City of the Yeti Page 13

  Malidiya appeared next, adding, “The scout described debates in their communities regarding an attack on the Deshret capital. Most Hedjet were opposed. It took a band of rogue warriors, riding through dozens of villages over many months, to round up an army large enough.”

  “Any word on smallpox?” Rachel asked.

  “Two Hedjet villages were nearly wiped out. They had no vaccine, of course. Nevertheless, the survivors are willing to let Deshret evacuees live there. Those particular villages have extensive cave systems, and lie within a week’s travel. It would be a good option for our older citizens, or anyone who doesn’t have the energy for a trip to central Tibet.”

  “We’d better go home and finish packing,” Amri said. She took Rachel’s hand and tugged her along, while looking back at me. About halfway home, Amri became visibly upset and asked us to continue on by ourselves, explaining that she had to find Mehrgarh.

  It was only then that I realized how much snow had melted. Everywhere I looked, water was dripping. All of the icicles were gone. The first day of April was near, if not already past. The spring thaw had arrived.

  We found Harappa in the kitchen, and told her of the evacuation. She looked away and didn’t speak. Lothal had already left the house. An hour later, Amri returned and paced in circles, wringing her hands.

  Harappa approached her mother. “What about Lothal and Daddy?”

  Amri hesitated, and her expression signaled bad news. “I just talked to them. They refuse to leave the city. They’re already stationed at the north wall, checking the defenses.”

  Harappa sank into the couch and cried softly as the reality sank in; her family would be splitting up after all. Amri sat beside her daughter, hugged her, and then looked at Rachel and me. “You two can ride with us, since you certainly can’t stay here. If any Hedjet got inside and found you, they’d kill you. We’ll leave soon after dark; my family is among the first to go. Once we’re through the tunnel, our soldiers can escort you to Jang. However, that’s the long way around, so it will take extra time.”

  We ate one final dinner of lentil soup and leftover scraps of meat. No one spoke, at least not in a way that Rachel or I could overhear. Afterward, we stepped out of the door, each carrying a small leather bag of personal items. Amri, her arm around Harappa, turned and gazed once more at the place where she’d raised her two children. Given that a human invasion would likely follow the Hedjet attack, this would be their last view. Then they walked away without looking back.

  When we neared the city’s main gate, lit brightly by torches overhead, Rachel and I lagged behind in order to search for the rest of the family. Lothal spotted us and ran over.

  “I see you’re leaving. I’ll miss you,” he said.

  Was he aware of the odds against him? “Lothal, the Hedjet army – ”

  “I know,” he interrupted. “It doesn’t matter. Things will work out.”

  “Maybe I can stay and help,” I said, without really thinking. Rachel gave me a disbelieving stare.

  Lothal just smiled. “Thanks anyway, Danny, but we’ll make it.” He held out his arm for a traditional Sramana handshake, where one hand clasps the other’s forearm near the wrist. I did it, even though I’d avoided the gesture earlier, since my arms seemed so skinny compared to theirs. Lothal gave Rachel a quick hug, and we hurried on.

  Another familiar face appeared as we passed through the gate. Uruk stood and monitored the outward flow of residents. He glared down at us, but I didn’t care. I walked up to him and said, “Whatever happens with the Hedjet, humans won’t stop until they’ve conquered this city.”

  He showed no response. I continued, “Even if Hedjet and Deshret forces united, they couldn’t – ”

  Suddenly an idea hit me like a meteor. Its success or failure would all depend on Uruk. I stared at him and mentally fired over a brief outline of my plan. He stared into the distance, as if reflecting on the proposal, and then looked back. “You should present this to the elders.”

  Rachel pulled on my coat sleeve. She hadn’t heard my idea, only Uruk’s response. “Now what are you up to?” she asked.

  I ignored her and addressed Uruk, “Rachel and I will meet you in the castle. First, we have to find Amri and Harappa.”

  “I understand,” he said. “I’ll see you shortly.”

  I could tell Rachel was getting angry, so I pulled her aside and shared my plan. She was shocked, but agreed it might work. We walked out together through the gate.

  Amri was scanning the crowd, trying to locate us. She hadn’t noticed our conversation with either Lothal or Uruk. Her horse-drawn wagon, loaded with boxes that packed together like large puzzle pieces, sat just off the main road. She and Harappa huddled together on the driver’s bench, ready to guide the single horse.

  I walked up to Amri’s side of the wagon to make an announcement: “Rachel and I are staying.”

  I expected a strong reaction, but her face remained blank. Finally she sighed and said, “Go ahead. I can’t seem to talk anyone out of what they’re set on doing. For now, I just want to get Harappa out of here. She came too close to death once before.”

  We then said goodbye to the one who’d been our surrogate mother for half a year. After we embraced each of them, Harappa repeated her yearning, “I’ll see you again, someday.” She looked back and waved as they joined countless other wagons, carriages, and mounted riders, all lumbering down the same ancient road.

  The moon provided just enough light to reveal a river of faces fixed in grim determination. The silence was broken only by the occasional creak of a rusty axel, someone’s cough, or the clop of a horse’s hoof on a rock. No one was talking – at least not out loud. But I knew that many conversations were underway.

  At the current crawl of the caravan, each family’s trip to the temple would take almost an hour, and the passage through the rock tunnel another hour. And the journey beyond? Unimaginable weeks for these Deshret emigrants.

  “This is like the Trail of Tears,” Rachel whispered, referring to the relocation of American Indians in the nineteenth century, something she’d studied recently. From their native lands in the southeastern part of that country, they’d been forced westward for hundreds of miles. And though the Deshret were leaving voluntarily, it was basically the same outcome: the removal of one group because they were too different, in order to make way for the more powerful. This must never happen again, I told myself.

  Back inside the castle, we entered the same hall where the scout had been forced to confess, and stood in front of six elders and Uruk, all seated at the long table. Mehrgarh had joined them, since he was Nineveh’s relative. Uruk gestured for us to approach. Nineveh and Malidiya smiled, perhaps to make us feel comfortable.

  “Please tell us what you propose,” Nineveh said.

  “First, I want to tell you about one of our famous British officers,” I said. “We call him Lawrence of Arabia.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  I was both nervous and excited as I began. “During the last War, our enemy in the Middle East was the Ottoman Empire, also known as the Turks. The allies were having trouble there until a young British soldier named T. E. Lawrence convinced the bickering Arab tribes to unite and fight a guerilla war against their common enemy, the Turks.”

  I pointed to Uruk. “Well, here’s our Lawrence of Nepal. Uruk met with many Hedjet during his recent trip, and gained their trust. At the same time, he’s a respected leader among the Deshret. He should be able to convince the Deshret and Hedjet to unite against their common enemy – humans.”

  Next I addressed Uruk directly. “Tell the Hedjet army about the planes, and how human troops will come soon. Mention that this city can now be shared by the Deshret and Hedjet, since so many residents have left.”

  “And what shall we tell our brave Deshret defenders?” Malidiya asked. “What
would make them welcome any Hedjet?”

  “Tell the Deshret that their problems with both the Hedjet and humans can be solved, and that they’ll soon join their families.”

  “That’s quite a promise,” Nineveh said. “How exactly would this happen?”

  I hesitated, debating whether to continue, and then hardened my feelings. “Invite the Hedjet warriors in and wait for human troops to arrive. The troops will camp around the city and demand a release of the British children. The night before they attack, all the Deshret can sneak out, leaving the Hedjet alone to fight the battle. You’ll see a massacre like one of the last American Indian stands – arrows against guns. The Hedjet army will be wiped out, and humans will believe that the ‘Yeti threat’ has been eliminated. You’ll kill two birds with one stone.”

  Everyone looked stunned to hear such a coldhearted plan coming from me. But the only thing I cared about now was the survival of this community; images of the exodus outside were still fresh in my mind.

  “That’s an interesting idea,” Nineveh said, “but it relies on many assumptions. For example, how could three hundred Deshret leave without alerting the troops camped outside?”

  “There’s a tunnel under the west wall. From there you can follow a ravine all the way to the forest, without being seen by anyone on the mesa. Lothal used it when he was young to sneak out and play in the forest.” Mehrgarh’s eyebrows shot up at my last statement; apparently this was news to him.

  “Yes,” Nineveh said, “I recall a couple of maintenance tunnels dug long ago. Still, with so many Deshret soldiers filing out, any Hedjet staying here would notice, even in the middle of the night.”

  “Not if the Hedjet warriors can’t wake up,” I said. The elders exchanged glances as if I’d gone mad. I ignored them and continued, “There’s a potion your doctors can make; they gave some to Rachel after her injury. It’s tasteless, and a small amount causes a deep sleep. It could be mixed into all Hedjet drinks.”

  “The Hedjet would be suspicious if we offered them something to drink that we avoided ourselves,” Uruk noted.

  “There’s a trick we can use from ancient Rome,” I said, grabbing a cup from the table and holding it as a prop. “A drug – or poison in those days – is secretly rubbed on the inside surface of a cup and allowed to dry. The cup looks normal, but when it’s filled with liquid, the drug or poison re-dissolves. So, in front of a guest, the host pours wine from a common bottle into a regular cup and takes a long sip. Then he pours the same wine into a prepared cup, and the guest drinks without suspicion.”

  Silence. Were they following? I held my prop higher. “On the night before the battle, arrange a toast to celebrate the reunion of clans. Let the Hedjet drink from cups prepared with the potion. They’ll sleep well! Do you have any wine to use for a toast?”

  “We have something called raksi,” Nineveh said, “distilled from millet and rice. It’s very strong, and used mainly for rituals and social events. However, some Hedjet may refuse to drink with us.”

  “Yes, a few may stay awake,” I said. “But they could be overpowered and locked away somewhere.”

  Uruk leaned forward, frowning slightly. “Actually, I’m most worried about the first step – convincing the Hedjet army that we want to fight humans. The Deshret don’t have that reputation.”

  I glanced at Rachel to confirm that she still agreed with my plan. She nodded. “Then Rachel and I will stay here and pretend we’re your prisoners. Tell the Hedjet that our presence will slow the attack, or at least prevent troops from using weapons like cannons and poison gas. The Hedjet will then believe that you’ve turned against humans.”

  The elders asked us to wait outside while they considered my proposal. We paced up and down a dark stone corridor for half an hour. It was still strange not hearing voices when a group nearby was talking. Finally, the door swung open and a guard ushered us inside. We approached the table once again. Their faces were hard to read.

  “Thank you for your ingenious plan,” Malidiya said. “We’ve decided to give it a try. But we feel it’s too dangerous for you to remain here. We couldn’t guarantee your safety with so many Hedjet wandering about. Remember, you two are our trusted representatives, and carry sacred knowledge that must be preserved.”

  “But we really want to stay,” Rachel pleaded. “We want to see the plan work. Naturally, when the Deshret soldiers sneak out, we’ll go with them.”

  “There’s another reason we should stay,” I added.

  “And that is…?” Nineveh inquired, looking even more worried.

  “I never mentioned it, but sometimes I can hear Hedjet thoughts, even when they’re not talking to me. I might be able to pick up useful information, even things the Deshret can’t hear. Rachel has some of this ability, too.”

  “Very well, then,” Nineveh replied, with his usual sigh. “As a first step, you can help prepare those cups; that’s an important part of your scheme.”

  “What about all of you?” I addressed the elders.

  “We’ll evacuate tonight,” Nineveh said. “Malidiya and I will stay at the temple and observe the city from the lookout room. I’ll tell your grandfather of your bravery, though I’m sure he’d prefer that you leave.”

  As everyone dispersed, Uruk led us aside and offered a final comment. “The elders are not leaving because they are frightened. They simply recognize that their role now is to guide the building of our new communities.”

  Word of my plan spread rapidly, as usually happened with telepathy. Some Deshret defenders remained skeptical of the outcome, and continued to fortify the city, in case the Hedjet attacked anyway.

  With Lothal’s help, we searched warehouses and found crates full of clay cups. Mehrgarh asked the medical staff to prepare a large batch of sleeping potion. Many hours and volunteers later, hundreds of cups had been coated with the potion, and marked by a tiny scratch.

  Mehrgarh and Lothal arranged for the door to the underground passageway to be hidden behind large boxes. I’m sure the two also had a little chat about Lothal’s unauthorized trips through this passage during his childhood.

  An ancient jail cell in the castle’s basement, used on rare occasions for convicted Sramana, was prepared for Rachel and me to stay during the Hedjet occupation. This would boost our image as hostages, and more importantly, protect us from acts of violence by the Hedjet. The cell was like a small apartment, with plumbing and decent beds, thanks to efforts to make it as comfortable as possible.

  We discussed with Uruk and Mehrgarh how the toast should work. With so many Sramana present, the ceremony would have to be divided into several locations throughout the city, but synchronized to occur at the same moment. Every Deshret soldier would need to know about the cups, and watch closely for any Hedjet warrior who didn’t participate in the toast.

  That night, Mehrgarh and Lothal were in good spirits. They could now look forward to joining Amri and Harappa, whom they clearly missed very much.

  Early the next morning, while peeking over the rampart, I saw the first Hedjet warriors arriving on horseback. Their body armor looked inferior to Deshret gear, but I knew their fierceness could easily compensate. By noon, hundreds had gathered on the mesa, with fresh warriors constantly popping into view from the gorge entrance.

  “How long before they attack?” I asked Lothal, who stood beside me.

  “I don’t know,” he replied. “For now, they’ll stay outside the range of our archers.”

  As dusk approached, Uruk strolled up to the north gate. Apparently he felt the time had come to make an offer. Leaving the door slightly ajar, he walked out on foot, alone and unarmed. A small group of Hedjet warriors rode up to him. I held my breath, hoping that the riders wouldn’t kill him immediately.

  Uruk met them within a stone’s throw of the gate, and the discussion began. It was the longest ten minute
s of my life. The Deshret soldiers stationed along the north wall watched motionless, like tall statues decorating a medieval fortress.

  Finally Uruk turned and walked back. The Hedjet leaders hesitated, and then returned to their front lines. Had the ploy worked? When Uruk reached the entrance, he opened the gate wide to welcome the warriors. However, they approached very slowly, and I could see many anxious faces; they probably expected a shower of arrows.

  Lothal guided Rachel and me down a narrow alleyway to our new home in the dungeon. He returned every half-hour to provide updates. Mehrgarh assigned several Deshret soldiers to guard our cell, and confirmed that the Hedjet had accepted Uruk’s deal. There was no going back now.

  Over the next several hours, Hedjet warriors flooded into the city. Their accommodations – evacuated houses – had been prearranged, to avoid overcrowding and confusion. It must have been agonizing for Deshret soldiers to watch as their bitter enemies trampled through homes once occupied by friends and neighbors. Lothal reported that some of the Hedjet were taunting, sneering, and even spitting at the Deshret. We reminded him that his bravery would now be measured by restraint, along with hiding his thoughts about the deception.

  It wasn’t long before Uruk escorted the Hedjet commander and his council down to see the human captives. They approached our cell cautiously, as if inspecting a new species at the zoo. For some of them, this was their first view of a human. I was thankful to have bars between us and the scowling creatures, filthy from long travel. I sensed hostile reactions pouring out of them like a swarm of angry bees.

  The leader’s eyes bored into me, and I could partially read his thoughts. He was remembering a vague account of Hedjet warriors killed by Deshret soldiers last fall. Human children were somehow involved, and may have even participated. But how many children? What age and gender? He was frustrated, unable to decide whether or not we were the same kids. This was the scariest development so far. If the truth about us emerged, then the whole sham would be obvious.