“Oh no, you’ve got that completely wrong, Mangala,” said Leela. “I won’t risk my troops marching in there. I’ll be going to Nirissa with the children myself.”
Chaya’s heart soared at Leela’s words.
“Leela, you can’t be––” began Mangala.
The Princess waved him away. “I insist. How can I get to know anything about the kingdom I’m going to lead if I’m shut up here?”
Chaya grinned sideways at the others. She had so much admiration for this sister of the King, who’d put herself in danger for the people.
“So it’s settled then?” said Chaya. “We’ll go in?”
“We will,” said Leela. “Our task is to meet your people and get them onside. We can take a couple of Gamage’s men with us. My supporters, led by my own General, will amass in the jungle, close to Nirissa, ready to attack. As soon as we give the signal that all is ready, they’ll come in. We need the villagers to be prepared and willing, with whatever weapons they have.”
Nour had gone white. Leela noticed.
“You have one task,” said Leela. “And only one. All you need to do is help get your people on board, and have them join us against the King. Without that my people can’t advance, and they won’t advance. Because I need to think about everyone else I’m bringing in too.”
“Of course,” said Chaya.
“Once you’ve done that,” Leela looked quite serious, “I need you three out of the way. I can’t emphasise that enough. It’ll make me very angry if you don’t heed this.”
Chaya looked away. Go back to the village and hide like cowards while people fight for their lives? She didn’t know about Neel and Nour, but if Leela thought she was going to listen to that she was very much mistaken.
The next day dawned dark and gloomy. The air was swollen with dampness, and clouds hung low in the sky.
“Do you think this could be the King’s last day as king?” said Chaya, surveying the sky through the barred window. They were back at Gamage’s hideout, and would be joined by Leela to go to Nirissa.
Nour was looking pale and drawn. “I don’t know how you’re so calm.”
“We have each other,” said Neel. “And Ananda. We’re taking him, did you know that?”
Chaya turned back to the room. “It makes sense, I suppose. We’re going to be walking the whole day. Once the village is dark and asleep we’ll sneak in.”
“Why does it have to be dark?” said Nour.
“The village is full of the King’s men by day. Once they’ve left for the night is the best time to get in. If we’re caught before we can speak to our people and explain things that’ll be terrible.”
Neel nodded thoughtfully. “We need to get to them before the King gets to us.”
Nour drew her feet up and wrapped her arms around her legs, her feet peeping out from under her now-clean skirt. “I wish I could be like you two. I’ll be less than useless.”
“You’ll be fine,” said Chaya, looking through the window at one of the men coming towards their hut. “We just need to be on our toes.”
The door swung inwards. “Gamage wants you now,” said the man, gesturing to them to come with him. “I’m Rameez. I’ll be coming with you too.”
They followed him down the coconut-husk-strewn path to the platform, where all the bandits sat crowded around Gamage.
They almost didn’t recognise Leela when they saw her. She was dressed like a villager, in a frayed blouse and shabby skirt that trailed the ground. Chaya watched the men closely. Did they realise that the future Queen of Serendib was in their midst?
Chaya, Neel and Nour huddled together, with the three adults leading the way. Ananda walked beside them, a bag of supplies on his back. Gamage kept a respectful distance from Leela, nodding eagerly at whatever she said. He was obviously in on the secret. “A whole day of walking,” said Nour.
“At least we’re going back home. Gamage knows the jungle so well, we’ll be there in no time.”
They continued as before, passing through all manner of jungle. Darkness was falling and Rameez took out a metal pitcher from the bag on Ananda’s side and began to drum on it loudly.
“What is he doing?” said Nour.
“Oh, it’s just to warn animals that humans are about.”
Night was near, and birds twittered and cricket sounds pierced the air.
Chaya began to think of tactics. “Since Father is in jail there’s no point going to my part of the village. And no point going to the City either. The rich people aren’t going to join in the uprising.”
Neel nodded. “We can meet lots of people quickly if we go round my way. They’re the people who have suffered the most too.”
That made sense, going to Neel’s part of the village. Clusters of little houses crowded between clumps of greenery. It was where the King’s men went that very first time after Chaya stole the jewels, where she’d seen the men throw the contents of houses on to the ground outside.
Rameez had stopped his drumming, and they rustled quietly onwards.
Leela and the men were waiting for them to catch up at the very edge of the jungle. Everyone bunched around in the near darkness.
“This is where we stop and wait.” Leela spoke softly, even though they couldn’t possibly be overheard by anyone here. “We’ll go in as soon as we’re sure the King’s men have retreated. The village probably will be asleep too. We’ll leave Ananda here. It’ll be quieter without him now!”
“What about your army?” said Chaya.
“There’s an ancient temple in the middle of the jungle where they’re assembling. Once they have our signal they can get here in two hours. The villagers have time to be ready and waiting then.”
Nour was breathing hard next to Chaya. Even in the half-darkness Chaya could see Neel’s face was pale. She took both their hands in hers and squeezed. “It’s time.”
They stumbled out into the open, Gamage holding a small torch as they emerged. They were on muddy ground close to the paddy fields. Neel’s workshop loomed silently to the right.
They stumbled past the clump of papaya trees that Chaya had hidden behind that day she watched Nour leave with the box containing the Queen’s jewels.
Gamage spoke in a very low voice. “Into the village now.”
Neel led the way, taking the path through the pineapple copse. That way they avoided Jamis and his warning horn, which he used to scare wild animals away from his crops.
Spiky pineapple crowns scratched against Chaya’s ankles as they walked, and Nour suppressed a few gasps.
They were approaching the village now, the rows of tiny wattle and daub houses squatting to their right and left in front of them.
A gentle breeze from the river in the distance whispered through the houses, lifting up strands from their thatched roofs, and then all was still again. Chaya tried to make out the river in the darkness. There was a gentle lap-lap of water, and she could faintly see the muddy bank where Vijay was attacked by the crocodile.
“Let’s go to Siva,” said Neel. “He’s one of the village elders so we can speak to him first and then spread the word from there.”
“Yes,” said Chaya. Siva was reasonable, she liked him. “It’s that house there.”
She followed Gamage, Rameez and Leela, and they tiptoed towards the line of houses. This one? Gamage mouthed, holding up his torch at the door.
The flame of his torch caught the thatch, and a spark licked its way across the roof. Gamage swore and flapped at it with his other hand, trying to put out the fire.
Chaya started and the scream died in her throat.
The flames flared right up and in a moment caught the roof of the next house too.
“No!” Chaya screamed, and tried to get to the door, but Neel pushed her aside and hammered on it.
Within minutes people had woken and came running from the surrounding houses.
A woman with a baby came coughing and sputtering towards them, and grabbed Chaya. “You! It�
��s you who’s done this. Look who’s back,” she yelled.
“Wait, no,” said Chaya, pulling herself away. “We came to help.”
“We need to get out of here,” Gamage said urgently. “Come on.”
“No!” cried Chaya. “We need to help put this out.”
“We’re not going anywhere,” said Neel.
“Princess,” Gamage whispered. “We must leave.”
But Leela disregarded him completely. “Get him out,” she yelled at a man who was bent over a slumbering figure inside the house. “Bring him into the fresh air.”
“Please, Princess Leela,” said Gamage. “Come on!”
“Nobody knows who I am,” said Leela, before darting in to help the man.
More doors were knocked down and people pulled out. A boy with a very singed shirt emerged, limping.
“Wait a minute,” said the woman to Gamage and Rameez. “Who are you? I think I know you!”
At that Rameez melted away into the darkness.
“Bandits! You’re with the bandits!” screamed the woman.
“They are trying to help you,” said Nour.
“We don’t need your help!” She spat at the ground. “How dare you come back here after all the trouble you’ve caused.”
A few other villagers surrounded Chaya, Neel and Leela. Nour stayed on the periphery.
“Listen,” said Neel, speaking fast. “Hear us out. The fire was an accident. We came to help you. We know what the King did, and you don’t have to put up with it any more. We have people who will fight for you.”
A look of pure terror flashed across the woman’s face. “No! Don’t you dare speak like that. We’re in enough trouble as it is. We don’t want you making things worse.”
“Please, you don’t have to be afraid of the King any more,” said Neel, but a man hit him across the face and grabbed him roughly.
“Stop that!” yelled Leela. “You’re wasting time! We need help here. The fire is spreading further.”
“We’ve had enough of you lot and your trickery,” the man said. “We’re not listening to a word you say. You’re all going to the King.”
Chaya stared at Neel in horror. The people were siding with the King!
“They were with bandits!” said the woman with the baby. “Led them here to rob us all!”
“No, it isn’t like that!” said Chaya. But no one was listening. They’d got it all wrong. From the corner of her eye she saw Nour slip away.
“Never mind about the King or the bandits,” said Leela. “I tell you, we need help here. The villagers can’t control this.”
The fire roared and caught a clump of trees, and that in turn caught another row of houses.
People screamed and backed away, but Chaya’s captors kept a hold of her.
“It’s spreading!” shouted someone. The woman with the baby screamed and ran towards the fire. Still Chaya was in someone’s grip, unable to get free.
“Let me go,” said Neel, trying to get free of his captors. “It’s going towards my house. LET ME GO.”
“We need help!” said Chaya, still struggling. Leela was right, the villagers were struggling to contain the fire. She aimed a kick at one of them. “Let me go.”
The villagers were out of their depth. Some were trying to break down a door, others were organising buckets. The fire kept spreading, the wind taking it to more houses.
“Stop it!” yelled Chaya. She hit out at one of the men and caught him in the jaw, but he grabbed her and pinned her hands behind her back.
The fire flared high and crackled into the sky. Neel stared at it, inching towards his house. Suddenly he stiffened and turned to Chaya.
There was an expression she couldn’t read flickering on his face. What, she mouthed.
He was trying to tell her something.
There came a trumpeting.
Ananda!
Through the darkness bounded Ananda with Nour on his back, silhouetted in a pulsing auburn glow. His trunk curled up in the air, trumpeting loudly.
The man holding Chaya gasped when he realised what was happening. One of the mob whacked Neel on the head, sending him spinning to the ground.
There was a shout from Nour, and she drove Ananda straight at the men. His tusks glinted in the light of the burning houses and the ground shook as he thundered towards them.
In a moment the mob’s mood had changed from anger to terror. Even Chaya felt a thrill of horror as Ananda’s powerful body bore down on them.
The men scattered in panic. “Come on,” shouted Nour, Ananda’s trumpeting booming through the smoke.
Chaya sprinted towards her, but Neel darted away to his home.
“We need the King’s men at once. The fire’s spreading.” Chaya hoisted herself on Ananda and urged him on. “This way, Ananda.”
“They’re going to catch us,” said Nour. “Shouldn’t we get away?”
“We can’t. We need the King’s men.” She shouted a warning to Leela: “The King’s men will be here soon.”
Ananda drew back and shook his head at the smoke drifting from the village. But Chaya rubbed her foot on his right ear and turned him left, skirting the village as she made for the High Road. Lines of flames snaked through the village and a couple of roofs blazed in waves of scarlet fire.
Close to the walls of the city she made straight for the old war bell. “Stop, Ananda.”
Chaya manoeuvred Ananda over the crumbling plinth and patted him to calm him as the smoke drifted up and made Chaya cough. “Stay still, Ananda. Trust me. Be good now.”
She bent down and rubbed his head. “There’s going to be noise.” Ananda carried the King at the head of all the pageants; he was well used to the sounds of crowds and fireworks and mayhem. But she had to warn him anyway. “Cover your ears,” she yelled at Nour.
Chaya pulled herself up to a standing position, swaying and holding out her arms to get her balance as her feet rested on Ananda’s warm back. She lifted the clapper and sent it crashing down with all her strength. Thrusting her hands over her ears she flopped down on Ananda and they drove him away as the deafening sounds tore through the air, the peals echoing all around the villages and into the night sky.
Chaya led Ananda back to the village. Nour pulled her tattered shawl over her nose and mouth as they made their way.
“Neel will be with his family,” said Nour. “I hope they’re safe.”
Chaya hoped so too. Her own home wasn’t anywhere close to the fire, and Nour’s family were in the city so would be safe.
They left Ananda near the river. “Stay, Ananda. You’ll be safe here.”
The village was in uproar. People screamed and ran about, looking to see if loved ones were safe. Water sloshed as a line of villagers passed buckets from the well. A man ran around asking people if they’d seen his child.
To their surprise Leela was still there, comforting a woman who had a burn on her leg. The first of the King’s men had started filtering through, taking control of things at once.
“Here she is again!” shouted the woman with the baby. “Thought you could run away, did you?”
“We weren’t running away,” said Chaya. Nour edged close to her. “I told you, we’re trying to help you.”
“Help us? How?” The woman advanced, her baby clutched to her chest. Onlookers drew nearer, forming a circle around them.
Chaya lowered her voice. “We can work together against the King. We don’t have to live like this, in fear all the time. The King’s half-sister is ready to fight him and take the throne, with our support.”
The people stared at her with hostility in their eyes. It was as if they didn’t even know her. Bala’s parents, Kumar the carpenter, a farmer Chaya’d helped once, friends of Father’s.
“Don’t even start with your lies,” said the woman with the baby. “We’re not going to let you drag us into any of your schemes and suffer any more than we already have, thanks to you. You’re nothing but a liar and a thief, and now you
’ve gone and joined another set of thieves.” She spat on the ground. “And you want to put us in even more danger.”
“Is anyone hurt?” asked Chaya.
“They’re fine, no thanks to you!” said a man with a singed shirt. “But someone could have been.”
There was a scuffle in the crowd as Neel pushed his way to the middle. “They did nothing, let them go!”
“Look!” Someone in the crowd pointed. “That’s Neelan, the jewel thief.”
“He’s not the jewel thief. I am!”
“You’re both as bad as each other. And dragging her with you. What did you want, a ransom from the merchant?”
“You’ve got it all wrong,” said Chaya.
“I always knew you were a bad one,” said another man. “Your poor late mother must be squirming in her ashes.”
The fire was dying down, now that the King’s men were bringing it under control.
“Guards,” shouted the woman with the baby. “Here, take them.”
Chaya’s heart began to beat in her ears. “No, really. We weren’t going to rob you. We came here to help you.”
“It’s the truth,” said Neel. “We would never hurt any of you.”
“Liars!” The woman shook her fist at them. “My children could have been killed in their sleep.”
A group of the King’s men came forward and one of the villagers indicated Chaya and Neel. “They did this.”
“This is the jewel thief,” said an older woman, thumping Neel on the back. “I found him for the King.”
“Not just the jewel thief,” said the woman with the baby. “The girl who got him out of jail. And not only that, but then they go and join that lot in the jungle and bring them here.”
The leader of the group of King’s men, an older man, raised his eyebrows. “They were with bandits?”
“Yes, they came here to loot and burn our houses.”
Chaya felt sick. This was it then.
The crowd was turning to their right, everyone craning to look at something coming towards them. Over their heads Chaya saw Ananda, being led by a boy. “It’s the King’s elephant! They’d left him by the river.”
The Girl Who Stole an Elephant Page 11