‘I’m not convinced,’ she said as he opened a pack. ‘And… there’s something else I’m not convinced about.’
‘What’s that?’
‘That you’re going back to Butembo tomorrow. You’re going to insist that you come all the way to Zhakana, aren’t you?’
Eddie briefly paused in his search. ‘What makes you think that?’
‘Because I know you? You were determined to see me this far, and after that business at the roadblock I can’t imagine you waving goodbye in the morning and letting me head upriver into a jungle where more of those assholes might be hiding out.’
He tugged out the groundsheet. ‘That pretty much covers all the arguments I was going to use, so yeah.’
Nina rubbed her temple. ‘For God’s sake, Eddie. What about Macy? Do you really want to leave our daughter with her grandparents for an extra week or more, without even seeing her in person to explain why? Let’s be honest — you don’t even especially like your dad! But you’re happy to dump Macy on him for that time?’
‘Of course I’m not bloody happy about it,’ he protested, spreading the waterproof sheet over the stained bedding. ‘But what else can I do? You heard Fortune. The militia might be in the jungle—’
‘Might be.’
‘You willing to take the chance? ’Cause I’m not, not when it’s your life on the line. And everyone else’s too. Those Insekt Posse dickheads wanted to strip us of everything at gunpoint — and who knows what else they would have done?’
Nina regarded him with disapproval. ‘You mean to me and Lydia.’
‘Yes, to you and Lydia. This isn’t some sexist thing either,’ he added, cutting off her impending objection. ‘This is what these bastards do. Rape’s as much a weapon as an AK in this part of the world. I’ve seen it — Rwanda, Sudan. And if—’ He broke off, briefly affected by a surge of emotion. ‘And if something happened to you out here and I could’ve been with you to stop it, but wasn’t…’
‘Eddie…’ she said, realising the depths of his feelings. ‘I–I know what you’re saying, and I appreciate it, you know I do. But I’m sure we’ll be okay.’
‘You might be. But I’m not. That lot at the roadblock were trying their luck. If you run into a bigger bunch in the jungle, though… that’s their territory. Fortune’s reputation won’t scare ’em off.’
‘You said yourself that Fortune and Paris should be able to handle them.’
‘Fortune’s good. But I’m better. And you know it.’ He finished covering the bed. ‘There’s a satphone in the gear, so I’ll call Dad. And we’ll talk to Macy too. I know she’ll be upset, but like I said yesterday, there are much worse things that could happen.’
‘God damn it, Eddie,’ she said, but she knew he would not change his mind. Resigned, she took out the sleeping bags to prepare for what she was sure would be an uncomfortable night in more ways than one.
9
Nina did not sleep well. The night had come alive with the chirps and rattles of countless nocturnal creatures, and the cracks in the hotel’s walls let many of them pay her a personal visit. But it was Eddie’s presence that had kept her awake the most, still angry about their argument. She understood full well why he had insisted on staying, and even saw his point to a degree — which only made her mood worse.
Her husband was still asleep. Brushing away several creepy-crawlies, she rose and quietly left the room. ‘Morning,’ said Howie from a wicker chair as she entered the run-down lobby.
‘You’re up early.’
‘Doing my yoga.’ He munched an energy bar. ‘You might want to skip the breakfast buffet. I saw a bug the size of a phone checking it out.’
‘Maybe just a coffee, then,’ she replied. ‘Who else is awake?’
‘The local guys are all outside. I think they’re loading the boats.’
She went to see what Fortune and his men were doing. It was past dawn, but heavy clouds blocked out the sun, the gloom rendering Nakola even more miserable than she had imagined. She saw their vehicles had been moved to the bank of a sluggish river. ‘Good morning!’ called Fortune from the water’s edge.
‘Hi,’ she replied. He, Paris and the three porters were indeed loading the crew’s gear into a pair of boats. Both craft were eight-seaters powered by outboard motors, the free spaces crammed with cargo. ‘You sure everything will fit?’
‘Yeah, yeah,’ Paris assured her. ‘No problem.’
‘I should probably tell you that Eddie’s decided he’s coming with us.’
He regarded the boats. ‘Huh. Okay. Problem.’ He started to haul items back ashore.
Fortune raised his eyebrows. ‘He is?’
‘Yeah, thanks to those guys at the checkpoint. I told him we’d be fine with you guys watching out for us, but he wouldn’t listen.’
She had half-expected the African to be offended by her husband’s lack of faith in him, but it was not the case. ‘Do you trust Eddie?’ he asked.
‘Yeah, of course I do,’ she answered, surprised.
‘So do I. He is a very good man to have at your side when there is danger.’
‘You think there’ll be danger?’
He smiled. ‘We are going into unexplored jungle. There is always danger!’
By the time Paris had repositioned enough items to free an extra seat, the other expedition members had arrived — along with several interested villagers. Rivero recorded the proceedings with his Handicam. ‘Ay up,’ said Eddie, greeting his Congolese companions. ‘You got room for an extra one?’
‘You are always welcome,’ Fortune told him. ‘And we will get paid whether or not you are here!’
‘Wait, now he’s coming into the jungle too?’ Fisher complained to Nina. ‘Don’t you think you should have asked me first?’
‘You’re welcome to tell him he can’t come,’ she replied.
The director turned to Eddie as if to do just that, but the Yorkshireman’s folded arms and unblinking stare deterred him. ‘Well, he’s… not eating our food,’ he said instead, rejoining the camera crew.
The group’s remaining items were placed aboard. While Paris and the three porters checked that everything was secured, one of the villagers, an elderly man with a straggly grey beard, approached and spoke in French. Nina had some fluency in the language, but his heavy accent made it hard to understand. ‘What did he say?’ she asked Fortune.
He gave her a look of both intrigue and mild concern. ‘He wants to know if we are looking for the City of the Damned.’
She was shocked. ‘He’s heard of it? Ask him what he knows!’
Rivero hurriedly moved in to record the discussion. ‘He says it is a legend,’ Fortune reported at last. ‘He does not know where it is, only that it is supposed to be out there in the jungle.’ He glanced upriver. ‘But nobody ever goes to look for it.’
‘Why not?’ Fisher demanded.
Another exchange, the villager shaking his hands as if to disassociate himself from the very idea. ‘He says there is a curse,’ said Fortune. ‘A sickness, a… a “bad feeling”, that poisons even the trees.’
Lydia responded with alarm. ‘A sickness? Great, I hope all those shots I had will cover it.’
Fisher was much more enthused. ‘A curse? That’s great, it’s a good hook. The Curse of Solomon, there’s our series title.’
‘I think that’s a Clive Cussler book,’ Eddie noted.
Nina irritably shushed him as Fortune recounted the old man’s words. ‘He says that no one who has ever gone to search for the city has returned.’
‘Sounds about par for the course,’ said Eddie.
‘You still sure you want to come?’ Nina asked him.