their pay, who else is working for them? The police? The head of the
army? Members of the cabinet? We just don't know at this stage.'
'I hadn't thought about that either,' she admitted.
'Let's begin to think African from here on, and take a leaf out of
Taita's scrolls. Like him we must be devious and cunning. We don't go
rushing in shouting accusations. If we could just sneak out of the
country, leaving everybody to believe that we are buried under the
avalanche, that might be ideal. It would make our return to the gorge
that much easier. Unfortunately I don't think we will be able to get
away with that. But from now on, we should be as cagey and careful as
circumstances permit.'
She stared into the dancing flames for a long while, then sighed and
asked, 'You said there is a better vengeance to he had on Pegasus. What
did you have in mind?'
'Why, simply whisking Marnose's treasure out from under their noses.'
She laughed for the first time that long cruel day. 'You are right, of
course. Whoever owns Pegasus wants it desperately enough to kill for it.
We must hope that depriving him of it will hurt him almost as badly as
he has hurt us.'
Both of them were so tired that it was already half-light'when they woke
the next morning.
As soon as Royan tried to stand she groaned and sank back. He went to
her immediately, and she made no protest when he placed her bare leg
across his lap.
He unwrapped the bandana, and frowned as he saw the knee. It was nearly
twice its normal girth, and the bruising was plum and ripe grape. He wet
the bandana again, and rewrapped the knee. He made her take the last two
Brufen from the phial, and then helped her to her feet.
'How does it feel?' he asked anxiously, and she hobbled a few paces and
smiled at him bravely.
'It will be all right as soon as I walk the stiffness out of it, I'
sure.'
He looked up the escarpment. So close in under the wall, the height was
foreshortened, but he recalled every tortuous step of the way. It had
taken them a full day to come down.
'Of course it will.' He smiled encouragement at her, and took her arm.
'Lean on me. It'll be a stroll in the park.
They toiled upwards all that morning. The trail seemed to rise more
steeply with every pace they took. She never complained, but she was
ashen pate and sweating with the pain. By midday they had not yet
reached the waterfall, and Nicholas made her stop to rest. They had
nothing to eat, but she drank thirstily from the water bottle. He did
not try to ration her, but limited himself to a single mouthful.
When she tried to rise, and go on, she gasped and staggered so violently
that she might have fallen if he had not steadied her.
'Damn! Damn! Damn!' she swore bitterly. 'It's stiffened up on me.'
'Never mind,' he said cheerfully, and stripped his bumbag of all but the
most crucial items of equipment. He kept the dik-dik skin, however,
rolling it into a tight ball and stuffing it into the bag. Then he
