Smyth stood looking out the window, through the cold glass at the slowly rising sun. “Who would have thought what madness lives up in those mountains?”
Drake raised a mug. “We can’t let anyone else be taken.”
Smyth ate as he stared into the dawn. “Gonna be a long day. Like every other recently.”
Alicia reseated herself. “And night.”
Yorgi leaned against the door frame. “Last night was so crazy.” His Russian accent thickened the more tired he was.
Drake thought about the mind-numbing creatures and the weapons they used; then recalled the courageous assault by the locals and finally thought about their overwhelming gratitude. These people weren’t taking the soldiers for granted — they appreciated every scrap of help.
“We won’t let them down,” he said.
“Hard to watch a couple of hundred folks every minute, twenty four hours a day,” Smyth grunted just because he could and, Drake imagined, because he hadn’t heard from Lauren in a while.
“But we will do it,” Alicia said, showing her changing side. “Because they need us, and deserve us. They are good people.”
“Be easier when Dahl and Kenzie get here,” Drake said.
“Well, Dahl anyway.”
“He believes she is inherently good. And I believe in him. Their European trip was successful and he said he couldn’t have gotten anywhere without Kenzie.”
Alicia opened her mouth to voice a retort, but was interrupted by the back door opening and the rest of the team entering. All looked cold, tired and weary; even Mai, who normally spruced up no matter the circumstances.
“Oh, that’s a nasty sight first thing on a morning.” Alicia shielded her eyes and looked to the morning sun as if for inspiration.
Mai almost managed to answer, but Smyth’s low, troubled growl cut her off.
“So guys, who here has thought about Tyler Webb’s statement?”
Silence fell across the room, deeper and more profound than the new dawn.
A few members of the team looked over at each other. Some stared at the walls or the floor. Others continued watching the mountain peaks catch fire.
“Maybe we should head out.” Hayden stared back at the door she’d just walked through.
“The sun is up,” Drake said. “We could—”
“Stop,” Smyth hissed. “You want this to fester away forever? Day and night?”
“Bro,” Kinimaka rumbled. “This ain’t the time.”
“I agree,” Hayden said. “We have a big day ahead of us.”
Drake watched the interaction between the two. No sign of any change there then. If the years had taught him one thing though — it was that Hayden Jaye wouldn’t be able to continue down this path indefinitely. Something had to give.
He hoped Mano was still around when it did.
Then Smyth spoke up in a surprisingly quiet voice. “I’ll share if you guys will.”
“You mean you’re part of the statement?” Alicia blurted out. “Which bit?”
Smyth glared. “Like I said — I’ll share if you will.”
“But I’m not there, Smyth. None of those things relates to me.”
Drake ran the now legendary statement through his mind.
I know one of you is a lesbian. One of you is embarrassed all the time. And one of you is dying. I know that. I know one of you killed their parents in cold blood. One of you who is missing is far from what you believe. One of you will die by my hand in three days’ time just to wring those tragic emotions from those who remain. One of you cries themselves to sleep.
Alicia clicked her fingers. “I knew it, Smythy old boy. You’re a fuckin’ lesbian.”
“Do you really wanna make light of everyone’s problems?” Mai said softly. “They may not all be desperate or tragic, but they are all very personal.”
Alicia glared at Mai, but then bit her lip. “I guess you’re right. Imagine that. Hey, I’m sorry.”
Drake nodded between the two, finding a moment’s relief.
Smyth spoke again. “I am mentioned on that statement.”
The next voice was thick, deep, and full of emotion. “As am I.”
Drake turned to see Yorgi staring at the floor, feet shuffling gently.
“I never thought…” the Yorkshireman began, then clammed up. “Sorry.”
“Anyone else?” Hayden surveyed the room to speed things along. “Seriously, Mano’s right this time. We gotta go.”
Smyth stomped angrily out the door. As he walked he spoke to nobody, but put a weight of meaning in his words. “And I’ll tell you who else is on that list. Karin goddamn Blake. And it doesn’t take a genius to figure out which part.”
Drake headed out after Smyth, reviewing the statement in a different way. With all the events and action of the last few weeks he hadn’t really put much thought into figuring out who was who. Just assumed it would all come out in the wash. He wasn’t referred to on the statement, nor was Alicia. What worried him most was the stash they hadn’t yet found.
Hayden led the party out of Kimbiri. Packs were adjusted and tightened, coats pulled tight and collars turned up against the biting weather. The path ran away before them, twisting across the plateau and into the nearby hills. Brynn made her way to the front, turning with her eyes squinted against the bracing wind.
“I’ll lead the way and try to find the short cuts. Any questions, just let me know.”
Drake liked the teacher. She was no nonsense, helpful and seemed to care for everyone. The village of Kimbiri fostered thoughtfulness among its inhabitants, taught throughout the village and reinforced by parents. Their community was so small it didn’t have room for miscreants. It made for a close-knit group and many friends, which made what was happening to them even harder to take. Drake admired anyone that made a go of it against the odds, and these people certainly didn’t deserve to find themselves prey.
Brynn set a brisk pace along the winding path, which soon warmed the team up. Hayden fell in beside her for a while and the two talked of village life and the state of provisions, other weapons and anything else Hayden could imagine might be important to their survival. Drake walked behind, listening.
“So this is the weirdest mission,” Alicia said as she strode at his side. “We come out here because a phone signal told us these mountains were the home of an Incan relic smuggler. We came to the village for help, ended up fighting for them against the weirdest set of motherfuckers I’ve ever seen. Now, we’re spending a day trekking to all the nearby villages, getting the lowdown on whether they’re affected or not.”
Drake unbuttoned his jacket as the sun escaped a cloud that looked like it had been purposely painted. “Aye, love, and even odder. The chateau we found might yet be the home of the relic smuggler. In fact, it has to be.”
“Maybe. But what do we really know about the relics? Not a lot. Dahl and Kenzie still ain’t here. Karin’s AWOL. Nobody here can research like that girl. All we know is the relics are from a trove that’s never been found before.”
“And the guy’s been selling them off for a decade.”
“It hardly fits,” Alicia said. “Inca relics. Cannibals. Mountain chateau. Spider things. This Dantanion dude has a lot to answer for.”
The path began to climb, still meandering through the hills and over the rises, each a little higher than the last. The path was stony; low walls ran occasionally to left and right signaling some kind of territorial boundary. Fields were either barren or fertile, and some held goats and other animals. Alicia eyed each one carefully.
“We’re safe, don’t worry.” Drake watched the advance of a black and white goat.
“Dunno about that, dude. What the hell is that thing?”
He stared. “A llama. Don’t you know anything about animals?”