The World Duology (World Odyssey / Fiji: A Novel) (50 page)

12

A
pproaching the slaves’ quarters, the trio froze when a scar-faced outcast emerged from a nearby bure. Half-asleep, the man walked behind his dwelling and urinated against its outer wall. He seemed to take an eternity. While urinating, he sang softly to himself. Finally, he finished his business and retired to his bure.

The three intruders resumed moving forward.

Nearing the slaves’ bure, Joeli suddenly nodded to Waisale and ran off alone into the darkness. Nathan knew the ratu would be looking for the golden tabua. Joeli had been obsessed with recovering the sacred whale’s tooth ever since Rambuka had taken it. The American guessed, correctly, Joeli would willingly sacrifice the two women they’d come to save if it meant recovering the golden tabua.

Circling around to the rear of the slaves’ quarters, Nathan and Waisale could see a faint glow coming from inside it. It came from a hole in the bure’s wall. Waisale started moving toward it, but Nathan restrained him. Wanting to do this himself, he crept toward the hole while Waisale kept watch.

Reaching the hole, which was just big enough for him to crawl through, Nathan cautiously poked his head through it. He immediately saw the bure’s interior was illuminated by a small fire that was flickering on the dirt floor in the middle of the hut. Beyond the fire, he saw Susannah. She was awake and seemed to be looking directly at him.

Sina and several other slave girls lay sleeping nearby. They were exhausted after a long day of chores, which had included entertaining Rambuka and his men.

Susannah had been trying to get to sleep when Nathan’s head appeared through the hole in the wall opposite. Through the flames of the fire, his mud-covered face was distorted. She didn’t recognize him at first and wondered if she was dreaming. It was only when she saw his startling blue eyes she knew for sure it was him. Her heart leapt.

Nathan placed his forefinger to his lips, urging her to remain silent. As he prepared to crawl through the hole, Susannah looked at him sharply and shook her head once, ever so faintly. Nathan stared at her inquiringly. She looked pointedly to her left.

The American cautiously poked his head further through the hole, glanced to his right and saw a Tongan guard was watching over the slaves—or he would have been were he still awake. The Tongan was asleep sitting upright, his back against the bure’s near wall.

Nathan pulled his head back quickly and looked at Susannah, as if for inspiration. She looked thoughtfully at the guard for a few moments. The young woman appeared to steel
herself then coughed once.

The Tongan woke with a start. Susannah looked at him and suggestively ran her tongue over her lips. The guard’s eyes opened wide as Susannah suddenly unbuttoned her cotton dress, partially exposing her breasts. She motioned to him to come to her. The Tongan hesitated.

Taking care not to wake the other women, Susannah addressed him quietly in Fijian. “Rambuka will never know,” she whispered seductively.

The Tongan considered this for a moment. Leering at Susannah, he pushed himself to his feet and hurried over to her.

Susannah reclined on a flax mat as her smiling, would-be lover removed his grass skirt and lowered himself onto her. Susannah immediately encircled his waist with her legs.

As the excited, now-naked Tongan prepared to enter her, his moment of passion was interrupted by the blade of Nathan’s knife as it sliced through his windpipe. Nathan placed one hand over the Tongan’s mouth to stifle the noise as his victim fought for air.

Blood spurted over Susannah’s face. As the life ebbed out of her attacker, Susannah rolled out from beneath him. The Tongan breathed his last and Nathan pushed him aside.

A bloodied Susannah threw her arms around Nathan. They held each other tight while Sina and the others slept on. Nathan wanted to hold Susannah like this forever. He also wanted to tell her his true feelings for her right there and then, but knowing of the danger they were in, he lifted her to her feet, saying, “We must hurry.”

Susannah quickly dressed. She was experiencing a flood of emotions: horror at the sight of the bloodied corpse at her feet, relief that help had come, fear at the thought of what would happen to her if they were discovered, and joy at being reunited with Nathan.

Seeing the handsome American suddenly appear as if in a dream had confirmed something for Susannah: she really did love him.
There, I’ve said it,
she told herself.
I love him.

Looking at Nathan now, she couldn’t be sure if he’d come for her because he really did love her as she loved him or because he was helping the Qopa out of some loyalty to them or to Joeli. His tense body language and cold expression made him impossible to read. He remained an enigma to her.

Nathan was consciously trying to remain detached and businesslike. He knew the next little while could well determine whether they lived or died, and he didn’t want emotions getting in the way. However, although he didn’t show it, he was asking himself the exact same questions about Susannah that she was about him.

Is she happy to see me because she’s desperate to be rescued or does she really love me?

Susannah suddenly gasped when she saw Waisale’s face appear through the hole in the wall.

“It’s only Waisale,” Nathan whispered.

The young warrior entered the hut and immediately went to Sina. Placing one hand over her mouth, he gently woke her. Sina’s surprise quickly turned to delight. She smiled as she recognized her former lover. Waisale touched her cheek affectionately.

Nathan urgently motioned to Susannah and the others to follow him outside. They silently departed and still the other slave girls slept on.

Waiting for them outside was an impatient Joeli. He gave a quick nod of acknowledgment to the two women then led the small group into the cover of the nearby trees. The men were relieved they’d come this far without alerting the outcasts to their presence.

The small group moved quietly, taking care not to stand on twigs or make any sound. As they retreated deeper into the rainforest, they were joined by the Qopa warriors who appeared like spirits out of the darkness.

Nathan noted Jack was not among them. He wondered where the Cockney was. Joeli also noticed Jack was missing. The ratu assumed he’d made a run for it while he could. Joeli thought Jack must have read his mind: he’d intended to kill the womanizing White-Face if they made it back to Momi Bay alive.

As soon as they were out of earshot of the encampment, they started running. They ran as fast as the slowest person would allow. That was Susannah, who was still exhausted from her forced march from Momi Bay. Nathan assisted her over the muddy terrain while Waisale also stayed close to Sina.

Leading the way, Joeli continuously glanced over his shoulder. His worried look told the others he knew Rambuka’s outcasts would be coming for them sooner or later. He was anxious to put as much distance between themselves and Tomanivi as possible.

Despite the precariousness of their situation, Joeli felt elated. While Nathan and Waisale had been rescuing the women, he’d entered Rambuka’s bure and retrieved the golden tabua. Earlier reconnaissance had determined which bure was Rambuka’s. Joeli had reasoned that his deceitful half-brother would keep the sacred whale’s tooth there. And he was right: as
soon as he’d entered the bure, he had seen the golden tabua hanging on the far wall.

Retrieving the object had been no mean feat. Joeli had had to walk within a few feet of a sleeping Rambuka and half a dozen slave girls who were sleeping with him. He had been sorely tempted to kill Rambuka where he slept, but he knew he’d have risked waking the slaves.

When the moon disappeared behind clouds and light rain began falling, Joeli took this as a sign the gods of the forest were smiling on him. Now that he had the golden tabua once more in his possession, the ratu knew all would be well. His heart felt at peace.

13

A
t dawn, a soft drizzle cast a watery curtain over Tomanivi and its surrounds. In the outcasts’ encampment, Rambuka’s cousin, Uraia, walked toward the slaves’ quarters. A more youthful version of Rambuka, he shared the same fierce features.

Entering the slaves’ bure, Uraia saw at a glance Susannah and Sina were missing. The remaining slave girls were still asleep. Then he noticed the dead Tongan guard. Rolling him onto his back, he grimaced at the sight of the ugly knife wound around his comrade’s throat.

Uraia hurriedly backed out of the bure and sprinted to Rambuka’s bure. Behind him, screams rang out from the slaves’ quarters when the remaining slave girls woke and saw the dead guard. Uraia burst in to Rambuka’s bure, waking his cousin. “They have killed Tefolaha!” he shouted. “And they have taken the White-Face and the Qopa slave girl!”

Wiping sleep from his eyes, Rambuka looked at his cousin, his expression one of fury. He turned around and immediately saw the golden tabua was missing from its usual place on the wall. Rambuka knew it could have only been Joeli. Springing to his feet, he grabbed the musket, tomahawk, and hunting knife he kept by his bed mat. “Assemble a war party,” he commanded.

# 

Five miles to the west, Nathan was dragging Susannah by the arm through driving rain in the dense rainforest. Other than an urgent word here or there, there had been no time for discussion. Even breathing was an effort.

Though he still hadn’t given Susannah any indication as to how he felt about her, the American’s entire being was focused on her wellbeing. He knew now beyond a shadow of a doubt he loved the Englishwoman. And he realized it wasn’t just her beauty; it was her spirit. Looking at her now, he could see the will to live was as strong in her as it was in him.

Nathan wanted to stop and hug her right then, but he couldn’t. It wasn’t just the fact that they had to keep moving; he still wasn’t sure if the deep feelings he had for her were mutual.

Exhausted though she was, Susannah was feeling as though she’d been given a second chance at life. It wasn’t that long ago, she’d been contemplating death. Now she believed she knew how Lazarus must have felt after Jesus raised him from the dead.

Holding on to Nathan’s strong hand and surrounded by brave Qopa warriors, she could feel life throbbing through her veins.

I am alive!

Full of hope once more, Susannah allowed herself to dare to fantasize about the things she wanted most out of life: love, passion, a family of her own.

As she pictured this future, she looked at Nathan running beside her. He briefly glanced into her eyes. Things suddenly became clear to Susannah.

Yes, this is the man I wish to spend the rest of my life with. Please, God, let it be.

Then doubts began to invade her mind once more. She knew she still wasn’t sure how he really felt about her.

Do his feelings mirror mine or am I just fooling myself that such a worldly man would care for a naïve young woman like me? I wish he’d give me a sign.

A frank discussion would have answered the doubts that were simultaneously running through the minds of each, but there was no time for that now. Peering through the driving rain, they noticed Joeli and the others had stopped to inspect something in a forest clearing beside a river.

As the couple drew closer, they saw the object of the Qopas’ attention: the head of a man who had been buried up to his neck.

Susannah screamed when she recognized Father Montrose. The dead priest’s eyes were wide open, his mouth stuffed with stones. It was a macabre sight. Nathan tried to shield Susannah from the gruesome spectacle, but was too late. The young woman doubled over and began dry-retching.

Joeli exhorted the party to keep moving. He knew Rambuka’s outcasts would most certainly be coming for them by now.

# 

Joeli was right. Rambuka was leading some thirty musketbearing men out from Tomanivi at a fast trot. His cousin, Uraia, was among them. Heavy rain reduced their visibility to a few yards, and they also struggled to keep their footing in the muddy conditions. Despite this, they were closing on their quarry.

Although the rain had washed away his enemies’ tracks, Rambuka knew roughly which course they would follow. He guessed it was his half-brother Joeli who had led the raid on his encampment, and he strongly suspected Nathan was with him. Putting himself in Joeli’s position, he knew his enemies would head straight for Momi Bay. To deviate from that course would be to invite disaster. The longer they took to reach the safety of their fortified village, the more time the outcasts would have to hunt them down.

The only question in Rambuka’s mind was how many of them there were and how much of a start they had. Desperate to kill Joeli, recover the golden tabua, and crush his Qopa enemies once and for all, he exhorted his men to run harder.

# 

Further west, in a valley that dissected the Nadrau Plateau, Joeli’s party battled the conditions as they tried to distance themselves from Tomanivi. The heavy rain and mud combined to slow them down.

Susannah slowed them down even more. She was tiring rapidly, and Nathan now had to virtually carry her.

With Joeli still leading the way, they plunged through swamps and heavy undergrowth, forded streams, and scrambled up and down hills. Slipping and sliding in the mud, Susannah in particular was finding the going tough.

Joeli continuously looked over his shoulder. “Faster!” he called. “Rambuka’s dogs will be coming now!”

Struggling to support Susannah’s weight and stay on his feet, Nathan wondered again where Jack was. For the first time, he began to believe his Cockney friend may have deserted them. Having saved the Cockney’s life, Nathan felt some resentment toward him for his apparent cowardice, but he had no time to dwell on it. Besides, he couldn’t be sure what had become of Jack.

At the foot of a hill, they came to a flood-swollen river, which they judged was too fast-flowing to ford. They ran along its bank and soon found themselves in a deep gorge. High cliffs rose up on either side of them as the gorge narrowed, turning the river into a series of treacherous rapids. Joeli’s party scrambled over and around large boulders. In places they were forced to wade along the edge of the raging torrent.

Manasa, the warrior who helped strangle his sister, Adi, so her spirit could accompany Iremaia’s on its journey to the Afterlife, lost his footing and fell in. Only the quick reactions of the one-eyed Babitu saved him from being swept away.

# 

With no tracks to follow in the heavy rain, Rambuka took a slightly different course to that of his quarry. The route he followed brought him to a cliff top above the same gorge Joeli’s party had ventured into a short time earlier.

Running hard at the head of his men, Rambuka had to pull up quickly to avoid falling over the cliff edge. Uraia was first to reach his side. Together, the cousins peered through the rain into the gorge. The rain eased momentarily to reveal their enemies making their way along the bottom of the gorge. Uraia pointed at them. Rambuka nodded and immediately began climbing down the cliff face. Uraia and the others followed.

Down in the gorge, Nathan and Waisale were helping the two women scramble over a large boulder when Waisale looked up at the cliff top just in time to see an outcast framed against the skyline. He immediately signaled to Joeli, who looked up and saw the outcast just before he disappeared from view. The ratu alerted his warriors. They immediately dispersed and began setting up ambush positions among the rocks.

Nathan turned to Susannah. “You and Sina go with Waisale,” he ordered. Susannah clung to Nathan, indicating she wanted to remain with him. The American pushed her firmly toward Waisale. “Go,” he commanded. He nodded to Waisale, who took Susannah and Sina each by an arm and led them away.

Nathan hurried to Joeli’s side. He noted the ratu was now holding a musket instead of his huge whale bone club. Looking pointedly at the musket, he asked, “Don’t tell me the great Joeli now uses the dreaded white man’s weapons?”

“A wise leader use anything to kill Rambuka’s dogs,” Joeli said defensively. He busied himself as he practised priming the weapon.

Noting his clumsy efforts, Nathan quickly showed him how to prime the musket correctly. Joeli then circulated among his warriors, issuing orders. By now, the warriors were well hidden among the rocks and seemed resigned to the fight that was coming their way.

Nathan scouted around for a good vantage point for himself. He soon found one: a narrow gap between two boulders. The gap was just wide enough to cradle the barrel of his musket and provide an uninterrupted view of the terrain ahead. Settling down to await the outcasts, he scanned the cliff tops above, looking for some sign of Jack.

The possibility that the Cockney had deserted them was rapidly becoming a certainty in Nathan’s mind.

Damn you, Jack!

Looking behind him, Nathan saw that Waisale was still leading the two women away from the immediate danger zone. Their progress seemed painfully slow.

# 

The outcasts soon reached the foot of the cliff and, with Rambuka still leading the way, soon caught up with their quarry. They were met by a barrage of musket fire, which echoed up and down the gorge like rolling thunder.

Despite the deafening noise, the results were less impressive. Joeli’s warriors were using muskets for only the second time in anger, and their shots were way off target. Only Nathan found his mark, killing two outcasts. His accuracy was sufficient to prompt the outcasts to take cover.

Then, in a classic rearguard action, Nathan, Joeli, and four others lay down cover fire from the protection of the rocks to allow their fellow warriors to retreat along the gorge. Outnumbered and in danger of being overrun, Joeli was employing advice Nathan had given to him earlier, ordering those closest to their pursuers to retreat while others lay down cover fire for them.

As they continued this strategy along the length of the gorge, the retreating warriors slowly became more confident with their muskets. Four more outcasts were felled. Another slipped into the river and disappeared beneath the swirling waters. The rearguard tactic was proving effective.

Babitu suddenly became isolated from the others. While trying to catch up to his fellow warriors, he was shot in the leg. Babitu was quickly overtaken by two outcasts who hacked him to death. Adi’s brother, Manasa, and another Qopa warrior were wounded too severely to even try to escape and were shot where they lay.

Further up the gorge, Waisale was pushing the two women in his charge to run faster along the riverbank. Spurred on by the sounds of battle behind them, Susannah and Sina ran for their lives.