Ivan knew then. He grabbed Max by the back of his Bergen and jerked him sideways, twisting desperately to move the pair of them out of the clearing and fall on him at the same time. ‘BOMB!’ he shouted at the top of his voice, and he felt Mako also hurling sideways after him so that the pair of them landed on top of Max and the three of them were given some sort of protection by the trunk of the nearest tree.
And just in time. Brodski exploded just as Livitov had done. But he was not spun off line by an attacking leopard. The force of the explosive strapped to his chest and the shrapnel packed so carefully around it scythed precisely as it had been designed to do into the front rank of the Russians. The men carrying the portable radios were all wiped out. The leading load bearers with their heavy packs of camping equipment, food and water, soaked up the rest of the terrible power. The point men and the flank men, warned by Ivan’s shout, had hurled themselves sideways into the shelter of the bush. And the rearguard automatically spread out to watch over those who were left.
Then, for an instant, there was silence, except for the echoes of the explosion which chased each other up towards Karisoke itself. And stillness, but for the blizzard of burning leaves and branches that tumbled down from a hundred feet above their heads.
Charge
Anastasia had never seen Richard take charge of a difficult situation before. Robin had, of course, but even she was still secretly impressed. Richard’s campaign of decision-making began the instant that the bad news started to arrive. First, from the Central Police Station in Granville Harbour came the information that Colonel Kebila had been most fearful of. A general strike had been called in the city, and there were demonstrations promised — riots threatened. It was not simply industrial action. For the first time in living memory, it was literally tribal. Anyone who was not Matadi might find themselves a target, along with the leader of the opposition, who had invited the interlopers into the country to steal the peoples’ livelihoods. Kikuyu, Bantu, Masai, Hutu and Tutsi families were warned to stay indoors. Even the Pakistani and Chinese shopkeepers, the Lebanese and Saudi merchants were warned to shut their businesses for the day. And Celine Chaka was the immediate object of the peoples’ fury. Her father, the president — or rather, Minister Patience Aganga speaking on his behalf — demanded calm, deprecated the threat of violence, and warned of the financial and political damage that such actions might engender. But when all was said and done, they lived in a truly diplomatic state, she observed, where the will of the voting population was paramount, especially in this election season.
Richard, Robin and Anastasia were in the colonel’s tent when the news came through from his headquarters. Robin had seen the start of a news report on R.T.B.L.B. — Radio Television Benin La Bas, Benin La Bas’s state broadcaster, and had called Richard through. Then they had picked up Anastasia, explaining what they had learned from the bulletin to her as they all crossed to Kebila’s tent. ‘If only I knew where the Army of Christ was with any degree of certainty,’ fumed the colonel as the four of them reviewed the situation and the radio operator apparently did his best to make himself invisible. ‘It is clearly my place to be in Granville Harbour — but it is my mission and my duty to stop Odem before he does any more damage!’ He slammed his hand on the table top in frustration, making both the radio operator and his equipment jump.
‘Perhaps it would be as well,’ Richard suggested, quietly, ‘to continue the patrols upcountry with two of your Super Pumas, as the president himself has ordered, but hold the third in reserve to get you back to your Granville Harbour HQ as fast as possible, just in case …’
Even while Kebila was pondering that, Captain Sanda came through from the frigate Otobo and was passed by the nervous young communications man to his increasingly frustrated superior. ‘Minister for the Outer Delta Aganga has given me orders to come upriver,’ reported Sanda. ‘Clearly she has decided that we must protect the orphanage and everyone around it. But you are already in place, Colonel, and I am frankly worried about the situation in the harbour itself.’
Richard and Robin exchanged glances as the two men finally finished their coded conversation. Anastasia watched them, narrow-eyed, then focused all her attention on Richard. ‘Look, Colonel,’ said Richard quietly. ‘If we assume that Minister Aganga is at least partially influenced by Felix Makarov and his plans, not to say some underhanded realpolitik on the part of the president himself, then some element of her motivation might well be to remove Captain Sanda’s contingent from the city — and leave the police unsupported in the face of a general strike. But if Sanda refuses to sail now, not only will he have disobeyed her orders, he will have given our suspicions away. I suggest that that would seriously curtail your room for manoeuvre. Perhaps he could come upriver as far as the township of Malebo and make some excuse to anchor there — within equally easy reach of the orphanage here and of Granville Harbour itself, depending on where the shit hits the fan first.’
Anastasia’s eyebrows rose fractionally. Richard was not normally given to language like that. The fact that he would even consider using it showed how serious he thought the situation was becoming. But his resolution of it seemed cunning enough, which was what she was thinking when the shit really did hit the fan.
‘Colonel Kebila?’ squawked the radio.
‘Kebila here,’ said the colonel, easing back into the communications chair.
‘Kebila, this is Mako. We have been hit by an IED. Extensive casualties …’
Communication broke then into a crackling whisper. Anastasia found herself on her feet, heart pounding and cheeks burning with shock. She looked at Richard but all his attention was focused fiercely on the stricken colonel. She glanced at Robin and found a calm gray gaze meeting her own. She sat again, suddenly feeling a little faint. But then the connection was restored. ‘I say again, Senior Lieutenant Yagula, Mr Asov and I are unhurt, but it was a close thing. And we have lost ten men dead and wounded, not counting Sergeant Brodski, who had the device attached to him. Our communications have been severely curtailed. A good deal of the kit is gone. We are rearranging things as best we can and will be proceeding once again as soon as possible, working on the assumption that the Army of Christ is somewhere between us and our objective, Lac Dudo. We can use our mobile phones for contact, as long as the batteries last. Unless you have any other thoughts or advice.’
Anastasia had never heard the huge man sound so unsure of himself. What sort of a state must he be in? What sort of a state was Ivan in? she wondered, nausea burning the back of her throat severely enough to make her choke and cough.
‘Just a moment, Colonel Mako,’ said Kebila, also shaken by the suddenness of the disaster. ‘Give me a second to consider the options.’ Apparently without thinking, Kebila glanced across at Richard, who leaned forward decisively, his lips moving almost as fast as his brain. ‘Send Stalingrad to patrol the south bank at once — keep Odem in the jungle. Then you’ll know where he is and be free to act. Volgograd will have to return with the dead and wounded; however, if Stalingrad keeps patrolling, then not only is the north bank secure, but Mako, Ivan, Max and his men have a safe haven within call if they need it — until their cell phone batteries start weakening. Then, of course …’
‘Then of course I can go back downriver in Volgograd with Caleb Maina and his crew as well as most of my men — and Mako’s wounded,’ said Kebila. ‘Medevac them to the Granville Harbour Hospital and get my own patrols out on the streets to keep the peace.’