Amazon Burning (A James Acton Thriller, #10) (12 page)

But
should they die during their isolation with no food or water other than what
the Mother provided them, they would be mourned for having tried, and buried
with dignity. And should they have escaped somehow?

No second
chances were given.

He
wasn’t sure how he’d convey what was expected of her to Lau-ra, but if she was
of the Spirit People, surely she remembered the ways of the living? But then
she didn’t remember the languages of the living.

Unless
she’s from very far away, and it is a language I haven’t heard before!

The
thought excited him. He knew the river was long, so long no one had ever
reached the mouth of it, or if they had, they had not been able to return.

But the
Spirit People seemed to travel the river with ease, which might mean she was
from many days journey away, where her language might be the norm.

It gave
him hope that she might know what was expected of her.

Unless
they have different ways of cleansing the shamed.

He was
certain that when they arrived, much of what was expected would become
self-evident, but she also needed hope. If she had no way of knowing how long
she needed to survive, she might try to escape and be forever damned.

He
looked up at the sky. There was less than an hour of sunlight left so they
would have to find a place to spend the night. He bent over and picked up a
bunch of small rocks, determined to teach the Woman of Light how to count
before they went to sleep.

It’s
essential she understands how long she needs to survive.

Laura Palmer watched curiously as Tuk bent over and began to pick up
small rocks. After he had found half a dozen on his own, she decided to help
him, yet a further gesture of her being cooperative, and another opportunity
for them to bond so he might have second thoughts about killing her at the end
of their journey, no matter how certain she was that this was no longer his
motivation.

But
what if someone else decided to?

She knew
some of the tribes in the Amazon demanded that the males find a mate from outside
of the tribe and bring them back. This helped diversify the bloodlines and
genome, and also proved the man capable of winning a mate. With his slight
features, Tuk would probably have had an extremely hard time finding a mate
which had her more convinced than ever that he was bringing her home to Mom.

And
what if Mom rejected her?

Would
she then face death? The stronger the bond she created with Tuk now, the less
likely he might follow out any order to kill her should she be rejected by his
family group.

She
handed him several stones and he smiled, taking them and putting them in his
bag. They then pressed on for several minutes before finding another perch off
the ground and in a large tree quite similar to last night’s accommodations. A
bed for her was quickly made, along with a screen woven once again from the
materials available to him. His mastery of surviving the forest was clear,
skills she thought she had, but realized how without her modern tools to
assist, she would be almost helpless.

Tuk disappeared
for a few minutes, leaving her to debate making a break for it, but she knew
she wouldn’t get far and it would destroy any trust and bond she might have
been able to forge to this point. Instead, she smoothed out her bed, again in
an alcove in the massive tree, and took a moment to run her fingers through her
knotted hair.

Something
hissed above her and her head jerked back as she made eye contact with her
visitor.

And
screamed.

Tuk’s head spun toward the tree, his eyes focusing on the branch where
he had left Lau-ra. They bulged. A massive green yakumama snake uncoiled from
her resting place on the branch above. It had apparently found a place exposed
to the warm sun earlier in the day and was now either making its way back down,
or had been disturbed by Lau-ra.

Either
way it appeared to be at least ten arms lengths long, easily big enough to
crush his future mate then devour her, most likely still alive.

He
sprang forward, pulling his pipe with several poison, sharpened darts from his
bag, blowing them in quick succession, each embedding themselves in the body of
the massive snake. It hissed in anger, turning toward him, mouth opened wide as
it spat its response, then turned back to its prey, the tiny darts not
affecting it. Lau-ra continued to scream, the jungle around them now alive with
every creature within earshot joining in. As the creature’s enormous head
continued to stare at Lau-ra, its body slowly lowered to the branch she was on,
trapping her in the alcove he had left her in.

He
readied his spear and threw it as hard as he could, which he knew wouldn’t be
enough. His aim was true, as he had expected, and the tip pierced the thick
skin of the snake, as he hadn’t expected. It continued through the body and the
tip came through the other side, his hardest throw ever.

If
only Father were here to see this!

The
snake hissed in pain, its body writhing on the branch, its massive head
thrashing back and forth, Lau-ra curled into a ball, her hands covering her
head from the occasional impact with the head, easily the size of her torso. He
raced toward the trunk of the tree, launching himself at it, his right foot
expertly finding a hold then pushing off, hurling himself toward the body of
the huge reptile.

“Tuk!”
cried Lau-ra as he whipped a stone blade at her, its tip embedding itself in
the wood just above her right shoulder. His right hand caught the spear and he
swung himself up on the back of the writhing creature as Lau-ra yanked the
knife free and began to jab it forward at the head of the creature, every
second or third thrust making contact, angering the beast even further. He knew
it was barely weakened, and their only hope was to get it out of the tree. He
gripped the other end of his spear, then rocked his entire body to the right,
pulling with all his might, his legs gripping the creature tightly.

He fell
to the side, a few arm lengths on either side of the spear coming with him, but
not enough. He saw the tail begin to coil around the branch and knew he had
only moments before the mighty creature secured itself. Jerking his body back
and forth, he let go of the snake with his left leg and pushed against the
tree, bouncing as hard as he could and felt several more lengths begin to lose
the grip on the branch. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lau-ra sink the
blade into the creature’s eye, it hissing in pain, jerking back and sending
even more of its body over the edge, gravity taking over.

The huge
beast fell from the tree, falling almost the height of two men, with Tuk under
it. He twisted, trying to move himself out of the way, but failed, smacking hard
against the ground, crying out in pain. He tried to scramble away but couldn’t,
his legs stuck under the stunned beast. He grabbed the end of the spear and
pulled with all his might, the long shaft slowly freed of the thick skin and
body, easily the thickness of the great warrior Bruk.

The
spear free, he jabbed at the body, hoping the yakumama would spasm and free his
legs, but instead he felt it begin to wrap itself around him and he knew he
wouldn’t be long for this world once it began to squeeze. He continued jabbing
as hard and as fast as he could, blood from the snake spurting out with each
blow, but not enough it seemed to slow it down.

Suddenly
he heard a cry. It was Lau-ra jumping through the air, the blade gripped
tightly in both hands. She landed on the body, then plunged the knife deep,
pulling it toward her as she scrambled backward, slicing the creature wide
open. It hissed in agony, forgetting him, flipping over on its back, freeing
his legs. As Lau-ra continued to slice, the creature’s head swung around
swiftly, knocking her to the ground, but it had given Tuk the moment of
distraction he needed.

He
shoved up with the spear, puncturing the beast’s head, the spear going
completely through. He shoved forward, twisting the head upside down and
impaling it on the ground. Lau-ra jumped to his side, plunging the blade into
its neck, slicing across as deep as she could. Tuk, satisfied the spear was
holding the head in place, took the knife and hacked at the neck, slowly
severing it until the beast finally stopped hissing and thrashing.

He
dropped to the ground, flat on his back, exhausted. Lau-ra collapsed beside
him, both of them gasping for air. He rolled over and looked at her, a smile on
his face realizing he and his future mate had together taken down one of the
mightiest beasts of the jungle, alone.

And that
together they would be a match for certain to be blessed by the great Mother.

Barasana Village on the Rio Negro, Northern Amazon, Brazil
One day before the attack

Acton rubbed his eyes to find sunlight just beginning to pour into
the clearing containing the communal lodges of the villagers. At least a couple
of dozen were still asleep in his particular lodge, including one Hugh Reading
who was at the far end, under a blanket with a particularly gorgeous native
girl who seemed to have a ravenous sexual appetite, their love making having
gone on half the night.

Way
to go old man!

He sat
up and found his headache to be gone. Gingerly testing his arms and legs, he
winced as he rotated his still raw wrists and ankles. He stood, stretched
carefully, then fully, and stepped outside. It had been one hell of a party
from his vantage point. He hadn’t been alone a single second, attended to by
native women who had a hard time understanding the concept of a monogamous
marriage, he finally having to roll over and feign sleep before he was left
alone.

He had
quickly told Reading to enjoy himself, the poor man so confused as to what to
do, it was almost cute. It was just too bad he wouldn’t be able to take her
back with him, this truly a one night stand with no further risk of commitment.

Acton
hoped his friend had used some sort of protection. The last thing the poor girl
needed was a half-white baby, or he catching some STD Western-medicine had no
cure for.

Some
sort of brew had made the rounds, the entire crew of the Juliana passed out
around the camp, some spooning women, other alone, and one with the gay man who
had had his eyes on Reading for most of the night.

That
could prove awkward if he’s straight.

Acton
chuckled, thankful he hadn’t partaken in the drinking. He boarded the boat and
found Milton asleep in his cabin, the satellite phone still gripped in his
hand. He gently pried it loose, his friend grumbling in protest, then rolling
over, falling back to sleep.

There
were no messages, but there had been an incoming call that had been answered.
He looked at his watch and realized he had to begin waking people up, daylight
already burning away.

He
gently shook Milton’s shoulder. “Greg, wake up,” he said, quietly at first.

A moan
of protest.

A
slightly harder shake, and a slightly louder demand had his friend turning
toward him, pushing himself up on his elbows. “Wh-what did I miss?” he asked,
still trying to get his bearings.

“Just a
big drunken party from what I can tell.” He stepped back as Milton swung his
legs out from the bed, wincing as he suddenly grabbed his back. “Are you okay?”
asked Acton, immediately concerned.

“My back
is acting up.” Milton extended a hand and Acton pulled him to his feet. “I
think this trip was a mistake.”

Acton
felt a pit in his stomach form as guilt racked him. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t
have pushed you—”

“Oh piss
off, you know it’s not your fault. I wanted to come as much as anyone, and
there was no telling me it wasn’t a good idea.”

“Let me
guess, your wife said you shouldn’t.”

“Wrong.”

“Really?
And here I thought she was a smart woman.”

“Ha ha. Pain
in my ass sometimes her always being right, but she was wrong this time. Both
of us were. Seeing the World Cup wasn’t a problem—she and Niskha had a
fantastic time though I think soccer will never be her thing—it was this boat
trip. They were wise to not come. The bed is just too uncomfortable. My back
muscles never get a chance to rest properly.”

“Is
there anything I can do?”

Milton
shook his head, plopping himself into his wheelchair, slight relief written on
his face.

Acton
motioned toward the chair with his chin. “Maybe you should try sleeping in that
tonight.”

Milton’s
head bobbed in agreement as he guided himself out the door and down the hall
toward the deck. “Not a bad idea, but it might compress my spine being upright
so long.”

Acton
sighed, two worries now on his mind. He had to get Laura, but he also didn’t
want his friend to relapse, perhaps losing the mobility he had gained through
such hard work. “Maybe we should send the boat back with you on it. This might
take a few more days.”