Daughter of Ra

by M. Sasinowski

  “Nothing yet. The software is still cranking.”

  “Thanks, Clay,” Alyssa said. “For everything.”

  Clay gave her a small smile in reply.

  “Do take care of yourselves,” George Renley added.

  Tasha nodded and ended the connection. They sat in silence for a few minutes while Alyssa navigated the beachball-sized divots in the road.

  “Why don’t you try to get some shut-eye while you can?” Alyssa suggested. “May as well get some rest before we get trekking. I’ll wake you up when we’re halfway.”

  Tasha stretched. “Good plan. Wake me if anything exciting happens,” she said and nestled into the seat.

  Alyssa followed the GPS over the next hour, taking a series of narrow dirt lanes leading them higher into the mountains. Despite her best efforts, the car pitched and rolled, seeming to hit every pit and pothole in the road.

  Alyssa zigzagged around a two-foot fissure in the path, the last maneuver getting her uncomfortably close to the steep drop on the left. She wished for the hundredth time for a guardrail as she continued navigating the winding road.

  A sweeping crack of lightning split the sky ahead. A few seconds later the clouds opened up, and water pelted the windshield like she had just driven into a carwash.

  “What was it Clay said about the weather?” Tasha mumbled, yawning. She rubbed her eyes as the rain hammered on the roof like a hundred drumsticks.

  “At least we’re not trekking yet.” Alyssa flipped on the windshield wipers. “Try to go back to sleep.”

  “No chance with this racket. Besides, looks like you could use an extra set of eyes.”

  Alyssa sighed. “I suppose you’re right. It’s starting to get dark.” Alyssa eyed the path ahead. Puddles of water welled into fledgling streams that flowed across the narrow road.

  The windshield wipers worked overtime as they continued for a tense quarter hour. It seemed impossible for clouds to hold that much water. By now the dirt road had given way to a broken escarpment of steep cliffs and hills. As the torrent continued, the streams grew into small rivers snaking their way down the mountain road.

  Alyssa spotted a large log rolling into their path. Tasha inhaled sharply when the current caught it and sent it careening straight for them.

  Alyssa jerked the steering wheel to the right, putting the right front tire onto the steep cliff. Her maneuver saved them from a head-on collision, but the tail end of the log swung around in the water and caught them, vaulting them off their seats.

  Alyssa gunned the engine. The wheels spun in the air as the car inched backward.

  “The log is wedged under the car!” Alyssa cried.

  “Try reversing then moving forward,” Tasha said, her voice strangely calm.

  Alyssa threw the car in reverse and squeezed the throttle. The car budged back a few inches as one of the wheels made contact with the ground. She popped it back into drive. The car rocked forward, but didn’t clear the log.

  Without warning, a tree exploded in a brilliant flash of light and ear-splitting noise. A firebolt surged for the car and enveloped them.

  Alyssa and Tasha screamed, then it was over, gone as suddenly as it had appeared.

  “Did we just get hit by—?” Alyssa started.

  A creaking noise above the vehicle ended in a deafening thud when a massive branch landed a few feet in front of them. An instant later it slipped and rolled down the path. Alyssa gripped the steering wheel. It crashed into them, jolting the SUV backward to the edge of the cliff. Alyssa hit the accelerator, but the car continued to slide back.

  “We’re still stuck!” Alyssa yelled. “I can’t control it.”

  Tasha pointed to the charred tree a few car lengths ahead, jutting out from the cliff side about ten feet up.

  “Release the winch!” she yelled and tore the door open.

  “Are you crazy?” Alyssa yelled. “You can’t go out there! Did you see what just happened?”

  “Lightning is not supposed to strike twice in the same place!”

  “I don’t think that’s really true!”

  “We’re going to get washed off this cliff!” Tasha jumped out.

  Alyssa grunted, looking through the series of switches for the winch controls. She flipped up the red case that covered the rocker switch and toggled it to ‘out.’ Tasha rounded the fender and disappeared in front of the hood. A moment later she popped up, holding a hook attached to a steel cable. She yanked on it and trudged through the water for the tree.

  The car jerked back, yanking on the cable and throwing Tasha off her feet. It continued to inch back to the ravine.

  Alyssa threw open the driver’s side door and jumped out. It was like stepping into a shower. She was instantly soaked from head to toe. Another bolt of lightning flashed above her. An instant later an ear-splitting blast shook the ground.

  Alyssa waded behind the SUV and leaned into the car, pushing against the current, trying to slow the backward slide. She threw a glance back. They were about twenty feet from the edge of the cliff.

  “Hurry!” she yelled to Tasha, grunting with the effort.

  “Thanks!” Tasha yelled back. “I’ve been taking my time!”

  Tasha scaled the cliff under the tree. As she swung her arm back to flip the hook around the trunk, she lost her footing and slid, spitting a loud curse.

  “Hold on!” Alyssa ducked out from behind the car and rushed to Tasha. “I’ll give you a—”

  The lightning raced across the sky again. Another crack of thunder followed.

  The images in Alyssa’s head echoed the flash in the sky, her mind jangling through a rapid-fire series of visions.

  The rain whips my face…

  My bare feet pound the mud…

  The towering shape knocks me to the ground…

  Alyssa staggered and fell.

  “Come on!” Tasha called.

  Alyssa lay on the ground, cold sweat mixing with the rain.

  “Alyssa, now!” Tasha yelled, feverishly.

  Alyssa lifted her head, struggling to focus. The slack from the steel cable was almost completely gone. She glanced back. The SUV was only a few feet from the edge of the cliff.

  Alyssa took a deep breath and gained her feet. She staggered to Tasha.

  “Let’s do this!” She dug her feet into the ground and made a basket with her hands. “Climb on top of me.”

  Tasha stepped into Alyssa’s hands and climbed onto the wall. She swung her arm back and lobbed the hook at the tree.

  “Yeah!” she cheered when it looped around the trunk. She caught it and secured it to the cable. A few seconds later, the cable stretched tight with a twang. Alyssa stared in horror as the SUV teetered on the edge of the cliff.

  “Back to the car, now!” Tasha skipped down and rushed for the SUV.

  Alyssa stumbled to the car after her. She toppled into the driver’s seat just as Tasha triggered the winch. The motor whirred, and the car lurched forward, inching them away from the edge of the cliff. The car jerked and cleared the log with a screech. Alyssa glanced in the side mirror, watching it roll down and tumble over the edge. They crept forward against the current for a few more feet before Tasha flipped the switch to stop the winch.

  “You okay?” She glanced at Alyssa. “What happened out there?”

  Alyssa hugged her shoulders wordlessly. She shivered, a sudden chill hitting her to the bone.

  “You’re completely soaked.” Tasha hopped into the back seat and reached for Alyssa’s gear. She shuffled through Alyssa’s backpack and the bin with the clothes. A few moments later she laid out a small towel and dry clothes on the passenger seat.

  “I pulled socks and underwear from your backpack, and got your expedition clothes from the supplies. Get changed.”

  “Thank you,” Alyssa managed.

  She stripped off her wet clothes as Tasha did the same in the back seat. She toweled off and slipped into the dry clothes then spread out the wet ones across the dash.

>   Alyssa turned at the metallic clicking behind her. Tasha rested on the back seat in a pair of sweatpants and a sports bra, the Luger pistol on her lap, loading the magazine.

  She glanced up. “If we’re going to spend the night here, I want to be prepared.”

  Alyssa’s eyes moved to the pale scar on Tasha’s stomach.

  “Does it still hurt?”

  Tasha blinked. “Every now and then.”

  Alyssa lifted her shirt and pointed to the gunshot scar in her side. “Mine gets achy when it’s cold.” She gave a rueful smile. “We’ve got quite the conversation starters, huh?”

  A strange expression crossed Tasha’s face. “I’d rather not talk about any of it.” She frowned and turned away.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

  “We should get some rest while we can,” Tasha said. She perched herself against the rear passenger door and stretched out her feet on the seat behind Alyssa. “Lock the doors.”

  Alyssa wrinkled her brow, but faced forward and flipped the lock. She reclined her seat and leaned into the headrest.

  The scars we can see aren’t the worst we bear, are they?

  Alyssa woke with an eerie sense of disconnection, not remembering when she fell asleep. She looked at the clock on the dash. 8:47. The sun stood a couple of hand breadths above the horizon, bathing the valley below in a warm tangerine glow. Absolute stillness surrounded her.

  “Welcome to the land of the living,” Tasha said.

  Alyssa turned. Tasha chilled in the back seat, looking infuriatingly posh in her matching tight-fitting black thermals.

  Was that a special requisition, too, along with the night vision goggles and guns? Alyssa felt only a small stab of guilt at the thought.

  Tasha gave her a small smile, blissfully oblivious to Alyssa’s inner monologue. She held up a protein bar and a bottle of water. “Hungry?”

  Alyssa accepted both gratefully, all fashion envy disappearing with the first bite of the chocolate-flavored bar. She took a sip of water and looked at the road before them. The rivulets of surface water had all but disappeared, leaving behind a mucky trail. The SUV was still tethered to the trunk above them.

  “Looks like a fun drive ahead,” Tasha said.

  “If the suspension of this beast is as reliable as the winch, she’ll get us there,” Alyssa replied. She fired up the engine and positioned the SUV under the tree. Tasha opened the sunroof and climbed out then unhooked the cable from the trunk of the tree. She hopped onto the hood and guided the cable back in as Alyssa retracted the winch.

  “Well, that was a lot easier than last night,” Tasha said, sticking her head in through the sunroof. She wrinkled her nose. “Eww… smells like a guy’s locker room in here.”

  “Note to Maansa for next Nepal expedition: one large can of Febreze,” Alyssa said, a serious expression on her face.

  Tasha gave her a look then cackled. She slipped back into the car.

  “But seriously, open the windows,” she said.

  They set out and continued along the path for a few minutes when the ring of the satellite phone interrupted the silence. Tasha answered and connected the phone to the laptop. Clay’s face appeared on the screen.

  “Oh, look, it’s our head meteorologist,” she said dryly.

  The vexed look in Clay’s face made Alyssa snort.

  “What—?” he started.

  “Never mind,” Tasha replied.

  “Any news on the images?” Alyssa asked, trying to keep her face serious.

  “Not yet,” Clay replied. “It’s slow going, but we’ll get there. How is the trip?”

  They updated him on their progress, sparing the details of last night’s adventure. “Looks like we should get to Kodari in about three hours.” Tasha said.

  “Sounds good,” Clay said. “Be careful and keep us posted.”

  Tasha nodded and disconnected the call.

  The next three hours were mercifully uneventful. Tasha switched into the driver’s seat midway through the drive, and Alyssa prepped her rucksack and checked in again with Renley and Clay.

  They arrived in Kodari around noon. The village was little more than a collection of ramshackle structures, none of them larger than a small camper. The main street appeared to be made of tramped down manure. A flock of goats inside a fenced enclosure lifted their heads as the vehicle passed by, but quickly lost interest and returned to munching on the clumps of grass surrounding the huts.

  Tasha maneuvered the wide vehicle between a jumble of carts and barrels littering the narrow path. Before they knew it, they were joined by a handful of children who gave chase after the SUV, yelling and whooping. Tasha pulled up as close to the rocky terrain as she dared without risking them getting stuck and shut off the engine.

  “That’s it,” she said, exhaling deeply. “Looks like we’re legging it from here.”

  They clambered free of the vehicle. Alyssa took a deep breath, relishing the mountain air and stretching circulation back into her stiff limbs. She took in the surroundings. The midday sun reflected off the snowcapped peaks to the north. It was beautiful, pristine.

  “Timi yaham kina ho?” A thin voice called out behind her.

  Alyssa turned. A young boy, no older than seven, gave her a grin. She shook her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

  The boy didn’t seem to mind. The sound of Alyssa’s voice speaking to him in English made him giggle. His friends joined in. Alyssa winked at them, which only made them laugh louder, as she stepped around the SUV and lifted the back gate. She pulled out her gray rucksack and slipped it on. Tasha eyed the backpack.

  “What’s up?” Alyssa said, the hair in the back of her neck tingling.

  Tasha shook her head. “Sorry, nothing, just lost in thought.” She reached for her own pack and lifted her hand to close the tailgate. She hesitated and instead opened the supplies container and pulled out a dozen chocolate protein bars. She dealt them out to the kids, producing shrieks of delight.

  Alyssa eyed her with a smirk.

  “The Siberian ice princess has a heart.”

  “Maansa did say we had a week’s worth of supplies,” Tasha replied. “I’m not planning on being here that long.” She raised an eyebrow. “And I’m from St. Petersburg.”

  Tasha’s gaze moved over Alyssa’s shoulder, and her face tightened. An elderly man from the village approached them. Though he looked to be at least eighty, he strode briskly, stopping several paces short of them. He gave a lighthearted smile, revealing dull brown teeth, but his eyes shone with ageless ardor. A nose the size of a small potato was planted in his round, leathery face, and a sheaf of gray hair peaked out from his colorful Topi hat. He pressed his hands together and gave a slight bow.

  “Namaste,” he said.

  Alyssa and Tasha mirrored his gesture. “Namaste,” they said in unison.

  “English?” the man asked.

  Alyssa nodded. “May we leave the car here?” she asked, pointing at the car.

  The man studied the car and the children pressing their noses against the windows. He nodded. “Yes, yes.” He scratched his head. “Where you go?”

  “We’re trekkers.” Alyssa pointed at the path leading into the woods and the mountains beyond. She held up two fingers. “Two days.”

  “Ah! Trekking! You need guide? Sherpa?” he asked with an air of readiness.

  “No, thank you,” Tasha replied. “Thank you very much.” She put her hands together and bowed. “We go alone.”

  “No,” he shook his head, and his face darkened. “Not good for you.” He shook his head again. “Lakhey.” The kids stopped playing when they heard the word.

  “Lakhey?” Alyssa repeated.

  He scrunched his windburned face, as if trying to remember the word. “Mountain beasts.”

  Alyssa bowed. “Thank you. We will be very careful.” Alyssa reached into her pocket and pulled out five hundred Nepalese rupee, the equivalent of five dollars.

  The man
put his hands up defensively. “No, no.”

  “Please,” Alyssa said. “To keep the car safe.” She pointed at the SUV. “Yes?”

  The man eyed the money then relaxed and took it from her hand.

  “Dhanyabad,” he said, pressing his hands together and bowing.

  “Thank you,” Alyssa said.

  “Namaste,” the man said, bowing again.

  “Namaste,” Alyssa and Tasha replied. They waved to the kids and set off into the forest.

  They trekked for several hours, following the GPS. Tasha led the way with the skill of a mountain goat as they carved their path through the maze of boulders and trees, climbing higher and higher.

  The frigid air cut through Alyssa’s thermal top. She stopped and zipped up the parka and pulled the collar over her ears. She took a long sip from her water bottle, savoring the fresh taste before handing it to Tasha. A fine sheen of perspiration made Tasha’s cheeks glow, but she didn’t seem winded despite the thin air.

  Alyssa rubbed her hands together, trying to warm them. She continued to rub her palm, distracted, her thumb fingering the scar on the inside of her right palm.

  Tasha handed the bottle back. “Is that where Will…?”

  Alyssa winced at the memory of the searing pain as Drake’s blade slashed through the glove of her biosuit, slicing into her flesh.

  Alyssa nodded. She stowed the water bottle and stood, lost in the memory. It seemed like a lifetime ago. “You and Drake…” she started, then stopped, not sure how to continue. “Was it all an act, or…?”

  “You mean did I actually have feelings for him?” A bitter expression hardened Tasha’s face. “Are you asking because you’re concerned or because you want to make yourself feel better about the fact that you killed my lover?”

  Alyssa reeled back at the sting in Tasha’s words. “He was a lunatic, Tasha, he tried to kill us. Not to mention his utter disregard for the safety of thousands of people who could have been infected.”

  “Many thought he had a vision and were willing to follow him to the very end. That’s more than you can say about most people.”

  “A vision? Building a spaceship to go to Mars is a vision. Creating a super-race cult is insane. That’s meddling with the natural order of things.”