“Wouldn’t it be safer to stay here a while?” said Nour, coming up behind them. “Not that I like it here. It gives me the shivers. But until we’re sure they’re gone.”
“No,” said Neel. “We must leave.”
Chaya followed Nour and Neel as they squished past a trunk furred with caterpillars towards sparser forest.
Nour yelped and jerked to a stop, making Chaya bump into her.
From the edge of a brook up ahead a leopard stared at them, disturbed while lapping water.
Chaya clamped her hand over Nour’s mouth. She held on tightly as Nour struggled to run.
Neel held up his hand. “Keep still. Don’t startle it.”
The leopard stared keenly at them, its rusty-yellow spotted body reflected in the water.
Chaya took a deep breath to calm herself. She needn’t be afraid – man-eaters were rare, despite what she’d told Nour.
Neel took gentle steps forward. He waved a finger over his shoulder for them to follow. Chaya let go of Nour and gave her a light prod. Nour moved forward, whimpering under her breath. Neel took a curving path, staying well out of the way of the leopard.
It turned its head, watching their progress.
Chaya took the shallowest of breaths, making herself as quiet as possible. As long as they didn’t make any sudden movements they’d be fine. Make yourself big, never cower down, Father had said.
Nour stepped on the hem of her skirt and stumbled to the ground.
The leopard growled and stiffened.
Nour scrabbled about and sprang up with a yowl.
The leopard made a sudden leap.
Nour screamed.
But it had leapt away from them, springing up the bank in one smooth bound and sprinting away into the trees.
Nour burst into tears. “I’m so—”
“Quiet, Nour,” said Chaya. “Let’s get out of here first.”
They walked briskly on, and in ten minutes they were out of the undergrowth and into a drier, less dense part of the forest.
Chaya exhaled. “You nearly got us killed there! Did you seriously think you could outrun a leopard?”
“Go easy on her. She’s not used to these things,” said Neel. “Nour, we’re never out of danger here, all right? We have to stay calm.”
Nour nodded, shame-faced and subdued.
Chaya felt a telltale itch on her legs and lifted up the edge of her skirt. A few fat leeches were studded on her shins. Ugh.
“What’s that?” said Nour.
Chaya dropped her skirt hurriedly. “Nothing,” she said.
Neel frowned at Chaya. She could see a few blots of blood around the bottom of his sarong.
“What are you two hiding from me?” said Nour. She lifted her skirt and at that moment a fat leech dropped down on to her foot.
“It’s nothing,” said Neel. “Just leeches.”
Nour gave a blood-curdling scream that disturbed the monkeys and sent a flock of birds flying into the sky. She stamped her feet and scrabbled at her legs, but Neel pulled her hands off.
“Stop it. It’ll only get infected if you pull them off.”
“Are you mad! I need to get them off!” Nour tried to claw at her legs, but Neel held her arms.
“No, Nour, their mouths will stay embedded in your skin if you do that. No.”
“So what do I do?” Nour stamped and wailed like a demented person.
“They’ll drop when they’re full. Seriously. Just give it a few minutes.”
Chaya sighed. She didn’t want to tell Neel she told him so. “We’re OK here,” she said to Nour. “It’s only the dampest parts of the jungle that have them.”
Nour looked up at the sky and squeezed her eyes shut, tears seeping out of them as she wept silently. One by one leeches started dropping from their legs.
“Nour?” Chaya kicked away the blood-gorged lumps of leeches that had fallen off the girl. “You’re OK. They’re all gone now. Look, you’re fine.”
Neel looked surprised at Chaya’s softer tone. It was almost as if she was starting to feel sorry for Nour.
But Nour pushed Chaya away and stalked ahead. She was properly sobbing now, walking blindly with tears streaming down her face. After a few minutes she stopped and sat on a stone, sobbing down into her lap.
“So that’s what you wanted s-salt for. I th-thought you wanted to c-cook! I h-hate this place. I r-really hate this place. This jungle. This country. Everything. Why did I come? I want to go h-home.”
Neel went and squatted down near her. “You had no choice. It’ll be better whe—”
“I did have a choice,” screamed Nour. “I d-didn’t have to come and you certainly didn’t want me to. When the explosion came from the palace all the monks rushed to see what was going on, and I went with them. My f-f-father must be sick with worry, and it’s all m-my fault.”
Neel looked at Chaya with a frown. Chaya shrugged. She couldn’t understand it either.
“But, Nour, why did you want to come?”
“Because I was a f-fool. I wanted to have what you two have.” Nour was almost hysterical, muddy streaks down her face and on her blouse. “You’re always doing th-th-things. Important, i-interesting things. I don’t have any f-friends. Only my father and n-nanny and servants. Nobody else. Not a s-soul. So I made you think I had to c-come with you.” She rocked back and forth, head in her hands.
No wonder Nour had looked so guilty earlier. How incredibly stupid she had been. This was a life or death situation, and Nour had thrown herself into it because she didn’t have friends to do things with.
How lonely must you be to do something like that? This was some level of recklessness, even by Chaya’s own standards.
“Nour, listen.” Chaya bent down and offered her hand. “We’ve got to go, come on. We have to get moving.”
Nour stared at Chaya’s hand, then took it and got up unsteadily.
“We’ll talk about this as we go along, OK?” said Neel. “We don’t have any time to lose.”
Nour nodded shakily. She was still teary and hiccupy but sniffled and walked along with them.
“Yes, Neel’s right.” Chaya strode next to her. “We’d better keep moving. The King’s going to send all his men into the jungle now that he knows exactly where we are.”
Chaya glanced at Nour out of the corner of her eye as they walked. Apart from the occasional sniffle, she was quiet.
Neel cleared his throat. “We, er, should stop soon for lunch, I guess. Anyone hungry?”
Silence from Nour.
“I am,” said Chaya. “Wish there were more of your sweets, Nour. They were so good.”
“I agree.” Neel nodded hard. “Best sweets I’ve ever eaten.”
Nour shuffled along, looking at no one.
Neel caught Chaya’s eye. She shrugged. Nour would come round when she was ready.
“How much off course do you think we are?” asked Chaya.
Neel shrugged. “Hopefully not much. If we keep heading south we can still get to Galle, just by a slightly longer route.”
Chaya’s heart sank. Now the guards knew they were in the jungle, they wouldn’t stop searching till they found them.
They stopped near a river and sat down on some large rocks, Nour staying as far away from them on the bank as possible. Neel got into the river and walked ahead, trying to catch the darting fish with his bare hands.
Chaya wandered over to Nour and tried to get a fire going with two rocks and a few sticks the way Neel had done. But five minutes later she was still bashing them together, and even after smashing a bit of a thumb hadn’t got so much as a spark. She turned to Nour and wiped her hair away from her sweaty forehead. “Do you know how to do this, Nour? I wish I’d watched when Neel was doing it.”
Nour shook her head without looking at Chaya.
Chaya threw the stones into the river, where they bounced on a rock and splashed into the water.
“Do you think he’s all right?” asked Nour in a small vo
ice.
“Who? Neel?” Chaya turned to see him splashing about in the water.
“Not Neelan. The elephant.”
“Oh.” Chaya shrugged. “The King’s men would have taken him back home. Which is the best thing for him, really. Since, you know, he’s been brought up in captivity.”
Nour nodded.
Neel came clambering up to them, carrying two glistening silver fish. “Thought you might have a fire going.”
“I – we tried, but it didn’t work. Come on, Nour. Let’s get Neel some more sticks for the fire.”
Nour got up slowly and followed her. Chaya collected branches and laid them in a pile, and Nour made trips back and forth, taking them to Neel.
“I think that’s enough now.” Chaya threw the last of the sticks into the pile.
Nour gently poked some plants with her shoe. “Have you seen this? The leaves fold up when you touch them!”
“And they straighten out soon after.” Chaya came over to Nour. “They’re called touch-me-nots. Not a big deal, they’re just weeds.”
“Strange.” Nour touched different parts over and over, watching the leaves curl up, then straighten out again. “The world is full of amazing things. Plants that can feel, elephants that can swim, squirrels that can fly. I wish I knew all this stuff.”
“You’ll learn.”
“I know. I’ve got to know so much already.” Nour looked up at Chaya. “I was wondering, could you teach me to climb trees?”
“Sure.”
Nour smiled. “Thanks. I’ve just thought of what we can do if we see another leopard. We just climb a tree!”
Chaya sighed.
“Hey!” Neel yelled. He had stuck the two fish on a stick and was holding it over a fire. “Do I have to do everything around here?”
Chaya scrambled up and took over from Neel. He went off and sat in the shade, fashioning a sort of pitcher out of wood.
It was scorching near the fire. Smoke curled around the fish and singed at Chaya’s fingers. “How long do you think I need to hold it like this?”
Nour shrugged. “Until it looks cooked?”
Chaya held it closer to the flames.
“Wait,” said Nour. “I’m sure that should be enough now.”
“Yeah, this should be OK. It looks nicely coloured.”
“Coloured?” Neel came over and slapped his forehead. “Those look burnt.”
“They probably taste good.” Chaya put them on leaves and passed one to Neel. “And that’s all that matters.
She broke off a piece and took a bite. “Eurgh.”
Neel spat out his mouthful.
Nour put hers down without so much as a nibble.
“Honestly, it was a simple task.” Neel rubbed the back of his hand on his tongue. “Do I have to do everything?”
“It’s not a big deal.” Chaya got up and tossed the charred fish away. “Let me find some fruit or something.”
“People make mistakes, Neelan,” said Nour, shaking her head at a surprised Neel. She stood up and went with Chaya. “I’ll help you look.”
“Oh.” Chaya was at a loss for words. “Thank you.”
They went off to find some food together.
“How much further is Galle?” Nour’s face was red and sweaty as she shuffled along next to Chaya.
“I think we’re about halfway there,” said Neel.
Nour groaned.
“Once we’re out of the jungle we’ll be OK,” said Chaya. “I mean, we could hitch a ride on a cart or something then?” She looked hopefully at Neel.
“Yes, I’m sure we’ll find something. It’s important to keep moving now, and put as much distance as possible between us and where we were seen last.”
“And we need to make up for that whole detour we took,” said Chaya.
“I wish we could have another break,” said Nour. “I’m dying.”
“Oh come on, don’t be such a wimp,” said Chaya.
“Five minutes. Please.” Nour sagged down on a tree stump.
Neel glanced at Chaya. “Let’s give her five minutes.”
“Fine. Just five. And counting.”
Chaya picked at some wild mint leaves while they waited, crushing them in her fingers and inhaling their aroma. A squashed-looking owl the colour of dried leaves roosted in a branch overhead.
Neel handed Nour the pitcher of water he was carrying and she drank greedily.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Wait a minute.” Neel held up a hand and listened intently. “Oh no. Not again.”
Chaya pricked up her ears. All she heard was the twitch of the owl and rustling of leaves.
“They’re here,” said Neel. “Come on. Nour, get up.”
Chaya looked back. They could see only about thirty feet behind them. “I don’t hear anything,” she said.
“Trust me, they’re here. They’ve got to be close.”
With a great sound of hooves, horsemen erupted into view in the distance. Neel was off like a hare, pulling Nour by her wrist. Chaya sprinted after them. The jungle was sparse here, the horses easily catching up with them.
Chaya vaulted over a fallen tree. She saw Nour’s dress flash ahead and kept up with her. The thuds of horse hooves were getting closer. She knew Nour was already tired. It was only minutes before they’d be captured, surely.
The horsemen were practically at her back. The hoof beats vibrated through Chaya, pounding into her head. She burst ahead, almost passing Nour but slowed down for her.
She couldn’t see Neel anywhere.
“Where’s Neel?” Chaya screamed. Nour looked around in terror, but kept on ahead. The horsemen seemed to have divided, some of them going off in another direction.
Chaya looked around wildly. A group of horsemen were chasing something on the far left. They disappeared from sight as she pounded after Nour, a small army of guards at their back.
Chaya and Nour were alone in the jungle, being chased by the King’s guards.
And Neel was gone.
Chaya skirted a thick banyan tree, gaining a few seconds as the horsemen went round. She kept Nour in sight — there was no way she was losing her too.
A great roaring noise ahead made Nour pull up and whip round to face Chaya. The men were closing in behind them. The horses snarled and the men’s uniforms glinted, spears pointing towards the girls.
Chaya grabbed Nour and pulled her forward. “It’s OK, I know what that noise is.” She’d recognised the sound of water – there was probably a waterfall up ahead. “Come on.”
A warm spray hit Chaya as she ran on with Nour. Behind them the men got closer. There was a rank, leathery smell from the horses, puffs of dust in the air, and ahead of them, from somewhere they couldn’t yet see, mists of water.
They rounded the corner and there it was. A gigantic waterfall, crashing and roaring. Curtains of pure-white water gushed down, falling far below into an aquamarine pool. The girls were drenched as soon as they stepped on to the ledge.
They were cornered. From behind them came the gallop of horses as the men rounded the bend. Chaya looked down into the pool. It was almost circular at the bottom, broad and clear, before thinning into a long strip of churning river. There was only one option. The pool looked deep enough.
“Jump, Nour!” she screamed over the roaring water.
Nour stared at her in fright, her hair hanging in wet strings round her face. “No,” she shrieked, her voice swallowed by the crashing of the water.
The horsemen approached slowly, wearing smug expressions.
“Nour, it’s safe,” yelled Chaya. “Nour, listen to me.”
But Nour didn’t react. She stared wildly from the men and back to the waterfall.
They couldn’t get caught now. The King would have them put to death at once.
Chaya reached out and pushed Nour into the waterfall.
Nour’s scream died on her lips as she tipped down into the abyss of crashing water.
Chaya jump
ed in after her.
She felt herself whistle through the air before plunging into the water below and slicing down into its cool, swirling depths. The deafening roar muted as she plummeted to the sandy bottom. She kicked hard and surfaced quickly into the rumble and spray, looking around for Nour through hair plastered across her eyes. The current pulled her down the river with the gushing water. Eventually she was spat into a narrow stream of water.
Where was Nour? The water was fast-flowing, but the river was narrow here and the banks were fairly close. Chaya looked up and saw the ledge they’d jumped from high above her. It would take at least half an hour for the men and their horses to find their way down by land.
Something brownish pushed past her downriver, and a cold fear seized Chaya. A crocodile, here? She struck out towards the shore, hitting her palms on rocks as she struggled against the flow. The brown thing rushed ahead, and Chaya saw a white hand loll out on the side. She squinted at it through the mist. It wasn’t a crocodile.
It was Nour.
Chaya struck out towards her. Why wasn’t Nour making for the shore?
“Nour!” she screamed. “Nour!”
A memory came back to her. “Is it deep?” Nour had asked about the river. Her screaming on top of Ananda, “He’s going straight for the water.” And she’d stayed on his back the whole time they’d swum in the river.
Nour was scared of water and probably couldn’t swim. And Chaya had just pushed her down an eighty-foot waterfall.
Chaya thrashed towards Nour. She would save her if it was the last thing she did. The water surged and crashed around her. She fought to close the distance between them. She had always been a strong swimmer but the river was rough and wild.
“Nour!” she yelled again. “Nour!”
But Nour didn’t respond. Her body flopped ahead in the waves. Was she even conscious?
Chaya felt a stab of fear. She kicked out furiously. “Nour. I’m coming.”
The gap between them was wider than ever. It was useless. Neel was missing, probably still in the jungle area where they’d jumped. Maybe captured by the King’s men. And Nour was dying in the water. It was all her fault. Again and again and again, it was all because of her.
The Girl Who Stole an Elephant Page 8
