“I hope so.”
“What am I thinking? We can always get them on the phone.”
“This is Botswana, Seth. There won’t be any signal here.”
He checked anyway. She was right. He turned his phone off and threw it back into the car. The map was lying on the back seat, so he picked it up and studied it. The closest town was about twenty miles away. It could have been a thousand. He let the map slide out of his hands, thinking that there was nothing on earth that would bring anyone to this desolate place. The chance of rescue by a stray passer-by was nil. He walked to Erin with heavy steps.
Thirsty, dirty, hungry and tired, they sat in silence while the stars appeared one by one in the sky. In the distance they heard a mournful, lonesome call.
“What was that?” Seth asked.
“Hyena.”
“They’re dangerous, aren’t they?”
“Only if it’s a spotty. They’re vicious enough to take kills from lions. Their bite is stronger than any other African mammal.”
She’s a walking encyclopaedia, Seth thought, but all he muttered was a quiet, “Great.”
“Chill, Seth. It sounded far away.”
Finally Seth stood and stretched. “I’m going to walk out a bit. Maybe I’ll see the lights from Kyle’s camp.”
“Survival 101 says we don’t leave the car.”
“I can’t just sit here. We’ve got to get rescued tonight.”
“Then I’m coming too.” She struggled to stand.
“Forget it. I can see how sore you are.” He smiled at her. “Wait in our magic truck while I check it out.”
For a moment she considered defying him, but realised she was too tired to fight. She reached for his outstretched hand and allowed him to help her to her feet. Once she was settled in the car, he strode across to the grassy shoreline of the pan. The bank swung away and he was soon lost from view. The sense of isolation with him gone was terrifying. Desperate for a distraction from the silence, Erin flicked on the interior light and looked for her journal.
She saw the lump of clay.
“No.” She spoke aloud for the comfort of hearing a voice, even if it was her own. “You aren’t just a lump of clay.” She picked it up and scraped away at the clay with a fingernail.
The hyena called, much closer this time. Too close. Concerned for Seth, she dropped the clay-lump into the pocket of his hoodie and climbed out to see if she could spot him. The pan in the starlight was eerily beautiful, bluish-white and glowing; for a moment she imagined she was standing on a remote planet in some distant galaxy. She started to walk along the shoreline, but there was no sign of Seth. The hyena had fallen silent and all she could hear was her own breathing and the rustle of her feet.
It was then she heard a voice, a stranger, speaking in her mind: “Go back to the car, Erin.” Rattled, she looked around to find the speaker, but she was alone. The voice spoke again, more insistent now: “Go back to the vehicle, Erin.”
Too scared to question, she turned to obey, walking fast. She had almost reached the car when she heard a noise, like footsteps on fresh snow. She stopped to listen. And then she saw it, looming out of the darkness: a massive spotted hyena – huge black muzzle, merciless eyes, sloping body, teeth bared – blocking her way.
Run, she screamed to herself.
“No! Don’t run, or it will kill you,” the voice in her head commanded.
Shouting, she flapped her arms, swimming in Seth’s hoodie, trying to scare it off, but the hyena stood motionless, staring at her, unblinking. She stepped backwards, but stopped as a manic cackle burst out behind her. Three smaller hyenas were closing in, blood-red eyes fixed on her, shuffling closer – so close she could smell their rancid breath.
“Help me,” she pleaded to the stranger who had invaded her mind. There was no response.
The huge hyena crouched lower, poised to strike. Erin shrieked one long, wild scream.
“Erin! Erin!” Running out of the darkness, Seth skidded to a halt at her side, facing the hyena, his sword clenched in his hand.
The other three hyenas stared at him. It took all his willpower to ignore them and to focus on the crouching hunter. With a grunt the hyena leapt for Erin’s throat. Seth lunged too. Screaming, he plunged his blade hilt-deep into the hyena’s chest. As its dark red blood spewed out, it gave one human-like gasp and collapsed at their feet.
Unseen by Seth and Erin, shapeless black beings surged out of each of the hyenas, swirled around them, and vanished. As if awakened from a trance, the three surviving animals attacked their pack-mate’s carcass. Fighting and baying, they dragged it off across the pan, into the night.
Transfixed, Erin and Seth watched them go.
At last Seth noticed his bloody hands. He stared at them, unable to grasp that he, who had never hunted anything in his life, had killed a ferocious animal with one stroke. Repulsed by the blood, he wriggled out of his t-shirt and used it to wipe his hands and the blade. With a bemused shake of his head, he slid the sword back into its scabbard, marvelling now at Sophia’s uncanny foresight.
Teeth chattering, Erin fell back against the car. “S-Seth, t-those hyenas weren’t normal. It was like they were . . . possessed. And I heard a voice in my head, but she didn’t help me when they attacked.”
He grabbed her quivering hands and pulled her into his embrace, feeling her body quaking with shock against his bare chest. “It’s okay.” He stroked her matted hair. “There’re no voices in your head. Relax. I’ve spotted a campfire burning about a mile from here – a short walk and we’ll be safe.” He gave her a final squeeze and released her. “Come.” He grabbed their bags and started walking.
Instead of following him, Erin rummaged around in the cab until she found her journal. She put it into the backpack Sophia had given her, slipped it onto her back, and held out her hand for her luggage.
“I’ve got it.” He smiled at her. “C’mon, let’s go. With luck, a drink and a meal are waiting for us.”
Chapter 3
DEAD OR ALIVE?
They soon reached the campsite where two small tents huddled in dancing firelight. Someone had raked together a mound of coals on which bread was baking in a steel pot. The air smelt enticing, homely. But for all this, the campsite was silent, deserted. Warily, they stopped outside the circle of light, hiding behind one of the tents.
“Where are all the campers?” Erin whispered.
“There’s no vehicle. Maybe they’ve gone for a drive.”
“With the bread almost ready? Unlikely.”
Seth peered around the tent at the unbroken surface of the pan. “And no vehicle tracks.”
“Makes no sense. Just walking here, our feet made tracks. And it’s so quiet, we’d have heard an engine starting from miles away.”
Seth sighed. “How much more insanity do we have to deal with today? Is this really still planet Earth?”
“You’re right. We need help, and–”
Seth stepped into the light. “Anyone at home?”
A man of about forty, with short-cropped, salt-and-pepper hair stepped out of the other tent. He was carrying a bucket of water, a towel and a cake of soap.
“Ah, you’ve arrived,” he said, speaking in an accent similar to Sophia’s. “I’m sure you’d like to freshen up. The water’s hot.” He lifted the bucket. “Erin. I’ll put it in the tent for you. And you’ll find a flask of fresh drinking water there too, for I know how thirsty you must be.” Erin froze as he offered her the towel and soap. She took them mechanically, tracking him with suspicious eyes as he stooped to put the bucket in the tent. He pointed to the second tent. “That’s your accommodation, Seth. Your bucket’s waiting for you. But perhaps you’ll first stow Erin’s bag? I’m sure she’d like a change of clothing.”
Seth didn’t move. “I don’t wanna appear rude, but I suppose you know Kyle and he told you to expect us?”
“Oh, I know all about you both.”
“And Kyle told you to meet us.�
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“I know Kyle will be pleased you’re safe.” The stranger waved his arm around the camp. “Now, please, make yourselves at home.”
“That’s not what I asked,” Seth replied. “Sophia isn’t your sister, is she?”
Erin grabbed Seth’s arm and whispered, “Getting cleaned up is an offer I can’t refuse. We need help, remember?”
Seth wanted to object, but Erin looked so exhausted, so in need of help, that he said nothing.
The stranger gave them a disarming smile. “Now I don’t want to rush you, but the food will be ready soon. You like your steak medium-rare, don’t you, Seth?”
“Have you ever known me to have it any other way?” Seth said in a mocking voice. Manoeuvring Erin towards the tent, he whispered, “This whole setup reminds me of a Hitchcock film, just without the screaming. Take this with you.” He thrust his sword into her hand. “Use it if he tries any tricks.”
“You mean . . . stab him?” She turned the weapon over and looked at Seth in astonishment.
“Where it hurts most.”
* * *
After a bucket bath, Erin, Seth, and the stranger sat around the fire, balancing plates of food on their laps. Erin stared pensively into the flames. Seth, too keyed to relax, broke the silence.
“You seem to know us, but we don’t even know your name.”
“Gideon,” the man said, grey eyes fixed on Seth.
“Cool. So, Gid–” Seth leaned forward in his chair. “You did say Gideon, right?”
“That I did.”
Seth breathed sharply.
Erin looked up and saw a panicked expression on his face. He was staring at Gideon as if he’d just remembered him from somewhere. And not somewhere particularly nice, either. She touched his arm. “Seth?”
He didn’t answer. His mind was back in that distant time where a man, also named Gideon, waited to be slaughtered by the army in the valley. Seth shook his head and focused on the Gideon sitting next to him. Although he seemed like a regular guy, dressed in chinos and a blue golf shirt, there was no mistaking it: Gideon looked just like the doomed warrior he’d met in his dreams. Impossible!
“Not impossible at all, Seth.”
Seth’s mouth fell open. The grey-haired man’s mouth had not moved, yet Gideon had spoken to him in his head.
“That war’s not yet over, Seth. And it’s your fight too. You know that. The visions we’ve sent you have told you so. It’s now time for you to chose your side.”
Seth searched Gideon’s face for some sign that – impossible as it was – his unspoken thoughts had gate-crashed his mind. But Gideon, relaxing in his chair, was merely looking at him with interest, as if waiting to continue their discussion. Then another, even more terrifying thought struck Seth. If this is Gideon, the guy from the dream, then he must be dead. He lurched forward in his chair, sending his plate clattering to the ground.
“Hey, are you okay?”
Hearing Erin’s voice calmed him. He lumbered to his feet, knowing he could never tell her, or anyone else alive, what was happening. She’d put him in a loony bin. “I – I was just going to grab another piece of steak. This meat’s good, real good. Don’t get it like this back home.”
Gideon smiled. “Allow me to help you. And it’s springbok. Pretty little creatures, and they make very fine eating – once they’re dead and properly hung.”
Although he knew he was probably looking at a dead man walking, Seth forced himself to make eye contact with Gideon as he took the new plate of food. He sat down and pretended to eat.
Completely unaware that Seth was almost hyperventilating next to her, Erin turned to Gideon. “You don’t have a car, so is Kyle going to fetch us in the morning?”
“No,” Gideon said. “It was felt that you and Seth should have some time alone, just the two of you, in this camp. That way you’ll be safe from all harm.”
Seth leapt to his feet, his eyes blazing with fear and anger. “What idiot decided that?”
“I did,” Gideon replied.
“You? I don’t get it.” Erin was now standing at Seth’s side. “And safe from what? We’ve already survived a tornado and been attacked by crazed hyenas. The safest place we can be is with our family. Not stuck out here.”
“Sometimes ‘stuck out here’ can be the safest place you’ll find.” Gideon leaned back in his chair. “But you’re free to leave anytime you choose. Take the spade,” he pointed to a spade leaning against a jerry can of water, “and whatever food and water you can carry. You have a map, if not a GPS, and I suppose in time you may blunder upon Kyle’s camp.”
“You know a hell of a lot about us for a stranger whom we only met an hour ago,” Seth said. “And it seems to me there’s only one way you could know all this stuff. Been reading anyone’s mind, lately?”
Gideon gave him a knowing smile.
Erin didn’t notice; she was looking at Seth as if he’d just gone mad. “Seth, don’t be ridiculous. He’s trapped us here and you’re going on about mind-reading.”
“Do you think I haven’t already figured that out? I’m way ahead of you on this.” Confronting Gideon again, Seth demanded, “Who the hell are you and what do you want with us?”
“The answer lies in the pocket of Seth’s hoodie.”
“My hoodie?” Seth patted his pockets. “There’s nothing in the pocket.”
“I meant the one you gave to Erin.” Gideon reached down to the ground and scooped up the hoodie Erin had worn after the storm. Her eyes widened; she knew she’d left it in the tent with her dirty clothes. “Earlier this evening you dropped something in the pocket, didn’t you, Erin?” He handed her the hoodie.
It took her a moment to remember the lump of clay. “You mean this thing?” She pulled it out of the pocket.
Gideon nodded. “There was far more to your visions than you’ve confided to Erin, isn’t there, Seth?”
When Seth’s shoulders slumped in agreement, Erin rammed her hands on her hips. “Okay, Seth. Now I want the whole story. Everything, with no holding back.”
The grazes on Erin’s cheeks and neck suddenly looked worse than ever. They seemed to scream at him that it was time for the truth. After a stealthy look at Gideon, he grabbed her hand, and pulled her to the very edge of the firelight. “I know it’s insane,” he whispered, “but I think my dream was the reason for both attacks. The wind and the hyenas.”
“But why would . . .” she paused, trying to collect her thoughts. “Why would nature conspire to kill us just because of a dream? You said yourself that wind and sand can’t make decisions.”
Praying she would understand, he said, “It was more than just a dream. It was like a series of different visions that came for weeks. But in the end it all seemed to hinge on just one thing – a stone, buried somewhere near the ruined Fortress.”
“A stone?”
“A huge diamond. That’s the real reason Kyle come to Botswana. Find that rock and he’ll never have to work again.”
Erin sighed. Now she knew exactly why Izzy had married Kyle. “Why didn’t you tell me this when I first asked you?”
How could he say he’d wanted to impress her? But, as important as that was, he knew it wasn’t the only reason for his silence. He held her face in his gaze, willing her to understand. “Erin, I saw what the idea of owning that diamond did to Kyle. And it scared me.”
“You mean him throwing up his career and coming here on a whim?”
“Not just that.” Talking about Kyle seemed like a betrayal of their brotherhood. But she was waiting for answers. “Please don’t get the wrong impression of my brother, but he tried to persuade me to come to Botswana with him, even though my SATs were about to start.” He saw that she didn’t understand. “My college entrance exams. Without them I can kiss Art School goodbye.” A flicker of pain flashed across Seth’s face.
Erin guessed he was thinking back to what must have been an awful discussion. She was right. Saying no to Kyle had been the hardest thing Set
h had ever done in his life. He cringed at the memory. Refusing to help Kyle had caused the first real argument they’d had since their parents’ death. For two weeks they’d fought, until Kyle had left without him. Since then, Seth had felt nothing but fear. And guilt. Loads of crushing guilt.
Erin’s gentle voice pulled him back to the present. “I’m sorry to pry, Seth, but I still need to know why you didn’t tell me when I asked you. You had the chance when we spoke about the Lightning Bird.”
“Because you don’t believe in visions. Or mythical birds that are actually real.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just that fantasy stopped appealing to me when my dad left. He used to tell me stories all the time about angels who did wonderful things for people. After he went, I realised that hoping for an angel to make my world right is a complete waste of time. Now I like–”
“Verifiable proof,” Seth interrupted. “But the truth is, Erin, I saw those visions. And they were as real as us standing here. I would be a liar if I denied it.”
It took her a moment to reply. “What did the vision tell you about the stone?”
He traced his finger across her lacerated face. She winced and he dropped his hand. “It means war. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a fight.”
“War with who? Kyle?”
“The dead.” He watched her reaction. First she scowled, puckering up her grazes; then she gnawed her bruised lip. Finally, she spoke.
“Seth, I saw your reaction to all the stuff Sophia was saying back at Vukani’s place. How does he fit into all this?”
“I honestly didn’t know about him until Sophia mentioned him. But, based on what I know about Kyle’s plans, I would guess he wants Vukani to speak to the dead – to help him find the diamond.”
He expected her to scoff at this, but she surprised him. “You can tell Kyle that he can let the dead rest in peace, because during the storm I definitely saw a diamond in this.” She held the chain up, dangling the clay-lump between them. “It was about the size of a large strawberry. And the chain’s gold, by the way.”
Seth folded his arms across his chest. “Oh man . . . that’s not good.”
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