The Devil's Concubine (The Devil of Ponong series #1) (24 page)

Anyone inside will have to be left
behind.

It pained her to accept that, but she could
only do what was possible.

The Ponongese and Ravidians were on a massive
stone outcropping that rose about twenty feet above the ocean. Slick, rusty
algae clung tenaciously to the rocks. Big waves slammed into the rocks and sent
plumes of spray high into the air.

Eons before the plantation existed, waves eroded
the pitted rock to form deep tide pools where crabs, anemones, and barnacles
gathered. During high tide, the water level rose fifteen or twenty feet in the
dark crevices and spilled over the rock. Bigger fish and squid followed silvery
schools of smaller fish into the tide pools as the water rose. They had been
fertile fishing grounds for her people. Similar plantations on Ponong dammed
the natural tide pools so that the briny water – and the blue medusozoa
they bred in the pools – couldn’t escape into the sea.

The tide pools reflected the blue sky and
puffy gray clouds, but even in daylight, they should have glowed with faint
blue light emitted from the medusozoa. There was no sign of it. The pools had
to be full of sea wasps.

Two Ponongese women walked toward each other
on a narrow path between pools, both with their attention focused down. They
didn’t see each other coming as they tossed small fish into the water. QuiTai
held her breath as one slipped, and then caught herself.

When the two women met, there was little room
to turn around. QuiTai often heard plantation workers laugh about ‘swimming in
the green,’ their term for falling into a pool of medusozoa. Since the green
light medusozoa had no stingers, it wasn’t dangerous. On hot days, even though
they weren’t supposed to, many plantation workers took quick dips in the
terrace pools. Blue light medusozoa had stingers, so no one willingly went into
their pools.

One woman rested her basket of fish on her
hip and balanced carefully as she turned with little steps. From that distance,
QuiTai could see the terror on her face. Every Ponongese was still as if they
held their collective breath.

A huge wave broke over the edge of the pool,
flinging water high overhead and knocking the first woman sideways into the
pool. As she screamed, the Ponongese rushed forward. The woman who had been
turning dropped her basket and wailed. She fell to her knees and tried to grab
the fallen woman. Other Ponongese hurried to her side.

QuiTai forced her attention from the
Ponongese to the two Ravidians guarding them. When one turned toward the
commotion, QuiTai saw that he wore a backpack with a glass tank full of small
medusozoa below his boney neck frill. The creatures were mesmerizing as they
floated placidly. Long, bright orange threadlike stingers, four and five times
the length of their white translucent bodies, trailed below them.

“Get back to work.” The sunburned Ravidian
QuiTai had seen in the Red Happiness used the butt of his contraption to hit
the Ponongese man who stood watching the scene.

As the others pulled the woman out of the
pool, a proud, broad-hipped Ponongese woman stared him down. The Ravidian lifted
his gun and pumped something along the side: The woman backed away with her
hand held out before her, as if it could protect her. She looked over her
shoulder the at woman they’d pulled out of the pool. A man shook his head.

QuiTai closed her eyes for a moment. Maybe
PhaNyan had died that quickly too. It would have been a blessing.

“Did she drown?” Voorus asked.

“Sea wasps,” Kyam said.

At least her people weren’t chained. As the
death of the woman who fell into the tide pool proved, the Ravidians didn’t need
to resort to that. It would make the plan she was forming a little easier, but
it was still going to be nearly impossible to pull off.

Voorus turned to QuiTai. “And you say they
can hit us with them from inside the compound too?”

The gate to the compound was shut. Even if it
had been open, there was still the guard in the tower to consider. She noticed he
had no tank on his back, but a thick black coil ran from the side of his gun.
She envisioned a large tank full of sea wasps in the center of the tower, which
would explain why he walked so close to the sides as he made his rounds.

Her eyes narrowed as she returned her gaze to
the compound. A long, gently sloping lawn, bare of any ornamental plants,
stretched from the compound wall to the tide pools. Without anything to use as
cover, the Ravidian in the tower would have a clear shot at the Thampurians if
they tried to rush the compound. They’d be safe from him if they drew close
enough to the walls, though.

She stared at the lawn.

What’s his range from that
tower?

Could the Thampurians get within thirty feet
before they were in danger? Twenty? She tried to picture how far PhaNyan’s body
had been from the back wall of the compound.

She shook her head. The Ravidians near the
tide pools could shoot the Thampurians from behind even if the one in the tower
couldn’t hit them.

Something about the scene made QuiTai’s
forehead furrow. The two Ravidian guards could be seen by anyone on a passing
skiff. It didn’t make sense that they would stand so near the Ponongese, who
could theoretically rush them en masse. That meant something.

The one in the tower can’t
shoot as far as the tide pools! That’s why they have to risk being seen!

All she had to do was convince the
Thampurians to draw the Ravidian guards away from the tide pools.

The corner of her mouth curved.

“I take it you’ve seen enough,” Kyam whispered. Voorus answered, but
she knew the question was for her. She gave a brief nod that she knew he saw.

They
crawled back
to the waiting soldiers. “We will wait for nightfall,” Voorus
said.

QuiTai stepped
forward “No. Attack now.” At nightfall, the Ponongese would probably be herded
into the compound. She wanted them as close to the beach as possible.

“What? Who are you
to –?”

Kyam said, “Despite
our differences, I’ll admit Lady QuiTai has proven insightful today. At least
listen to her suggestion.” He would pay for supporting her later, but he had to
know the consequences already.

Voorus folded his
arms across his chest. “Then go ahead, snake. Tell me your plan.”

“Take your men back
to the compound wall. The Ravidian in the tower can’t see this side of it, and
the ones on the beach can’t see around the side. Move quickly to the compound’s
front gate and get inside.”

He seemed to seriously
consider her idea. “The Ravidians on the beach will see us and give out a
warning.”

“Yes, but the wall
will protect you from the guard in the tower, and the two along the beach can’t
shoot that far upslope.” At least, she hoped they couldn’t. “That will give you
cover until you’re inside the compound. You’ll be most vulnerable then, so attack
the tower.” Voorus frowned. QuiTai went on, urgently, “Look at the way it’s
designed. The Ravidian there will have a hard time shooting straight down, so
you’ll be somewhat safe once you get directly below him. Cover your faces: he’ll
aim for them as you come up the ladder.”

“That’s a suicide
mission,” he said softly. He stared at the compound. Then his eyebrows rose as
if he’d seen the wisdom of her plan and was astonished to find himself in
agreement.

“I heard that
Thampurian soldiers were brave. For king and country and so on.” She reined in
her sarcasm. “Once you have the tower, you’ll have a weapon to use against the
other two Ravidians, and you’ll have complete control of the compound. So you’ll
have to move quickly to secure it before the other two Ravidians reach the
gate.”

“But what about the Ponongese?”

She wasn’t about to tell him that she planned
to take care of them. “How thoughtful of you to worry about the safety of my
people, major.” He looked startled. “But I’m sure your primary focus here is to
secure the compound and capture the Ravidians. After all, the Ponongese are
your colonial citizens, but the Ravidians are the sworn enemies of Thampur.”

Several of the soldiers murmured agreement.
Even Voorus nodded emphatically. Kyam, however, seemed unconvinced.

“We can take out that tower, major,” one of
the soldiers said.

Now that they could see a plan of action, the
younger soldiers were ready to go. QuiTai could feel the surge of their adrenaline
around her. Where they had once been hot, tired men, now they were soldiers,
infused with the will to fight.

“The Ravidians have spilled enough Thampurian
blood,” Kyam said.

Voorus drew back. “Are you suggesting we back
away from this fight, Zul?”

“Caution –”

“How typical of the intelligence services.
You cower in shadows while the army risks their lives.”

“You wouldn’t even know about this if it
weren’t for me,” Kyam said.

At least he realized the mess was his fault.

Playing the peacekeeper, QuiTai coughed
quietly. “Gentlemen. We risk discovery with every moment that passes. This
situation calls for decisive action.” She nodded respectfully at Voorus. “I
believe that’s your department, major?”

“Indeed it is.” He spun around and gestured
for his men to draw close.

While he discussed the plan with them, QuiTai
and Kyam hung back.

Voorus motioned his men to follow him. “All
right. Let’s go!”

As Voorus led his men back toward the
compound wall, Kyam cast one last glance over his shoulder at QuiTai. He looked
concerned and angry.

“You don’t owe anyone anything. Leave now,
before it gets too dangerous,” he said. “Run. Hide.”

“I’ve never been fast enough to outrun my
conscience.”

She pressed her palms together and inclined her
head in a slight bow.

He shook his head in resignation. Then he
bowed, deeply respectful.

Under any other circumstances, she wouldn’t
have let the moment end like this.

When his gaze met hers, his eyes were full of
pleas, but he spoke none of them as he suddenly turned and rushed to follow the
soldiers.

They were both too fiercely patriotic to work
together for long, and too jaded to be good for each other. Still, it would have
been – no. She had no time for regrets right now. They were something to
be meditated upon during the long hours of the night when there were no other
distractions.

~ ~ ~

As soon as the Ravidian guards left the beach and headed for
the compound, QuiTai would move. For now, all she could do was wait for chaos.
She squatted down, put the tip of her machete into the sand, and twirled it
back and forth.

The Ponongese at the
tide pools set aside their baskets of fish. They formed lines from the pools to
the edge of the rock. Their guards drew together to talk. While they kept their
devices aimed at the Ponongese, they clearly weren’t concerned about anything.

It always seems to take longer when you’re
waiting.

She crept forward as far as she dared. She
couldn’t see the Thampurians.

The Ravidian in the tower walked a circuit.

The Ponongese at the front of the line drew
ocean water in the bucket. He passed it down the line. Another group bailed
water out of the pool. QuiTai knew little about raising medusozoa, but she had
a bad feeling this might be their last chore before heading back into the
compound.

Come on, Voorus. You should be
there by now.

She shifted her weight to keep her feet from
going to sleep.

Finally, she spied the blue of a Thampurian
uniform jacket in the jungle near the compound wall. Their movements looked
quick, but it seemed to take forever for the soldiers to reach the corner.

She glanced up at the Ravidian in the tower.
He looked directly down at the compound’s front gate. She chewed her bottom
lip. The soldiers couldn’t possibly see the guard in the tower from their hiding
place. Thankfully, they hung back.

QuiTai checked the guards. One of them patted
the other one on the shoulder as he laughed.

This is like waiting in the
wings for my cue. I wish I knew what it was.

The Ravidian guard shouted something to the
Ponongese and gestured with his weapon. The Ponongese started walking away from
the tide pools in two lines. The Thampurians still hadn’t moved.

“Remember me as a fool, Kyam Zul,” she
muttered as she tucked the machete into the back of her sarong.

She ambled out of the jungle onto the beach.
The Ravidian in the guard tower shouted and pointed at her. With her hands
spread before her, she continued her slow approach. The Ponongese muttered and
exchanged glances.

The Ravidian guards turned toward her and
started pumping their weapons. QuiTai braced herself for pain. She was going to
die.

Come on Voorus! Go! Go! Go!

A bell rang.

The guards swung their weapons toward the
compound.

“Intruders!” The sunburned guard ran for the
compound. The other one cursed and followed.

QuiTai waved frantically to the Ponongese
villagers. “Everyone follow me!” But the villagers seemed too stunned to move.
QuiTai picked up a small boy and balanced him on her hip. “Now! Move!” She didn’t
wait to find out who would listen. She ran along the beach, headed for the
lagoon. Secrecy wasn’t important now, speed was.

She heard footsteps behind her on the rocky
beach.

From behind her, a woman wailed, “But my
family is still inside the compound.”

Why were there never any good answers? She’d
bragged to Kyam that she was willing to do the dirty work for the greater good,
but where would she begin to pick whom to save and whom to sacrifice? Just as
she had done with the werewolves… She could blame Petrof for misleading her,
but the choice had been hers. It wasn’t so much a case of damned if you do,
damned if you don’t, she decided. It was more like being so mired in hell that
even your best intentions reeked of evil.

“If we go back for them, none of you will
escape,” QuiTai shouted.

“But this is our home,” a gasping man said.

A deep woman’s voice said, “Hold on, Wolf
Slayer.”

Shouts and screams carried to her from the
compound. As much as she hated to, QuiTai stopped running. She turned.

The proud woman with broad hips and the gap
between her front teeth squatted. So did many of the other villagers. At any
moment, the Thampurian soldiers could come after them, but nothing would stop
her people from telling a story. QuiTai stifled the groan of frustration rising
inside her, put down the boy in her arms, and squatted too. Patience was key in
the middle of chaos.

This is going to be a damn short
story, so don’t get too comfortable.

“We don’t have much time. There are only
three Ravidians. After the Thampurian soldiers kill them, they will come after
you. We have to get moving again,” QuiTai said.

The villagers asked, “Why will the
Thampurians come after us?”

QuiTai cast a worried look back at the tide
pools. No one was coming, yet, but she could hear a distant fight. “It’s the
sea wasps in the tide pool. They don’t want anyone to know about them, even
other Thampurians, and they’ll stop at nothing to keep it a secret.”

“What else am I going to do for a living but
work a plantation?” a man said. “I’ll keep their secret. Who am I going to
tell?”

The gap-toothed woman gave the man a sour
look as her eyebrow rose. “Are you an idiot, RhiFa? Do you want our children to
fall into one of those pools and die like RhiNyan just did? Or is your memory
that short? How about the Korours? Have you already forgotten their bodies tied
to those stakes in the middle of the compound?”

“Who are the Korours?” QuiTai asked before
she could stop herself.

So much for the short version.

She listened intently for sounds of the fight
for the compound as the woman began her tale.

“The Korours were the plantation owners. The
wife was Ponongese. That’s why they didn’t mix with the other Thampurians. They
treated her like… well, you know how Thampurians are. When those bastard
Ravidians took over, they stuck those sea wasp stingers on her and the children,
then washed them off with vinegar, and did it over and over again and made Mr.
Korours watch. Us too. I don’t think I’ll ever forget those screams.” She
stopped to catch her breath. “I’m leaving this cay, and I don’t care if I ever
see it again. No child of mine is growing up on this cursed land.” She spat in
the sand.

QuiTai put her hand over her heart. “They
will be mourned, auntie…”

“I’m RhiHanya.” The woman rose. “Well? Are we
escaping or not, grandmother QuiTai?”

QuiTai sent a brief prayer of thanks to the
goddesses for sending her RhiHanya.

She came to her feet. “You know who I am.”

“I called you Wolf Slayer, didn’t I? Even out
here, we know what happens on the big island. And I would follow you anywhere.”
RhiHanya swept past QuiTai and marched up the beach with the grandeur of a
diva.

QuiTai cast thanks to her reputation. She
smiled gently at the little boy she’d carried away from the tide pools. “Can
you ride piggyback, little brother?”

He scrambled onto her back. His thin arms
encircled her neck as he hooked his ankles around her waist. She jogged quickly
after RhiHanya. To her relief, many of the others followed with quiet
determination and haste. All it took was one person to have faith.

~ ~ ~

They reached the lagoon and piled into the outrigger fishing
boats. QuiTai winced as the boats sank close to the waterline under the
increasing weight. But no one who had followed her would be left behind.

Adults grabbed oars
and stroked hard for the sea, while the children huddled together in the center.
As soon as the boats were clear of the lagoon, the fishermen in the group stepped
forward to set the sails.

QuiTai’s feeling of
impending doom didn’t lift. Their escape had been too easy. How had Kyam fared?
She shook her head: Now was not the time to worry about him. He had his own end
of their new bargain to tend to, and she had hers.

“We’re being
followed!” someone shouted.

She looked to the
sea and her chest tightened. A flat head with a barbed snout skimmed quickly at
the surface of the water; a long, sinuous body stretched behind it. The sun glinted
off the shimmering scales.

“Row for Ponong! We
must reach land before the sea dragons reach us!” QuiTai gripped an oar and
rowed hard.