Mercenary Part 14

'I'd say forget it,' Steel said, getting back to his papers.

'And what would you say if I told you that Stratton was coming along too?'

Steel looked back at him. 'I'd ask if you were telling the truth.'

'I am.'

Steel smiled thinly, put down his coffee, dug the maps and photographs from his bag and slid them across the table. 'Have fun,' he said casually as he went back to his reading.

Victor picked up the maps and photographs and left the cabin. When the door had closed behind him Steel put down his doc.u.ment, removed his gla.s.ses and began to think of his next move in earnest.

Stratton climbed onto his horse. David winced as he lowered himself into his saddle and adjusted it.

'You okay?' Stratton asked.

'Yes. And you?'

'I'm fine.' The dull throb in Stratton's back was constant but manageable. Otherwise, apart from a sore throat and feeling like he'd smoked a hundred cigarettes the night before, he felt okay.

Bernard led three burros from around the back of the stable, their backs loaded with supplies.

Victor cut a piece of plastic-coated wire from a drum and offered it to Stratton. 'Is this good enough?' he asked. 'I hope so because I have a thousand metres of the stuff.'

Stratton nodded. 'It'll do. What about batteries?'

Victor showed him two six-volt motorbike batteries. 'I checked that they're fully charged.' He pulled an AK47 off his shoulder and held it up to Stratton. 'Your new rifle . . . Okay, so it's not new but it's the best I have.'

The soldier took the weapon and checked it over. Victor handed him a magazine pouch which he slung over his shoulder and the weapon across his back.

'You look like a proper rebel now,' Victor said.

'Which ensures I'll be hung as one if I'm caught.'

'True enough,' Victor said, grinning as he climbed onto his horse and looked around. 'I was expecting Louisa to see us off.'

Sebastian walked around the corner of the stable towards the corral where the white horse walked up to him. 'Good luck,' he said to them as he reached out to pet the animal.

'Thank you, Sebastian,' Victor said. Then, to the others, 'Shall we?'

The group moved off, the three burros bringing up the rear. Victor urged his horse into a trot and the others followed.

They slowed to a walk as they entered the jungle. A few metres in they came to a defensive embankment, essentially a shallow trench reinforced on the outer side with logs and sandbags. It was the camp perimeter and a handful of rebels sat around, acting as sentries. The group crossed a removable gangway and headed down a steep slope on the other side.

They emerged from the trees a short distance later onto a track. It was wide enough for a couple of horses to walk abreast and Victor moved alongside Stratton. 'When I was a kid my favourite story was d'Artagnan's adventures with the Three Musketeers. Finally, I feel like I'm living the part.'

The Englishman gave him a sideways glance. Victor did look quite proud, it was true.

They had not gone far when Victor and Stratton slowed to a stop. Behind them David and Bernard looked ahead to see why and also stopped. All of them were surprised.

Louisa sat on her horse dressed in the same camouflage clothing and jungle boots as the men, with a pair of plump saddlebags across the animal's loin. She stared coolly back at them.

'What do you think you're doing?' Victor asked, moving forward.

'What does it look like?' she replied.

'It looks as if you are planning on a long ride somewhere. But I can't imagine where to.'

'Shall we dispense with the childish badinage? I'm coming with you.'

'I don't think so,' Victor said firmly.

'I spent the last few hours going over the pros and cons of why I should and should not go. I also went through every argument I could expect you to make to dissuade me. Nothing I could think of was convincing enough to suggest I should not come and so I'm here.'

'You are a stubborn woman, Louisa, but this is one debate you are not going to win.'

'You're going to hear me out whether you like it or not,' she said, her jaw tightening. 'And if you insist on riding on without hearing me I will simply follow you.'

Victor did not doubt her. 'Okay. Say your piece. But you're just wasting our valuable time.'

'I have as much right as you to be on this mission. I was born in this country, my father began this revolution. I can't continue to witness this struggle from within the camp. I don't want to be a fighter but I have to understand what it's like. You said you would be long gone by the time the government soldiers reacted to the ambush. So why can't I come? I'm a better rider than any of you if we have to move fast.'

'I think Victor is concerned about the unseen dangers,' Stratton cut in. 'No matter how simple an operation looks on paper there are always things that can go wrong.'

'The only reason you're stopping me is because I'm a woman.'

'No,' Victor corrected her. 'You're Sebastian's daughter. What do you think he would say if he was here right now?'

'You think I would say anything different to him?'

Victor sighed irritably. 'Why do you really want to come? This doesn't make sense, Louisa, and you've always been a sensible woman.'

'Okay,' she said, taking a moment to compose her answer. 'Since I was young I've always listened to my father's talks on freedom and revolt. I was fascinated and inspired. I went to America to study law and politics. When I returned it was not just to be by my father's side. The battle for liberty won't end with the vanquis.h.i.+ng of Neravista. There will always be others like him. I'm going to be a part of this country's political future. When men like you have brought the killing to an end I'll take up the fight in the halls of government. But I'll want people to know that I played a part in this struggle. When people hear me fighting for their rights they'll know that I understand the meaning of those words as well as any soldier. I want to be known as the woman who rode with you to destroy Chemora and help bring down Neravista.'

Victor looked confused. 'That's it?'

'Yes. I'm asking you to give me my future.' Louisa looked serious and they all realised she was probably more determined to go on the mission than any of them.

'And what if something happened to you?' Victor asked. 'What about your future then?'

'If I don't do this, I'm going to do something else. You might as well let it be this, with you, and get it over with,' she said.

Victor looked at Stratton for help but all the other man could offer was a lame shrug. 'I would not be able to face Sebastian. Does that matter to you?'

'Victor, my life is here now, with my people. I'm a part of this. You might as well get used to it.'

He hated the way she could get him to change his mind. His meagre persuasive a.r.s.enal was exhausted. 'I'm all out of words,' Victor said to Stratton. 'I cannot stop her. But this is your operation.'

Louisa looked at the English soldier, aware that he was a different proposition. She could wrap Victor around her little finger and ultimately do what she wanted but that would not be the case with Stratton. If he said no it would be over for her. Ultimately, she would not jeopardise the mission for her own needs. Stratton would know that too.

Stratton's only consideration was Louisa's lack of combat skills. But she wasn't going to get any experience sitting in the camp. If she was going to stay with this struggle then her best chance of survival was to learn how to fight. She might even discover this really wasn't the place for her. 'You'll do nothing without my say-so and that means nothing, even going to the latrine. If you disobey I will gag you and tie you to that horse until we return. Is that understood?'

'It is,' Louisa replied, looking him sternly in the eye.

Victor shook his head and flicked his horse's reins to make it walk on. 'I'm in so much s.h.i.+t,' he muttered.

'Ride in the middle of the group,' Stratton told Louisa as they moved off.

She pulled her horse around behind his as he moved alongside Victor.

'Wasn't there a fifth musketeer?' Stratton asked.

'That was the king - not the king's daughter,'Victor said, not amused.

'I don't think this group has quite finished growing,' Stratton said, looking through the trees on the sloping ground above them.

Victor followed his gaze. Kebowa and Mohesiwa were running, carrying their bows and a small leather back-pouch each. They were dressed as normal, wearing their knee-length trousers, with their long black hair tied back.

'I never told them I was going anywhere but they always seem to know,' Victor said, impressed. 'Yoinakuwa's not with them. He must know we're going a good distance. Is that okay, them coming along?'

'Why not?' Stratton said.

Victor rode ahead to greet them as they came down to the track.

Stratton looked back at Louisa. She looked solemn and held his gaze only for a second. He wondered if he had seen a trace of fear in her eyes. Despite the dangers, he could not help feeling pleased that she was there.

The group rode off the plateau, using goat tracks and stream beds, all the time heading due west. The Indians decided that one of them would remain near the party while the other scouted ahead. They often swapped places. The brothers were very similar yet Stratton had begun to notice slight differences between them. Mohesiwa appeared dominant although the two discussed everything. He found their dedication to the revolution bizarre in a way. They did not seek any payment except food. They didn't stand to benefit much no matter what heroics they performed. The only explanation that Stratton could think of was that they now felt they belonged to a community once again. Having lost their own tribe they had found another.

The group went easy on the horses because of the time they were expected to travel with little rest. It was fifty-five kilometres to the ambush site as the crow flew but the map did not show any contours so the real distance was difficult to estimate. Once off the plateau the terrain became rocky, with patches of open ground where Stratton felt exposed. Yet crossing them was a calculated risk if they were going to make it to the ambush site on time. According to the GPS they were making good progress, using the most direct route. The map showed some woodland further south, but it would take much longer that way. Stratton was relieved when eventually they entered primary jungle and visibility could be measured in metres rather than kilometres.

On the journey he learned why David and Bernard had been chosen for the operation, despite David's injuries. Victor told him how they knew the western provinces, since both of them were from there. But there was more to it than that. Although David's immediate family were gone he had other relatives in the area, as did Bernard.The mission was even more important to them yet neither young man had said a word. Stratton realised that the more he learned about his companions, the more he was gradually becoming involved, whether he liked it or not.

The first day went slowly. A coral snake spooked the burros during a water stop. Mohesiwa deftly trapped the venomous creature's head, using the end of his bow. He picked it up, walked it a safe distance away from the group and released it. By nightfall Stratton had a better estimate of their speed. As long as the ground ahead was similar, which David a.s.sured him it was, and they continued through the night, they could rest the following day. Then if they waited until last light before moving they would make the ambush site around midnight, giving them a few hours of darkness in which to prepare.

The going was much slower and more dangerous in the dark. The trees looked black, and on some of them barbs grew. They pointed out from trunks and branches at odd angles and looked like spears. A few had grown to several feet in length and had tips as sharp as javelins. Travellers had been known to impale themselves. Poisonous manchineel trees also grew in the forest. Simply touching them or breaking a leaf and releasing their sap could cause lesions. Slas.h.i.+ng a branch with a machete would create a spurt of poisonous milky liquid that could blind someone if it struck their eyes.

By midnight the moon shone brightly, lighting their way through the rare patches of open ground, but under the forest canopy it stayed black. At one point the cover was so dense that they had to dismount and lead the horses in single file. David was clearly not fit enough to spend an entire day on a horse and he seemed to be in great discomfort much of the time though he did not complain. The walking came as a relief to him. Victor tripped over several times and, cursing heavily after one particu larly heavy fall where he bashed his head and almost lost his hat, he got out his flashlight. Stratton told him to put it away, explaining that soldiers used lights only to check maps, make signals and to figure out how to dismantle a b.o.o.by trap if it could not wait until daytime. Victor put the light away, muttering something about not being in the British Army.

As dawn broke through behind them they arrived at the edge of the wood and Stratton called an end to the march.They removed the equipment and saddles from the animals and provided them with food and water where they were tethered. They did not light a fire, since it could easily have been spotted by patrolling troops. Everyone was too tired anyway and set about preparing their beds.

Louisa came over to ask Stratton if she could go for a pee. He looked at her poker-faced as if considering it but could not help breaking into a grin. 'Get out of here,' he told her. 'Just don't go too far.'

Victor cleared away the fallen twigs and leaves from his chosen spot, placed a blanket on the ground, lay on it and shuffled around to smooth the surface as much as possible before draping his poncho over him. David and Bernard prepared their sleeping places in much the same way but with less fuss.

Stratton looked for the Indians, wondering what their sleeping arrangements might be, but they had disappeared. He pulled a bundle from his pack and unravelled a thin Gore-Tex sleeping bag designed for the jungle, cleared a selected spot and rolled it out. Without removing his boots he pushed his way inside and rested his head on his pack, his a.s.sault rifle beside him.

Footsteps signalled Louisa's return and Stratton watched her prepare her bed a few metres away. Holding her blanket, she took a moment to work out the best way to go about setting up the bed. A glance at Stratton's revealed no lesson to be learned there and she looked at Victor's. She spread the blanket on the ground and searched inside her pack for a poncho, which, it quickly became evident, she had forgotten to bring. Unperturbed, she lay down and pulled the blanket on top of her, resting her head on her pack and closing her eyes as if blissfully comfortable.

The Indians returned, carrying several large banana leaves as well as some of the tree's fruit and quickly set about erecting a small shelter against a tree. Stratton suspected they had some inkling about the weather and studied the small patches of sky that he could see through the forest roof. He couldn't see any stars. He sat up and unravelled a green lightweight nylon canopy from a pocket of his pack. It was a large rectangle with string attached to the corner and mid-length eyelets.

He climbed out of his sleeping bag and as he tied the first corner to a tree a tapping sound from above signalled rain hitting the jungle foliage. He secured the other three corners and a couple of the sides, pulling the canopy as tight as a drum. The final touch was to secure the line attached to the centre of the canopy which he tossed over a branch directly above, pulling it tight to give the canopy a pointed roof. The rain started to drip from the highest branches onto the forest floor, making a drumming sound that gradu - ally became louder and faster when it hit Stratton's cover.

Stratton ducked beneath his new shelter, lay on his sleeping bag and watched Louisa to see how long it would take for her to react. He did not have to wait long. She had fallen into a deep sleep but the large raindrops striking her face soon dragged her back out of it. She sat up and looked around as her mind came back into focus.

She looked over at Stratton to see him watching her. He s.h.i.+fted to one side and indicated the s.p.a.ce beside him. Louisa did not waste any time dragging up her blanket and saddlebags and scurrying beneath his canopy. Within seconds she was lying back down with her blanket draped over her. She wriggled a little to get comfortable.

'Thank you,' she said.

Stratton climbed back into his sleeping bag. 'First time camping?' he asked.

'Yes, actually. I missed out on the Girl Scouts.'

He looked at the water dripping off the edges of the nylon sheet. 'I always find this nostalgic, lying beneath a piece of canvas in the rain.'

Drips. .h.i.t the side of Louisa's blanket and she moved her bedding closer to him, her back against his side.

'You take to camping naturally,' Stratton observed.

'I prefer this to a caravan, pulling into some commercial campsite and plugging into an electricity and water supply.'

'Good for you.'

'I suppose this is the best way to start. Get stuck straight in.'

'Your first camping experience or your first ambush?'

Stratton's words were food for thought to Louisa. 'That hasn't even hit me yet. I can't even begin to imagine what that will be like.'

Stratton could foresee clearly most of the action that he had planned. He did not need to imagine the outcome, either. He had countless previous examples to draw on and could hear in his head the explosions and see the terrible destruction the claymores would wreak. 'You'd better prepare yourself. You're going to see and hear people die and in a b.l.o.o.d.y awful way.'

'I thought we were going to be well away from it when it happened.'

'Haven't you learned that Steel is little more than a salesman? If we want to ensure that it's done right we have to be there.'

Louisa should have felt more nervous after hearing that. But she could not properly prepare herself emotionally for something she could not even imagine. 'Have you ever thought about having a normal life?'

'Sometimes. Just before the ambush I probably will. Definitely immediately after it.'

'You're different from any man I've ever known. The men react to you in a way I've not seen before. They don't fear you, yet they know you're someone to be feared. They want to be like you but they don't want to be you because they know they cannot.'

The rain fell harder, the drumbeats on the canopy now a constant roll. Louisa turned onto her side to face Stratton, her cheek touching his shoulder. 'Why is it that I feel safe with you?' she asked sleepily. 'I hated you when I first saw you. You represented the worst form of capitalism I could think of.What's strange is that even now I don't see anything different about what you do. All that's changed is how I perceive your motives . . . You're not interested in money, are you?'