Jani and the Greater Game (The Multiplicity Series Book 1) (35 page)

Smethers was shaking his head, his expression almost pitying. “He sent you, Littlebody, because he
didn’t
trust you.”

Alfie was speechless for a second. “What? But... but that doesn’t make sense.”

“On the contrary,” Smethers drawled, “it makes admirable sense. He wanted to flush you out, get you to show your true colours. He suspected you of certain
untoward
sympathies. And he sent me after you, to follow you – to keep an eye on you and to bring the Chatterjee girl back for interrogation. And along the way find out your true allegiances.”

Alfie shook his head, his heart hammering.

Smethers went on, “And Cartwright was right – you’re a liability, Littlebody. You can’t be trusted.”

“I don’t see–”

“That morning in the warehouse, Littlebody, I could see through a gap in the lattice of my prison. I saw you come skulking back at dawn. You weren’t locked in any storeroom. You probably went off to inform the Nationalists of the state of play.”

“That’s not true! I... I returned to the guest house. I didn’t know where you were...”

“You found me easily enough come dawn.”

“I heard your shouts,” Alfie temporised.

Smethers sneered. “So you’re a liar as well as a traitor, Littlebody. Where did you go?”

Alfie shook his head. “I told you, back to the guest house. I was bushed, and not a little scared.”

“You liar. For all I know, you’re probably in league with the Chatterjee girl, hm?”

Alfie’s senses whirled. “What? But I... I mean, it was I who alerted Brigadier Cartwright to where she was heading.”

Smethers stared at him. “I don’t know what your little game is, Littlebody. But be warned, I’m on to you. I’ll be watching you like a hawk over the course of the next few days, and if you step out of line, if you give me the slightest – the
slightest
– cause for concern...” Smethers leaned forward so that his hatchet face was within inches of Alfie’s, “then by Christ I’ll take great delight in blowing your brains out.”

Alfie was dripping with sweat and his heart pounded. He was imprisoned in an airship with a sadistic lunatic, and he had no doubt that Smethers would indeed take great delight in shooting him dead at the slightest provocation.

“D’you get me drift, Littlebody?”

Alfie saw red. “I... I’ll–” he began, gritting his teeth

Smethers stared at him, amused. “Yes? Go on, Littlebody. You’ll...?”

“I... I’ll report you!” he cried.

Smethers laughed. “Oh, report me, will you? To whom, and on what charge?”

“To... to Brigadier Cartwright. You... you can’t threaten a fellow officer like that – threaten to... to blow his brains out.”

Smethers’ face turned even uglier. “You snivelling little ponce, Littlebody. You cowardly piece of lower-middle-class scum!” Without warning he whipped his revolver from its holster and pointed it in Alfie’s face. “I think you fail to realise what the stakes are here, Littlebody. The Brigadier tasked me with bagging the gel and torturing the bitch for information. She might turn out to be a spy, working for God knows who – working for our
enemies
. Do you hear that, Littlebody? Our enemies! And by Christ I’ll do everything in my power to apprehend the half-caste and do what I need to do to get the information. And if that involves threatening to blow the brains out of a yellow little wog-lover like you, Littlebody, I’ll enjoy doing so. Now, d’you get me drift?”

Alfie stared at the madman, stared at the oiled muzzle of the revolver an inch from his nose. “You,” he said with great deliberation, “you, Smethers, are insane.”

The colonel barked a laugh and lashed out with the pistol. Alfie felt a searing pain across his cheek and tumbled from his seat with the force of the blow. He scrabbled across the floor of the cabin, staring up as the colonel loomed over him, aiming at his head with the pistol.

“Get up!” Smethers spat. “I said, get up!”

Terrified, Alfie scrambled to his feet and faced Smethers, trembling.

The colonel placed the barrel of his revolver in Alfie’s paunch and applied pressure. Alfie felt himself sweating. Smethers leaned close and almost whispered, “I have a good mind to shoot you in your not inconsiderable gut and watch you die a slow, painful death. You’re about as useful on this mission as a stopped watch, Littlebody, and the only reason I’ll spare you now is that I can’t face completing the paperwork your death would entail.” He grinned at Alfie. “But if I hear any more mewlings about reporting me, by God I’ll gladly face the paperwork. Do you understand, Lieutenant?”

Alfie stared at him, his legs weak, and refused to answer.

“Well?”

“Go to hell!” It was a feeble rejoinder, and Smethers merely laughed – then with lightning speed pistol-whipped Alfie across the cheek for a second time.

He cried out and went tumbling through the hatch into the lounge, tripping and fetching up against the far wall. Smethers strode after him, reached down and picked him up by the front of his uniform.

“I said,” Smethers snarled in a hail of spittle, his face a matter of inches from Alfie’s, “if I hear any more from you about reporting me, I’ll puncture your gut, hm?”

“I...”

“Yes?”

I’ll kill you!
Alfie wanted to say, but stopped himself. Quivering, he nodded and said, “I understand.”

“‘I understand,
sir
,’” Smethers corrected.

Alfie swallowed. “I... I understand, sir,” he said.

Smethers took a breath, let go of Alfie’s shirt-front, and nodded. “Excellent. So glad you’ve seen sense at last, Littlebody, old boy.”

Shaking, Alfie rearranged his uniform and tried to push past the colonel to the control cabin. Smethers stopped him, a hand on his arm.

“And I think that now is the appropriate time to relieve you of your revolver.”

“What?” Alfie stammered

“Your revolver,” Smethers snapped. “Give it to me!”

Shaking, Alfie unholstered his weapon and passed it, butt first, to the colonel. As he did so, he recalled the photon-blade Cartwright had given him, and the thought of it nestling in his tunic pocket was reassuring.

“Obliged,” Smethers said, tucking Alfie’s pistol under his Sam Browne belt. He returned to the cabin, leaned forward and peered through the viewscreen.

“If I’m not mistaken,” he called out, “I think we’ve at last caught up with our quarry, no thanks to you.”

Alfie joined him, looked down through the foliage and made out a glint of brass, scintillating in the sunlight. As their airship approached, the broad back of the mechanical elephant came into view. It had halted on a wooded hillside above Rishi Tal and stood amid the undergrowth like a statue. Soon, Alfie thought, Janisha Chatterjee would be in their custody. He recalled Smethers’ threats to torture her for information and felt suddenly sick.

Alfie watched as Smethers steered the ship over the elephant and came down in a clearing a hundred yards away.

“Now be a good chap, hop out and make the ship secure, hm?”

Relieved to be away from Smethers, Alfie opened the hatch and jumped down. He secured two guy ropes to nearby sturdy trees and Smethers powered down the engines.

The colonel emerged from the cabin with his revolver at the ready. “Very well, Littlebody, I suggest you lead the way.”

Alfie moved through the undergrowth towards the mechanical elephant, conscious of Smethers at his back with the drawn revolver.

A minute later they emerged through the trees and came upon the elephant, its cogged haunches and great jewelled flank bright in the early evening sunlight. Alfie stared up at the beast in wonder.

Smethers prodded him in the back. “Climb up, Lieutenant,” he whispered, “and see if they’re at home, hm?”

Alfie nodded, his mouth dry. He stood before the vast flank of the elephant, scanned the cogs rising before him, and began to scale the hind leg. He reached the broad back and saw the outline of a trap-door. He approached cautiously on hands and knees, found a handle and pulled. He turned and called down to Smethers, “It’s locked.”

“Then shoot the damned thing open, Littlebody!”

“But you have my gun,
sir
,” he called down.

Muttering to himself, Smethers scaled the elephant’s flank. “Move aside, Littlebody.”

Alfie winced as Smethers drew his gun, took aim at the brass lock, and fired. The colonel hauled open the great hatch and peered inside. Alfie joined him, peering down into a sumptuous mahogany interior hung with tapestries and furnished with padded chairs and divans.

Smethers gestured, and Alfie lowered himself down a ladder and scanned the chamber. It was evident that there was nowhere to hide; an open hatch gave access to what was obviously a small control room, and this, too, was vacant. Anand and the Chatterjee girl had flown, and Alfie experienced an odd pang of relief as he looked up and said, “Empty... sir. They’re not there.”

Alfie climbed from the elephant’s belly and both men scrambled down its great cogged flank.

“They can only have headed into town,” Smethers said. “Very well, let’s toddle down and make enquiries, shall we? Lead the way, Littlebody.”

Obeying the command, Alfie moved away from the elephant and headed down the gently sloping hillside towards Rishi Tal.

They emerged from the trees onto a track that led to the lake and the town, basking in the light of the setting sun. The resort looked idyllic, nestled as it was in the high valley, a scattering of stone-built cottages climbing the hills on the far side of the lake. Alfie had always felt at home in hill stations, where the temperature was clement after the searing heat of the plains, and the pace of life as sedate as if it were Sunday every day. He promised himself that when this was all over, when he was free at last from the psychotic Smethers, he’d treat himself to a holiday at Simla or Darjeeling.

Smethers holstered his revolver and indicated the path. They marched into town side by side, Alfie wondering why the girl had left their transportation in the forest. He gathered his courage and asked Smethers as much.

The colonel turned an odd glance at him. “Perhaps, on their way to Nepal, they’ve stopped off to stock up with provisions.”

“Nepal?” Alfie ventured. “But that’s...”

“Of course it is, Littlebody. And that’s why I think they’re heading there.”

“I must say... I don’t really understand.”

Smethers sighed. “The girl’s obviously a secessionist, you idiot. She had contact with Nationalists in London, according to her dossier. Stands to reason she’s heading for Nepal in order to cause a little mischief.”

“It does?” Alfie said dubiously.

Smethers grunted. “Not that she’ll get far. Nepal’s defended like a ruddy fortress. I reckon she’ll be apprehended long before she reaches the border, if we don’t nab her before then.”

Alfie considered the refined, intelligent girl – woman, rather – he’d shared tea with back in Dehrakesh. Try as he might, he couldn’t see her in the role of a secessionist plotting subversion.

They entered the town and Smethers led the way across the square. “We’ll try the Varma Singh guest house, first.”

“Where?” Alfie said, hurrying to keep pace.

“Haven’t you read her file, for Christ’s sake? The gel came here as a child with her father. They always stayed at the same guest house. As her papa passed away a few days ago, it stands to reason she’d make a sentimental return visit, hm?”

“Ah... I suppose so.”

A shrivelled old woman greeted them at reception and Smethers produced a photograph of both Chatterjee and the boy. “We’re looking for this pair, ah-cha? We have reason to believe they might have stayed here.” To Alfie’s chagrin, Smethers’ Hindi was more fluent than his own.

The woman took the photographs and squinted at them. “Ah-cha. I recognise the girl. Very beautiful, no? Yes, they were here today. They booked a room for the night, but...”

“Yes?” Smethers interrupted.

The woman spread her hands and looked woebegone. “But sahibs, palaver and mayhem ensued. Our humble guest house was invaded.”

Smethers blinked. Alfie echoed, “Invaded?”

“It is a very strange story, sir. First the girl was visited by a holy man and his aide. The holy man said that he must be seeing the young lady on the most urgent business. They went up to the room and I heard a most terrible crashing and banging as the holy man’s aide broke down the door.”

“My word,” Smethers began.

“But that is not all, sir. A minute later two Europeans entered the guest house, asking for the girl.”

“Europeans?” Smethers said.

“Ah-cha. Europeans, one big man and one small. I showed them up to the room, wondering what palaver was going on there, but that was only the start of the hoo-ha, sir.”

“Go on.”

“The Europeans entered the room and rendered the holy man and his aide unconscious – and then the boy and girl. And they took the boy and girl away wrapped in blankets in the back of a car.”

“They took them...?” Smethers began. “Where did they take them?”