Chapter 36
Tanit
Her master had returned. "No," he cooed. His voice of total seduction
whispered along the gilded walls of her temple. "You did not fail... he is a formidable
opponent who... to our good fortune... knows not how formidable he is." She could
hear the smile in his tone. "He will return... his greatest strength is his greatest flaw.
Either you shall have him... or I shall be the wind that blows a living, but empty
husk, back to the Legacy."
< < + > >
As-Sahra' al-Libiya'
Glancing over his shoulder at the Americans, Daud softly spoke to his brother as they shook the sand from their prayer rugs. They had been on the road for an uneventful two hours when the older man had determined that it was time to halt for the midday prayers. They had spread their small carpets a slight distance away from the vehicles, while Sloan and Boyle had talked quietly, squatting in what slight shade the Rovers provided.
Because Daud was riding with the soldier and his brother with Sloan, it had been their first chance to speak since leaving camp. The younger tribesman was curious. He understood enough English and enough about people in general, to know that something had gone very wrong, but he didn't know what it was... other than Dr. Rayne had remained behind.
"What has happened? Why did Dr. Rayne stay behind?" he asked.
"He was still ill," Safwad answered.
"Then why is Mr. Sloan so angry? He cannot help being sick... he has endured much," the younger man commented.
"There is more to it that I do not understand.... Mr. Sloan is angry with the wife, because he thinks Dr. Rayne was well enough to come, but that she said something to convince him not to come... something that Mr. Sloan believes will bring harm to his friend."
"I knew she was trouble," whispered Daud with another backward glance. "Women belong at home with the children."
"I think she also insulted Mr. Sloan in some way... and Major Boyle very nearly hates her. I fear a bad end at some point... I fear that they are not the ones who will be hurt, but Dr. Rayne... he is young and being pulled by too many loyalties... and neither his wife nor his friends are helping him.
"Come... they will wonder what we are whispering about, and we cannot be certain theat they do not understand at least some of our language."
< < + > >
Legacy Camp
"Derek," said Kym as she stepped into the tent. Having forgotten her sunglasses, she stopped at the threshold to allow her eyes to adjust from the blinding sunlight. "I brought you some stew... I put two freeze-dried packets in it and doctored it up as best I could. You've got to eat. Oh... and I called Cairo, if the chopper's not ready by tomorrow afternoon, they'll send another to pick us up." When she could see once more, she realized that she had been talking to an empty bed.
Kym set the plate aside and turned to scan the camp for a sign of her husband. She saw Ali jump from the rear of the Mercedes truck, then reach back for two metal gasoline cans. "Ali!" she called, walking toward him. "Where's Dr. Rayne?"
Realizing what was about to occur, the boy shrugged and nodded his head toward the Sloan's tent. "On the other side, ma'am, at the truck," he said quietly.
Kym hurried across the graveled clearing and around to where the ancient army vehicle was parked. There, under the canvas awning draped from the truck's side, was Derek, loading water and other supplies into the Jeep. His bulging leather knapsack lay on the ground beside the front wheel.
"What do you think you're doing?" she asked in anger, and partially in resentment. Kym was beginning to hate them all for putting her through this... for inflicting this whiplash of emotional torment.
"I love you very much, Kymberlee," he said as he bent to pick up his bag, which he slung into the passenger seat. "But, I can't stay."
"What? Why?" asked his wife. Her green eyes were wide with surprise. Her mind faltered with complete shock. Oh, no!... Please, not again!
"I have to go... that's all," Derek responded firmly. He took the two gasoline cans from Ali, who had just found the courage to appear from around the front of the truck. "I'll need as many cans as you have to fill," he told the youth.
Kym placed her hand on the steering wheel to steady her trembling world. "You told William you were staying," she said to her husband as he walked around the Jeep to secure one of the cans to the side. From the corner of her eye, she saw the keys in the car's ignition. She reached in and pulled them out. It was underhanded and immature, but, somehow, Kym had to make him stay... had to keep him safe.
Derek stepped back to face her. "Kym," he said wearily, "I'm too tired to discuss this. We've said everything there is to be said. Now... give me the keys... please."
Everything about Derek, from his stance to his tone of voice, shouted exhaustion to Kym. Stupid! her mind screamed. "No," she replied. "If you're too tired to discuss this, then you're too tired to go," she reasoned.
The precept sighed and leaned against the Jeep. "I love you," he repeated. "But, Mr. Ebuka, a man I never met, and who probably knew nothing of all of this, has already given his life.... I've got to go. I'll never live with myself if I don't... I can't let them down." He reached over and pulled his wife to his chest. Not wanting to hear his explanations, she buried her face in his shirt, inhaling him... trying to will herself inside him.
"Then... let me come with you," she whispered.
"No," Derek replied in a tone that Kym knew brooked no possibility, even of discussion. "It's not a game, where it doesn't really matter if you lose.... If we lose here, evil wins." He tried to wrench the keys from her fingers, but Kym clutched them tightly. "In that battle... our love doesn't count... our lives don't count."
Furious now, Kym pushed herself away. "Is that a fact?... Or a Derek Rayne assumption?" she wept. "In that case I certainly see how much I 'count'!" She wiped away the tears with her fist. "You may be able to live with yourself after this, but you won't be living with me."
"So be it," Derek sighed, too tired to fight, or perhaps even care. He wasn't sure which. "I'll always love you," he said quietly.
"Derek! Please, don't go!" Kym begged. She grasped his arms... and again the visions came... more clearly now, than in the dreams... crystal clear. In the vivid flash of an instant she saw sunlight splash through a dark, empty, concrete place... across William's face, which seemed to reveal the devastation of a soul blasted into hell... across Derek, lying soiled, broken, and lifeless, in his friend's arms. Kym recoiled with a gasp. The keys dropped from her shaking hand. She couldn't let this happen. If Derek died, he would take a part of her with him... worse yet, he would leave a part of her behind.
"Sir," said Ali, returning with another pair of gas cans. "We needed parts for the helicopter... we stripped the Jeep of its radio."
"CB's don't have much range anyway," Derek commented.
Ali continued, "You should not go alone.... I should go with you. One should never be alone out there," he added as he waved his hand at the endless expanse of silent dunes.
"No," the precept replied. Without noticing his wife's stunned reaction, Derek bent to pluck the keys from the sand. "I'll be fine... I won't be that far behind your father and the others. If I push, I might catch them before they camp. I'd rather have you here... with my wife."
Ali nodded his head and retreated. The man had courage... no doubt about that... he just hoped he had luck as well. "Allah be your beacon and your guardian," he whispered.
Kym stared at the ground. "You're going to die," she whispered in an utterly toneless voice.
"Yes, I might," Derek responded. His memory flitted to the image of his own broken ring. He knew that the vision had been of vital importance, but he had never been able to decipher it. It would just have to come to pass in whatever form it chose. He recalled the lines from Ecclesiastes: Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. "And this too shall pass," he murmured to himself.
"You will!" Kym insisted in terror.
"I still have to go.... Let me.... Don't make me choose... please, Kym... don't make me choose."
"You already have," Kym spat.
Derek slid into the driver's seat and inserted the keys back into the ignition. "Wait for me, Liefje," he said as he turned the key and the engine rumbled to life, belching gray smoke from the exhaust.
"Derek Rayne!" his wife shouted as he released the brake and shoved the Jeep into gear. "I have nothing to wait for!... You're dead... and I hope you suffer as much as you've made me suffer.... I'll be glad!... I'll be free of you and the godforsaken Legacy!" Kym yelled as the Jeep pulled away. "Did you hear!... Rot in hell, Derek Rayne!"
| CHAPTER 37 |
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