antiquities. And the writings of Lord Shiva himself must surely qualify.’
Mac light-heartedly raised a finger. ‘They haven’t technically been stolen yet.’
Kit laughed. ‘Then consider it crime prevention! But you will need my help, and I am happy to give it.’
‘Have you got any climbing experience?’ Eddie asked.
He nodded. ‘And I can get the clothing and equipment we will need.’
‘I think we have a team, then,’ said Nina. ‘Kit, thank you.’
He smiled, then picked up his phone. ‘I have a long call to make to Lyon.’ He entered a number, then went into the next room to hold the conversation in private.
Eddie looked at the image of Mount Kedarnath on the laptop. ‘You really think it’s there?’
‘Yes, I do - and we could be the first people in thousands of years to find it. But we have to get there before the Khoils.’
Mac leaned forward in his chair. ‘It won’t be easy, Nina. The conditions in those mountains at this time of year will be awful. Eddie may have had survival training, but even so, one wrong step could kill all of you.’
Eddie snorted. ‘Your pep talks were a lot better back in the Regiment.’
‘I’m getting more careful with age. You might want to consider trying it. Both of you.’ He gave them a meaningful look, then stood. ‘Speaking of which, age affects the body as well as the mind, so if you’ll excuse me . . .’ He headed for the bathroom.
‘Cheeky old git,’ said Eddie, with a fond look after his former commanding officer. ‘I’m always careful. Ish.’ He noticed how Nina was looking at him. ‘What? Don’t tell me you agree with him.’
‘Of course I do, Eddie. We almost got killed at the Khoils’ estate. Several times.’
‘Par for the bloody course with us, isn’t it? And being chased up a tree by a tiger’ll make a great story to tell at a pub sometime.’
‘And what about the story when you almost got your throat ripped out by a psychopath because you didn’t hear him coming? Will that be on the list too?’
‘Yeah, okay, that wasn’t so good. But I still came out on top.’
‘Only by sheer luck.’ She took his hands in hers. ‘Eddie, I’m just worried that if you carry on like you always have, and deliberately ignore the fact that it’s affected your hearing—’
‘I’m not bloody deaf, all right?’ he snapped. ‘That Pennywisetoothed little bastard got lucky, that’s all.’
‘Or you were unlucky,’ said Nina quietly. ‘And you only have to be unlucky once to . . .’ She couldn’t speak the terrible thought.
He squeezed her hands and gave her a reassuring smile. ‘Well, at least it should be nice and quiet up in the mountains, right?’
21
‘So much for quiet,’ said Nina as she stepped off the bus . . . into a noisy crowd.
From what she had read, she had expected the Himalayan village of Gaurikund to be nothing more than a small pit stop on the way up to Kedarnath. But even with a covering of snow and a chill winter wind, the narrow streets of colourful, tight-packed and high-stacked buildings were bustling with activity.
‘They’re pilgrims,’ said Kit. ‘Kedarnath is closed in winter because of the weather - so the priests from the temple all move down to Gaurikund.’
‘They close the whole
‘I’m afraid not. And we have to walk from here - this is as far as the road goes. It’s another fourteen kilometres to Kedarnath.’
Eddie looked up the valley. Though shrouded in grey clouds, the looming dark mass of Mount Kedarnath was still discernible, its highest peak over three miles above. ‘Nice weather for it.’
Nina was more interested in the people. They were of all ages, dressed in everything from utilitarian cold- weather clothing to layers of brightly coloured traditional Indian apparel to simple orange robes that seemed highly unsuited to the cold conditions. ‘They’re all here to pay homage to Shiva?’
‘Not all of them,’ Kit replied. ‘Gaurikund is a holy site for other gods as well. There is a hot spring where Shiva first told Parvati that he loved her - people come to bathe in it. It’s also where their son Ganesha was born.’
‘He’s the one with an elephant’s head, right?’ said Eddie. Kit nodded.
‘I’m impressed,’ said Nina. ‘How did you know that?’
‘It was in
‘Ah.’ She sighed and shook her head. ‘The source of all modern knowledge.’
‘But did Bart and Homer explain why he has an elephant’s head?’ Kit asked Eddie with a smile, getting a negative response. ‘Parvati was bathing in the spring, and Ganesha was standing guard. Shiva arrived unexpectedly - he had been away for a long time, and didn’t recognise Ganesha as his son. Ganesha tried to stop him from seeing Parvati, so Shiva cut off his head.’
‘Whoa,’ said Eddie. ‘That’s a bit harsh.’
‘Parvati thought so too! She demanded that Shiva bring him back to life. But Shiva couldn’t find the head, so he took the head from an elephant and used that instead. That is one of the stories. As usual, there are many others.’
Eddie was puzzled. ‘If there’s so many different versions of every story, how do you decide which one to believe?’
‘You believe the one that you most believe in,’ said Kit with an amused shrug. ‘It must sound strange to westerners, but it has worked for us for thousands of years.’
‘It’s the version the Khoils believe that worries me,’ said Nina. She looked up at the brooding mountain. ‘How do we get to Kedarnath?’
‘There’s a path up the valley. I’ll ask someone how to get there.’ Kit stepped into the crowd, asked a man a question in Hindi - and got a look of utter disbelief in return. A second attempt earned him first a laugh, then an expression of concern, most likely for his sanity.
‘Okay,’ said Nina, pursing her lips. ‘Maybe it’s a harder journey than we thought.’
The sound of a scuffle made her turn. The pilgrims parted, backing away from an elderly man with a wild, almost dreadlocked mane of grey hair and a long beard, wearing nothing but an orange robe. He was dancing, sandalled feet skipping through the snow, and waving a gnarled stick at anyone who got too close.
‘Bloody hell,’ said Eddie. ‘He must be freezing!’
‘He’s a yogi,’ Nina realised. ‘A holy man. They give away all their possessions and travel through India in search of enlightenment.’
‘Maybe, but if I was him, I’d search for it somewhere warmer.’
The yogi continued his crazy little dance, the onlookers seeming caught between respect for him and annoyance at his antics. He laughed for no particular reason into a man’s face, then spotted Nina and Eddie. He tipped his head with a look of curious recognition and strode over to them.
‘Er . . . hello,’ said Nina, drawing back. Though she didn’t want to be uncharitable, the yogi would definitely benefit from a wash in the hot spring.
He fixed her with an intense gaze, foolish capering replaced by seriousness. ‘I know who you are, and why you are here,’ he said, his accent thick. ‘Nina Wilde.’
Nina was shocked. ‘How - how do you know my name?’
‘From here, I can watch the entire world,’ he intoned.
‘Is that a Hindu saying?’
‘No.’ A crazy smile split his face, and he jabbed his stick at a dish on a nearby building. ‘It just means we have satellite TV! Ha ha!’ He danced a brief jig, kicking up slush. ‘I saw you in Egypt, in the Sphinx. “What kept you?” Very funny!’ He laughed again - then before Nina could react he squeezed her breasts.
‘Oi!’ Eddie shouted, shoving him back. ‘Fuck off, Yoda!’ He raised a fist.
Kit hurried over. ‘Eddie, no!’ he cried, interposing himself between the giggling yogi and the aggrieved Englishman. ‘He’s a Pashupati Yogi.’
‘I don’t care if he’s Yogi fucking Bear!’ Eddie growled. ‘He just grabbed my wife’s tits - that gets you a smack in the mouth whoever you are.’
