim at its chest, one step closer to Eli and I’d wind it long enough for my brother to run.

Then there was a second anguished scream, and another figure collapsed onto the clearing floor next to the first. I recognized him instantly as Sean – one of the task force leaders – and my stomach fell through to my leather-clad feet. My hands grew clammy as I watched, and my breathing sounded hollow and jagged.

Eli instinctively turned to help, and at that moment the monkey creature sank back on its haunches, preparing to attack. Without hesitation, I pulled my catapult back to full tension and let the small stone fly. My aim was true, hitting the small creature mid-leap and square on the chest. It was a blow that should have winded a much larger animal, but it only knocked the monkey off course. It landed on all fours, and spun to hiss malevolently in my direction as I took refuge behind the tree’s thick trunk.

The forest fell eerily silent as I counted slowly to five. It was usually a fail-proof measure, but when I looked around, it was still staring in my direction, its sinister rattle slowly getting louder. I could see the creature more clearly now, and felt a chill creep down my spine. It had the basic features of a squirrel monkey with its thick black and white coat, an animal we’d caught and eaten many times.

But it was its face that magnetized me. It was different, humanized somehow, and making a noise I’d never heard any mammal make, while its small head was completely hairless save for a thin black Mohican marked through with a white stripe.

Without warning, the rattling intensified and the creature bared its teeth in my direction. And suddenly I knew it wasn’t alone. Although he couldn’t know it was his sister in the trees, Eli began gesticulating frantically in my direction. His signing was clear enough for anyone to understand.

With adrenaline saturating my veins, I started jumping, instinct driving me back in the direction from which I’d come. I wasn’t sure I could outrun the creatures, but I could enlist some unsuspecting support. I sprang deftly from tree to tree, running along thick branches and using smaller ones to spring into the next. In my haste, I caught and tore my tunic sleeve. A small trickle of blood ran down my bare arm, but there was no time to stop and investigate. The rattling was gaining.

I flew back towards the dense bushes that had shaken with throaty growling, and only paused over the top, to look down through a small break in the trees. I caught my breath when I finally saw them, at least fifteen of the rattling monkeys pursuing me on the ground. Their leader stopped, with perfect timing, to look up from the opposite side of the clearing. It drew its thin lips back in a sinister smile, exposing a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth, and I felt the warmth drain from my blood. This was no ordinary squirrel monkey.

Without hesitating it dived forward again, encouraging the rest of the pack onwards and directly through the middle of the thick bushes below me. The bushes to which I’d led them. There was a moment’s silence while the forest waited, then a deafening roar split the air in two. The bushes parted with a violent rush, and a furious tigress leapt into the open, her stripes barely visible.

I held my breath as she staggered under the ferocity of the monkeys’ attack, roaring with anguish as they sank their vicious teeth into her vibrant fur repeatedly. She retaliated using her powerful limbs to buck and roll, catching those close enough in her unforgiving jaws; but although the creatures seemed bloodied and dazed when thrown to the floor, few stayed down.

I loaded up my catapult again and again, letting my stones fly repeatedly in an effort to help her, but it was as though the monkeys had sunk into a killing frenzy. As her muscular legs finally buckled, I turned away, flooded with guilt. If one of the forest’s most powerful animals was unable to stop the creatures, I had to warn the others while there was still time.

I sprinted down the branch and leapt into a nearby tree, taking a circuitous route back to where I first saw Eli. The beast’s desecration hung on the air despite my speed, and the trees mourned with me; meekly rustling their eerie understanding. The outcome was a warning to us all.

I jumped as quickly as I dared, and finally the original clearing came back into view, but this time it was completely empty. My ears started to pound, and I longed to call Eli’s name, but I knew that would be like lighting Arafel’s ceremonial fire beneath my feet. Instead, I tucked myself high up inside a tree fork, and scanned the forest. It was completely silent. Nothing moved. Nothing breathed. Then a hand closed around my mouth.

Panic flooded my limbs, followed by swift relief as I reasoned only Max or Eli could climb this high. The hand felt large and strong. It had to be Max. I tried to turn my head, but it was locked forwards as the sound of trampled branches and twigs drew my gaze back to the ground. I gasped, unprepared for the sight of a tall, black figure emerging into the patchy moonlight. He was wearing what appeared to be a full bodysuit and helmet, and I knew instantly it had to be an Insider. What did Grandpa used to say? Spy an Insider, watch out for the Sweeper.

I held my breath as the figure lifted his left arm, and considered a small bleeping device attached to the inside of his wrist. I guessed it to be one of the ‘Identifier’ devices the Council Elders had warned us about. The Insiders considered them essential, and the little boxes recorded everything from the wearer’s location to the position of the sun. Arafel Elders were suspicious of any piece of technology, and called the Identifiers a threat to mankind’s intuition and instinct.

The Insiders also kept old time, twenty-four hours in one day; although Arafel had long since dispensed with restrictive timekeeping, and coordinated days around light instead. It had been one of Thomas’s first suggestions for renouncing the old system, and forging a new path with the natural world.

As the Insider continued to tap the device, there was a sudden rush among the bushes and three smaller figures leapt into the clearing, tackling him to the ground. I recognized Eli immediately and a small crow of victory rose in my throat. Max must have felt something because his hand clamped even harder. I pulled at his resisting grip indignantly, just as a sudden, ear-splitting whistle paralysed us both.

The shrill sound made my ears ache, but it was the ominous response that sent rivulets of fear coursing through my veins. It was the same rattling as before, and it was getting louder. The Insider was somehow using the black box to call up his pack of vermin! Terrified, I pressed further into the tree and felt Max do the same behind me.

Within seconds, the macabre creatures broke the perimeter of the clearing. Eli and the others pulled the Insider to his feet, and spun him around to face the incoming pack. I shuddered as I took in their sinister faces once again; there was something far too knowing about them.

They halted immediately, and sat in formation with the leader clearly at the front, his mouth wet with blood. My heart ached with remorse for the tigress, but my priority was Eli and the rest of the task force now. I watched intently as Eli forced the Insider to tap his black box again. The alarm call disappeared, leaving only a heavy silence in its wake.

‘Stand them down!’

It was Max’s authoritative tone, and a fresh wave of dread washed over me. It couldn’t be worse. All those I cared about most were below me, in violent danger. Then I froze, the weight of my realization making every fine hair on the back of my neck prickle with fear. If Max was in the clearing below, who in the name of Arafel was behind me now?

Horrified, I shoved my hip back sharply into my assailant’s crotch. He muttered something unintelligible, as I used the momentary lull in his hold to force a half-turn. But as I caught sight of the figure behind, I wished I’d stayed ignorant. I was staring straight into the reflective glass of a black ventilation helmet.

I tried to pull my knee up, but my assailant was too close and deflected the move easily. He caught my wrists and pinned them in an iron grip between us, before slowly shaking his head.

‘Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t screech like a squirrel monkey this second.’ I hissed. ‘There are far more of us than you can see!’

Blood pounded in my ears as there was a small click of response, then the black glass rolled upwards to reveal a pair of startling blue eyes and dark bushy eyebrows.

‘If you want to live, you need to restrain your primate impressions … for now.’

His voice was calm, but his tone mocking.

I dug my nails into the fleshy part of my restrained hands, itching to lash out, but I didn’t get chance. There was a burst of fresh shouting below.

One quick glance sent a fresh wave of adrenaline flooding through my body. The bodysuited Insider below us had twisted out of Eli’s hold and was pointing a short cylindrical device at Max’s head. Fear twisted my stomach, and with a surge of strength, I yanked my hands free with the intention of launching my own artillery.

Instead I found my wrists caught with a thin black wire, which shrank and seared my skin painfully. When I opened my mouth to yell, a thick cloth was quickly pressed against it until it felt numb and useless. I fumed over the top of the itchy material.

‘Allow me,’ he whispered, his eyes glinting blue in the moonlight.

I kicked out with my legs, only to find my fury deflected by his tough bodysuit. I paused to catch my breath, and instantly he took advantage, pulling another thin wire from his bodysuit and clipping it to a branch above us. Then he paused only to hold a gloved finger against the mouthpiece of his visor, before disappearing into the black branches below.

Seconds later, he strolled out from the trees below, and greeted the Insider familiarly. Incensed, I twisted with all my strength, ignoring the painful red welt that formed as I worked away at the wires binding my wrists. Finally, with thin rivulets of blood running down my wrist, the clamp gave way and I whipped off the gag. I reloaded my catapult, trying to calm my shaking hands. How dare he leave me trussed up in a tree like live bait!

I watched the new exchange below me, waiting for the right moment to launch my ambush. I longed to let my fingers do the talking now, but Eli had taught me the value of waiting for the right moment. Then, just when I thought the moment had arrived, the Insider barked an order and the snarling creatures retreated. Shaking, I lowered my leather.

Eli and Max were the only men left in the clearing, but they were alive. I exhaled slowly, watching the Insiders negotiate, and for the first time I noticed how tall they both were – a head taller than any man in Arafel. Their voices rose in dispute, and I could tell the first Insider, who appeared to be the Leader, was determined to let the monkeys dispense of the prisoners without delay. I lifted my catapult again, and readied myself for the worst. But the command didn’t come.

As the Leader’s body language grew less rigid, I scanned the bushes for the rest of the task force, including Grandpa. A team of twelve had left Arafel, but I’d seen only three in the last half an hour. Were the rest hiding and watching, like me? I had no time to think further. There was a rustle from the bushes, and five pairs of eyes swung towards the thick foliage. Slowly, a weak figure shuffled slowly into view, and there was a mutter among the captive men. It was Grandpa, and my gut twisted as though I’d fallen upon a fired torch.

‘Let them go; it’s me you want.’ His feeble voice was barely audible, and I burned to rush to his side. Eli clearly shared the same instinct and started towards him, only to find his path blocked by one of the aggressive monkeys.

‘What is your name?’ the Leader demanded.

‘George Lucas Hanway,’ Grandpa responded with quiet dignity, ‘direct descendent of Thomas Hanway and last keeper of the Book of Arafel.’

The Insiders fell silent, and scrutinized Grandpa intently, while I felt my heart flame with pride. He was so frail, and yet still the strongest person I knew.

‘I am what you seek, am I not?’

A slow, sardonic smile spread across the Leader’s face. ‘You have the Book with you?’

Grandpa mustered a short, gutsy laugh. ‘Do I look like a green youth, my friend? No, I’m afraid the legend always made the Book far too precious to keep. I destroyed it many years ago. And good riddance – it brought our ancestors nothing but torment and darkness. I can tell you nothing except that the people of Arafel have no fight with you. Let us part in accordance with the truce, and if not as friends – then with respect.’

The Leader brought his right arm up so swiftly I barely had time to register what was happening. He flicked his short cylindrical device against Grandpa’s shoulder, causing him to cry out with sudden pain and drop to his knees. I gasped, almost losing my footing, but my slip was smothered by Eli and Max, who surged forward as a furious rattling filled the air. The Leader raised his left arm ominously as Eli and Max flanked Grandpa, helping him to his feet.

Eli’s silent fury was clear, and Max shot him a warning look. I bit my lip, forcing myself to think. I had to change up the odds, but a girl with a catapult wouldn’t prove much of an adversary on the ground, and I couldn’t pick a direct fight with the Insiders. Then the idea stole into my head. There were a couple of ugly monkeys to whom I’d taken a bit of a dislike …

Grimly, I selected a couple of stones and took careful aim, before releasing first one stone and then the other, in quick-fire succession. My targets were two of the largest creatures, and my aim for both was true. The stones found their targets within a millisecond of each other, causing the creatures to jump up and snarl ferociously, before settling their malevolence on each other. As I’d hoped, their intense rage was all the invitation the rest needed to join the frenzy.

Max acted immediately on the advantage, stepping forward to kick the thin device from the Leader’s hand, and push his arm in an upward twist. I watched intently as Eli followed up with his own lightning manoeuvre, crashing into my steely-eyed assailant and forcing him to the ground in a heavy tumble. To my amazement, Grandpa shuffled forward, and grasped his lower legs while Eli sat on his chest, pinning his arms behind him.

Then another shrill whistle punctuated the air, and everyone’s gaze swivelled in the direction of particularly dense, entwined trees at one side of the clearing. The thick foliage was being cracked slowly and ponderously. Briefly, I wondered if the Leader had summoned a Sweeper, and I braced myself for another ambush. But I was wrong. It was something entirely different, something that sent a winter chill stealing across my sun skin.

I could only watch as the ferret-faced monkeys backed away from the protesting bushes, my skin creeping. And then finally, something mammoth, dark, and foreboding crashed into the clearing. As it drew to a halt, it threw its head back and released a rough, bloody snarl that made the ground vibrate, and trees rustle in trepidation. I inhaled a short, painful breath, and knew instinctively this creature had come from the same malevolent place as the rattling monkeys. It was the biggest, ugliest hound I’d ever seen in my life.

I stared at our new adversary with creeping horror. Its well-defined muscular haunches were as high as Eli’s chest, and it had to be at least twice the weight of the tigress. As it lifted its thickset head to sniff, it pulled its wide, thick lips back to reveal a terrifying set of long, sharp, yellowed canines that dripped with saliva. Then it swivelled its gaze to snarl menacingly at the party on the forest floor, its disgruntled resonance making my muscles freeze. It was the most bone-rattling sound I’d heard any animal make in my life.

Max and Eli scrambled backwards towards the protection of the bushes, as the Leader lifted the visor on his helmet, and greeted the animal. I stared in disbelief at his cruel face twisted with ugly triumph.

‘Easy, Brutus, I didn’t want to disturb you but these fools have no idea who they are playing with. The old man is useful; the rest are yours … Playtime!’

He pulled Grandpa to his feet roughly, and after filling the air with one final, piercing whistle, strode from the clearing with the rattling monkeys and my assailant in close pursuit. For a split second there was complete silence, and then the slavering beast snarled and sank back on its powerful haunches. As Max and Eli spread out, I scrambled down the scratching branches as fast as I could. I had no idea how I was going to help, but I wasn’t going to stand by and watch my brother and best friend get eaten alive. Max yanked his machete from his belt, just as the beast snarled again and readied itself to spring.

‘No!’ The cry left my lips before I could stop it, and Eli looked up with a quick scowl before running to Max’s side. It didn’t surprise me that Eli had sensed my cry. Although he lived in a silent world, he’d always been able to detect my voice. I leapt down the remaining branches as fast as I dared, frantic to do something, anything. Even if that meant dying with my family.

I crashed through the undergrowth, no longer caring who heard me, and burst through the bushes into the moonlit clearing. On the ground, the dog-beast looked even bigger than it appeared from the air, almost as though someone had moulded a clay version of an ancient Greek fighting dog, and magnified it a thousand times complete with distorted jaws, teeth, and claws. Only this one was real. And staring right at me.

I watched in disbelief as it lowered its head and began advancing menacingly, its black lips drawn back furiously over its huge, arched, yellowed canines. My legs buckled with fear; its ebony eyes were empty, angry, and soulless. Backing up against a nearby trunk, I yanked the small mirror from my leather pouch. It was the smallest of hopes, but better than closing my eyes and waiting for death.

Then in a heartbeat, a powerful thrust sent me sprawling into the thick bamboo canes at one side of the clearing. I caught my breath, and ignoring the scratches burning my legs and arms, crawled forward to see Eli staring straight into the eyes of the snarling beast. He eyeballed it intently, before slowly lowering himself into a completely submissive crouch. Not this time, Eli, I wanted to scream. I’d watched him calm an animal in this way so many times before but this was completely different. He was so, utterly vulnerable.

The huge creature lowered its bulbous forehead so it was level with Eli’s own, and then slowly tilted its weight forward. Eli held his ground, but it was easy to see how the colossal beast could take Eli’s head off in a single snap of its mighty jaws if it chose. My heart faltered as its breathing slowed, and the nanoseconds crawled by. No one moved an inch.

Finally, it let out a rumbling growl and moved in. Blood drummed in my temples, and I willed my legs to move, to provide some distraction, anything. And then, something entirely unexpected happened. The beast started covering Eli’s entire body with long, wet, pink-tongued licks. As it nuzzled into his shoulder, my chest started to hurt and I realized I was holding my breath. Slowly, I released my captive breath and flexed my fingers, bloodied from holding the old mirror too tightly.

‘Tal … Tal.’

The urgent whisper finally penetrated my foggy thoughts, and a warm hand closed around my upper arm. I panicked and twisted out of the hold, scrambled up into the low-hanging branches of a nearby tree, pausing only to kick at whoever was in pursuit.

Max yelped.

‘Hey hey, calm down, it’s me OK?’

A pair of familiar hazelnut-green eyes peered anxiously into my own, making my knees feel weak with relief. Frustration quickly followed.

‘Max! What the …?!’ I whispered, shaking his hand off.

‘Don’t give me crap, Tal; I’ve never been so worried!’ he returned, swiftly scaling the branches to crouch beside me. ‘What in the name of Arafel are you doing here?’

A whistle stilled the response on my lips, and my gaze swung back towards the clearing as though in slow motion. Even the birds and trees seemed to be holding their breath. I willed my arms and legs to move but nothing seemed to work any more. Eli was still out there, still silhouetted in the moonlight, but no longer looking at the monstrous dog-beast. Instead, he was staring straight out across the clearing to the thick bushes on the opposite side.

I tried to move, but my limbs were too heavy, and then I was only conscious of the unusual rush of tunnelled wind as a small blue dart fell away from Eli’s strong, athletic body. He looked down as though momentarily confused, and I opened my mouth to scream, but there was a hand, always a hand.

Somewhere in the distance a ruffed lemur howled, and the bamboo stirred in the breeze; but I could only watch as my precious brother crumpled heavily to the floor.