Today's Embrace (52 page)

“Who would know except a Ndebele?” Rogan asked.

Darinda shrugged. “He hasn't explained to me either. But he was in a good mood this morning. Oh! Good morning, Captain. Coffee?” She smiled as she poured Retford a mug and brought it to him.

Derwent dished out the mealies. “Here you are, Mr. Whipple.”

Harry took a double portion.

Rogan grimaced as Derwent scooped some of the cereal into his cup. “I know this is your favorite breakfast food, Mr. Rogan.” He grinned as he handed it to him.

Harry Whipple settled himself on his haunches a few feet away. “Ever hear the story of the witch we got when we fought Lobengula?” He dug into his food with relish.

“Didn't know there was more than one Umlimo,” Rogan admitted, interested at once. He walked over to where Harry squatted and sat down on a boulder. Maybe he could get him to boast and tell more than he intended.

“There are a succession of 'em,” Harry said. “They get a little girl and train her in the cave to take over when one of 'em dies. Nasty business, if you ask me. The whole lot of 'em ought to be cleaned out—same as you clean out a rat's hole. Burn 'em out maybe.”

Darinda looked over at him. “I'm sure it wouldn't trouble you to do so at all.”

“You bet it wouldn't, Miss Bley. Sooner all that is ended, the safer we'll all be.”

She turned her back on him and drank her coffee.

Rogan didn't want to discuss evangelism right now. “I suppose you know more about these hills than any of us,” he offered humbly. He saw Derwent's glance.

The compliment went over as Rogan had expected. Harry Whipple pulled his shoulders back and readjusted his position. “I've seen my share of things, that's for sure. I've been around plenty.”

“I'm sure you have.”

Even Darinda turned her head and looked at Rogan. Her lips curved. Captain Retford smiled into his cup.

“Take my father, for instance,” Harry said. “He was killed, but not before he got himself many of the Zulus, I'll tell you that. He was there with the British troops when they took Zululand. Ol' Cetshwayo took
off for the bush, but they caught him in time. Should have killed him, but they didn't. They sent him off somewhere in exile.”

“Your father must have been a brave man.”

“Oh yeah, he was, all right. That's where I first heard about Dumaka. My father met his father in a battle before the Zulu War of 1879.”

Rogan was careful not to react. This opening was one he'd been hoping for. He even took a bite of the mealies and swallowed it. “Oh? Dumaka's father? Interesting. I've met Dumaka myself.”

Harry looked up at him, leaning against the sienna-colored boulder. He measured him. “When did you meet Dumaka?”

“On Rhodes's pioneer trek to Fort Salisbury. When did your father meet Dumaka's?”

“The Zulus made a raid on Natal. Troops were sent in to quash the rebellion. Julien was there too. And Carl van Buren. They captured Dumaka's father. He was an induna. He had all kinds of costume. War rattles, feathers, spears, even some dia—jewels.”

“Is that when they found the Black Diamond?”

His question was so casually put that Harry stopped chewing and looked at him surprised. “Then you know about it?”

Darinda whirled, and Rogan could feel her steely gaze on them both. He thought she would say something and ruin his opportunity, but she stood in frozen silence.

So that's the way it was with the Black Diamond, was it? Just as Rogan and Derwent had thought some years ago.

“Who told you about it? Dumaka?” Harry asked, shoveling in another mouthful of mealies.

Rogan took a bite to cover up his silence.

Harry wasn't the sort who liked silence. He said with malice, “Dumaka always claimed it belonged to the witch. He wanted to return it—I was going to tell you that story about the one in power when we went to war with Lobengula. Julien had some soldiers, and they hunted her down up there and destroyed her at the beginning of the war. That
made Dumaka furious. Well, they've another witch now. Naked as a beanpole. Speaks in several voices. Possessed by spirits. They train girls, nothing but children in the beginning, and they grow up there in the cave. Major Willet was killed near here. No one's convincing me it wasn't an impi, maybe an induna who got him …” He paused, looking uneasy, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed, glancing around them.

Derwent stood, wiping his hands. “Then the infamous Black Diamond isn't the
Kimberly
Diamond at all, is it?”

Harry shrugged.

“You've talked too much, Harry,” Darinda said in a chilled voice. “Even I never knew any of this till now.”

Harry looked sullen. “Julien took it from Dumaka's father.”

Darinda's mouth tightened, and she looked ashen—stunned but also angry. She started to walk toward Harry, but Captain Retford took hold of her arm and turned her toward him. He said something quietly, and she listened. After a moment they walked away together to a rock and sat down with their coffee.

“What about Carl van Buren?” Rogan asked.

Harry glowered after Darinda. “That woman is as mean as her grandfather.” He looked at Rogan, shrugged, and stood, stretching. He rubbed a palm over his belly, satisfied. “The Boer, Carl? I guess he didn't like what Julien did. Was afraid they'd be hunted by the Zulus to get the diamond back. I guess he caused Julien no end of headaches about it. Then the accident came at the mine. I never met Carl.”

“Ever meet Heyden van Buren?”

“No. Heard of him, though. A murderer, isn't he? Well, I'll get him someday,” he boasted and tossed his dirty bowl to Derwent. He strode off into the bush.

Rogan had watched his face carefully when he'd asked him about Heyden. There'd been no response. For Harry that was unusual. He tended to show what he was thinking.

Then Harry wasn't working with Heyden. Rogan didn't think he'd
done Julien's bidding in killing Anthony, either. The answer lay elsewhere.

Derwent looked after him. “So that's the root of it all, Mr. Rogan. Now we know about the diamond. But looks to me like Mr. Whipple is just boasting about catching Heyden. He's not trying very hard.”

Rogan was looking toward the rocks and boulders nearby. Julien came riding toward them. With him were two of his men and an African woman. From the looks of her, she was Zulu.

The Umlimo?

Julien was laughing as he rode up. He dismounted and entered the camp. Darinda and Retford walked over. Darinda looked at the woman curiously.

“Who is she, Grandfather?”

Julien held up a hand to shush her. His eye was on Rogan. “Well, Rogan, you look inquisitive. Derwent, get me some coffee.”

Rogan studied the woman. Her eyes came to his as though she knew who he was and wished to communicate.

“You have the Umlimo?” Rogan asked.

Julien laughed. He turned to the woman. “He insults you, Jendaya. Are you demon possessed or a devoted Christian?”

Jendaya!
Rogan stared at her.

“Jendaya?” Darinda breathed. “How did you find her?”

“We found her months ago sneaking about Jakob's mission.”

“I was not sneaking, but trying to find him. You were wrong to hold me prisoner.”

Darinda looked at her grandfather in distaste. “You held her a prisoner all this time? Where?”

“Never mind, Darinda—”

Jendaya pointed toward the boulders. “There. Locked up in a hut.”

Rogan said sharply to Julien, “Major Tom Willet was killed near here. Was he a guard?”

Julien waved a hand. “You're both making too much of this. She was taken care of and treated well. Do you see any marks on her? Is she
underfed? Yes, he was a guard. And some Ndebele found him and chopped him up. Savages!”

“They were looking for me,” Jendaya said. “I have said I will help you find Lobengula's burial cave. Let me speak to this man alone first.” She nodded her gray head toward Rogan.

Rogan stepped toward her, but Julien came between. His mouth twitched. “No.” He turned to Jendaya. “So you can pass secret messages to him? Sit down.” He drew his gun on Jendaya. “What you say, Jendaya, you will say before me.”

Rogan turned on him angrily. “Put that away. You think she's a fool? You need her to bring you to the cave. You don't frighten her. You don't frighten any of us. You lied to me. The Black Diamond was not discovered in the Kimberly mine as you've attested all these years, but stolen from Dumaka's father, a Zulu induna. Is that right, Jendaya?”

She nodded. “This man killed our father and took the diamond.”

Darinda's hands clenched.

“Our father was coming here to bring the diamond as a gift to the Umlimo. That was before I believed in the true God. Katie's father, Carl van Buren, was against taking the diamond. It was black. It was for the Umlimo. Carl would not do as Julien said—”

“Your mouth, Jendaya, speaks too long,” Julien interrupted icily.

“Julien killed Katie's father in the mine. Dumaka knew it. He was spying on them.”

Julien stepped toward Jendaya.

“Later, Dumaka, my brother, worked as an amaholi at Julien's house. Julien did not know who he was. Dumaka was not seen by him and Carl when they had my father.”

Julien stepped closer and backhanded her across the face.

Darinda's breath sucked in.

Jendaya remained standing, only her head turned from the force. Her eyes came back to meet Julien's one eye.

“You are full of serpent juice. You have no hope without Jesus the true One.”

Rogan took hold of Julien and pulled him away.

Julien's one cold eye spat venom at him. “That diamond's mine, and I'm going to get it. No one's stopping me. Not you, not anyone.”

“Then you do your treasure hunting on your own. I'm through,” Rogan gritted.

“You can't walk away. We made a bargain.”

“You will all die if you do not listen to me,” Jendaya spoke. “Dumaka is not dead. That man”—she pointed at Harry Whipple—“did not kill my brother as he boasts. Dumaka is alive. He leads the impis against all who are in Bulawayo.”

Julien whirled to face Harry. “Does she speak the truth, Harry? Come! Out with it.”

Harry wiped the sweat from his face. He nodded. “He … he got away. I was afraid to tell you.”

“You blundering fool. You should have told me.” Fright danced crazily in Julien's eye. He turned to Jendaya. “Where is he? Where is Dumaka?”

She pointed. “Bulawayo. They did not turn in all weapons to this man's police. They have kept the assegais here—with the Umlimo.” She pointed up at the Matopos and looked at Rogan. “Katie's daughter is with Jakob.” She shook her head. “I cannot save them. I tried. Dumaka will not listen. By sundown none will be alive anywhere. Not even babies. You waste time.”

Rogan stared at her; a cold panic gripped him.

Derwent dropped his pans with a clatter.

Captain Retford lifted his rifle. “What?”

“Jameson has over four hundred troopers,” Rogan stated sharply. He was trying to talk reason to his own leaping fears.

Jendaya shook her head, then Julien said, “No, Doc Jim has left Bulawayo.”

Rogan grabbed him roughly. “Gone?”

“They left for Johannesburg days ago. I left immediately afterward to head to Zimbabwe.”

Harry Whipple's voice was hoarse with fear: “Then no one's there except Peter and a skeleton crew at Government House.”

Rogan ran for his horse. Captain Retford touched Darinda's shoulder, and their eyes clung a moment, then he joined Derwent in running for their horses.

“Come back!” Julien shouted angrily, starting after them on foot. He walked into the rugged bush and flung his arms up. “Do you hear me? Come back here!”

Darinda sank to a rock and dropped her face into her palms.

Rogan dug his heels into the sides of the horse and galloped at a dead run for Bulawayo.
Dear God, what a blundering fool I've been. I never should have left her, never
.

Derwent was low in the saddle, using his small whip on one side of the horse. Captain Retford eased up beside Rogan and shouted, “I know a shortcut to the mission station. Follow me!” He turned the reins and rode north toward Shiloh.

Jendaya led Sir Julien, Harry Whipple, and three other men up a steep, rocky path to the mouth of a cavern. The cavern was wide, but the rock ceiling was hardly high enough to clear her head. Once, long before her time, this opening had been fortified with blocks of stone, but now there were gaps.

She followed the twisting pathway through the cavern, which narrowed. Here, in the stone walls on either end, were catacombs.

Jendaya paused and pointed ahead. “There.”