He wondered what alarms this day would bring. Sliding carefully from under the blanket, he walked to the rear of the jeep to look for water. Its cold splash stung his face. Shivering, he fired up the primus and put the kettle on to boil, then rummaged in the haversack for something to eat. There was little left of Ahmed’s feast and breakfast would be a poor thing. He laid out the two remaining bread rolls, now woefully stale, a handful of dried biscuits and the one last bar of chocolate. Once they were down from the mountain, they would need to stop at the first village they came to in order to buy food. The kettle hummed in anticipation, but there was time to check on the road. He pushed past the blockade of bushes and stepped out onto the grass verge, and for some minutes stood there, quiet and unmoving. Not a sight, not a sound.
Ranged all around in a majestic circle, the mountain’s rocky promontories were turning rosy with the sun’s warmth, while its hidden crevices and gullies wore a patchwork of black and grey. He shaded his eyes and craned his neck forward as far as he could, following the road across the flat plateau, then seeing it fall out of sight to re-emerge twisting its way downwards in a seemingly endless loop to the plain beneath. He was trying to calculate the likely time it would take to drive when he heard the kettle’s muted shriek.
Daisy had heard it too and he found her kneeling up on the blanket, still a little dazed, and wondering, he imagined, how she’d managed to land on the top of a mountain and in the most uncomfortable of circumstances. She blinked owlishly at him, trying to shake off the last remnants of sleep, then scrambled to her feet and shook out her badly creased dress.
‘I hope I don’t have to meet the Rajah in this. He’ll think I’ve come from scaring the crows.’
‘He’ll think you charming—the heat will soon put the dress to rights. Here, have this.’ He handed her a steaming mug, then proffered one of the sad rolls. ‘I can’t offer much in the way of food, I’m afraid.’
She shook her head and began to drink the tea. ‘This will do, thanks.’
‘I’m afraid you’re right.’ He bundled the bread from sight. ‘But a few more squares of chocolate might help. And there’s water for washing, though it will test your stamina—it’s super cold. I’m going to reconnoitre again.’
Daisy had finished her tea and chocolate when he returned.
‘We’re fine to go,’ he said, throwing the sleeping bag and blanket into the back of the jeep. ‘And it’s downhill all the way.’
‘And the bends?’
‘What goes up has to come down,’ he warned.
She grimaced, but then seemed to shrug the thought away. ‘My stomach survived yesterday’s pounding, so why not today’s?’
The engine fired first time and they nosed out on to the empty road. Already the sun’s rays were shooting experimental sparks from off the metal of the bonnet. Despite the morning cool, it would be another scorching day. The first few miles of their descent were very steep and the road became rougher and more damaged as they progressed. His foot hovered constantly over the brake as they toiled slowly downwards. At times, he was forced almost to a stop as loose shale crunched and slithered alarmingly beneath the tyres.
Daisy’s face had lost its early pink. ‘I take back what I said. These bends are even worse than yesterday’s.’
‘And your stomach?’
‘Wretched,’ she said succinctly.
‘Once we’re down, there’ll be a village and we’ll stop.’
But they were to stop much sooner than that. Guiding the car around the most contorted bend yet, he had suddenly and violently to slam on the brakes. For several sickening seconds, the car skidded and then slid to a halt. A rockfall covered the centre of the road and there was no going forward.
‘And just as we were doing so well.’ He grasped his wrist as he spoke. The hasty stop had given him pain. ‘We’ll have to clear it,’ he muttered, and went to get out of the jeep. But, as he did so, the vehicle rocked to one side and he felt the far rear wheel slip. He sensed her snatch a look at him, and knew she was terrified. The wheel was floating, he was certain. It had lost all contact with the surface beneath and hung crazily against the skyline.
‘Don’t panic. Breathe normally. We seem to be in a bit of spot.’ It was the understatement of his life.
‘Okay, I’m breathing normally,’ she said through a clenched jaw. ‘Now what do we do?’
‘I’m heavier than you.’ He tried to keep his own voice calm. ‘If I try to get out, the jeep will tilt your way.’
‘And that will be … goodbye Daisy? Is that what you’re saying?’
‘That’s about the size of it. So it’s you that needs to get out. If you can manage to wedge some large stones beneath the back wheel, I should be able to follow and finish the job.’
‘And just how am I supposed to get out? There can’t be six inches between the door and the edge of the cliff.’ Terror had given way to indignation.
‘With great care.’
‘Grayson!’ She exploded at what she saw as his flippancy.
‘I mean it. But you’re going to have to try. It’s our only hope.’
She felt her stomach, her lungs, her heart, jumping together in a crazy rhythm. He was asking her to step out into fresh air. But if she didn’t, they would stay where they were. That’s if they were lucky. One false move and they would both end messily.
‘Can’t we wait for someone to come along?’ she pleaded.
‘Is that a serious question? You’ve seen how isolated this road is. Now take a deep breath.’
‘Another one?’
‘Yes, another one. Then very carefully nudge your door open. See how much room you have to manoeurvre.’
She took more than one breath while Grayson sat patiently beside her. Then, gathering what was left of her courage, she began to creak the door open. The jeep had some advantages. The body of the vehicle was high off the ground but at least it meant its doors were small and relatively easy to swing back. Five minutes of gentle pushing got the door fully open, but its hanging weight made the vehicle list even more frighteningly. She peered down and saw the narrowest strip of earth, a strip which separated her from this world and the next.
‘How much room have you got?’ His casual tone suggested they were parking in the forecourt of the Paradise Hotel.
Keep the breathing going, she told herself. Aloud she said, ‘Six inches, maybe nine.’
‘Good.’
‘Good!’
‘You’ve small feet. You should be able to stand with your back to the vehicle. Then edge along its side until you can slip around the rear and on to the road.’
‘Why didn’t I think of that? Simple really—if you work in a circus.’
He ignored her, remaining quite still and looking directly ahead of him. She hoped he knew what he was asking of her.
‘I’ll say goodbye then.’ Was it goodbye? Quite possibly. He reached across very carefully for her hand and squeezed it hard, but all the time he continued to sit rigidly upright. She swung her legs out from the well of the car and dangled her feet just above the ground, then very carefully placed one foot at a time on firm soil. Her hands were on the sticky leather of the seat and slowly she pressed down and levered herself into a standing position.
‘Don’t look down,’ he said. ‘Feel your way round to the rear.’
She couldn’t hear her heart beating any more. Perhaps it had stopped. Her whole body was filled with noise, though, the noise of sickening, churning fear.
Her left hand stretched out and felt nothing. Nothing. My God, where was the jeep? Where was its comforting metal?
‘Flatten your arm more.’ His voice calmed her and she did as he suggested. Pulling her arm back she felt the strip of metal, then the rim of glass of the rear window. All she had to do was move, but she couldn’t. Her legs would no longer function.
‘I can’t do it.’
‘You can, Daisy, you can. Shuffle your left foot to the side. Find the ground, then follow with
your right foot. Keep your arm on the car to guide you.’
She tried to do as he said, moving like a crab along the narrow space. Inch by inch, shuffle by shuffle, until her hand touched the corner strut of the jeep and she knew she was almost there. Don’t hurry, she told herself. Keep doing this slow shuffle and you’ll turn the corner. And she did.
She stepped clear of the vehicle and was immediately very sick. Grayson was watching her in the wing mirror. ‘You probably won’t want to buy food after all.’ He allowed himself a smile.
She tottered up to his door. ‘I’ve a good mind to leave you here.’
‘And where will you go without me, pretty maid? Talking of which, we should be off soon. Look.’ He pointed to the circle of golden heat that had sliced its way through the peach clouds of early morning and was climbing the sky to sit serenely overhead. ‘You better get cracking.’
‘You might at least thank me for risking my life.’
‘I might but perhaps I’ll wait until I’m safe. Are you willing to try?’ He didn’t wait for an answer but went on, ‘Take the largest stones you can carry from that jumble ahead and push them hard against the back wheel.’
She walked to the avalanche and considered the pile of rocks flooding the road. Grayson was too optimistic if he thought she could carry any of them. Something about the arrangement of the boulders and stones made her pause, but he was still in danger and she had no time to work out what it was. It needed all her strength to push and pull several large rocks the few yards to the back of the jeep. With a massive heave, she rammed several into place. The effort took its toll and she fell back with a thud on to the roadside. She lay there temporarily winded.
But instead of stabilising the vehicle, the rocks had caused it to slide further towards the abyss which yawned below. She sat staring, unable to believe what she was seeing, then let out a tormented wail. ‘Why is this happening?’
‘The rock is behind the wrong wheel,’ Grayson yelled, for the first time abandoning his infuriating calm. ‘Move it to the other side. Now, or I’m gone.’
In her disoriented state, she had misjudged the angle at which the jeep was lying. But her body was wrung. Her limbs shaking. Every muscle had been pushed beyond endurance in the effort to manoeuvre the enormous granite rocks into place. All she wanted was to lie by the side of the road, eyes closed, and drift into a state of oblivion. But she couldn’t. Grayson was depending on her and she had to try again. Somehow she got back on her feet and staggered to the rear of the jeep. Pulling the rocks from under the wheel was harder even than pushing them into place. Muscles screaming, legs and arms beyond full stretch, she tugged. Over and over again. The first rock slid to one side and she stood upright for a moment, breathing so heavily that it seemed the whole mountain rang with the noise. Her ears buzzed loudly and her head felt ready to explode. Back to the second and then the third and largest rock. Would she ever be able to move it, let alone in time? But if she didn’t, Grayson was going to die. The phrase danced before her eyes and hammered through her head. Slowly, very slowly, her grasp on the rock tightened and the boulder started to move. Her eyes were staring, her cheeks gaunt with effort. Grayson sat behind the wheel staring ahead and not daring to move as much as a finger. Once she extricated the rock from beneath the wheel, she was able to exert greater pressure and slowly use her whole body to get behind it. At last it was free and, with one last enormous surge, she pushed it across the few feet to the other axle and under the far wheel. She breathed for a moment, dizzy and sick. Then pushed the two smaller boulders into place and kept pushing until she was certain none of them would move.
She looked up to see that the jeep had stopped listing. Grayson turned his head very slightly in her direction. ‘Looks like you’ve done it.’
‘I think so.’ Her voice was rough with fatigue but inside she was jubilant.
‘Who says five-footers are weaklings?’
‘I say, or rather my muscles are saying it. They’re torn to pieces.’
‘But you’re still whole. And so am I, which has to be the best news of the day.’
‘So are you going to try to get out?’
‘Watch me. And wish me luck.’
Very carefully, he opened his door and took a step onto the road. The vehicle remained stable. Then sliding from behind the steering wheel, he eased himself out of the seat and walked clear. Her stomach kicked. He was safe, at least for the moment.
He came over to her, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her close. ‘You’ve done it again, you know, Daisy.’ She stayed muffled in his embrace for some minutes unable to speak. She felt like shouting for joy and crying at the same time.
‘You’ve saved my life,’ he said into her ear. ‘Again. You’re so good at it, I think I should keep you with me always.’
All she could manage was a shake of her head. At length, he said. ‘Come on, you must sit down and rest. I’m going to move some more hardcore, then I’ll have a go at driving the jeep into the centre of the road.’
More terror, she thought, as she slumped down on a patch of bare earth. I can’t watch this. And she didn’t. She closed her eyes but she couldn’t close her ears. Rocks being pushed in behind those she’d moved, one, two, three. Then the door of the jeep opening and the gear stick being thrust forward. The rev of the engine sounded like the day of doom itself. She squeezed her eyes tight. There was a massive crunching of gravel and then a loud jolt. She squeezed them even tighter. The engine revved again, the gravel crunched, crackled, spat out beneath the wheels, but then miraculously the engine roar decreased and finally stopped. She dared to open one eye, half expecting to see the jeep and Grayson vanished over the rim of the ravine. But instead, there he was, leaning out of the window and beckoning her to get in.
‘That was an exciting interlude,’ he remarked once she’d regained her seat, a half-smile on his lips. He always seemed able to turn terror into the most mundane happening. But she wasn’t to be deflected so easily. Now that they were both safe, her mind was thinking rapidly. After a while, she said, ‘Did you notice anything strange about those stones?’
‘Apart from the fact they were sitting dead centre of the road?’ He was still in teasing mood.
‘That’s the point, isn’t it? They were dead centre and piled high. A natural rockfall would have splayed out, some stones falling at a distance, others perhaps tumbled into the ravine. But these made an almost symmetrical shape.’
‘I wondered if you’d noticed.’
‘So you did think it was odd? You didn’t say anything.’
‘I didn’t want to worry you any more than you already were. You had enough to deal with.’
‘It means it was deliberate.’
‘Yes, it does. And it wasn’t only the trajectory of the fall that was odd. The rocks didn’t quite match with the cliff they’d supposedly fallen from.’
She felt slightly annoyed. ‘I didn’t notice that,’ she was forced to confess.
‘Ah, but you’re not a special intelligence agent.’
‘No, I’m just someone who goes around saving the lives of special intelligence agents.’
‘Touché.’
She took a deep breath. ‘If the holy man was a ploy … someone is trying very hard to stop us from reaching Sikaner.’ She hadn’t truly believed it before.
‘That’s the sensible conclusion. Unless, of course, we’ve been unlucky enough to meet a bunch of murderous psychopaths who want us dead for no particular reason.’
‘But you still intend to go on?’ She didn’t know why she was bothering to ask.
‘I have to. It’s my job. But it isn’t yours. There should be a village after we leave the mountain road—Kamghar—or it may be just before the road ends. The map isn’t too clear but when we get there, I’ll arrange transport back to Jasirapur for you.’
She glanced sideways at him and saw that he was serious. ‘You’re not getting rid of me that easily.’
‘It won’t be easy,�
�� he said. ‘Far from it in this out-of-the-way place. But it will be a lot safer for you.’
She shook her head vehemently. ‘I’m coming with you.’
He lifted his hands from the steering wheel in a gesture of surrender and she wished he wouldn’t, not at least until they’d waved goodbye to the petrifying bends. As they descended, though, the road became less steep and the bends less convoluted and spaced further apart. She felt she could begin to breathe again, though the road still snaked its way round and around in dizzying fashion. But they were making much better progress now and in less than an hour they drove into the promised village.
‘We’ll have to stop here for petrol. If the gauge is to be believed, we’ve used a lot more than I bargained for. It must be the rough driving.’
‘And some food?’ she said hopefully, her sickness forgotten.
‘And some food. We’ve just passed a mobile shop at the top of the road. Did you see it? He’ll almost certainly sell hot snacks and he’ll probably have water too. I’ll park up and you can choose a picnic.’
They locked the jeep and walked as quickly as the midday sun would allow, back to where Grayson had spotted the van. There were several people already there waiting to be served, but as they joined the queue, the men in front began to shuffle uneasily, shooting covert glances at them over their shoulders. Then one by one, they melted away.
CHAPTER 15
‘We’re evidently bringers of the plague,’ Grayson said, half joking, but she noticed that he cast a searching eye around the nearby streets. ‘We’ll grab the food and go.’
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