She shook her head. “No. Not really. Just unexpected, that’s all. They want me to go and do some filming tomorrow, at Grand-Pressigny. And I finally get to go in front of the camera instead of crouching in a hole in the ground.”
“Hey, that’s amazing. You’ll be brilliant, I know you will.”
She gave me a shy smile. “Thanks, but I’m totally unprepared. I’d better go back to my hotel and do some research. I’ve got an early start in the morning.”
I tried to hide my disappointment. “Oh, right. But we haven’t really finished. There’s still so much to talk about.”
“Is there? I don’t know. It doesn’t seem like we’re getting anywhere.” She turned to look around the room then waved to the waiter before turning back to me. “I’m sorry, but I have to get going. You should stay and finish your burger. Don’t worry about the bill—I’ll take care of it.”
“No, I’ll come with you. I’ll walk you back to your hotel. We can talk on the way.”
The waiter appeared, looking concerned, and Cally said something to him in French. He smiled and hurried away.
Cally took a deep breath then looked me in the eye. “I’m sorry, Jake. I’d help you if I could, but I don’t think either of us will ever really understand what happened. I know it’s difficult, but it’s better that we let it go.”
“But we can’t. We’ve both tried to forget about it, but it hasn’t worked, and I don’t think it will ever leave us alone until we get to the bottom of it.”
She sat back in her chair. “I can see you’re upset, but this isn’t helping. And I’ve told you everything I can. I really don’t think there’s anything more to say.”
“Cally, please. Just give me a little more time.”
She stood up. “I’m sorry, Jake. You’ve come a long way, and I understand some of what you’re going through. But this whole thing has brought us nothing but bad luck. I suggest you go home and forget all about it. It was nice to see you again, and I’m glad you’re OK.” She tilted her head on one side, and her long dark hair trailed over her shoulder, catching the light. “You know, when I…when I saw you, when I was down in the tunnels, I somehow knew you were all right. Afterward, I sometimes worried about you, and I thought about trying to look you up, but I only knew your first name, so it seemed a bit hopeless.”
I didn’t know what to say, but there was genuine concern in her eyes. I stood up and pushed my chair back under the table. A few of the other customers cast idle glances in our direction and I felt the blood rise to my cheeks. It must have looked like Cally and I were having a particularly unsuccessful date. “I’m coming with you,” I said. “We don’t have to talk, but it’s getting dark, and I’m going to walk you back to your hotel. It’s the least I can do.”
“All right, but I’m not going to change my mind. I don’t want to get involved in this right now—I haven’t got time.”
“I understand,” I said. “We’ll talk about the weather or something instead. Or nothing at all. It’s up to you.”
She smiled. “OK. I’ll go and take care of the bill. You can wait for me outside if you like.”
***
As I waited outside for Cally, I checked my reflection in the restaurant’s plate glass window. I was smoothing down my hair when I heard a car door slam behind me. I turned around, scanning the street. There was no one in sight, and the only cars on the road were parked and looked unoccupied. But a little way along the street, one car caught my eye. It was a large, black four-wheel drive car: a Toyota Land Cruiser or something like that. And its windows were tinted. I stood and stared. It was a common enough vehicle, but this one looked exactly like the car I’d seen driving away from the dig. So what? I thought. That doesn’t mean a thing. I watched the car for a minute, but there was no sign of any movement. I really am getting paranoid, I thought. It’s ridiculous. So I didn’t say anything to Cally when she came out of the restaurant.
“It’s this way,” she said. “Are you ready?”
“Sure. Lead the way.”
We walked, side by side, along the quiet street. Although it was almost dark, the evening was warm, with just enough of a breeze to keep us cool. “Did you really worry about me?” I asked.
“Yes. Anybody would.” She hesitated. “I must admit, I was very tempted to look on Google, in case I could find out what had happened to you. But something always stopped me. I just felt like no good would come of it.”
“Maybe you were right. I felt the same. Back in 2014, I heard about the dig, and I almost went back to the quarry to see if I could find you. But I’d just come back, and things were very difficult. I couldn’t bear to go anywhere near the place.”
“It must have been tough,” Cally said, “coming home after all that time.”
“It was, but not in the way you think. I know you don’t believe me, but like I told you, I wasn’t away for very long. The one who really suffered was my dad. As far as he was concerned, I’d been missing for four years. He thought I was…he thought I was gone. And he…he did some things he shouldn’t have. And after I came back, he really struggled to cope with it all. He moved away, and I went and stayed with him for quite a while. He needed me. And to be honest, I couldn’t stand being back at home with my mum. She was so angry. She wouldn’t listen to a word I said. She blamed my dad for everything. She thought I’d run away because my dad had left home.”
“That’s awful,” Cally said, and the sympathy in her voice made me realise I’d never talked to anyone about this—not properly. Dad knew some of it, but there was so much I couldn’t say for fear of upsetting him. It had taken my dad a long time to climb out of the black hole of his depression, and I always worried in case I said something that might send him back over the edge.
“So, how are things now?” Cally asked.
I chewed at the inside of my cheek. “Better. But still, I…” I let my voice trail away while I struggled to find the right words. I looked around the quiet street, as though the dark buildings might give me some clue what to say. Somewhere behind me, the drone of a powerful engine echoed along the empty road. I glanced over my shoulder. The black Land Cruiser was pulling out into the road, its headlights blazing. So it wasn’t empty after all, I thought. I watched the car cruising along the road toward us. “That black car—does it look familiar to you?”
Cally followed my gaze. “No. Why should it?”
“It looks like the one I saw at the dig earlier. It was driving away just as I arrived.”
She took another look over her shoulder. “I’ve never seen it before, unless…”
“What?”
“Well, my visitor from the French government, the man who calls himself Bernard, he left just before you arrived. You probably saw him being driven away.”
“I don’t like this,” I said. “I think they’re following us.”
Cally didn’t respond, but she put her hand inside her shoulder bag as she walked. Probably reaching for her phone, I thought. Though I wasn’t sure whether she was worried about the car, or concerned at my paranoid rambling.
“Let’s walk a bit faster,” I said. “Maybe we should run.”
“No,” she said firmly. She stopped walking and grabbed me by the arm.
I pulled my arm free. “What the hell are you doing? Do you want them to catch us?”
She shook her head. “Just wait.”
The roar of the Land Cruiser’s engine was louder now, reverberating along the narrow road. I stood, rooted to the spot, fighting the urge to run. My instincts told me to dash into one of the many narrow side streets where perhaps the big Land Cruiser couldn’t follow. But if I ran, Cally wouldn’t come with me, and I couldn’t leave her alone. So I stood close by Cally’s side and held my breath as the car sped toward us. For a split second, I thought it would pass us by. But then the car slowed, gliding to a halt at the roadside next to us. Its tinted rear window whirred down, and a man I didn’t recognise thrust his face into the opening.
&nbs
p; “Ah, Doctor Freeman, what a pleasant surprise to see you this evening.”
Cally gave the man a humourless smile. “And I’m surprised to see you, Monsieur Azoulay. I’d have thought you’d be back in Paris by now.”
“I return tomorrow—in the morning,” the man said. “Though I have to make a small detour on the way home. I have something to see.” He paused and gave Cally a meaningful look. “In Grand-Pressigny.”
“That’s nice,” Cally said. “I hear the museum there is very impressive.”
The man pushed out his bottom lip. “We do our best. It’s important work, but we do not always get the funds we need. It must be the same in England—or perhaps it is even worse.”
“I’m not sure about that,” Cally said. “Anyway, we’re just heading off to a little bar that I know, so we’d better get going.”
The man raised his eyebrows. “Really? You are not going back to your hotel?”
Cally shook her head. “Not yet. It’s still early.”
“Quite so,” the man said. “Perhaps I can offer you a lift somewhere?”
“Thank you,” I cut in, “but we’ll walk. It would be a shame to waste this beautiful evening.”
The man gave me an appraising look as though seeing me for the first time. “Of course. Enjoy your evening.”
“Bon soir,” Cally said.
The man nodded then turned and said something to his driver. His window rolled upward, and the Land Cruiser pulled out into the street and drove away.
Cally and I stood for a moment and looked at each other. “That was a bit odd,” she said. “When he came to the dig, I’m sure he said he was leaving for Paris today.”
“You were brilliant,” I said. “That was quick thinking—telling him we were going somewhere else.”
She gave me a grim smile. “It wasn’t hard to come up with. If I didn’t have such an early start tomorrow, it would be true. But I wasn’t going tell him that.” She grimaced. “Who the hell does he think he is? He has no business poking his nose into my private life.”
“There’s more to it than that. Can’t you see? They must have been listening to us somehow. He knew you were heading back to your hotel. He was surprised when you said you weren’t.”
Cally studied my expression. “That’s one interpretation. But it doesn’t prove anything. Not really.”
I tilted my head back and let out a hiss of frustration. “What will it take to convince you? You must know that something isn’t right. You said it yourself—something is definitely going on.”
She shook her head. “I was just worried that something might threaten the dig. Nothing melodramatic.”
I stared at her, wide-eyed in disbelief. “Have you not been listening to a word I’ve said?”
“This isn’t getting us anywhere,” she said. “I’m going back to my hotel now, and I think you should go back to yours. I know this town better than you. There’s absolutely no need for you to come with me.”
I ran my hands through my hair. “Maybe not, but I’d prefer it if I could make sure you get back safely. If you don’t mind, I’ll just walk along with you until you get to the door.”
She sighed. “All right. It’s not worth arguing over—it’s only a short walk. Let’s get moving. I’ve got a lot to do.”
***
It didn’t take us long to reach Cally’s hotel, and I could see straight away that she’d made a better choice than I had. The Hotel Villa Victoria was built from mellow sandstone, with brightly painted wooden shutters at the windows. Its wrought iron balconies held window boxes that were overflowing with bright summer flowers.
Cally stopped and turned to me. “Well, this is it. Can you find your way from here? I can give you directions if you want.”
But I didn’t reply. I stood in silence, my brow furrowed, because I’d just seen something that sent a chill racing across my skin.
Some distance away, a dark saloon car was parked at the side of the street. The driver had chosen the darkest part of the road, away from the street lights. But even so, I could see the car’s windows were tinted. It was the same car that had waited for me at the station. And it was waiting for me now. I was sure of it.
Chapter 15
3550 BC
CLEOFAN STARED UP AT THE DARK FIGURE looming over him. A blade was pressed tight against his throat, and he hardly dared breathe, but he had to say something. “What do you want?”
There was no reply.
Cleofan’s head felt like it was splitting apart, and the ground shifted and swayed beneath him. He blinked, trying to see his attacker more clearly. A woman! He’d been struck down by a woman!
The woman’s face was covered with a curling pattern of swirling black lines. But her eyes burned with fury, her teeth bared in a snarl.
“What do you want?” Cleofan croaked.
The woman pressed harder on his chest. “Demon!” she growled. “They sent you to find me, to take me back.”
“No,” Cleofan said. “I came for firewood. For the village. The feast.”
“Village? What village?” The woman forced a hiss between her clenched teeth. “What people are you?”
Cleofan swallowed hard. “Take the blade away,” he said. “I can’t talk like this.” He coughed.
The woman grunted, but she moved the blade a little, easing the pressure on his throat.
“Thank you,” Cleofan wheezed. “You have a baby. I saw it.”
The woman tensed.
“It’s all right,” Cleofan said. He hesitated. “I heard him cry. Is he all right?”
“He’s hungry” She pressed the blade harder, digging it into Cleofan’s neck. “You have food?”
Cleofan licked his lips. “A little,” he wheezed. “Let me get up and I’ll give it to you.”
The woman shook her head, but she looked away from his face, running her eyes along his body hungrily. And Cleofan took his chance.
He grabbed her wrist with his left hand and twisted the weapon away from his throat. Then he drove his right fist into the woman’s face. She toppled backward and Cleofan rolled over, throwing his weight on top of her, pinning her arms against the ground.
The woman twisted and writhed beneath him, but he held her tight. She still had a weapon in her right hand and Cleofan grasped the blade, twisting it from her fingers. It was heavy, a brutal weapon, but before he could raise it, the woman clawed at his face, digging her fingernails into his skin. Cleofan cried out and tossed the weapon aside, then he grabbed her wrist and squeezed it with all his strength.
The woman roared in frustration, gnashing her teeth, but Cleofan held on. For a moment, the only sound was their frenzied breathing as they struggled. And then the baby began to cry.
The woman finally lay still. She looked up at Cleofan, her eyes burning into his. “Get it over with,” she spat.
The blood drained from Cleofan’s face. “I…I don’t want to hurt you.” He shook his head. “You attacked me. I don’t know why. This place is ours. I came here for firewood.”
The woman stared at him, a sullen sneer on her lips, but she said nothing.
Cleofan clenched his jaw and glared at the woman. What should he do now? He couldn’t stay like this, but if he let go of her hand, she’d tear his eyes out. Unless…unless she was ready to listen. “If I let you go, you must stay still. If you do that, I’ll give you what food I have. It’s not much, but you can take it. Do you understand?”
The woman grimaced but she gave a single nod.
“I’m going to let you go, now.” Cleofan took a breath then pushed himself back, taking his weight from her and scrambling up to his feet as quickly as he could.
The woman sat up slowly, looking rapidly from side to side. Her eyes went to the weapon on the ground, but Cleofan followed her gaze. He stepped forward and scooped up the strange blade. It was the oddest weapon he’d ever seen: heavy and cold to the touch.
“Food,” the woman said. “You told me you had food.”
“Yes.” Cleofan opened his pouch and felt inside it. There were two strips of dried meat and he took them both out. The woman watched his every move, and he could see the hunger in her eyes. He held his hand out toward her. “Here you are.”
The woman stood, eyeing him suspiciously, then she took the meat from him and crammed a piece into her mouth. She chewed furiously, watching Cleofan all the while.
“It’s good,” Cleofan said. “Rabbit. I caught it myself.”
The woman looked at the second piece of meat, and then tucked it into her pouch.
As Cleofan watched, she hesitated, her hand inside her pouch. She must have another weapon, he thought. She must have a knife. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he said. He dropped the woman’s heavy blade back to the ground. “Eat both pieces. It looks like you need it.”
The woman shook her head, but she took her hand from her pouch. “I have to feed my son,” she said.
“Yes. He sounds hungry.”
Slowly, the woman walked toward the holly bush. She glanced back at Cleofan then bent down and crawled between the branches. A moment later, she backed out, holding a bundle of furs to her chest. She squatted down on her haunches and began feeding her baby at her breast.
Cleofan watched. “You have a boy,” he said. “That’s good. Where is his father?”
“Dead.” She tilted her chin upward. “They killed him.”
Cleofan raised his eyebrows. “What happened? Who killed him?”
“They came two summers ago and took me from my people. We call them the Wandrian. They killed so many of our men. My husband…I…”
Cleofan nodded. “They took the women.”
The woman sniffed. “Some of us. They made me go with them. Then my baby came last winter. They’d have taken him from me, made him into a savage like them. It wasn’t safe for him. I ran away.”
“And these men—will they come for you?”
The woman touched the talisman she wore at her throat. “Yes. They’re greedy, vicious. They move like demons in the dark.”
Cleofan scraped his hand down his face. “You can’t stay here. You’ve got to get away.”
Scaderstone Pit (The Darkeningstone Series Book 3) Page 8