The Place of Dead Kings

by Geoffrey Wilson

  He sat on the floor and waited. Occasionally he got up and peered through the window, but the guard remained slouching against the wall below. Sometimes the man wandered along the walkway towards the stairs down to the bailey, but each time he returned to his position.

  Jack considered jumping out and attacking him, but he wouldn’t be able to do that silently enough not to attract attention.

  He was trapped, and so he waited.

  His thoughts whirled. What would he do if anyone came into the storeroom? Should he give himself up straight away? Should he fight to the death?

  And what was he going to do if he managed to get out of the storeroom without being seen? There was little point returning to the dungeon. Sonali had been right, there were too many guards there. He could try to kill a Cattan, take his skull tunic and pose as a guard himself. Perhaps he would be able to get his hands on the keys to Saleem’s cell. But even if he could do that and free Saleem and the others, they would all be caught immediately as they tried to flee.

  What about Sonali? There was no easy way to free her either. But it would be hard to leave her to her fate.

  The more he considered what action to take, the more his thoughts revolved around Mahajan. The siddha was the key to all the problems he faced. If he could deal with Mahajan, kill or perhaps capture him, then he could deal with everything else. But Sonali had said Mahajan was constantly shielded by his yogic power. Nothing could get through this defence – not even bullets.

  His thoughts wandered, skipping through memories of Katelin and Elizabeth. He recalled happier times when they’d all lived together in Dorsetshire. But the experience was bittersweet. He would never see Elizabeth again, would never hold her in his arms, would never cradle his grandchild.

  Then for some reason his mind drifted back to the last time he’d seen Jhala. It had been three years ago at the estate where Jack then worked. He and his guru had sat in the gazebo in the formal garden and Jhala had told him that Elizabeth had been arrested and was due to be executed. Then Jhala had offered him a deal. If Jack hunted down William, Jhala would spare Elizabeth.

  The memory was seared in Jack’s mind. The world had been turned upside down at that point. Until then, Jack had trusted the Rajthanans, had served them since he was sixteen. He’d thought of Jhala as a friend. But on that day, everything fell apart.

  The anger still smouldered within him when he recalled what had happened.

  Jhala had forced him to choose between his daughter and his friend. And of course, he’d had to choose his daughter.

  Jhala had later been killed by his own men, who’d mutinied against him. But if Jhala had lived, would Jack have hunted him down and killed him? Would he have slain his own guru?

  Jhala deserved to die for what he’d done.

  In his mind, Jack had killed him many times.

  Jack stared into the darkness. How long had he been sitting in the storeroom? Two hours? More?

  The Cattans were still playing dice, talking and laughing in the next room. He hoped Rao, Cormac and the others had left their hiding place on the hill by now and were heading back to the village. He prayed they were all safe.

  He raised himself to the window to check on the guard. A grin slipped over his lips. The Cattan had finally left his post and there was no one else along the stretch of wall immediately below. Jack stuck his head out further and looked around. There were a few guards in the distance, but they were unlikely to notice him if he jumped out now.

  Was there anyone else around who would see him? There might be someone down in the inner bailey, or looking out of a window. But he would have to risk it. He couldn’t stay where he was.

  He crossed himself, drew out Katelin’s necklace and kissed it.

  Then he opened the shutter fully and swung himself over the window sill so that he was sitting with his feet dangling outside. He scanned the surroundings. He still saw no one and heard no sign that anyone had spotted him.

  He launched himself into the air, plummeted down, struck the walkway and rolled forward, his cloak sweeping around him. He shot straight back upright and stood looking out over the battlements as if he were a guard.

  His heart beat wildly.

  Had he been seen? Would someone raise the alarm?

  Nothing happened.

  He looked about surreptitiously. A few Cattans still paced the walls in the distance, but none had noticed him jump.

  He whispered a Hail Mary, then marched along the walkway towards a set of stairs leading down into the bailey – he had to get out of sight before someone became suspicious. The black metal spikes jutted up beside him at various points, reaching to about twenty feet above the ramparts. Like much of the castle, the structures shifted uneasily between being solid and illusory.

  To his left, beyond the wall, he caught a glimpse of the Cattan village at the base of the hill. There were no lights in the settlement and the huts were only suggestions of grey against the black ground.

  He reached the steps. Now he was far enough along the wall to see down into the outer bailey. He spotted the dark bulge of the metal skull, the wooden platform where Mahajan had spoken and the muddy ground where the worshippers had stood. On the left side of the bailey, three mule carts had drawn up beside a small, single-storey building. A set of double doors at the front of the building had been swung open and a group of natives were shovelling something from the back of the carts through the doorway. A further two carts were trundling through the castle’s main gates, which were wide open.

  What was going on?

  Jack walked on past the stairs and continued to the wall that separated the inner and outer baileys. Now he could see that the natives weren’t Cattans – at least, they didn’t have the white skull on their tunics. And they were unloading what looked like coal from the carts into some kind of store.

  Interesting. He’d been wondering where Mahajan’s supply of coal came from. There must be pits somewhere nearby.

  The Cattans weren’t taking much notice of the labouring natives. A few guards wandered along the walls and two stood beside the gatehouse. But none of them were even looking at the workers.

  And that gave Jack an idea – an escape plan.

  But should he leave the castle now? He didn’t want to abandon Saleem, but he was certain he’d done as much as he could on his own. He needed help and would have to return with more men.

  He just had to pray that Saleem survived until he came back.

  He returned to the stairs, dashed down to the inner bailey and strode across to the passage he’d run along earlier that night. He crept down the empty hall and reached the doors to the outer bailey.

  He paused with his fingers on the ringed handle. Once he stepped out, the Cattans on the wall would be able to see him. But they hadn’t appeared interested in what was going on in the bailey. With any luck, he would blend in with the men shovelling the coal.

  He pulled his cloak up over his head and secured it more tightly about his neck. Then he swung one of the doors open, marched straight out and slipped over to the closest mule cart. The men had just finished unloading the coal and were throwing their spades into the back of the vehicle.

  No one paid him any attention as the three front mule carts were circled around and taken back towards the gate. Jack trailed behind a group of about thirty men, none of whom looked back once. The party reached the gatehouse and ambled between the two guards slouching on either side. Jack’s heart beat harder as he walked past the Cattans. Would they notice he was an impostor? Would they stop him and question him?

  But the guards paid him no attention at all and within minutes he was striding down the hill at the back of the group. He glanced over his shoulder once and saw the contorted castle, the black towers, the chimneys and the swirling silver ash.

  This was only a temporary retreat. He was coming back to the castle. This wasn’t the end.

  Dawn was peeling back a corner of the sky as Jack neared the top of the hill. T
he light pencilled in the trees along the summit. When he looked back, the castle glinted as the sun’s rays caught the metal. He’d been in the building far longer than he’d realised. But at least he’d made it out alive.

  He trudged into the woods, searching for the place where he, Rao and the Mar had hidden the day before. He wasn’t expecting to see his comrades – he just wanted to find their tracks so that he could follow them back to the village.

  He pushed aside bushes and brambles, and finally spotted the boulder they’d crouched behind when they first saw the worshippers. He forced his way through dry bracken, and then stopped suddenly.

  The tip of a spear had shot out from behind a tree and now rested against his neck. He felt the cold metal on his skin.

  ‘Wait.’ Rao stepped out from the side of the boulder. A wide smile crossed his face. ‘It’s Jack.’

  The spear lowered and Cormac appeared from behind the tree, his beard bristling as he grinned. The three Mar warriors paced out from where they’d been hiding.

  Rao rushed forward, started a namaste then threw his arms about Jack, slapping him on the back. ‘We were certain you were dead or captured.’

  Jack hugged Rao back awkwardly. He hadn’t expected a reaction like this. ‘I told you all to go back to the village.’

  Rao stepped back and put his hands on his hips. ‘We wouldn’t abandon you. We were all agreed about that.’

  Cormac nodded. ‘We come. Find you.’

  ‘You were going to try to get into the castle?’ Jack asked.

  ‘We had to,’ Rao said.

  Jack shook his head, but found a smile creeping across his lips. ‘You would have been shot in minutes. You’re lucky I got back here in time to stop you.’

  PART FIVE

  27

  Cormac squatted in the hut’s entrance, silhouetted in the late afternoon light. ‘Chiefs come soon.’

  ‘We’ll wait here,’ Jack said. ‘Come and get us when they arrive.’

  Cormac nodded, bowed his head towards the Great Shee and slipped away.

  Jack sat back on his bracken bed. He and Rao were in their hut in the village, after being greeted joyously by the Mar on their return. Chief Domnall had announced the local chiefs were returning to the village to hear what the Great Shee had discovered at the Place of Dead Kings.

  ‘What are we going to do?’ Rao was sitting cross-legged beside the smouldering peat fire. ‘They’ll expect me to fight Mahajan. They think the Great Shee is here to save them.’

  Jack rubbed the back of his neck. ‘You’ll have to oblige them, then.’

  Rao’s eyes widened. ‘I can’t do that! Mahajan’s a siddha. You said he has some sort of shield.’

  Jack had told Rao everything he’d found out about the castle, including what he’d learnt about the underground workshop, avatars and the dungeon.

  ‘Don’t worry. Not you on your own.’ Jack looked out the open door. The sounds of the village wafted inside. ‘I’ve been thinking about it. We can’t leave Saleem and Parihar behind, can we?’

  Rao’s moustache stiffened. ‘No. This Mahajan seems to be a brute. Before, I’d assumed Parihar would be well treated by a fellow Rajthanan. Now I see I was quite wrong.’

  ‘Right. And we can’t leave Mahajan to have the Brahmastra, if he really does have it.’

  ‘Indeed not. The man appears insane.’

  ‘So, as I see it, our only choice is to fight Mahajan and his men.’

  ‘Fight them? With what? They’ve got muskets, guns. Who knows what powers Mahajan has.’

  ‘I’ve been talking to Cormac and Domnall. They reckon they can muster three thousand warriors if most of the Mar and a few neighbouring tribes join forces.’

  Rao rubbed his moustache. ‘That is a large number. If it’s true.’

  ‘With three thousand, I reckon we can take the castle. It’s not all that well defended at the moment. I had a good look at the place. They can’t have more than forty guns and mortars. And I’d take a stab at estimating they have about four hundred fighting men, if that. Apparently another large Cattan war party’s just been sent south, but they won’t be able to get back to the castle quickly.’

  ‘They have muskets.’

  ‘True, but if we can get inside the castle that won’t count for much. In hand-to-hand fighting we’ll beat them through weight of numbers.’

  ‘What about Mahajan’s powers?’

  ‘That is an unknown. I’ll grant you that. We’ll have to deal with whatever comes up.’

  ‘And the Brahmastra?’

  ‘Mahajan might not have finished it yet. Sonali wasn’t sure. He hasn’t used it yet, has he?’

  ‘That’s no guarantee.’

  ‘No. But the Brahmastra doesn’t sound like a short-range weapon. If it can lay waste to a whole city, you wouldn’t want to use it against someone a few yards away, would you?’

  ‘I hadn’t thought of it like that. The problem is, we know so little about the thing. This all seems very risky.’

  ‘You got any other ideas?’

  Rao rubbed his moustache more vigorously. ‘I have to say, I don’t. We can’t go back to Dun Fries now. We can’t do nothing. We have to act. I fear your plan is the best option we have, but I’m not sure it will work.’

  ‘A little faith. That’s all we need.’ He had to appear confident in front of Rao, despite the fact he was far from certain about their chances.

  ‘I wish I shared your optimism.’

  Jack toyed with a piece of bracken. There was something else he had to talk to Rao about, and it wasn’t going to be easy. ‘Have you thought what we should do with the Brahmastra?’

  ‘Assuming we actually beat Mahajan?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And he really has managed to build the thing?’

  Jack nodded.

  Rao stared into space. ‘I will put it in the hands of the army. They can decide what to do with it.’

  Jack had thought Rao might say something like that. This was going to be a difficult conversation. ‘Are you sure that’s for the best?’

  ‘Whatever do you mean?’

  ‘The thing is . . . the army might try to use it, mightn’t they? Imagine the damage that’ll do.’

  ‘I believe they would only use it where necessary, in the service of dharma.’

  ‘Not sure I agree with that.’

  Rao frowned. ‘What?’

  ‘I’ve seen the army do some terrible things.’

  ‘Nonsense. I don’t think I like the gist of what you’re saying, Jack.’

  Jack stared hard at Rao. ‘That’s because you haven’t been on the receiving end of what the army can do. You haven’t had to face an assault by the European or Rajthanan Army.’

  ‘And neither have you.’ Rao paused. ‘You haven’t, have you? You said you were in the army.’

  ‘I was. But when the mutiny started . . . well, I found myself on the other side.’

  ‘What?’ Rao’s voice was no louder than a whisper. ‘You’re not . . . a traitor.’

  ‘Afraid so.’

  ‘You.’ Rao leapt to his feet, his eyes blazing. He pointed his finger at Jack. ‘You. Treason! Traitor!’

  ‘Sit down—’

  ‘I will not sit down. You’ve lied to me and led me astray. Why did I trust you? I must be mad. My father told me the English were treacherous brutes. I should have listened to him.’

  ‘Calm down. Let me explain.’

  ‘I will not hear another word from you. You . . . you’ve let me down, Jack. You’ve let me down very badly.’

  Rao stormed out of the hut, his turban brushing against the top of the low door frame.

  Jack jumped up and followed. The Captain was striding away from the village and up the lip of the hollow. Dusk was approaching and the trees and huts were tinged golden.

  Cormac ran across to Jack, a frown locked on his forehead. ‘Where Great Shee go?’

  ‘Don’t worry.’ Jack raised his hand. ‘I’ll talk to him.
’

  ‘There is problem?’

  ‘No problem.’

  Jack strode after Rao. The Captain soon vanished into the shadows beneath the trees. Where was he going? He wasn’t setting off into the wilderness, was he?

  Jack started running. He forced his way through the undergrowth and found Rao standing on the far side of the stretch of woods, staring up at the bare slope of a hill.

  Jack walked across and stood beside him. What to say? ‘Look, I’m sorry.’

  Rao’s eyes were glassy and his moustache rigid. ‘You lied to me.’

  ‘Not exactly. I just didn’t tell you the whole truth.’

  Rao looked at his boots. ‘So, were you going to slit my throat and take the Brahmastra for yourself, then?’

  ‘No. I mean, I wasn’t going to kill you. That was never my plan.’ He stared up the hill. ‘But when I set out, I was thinking to get the Brahmastra for the rebels.’

  ‘I see. You knew about it all along?’

  ‘No. My commanders heard a rumour that Mahajan had some sort of weapon.’

  ‘So, that’s why they sent you.’

  ‘Yes.’

  Rao stared at him. ‘How could you betray your oath? How could you betray the army?’

  ‘It wasn’t easy. It took me a while to decide. It was a complicated situation.’

  ‘You have abandoned dharma. You have walked away from everything that’s right in this world.’

  Jack shook his head. ‘You’ve only been in these lands for a few months. You don’t understand. England is my country. The empire has taken it from my people.’

  ‘The empire has brought dharma to this place.’

  ‘You think so? Look at Mahajan. See what he’s done here. He’s taken these lands from the Mar and enslaved them. All to further his own power.’

  ‘Mahajan is a traitor to the empire too.’

  ‘But it’s the same, don’t you see? He’s come here with his powers and avatars and taken over. That’s what the empire’s done in England.’