Gregory Roberts - The Mountain Shadow

‘Stop talking about Abdullah,’ I said.

‘But I don’t hate him any more,’ he persisted. ‘He did nothin’ wrong, even if he is an Iranian… person. It was me that did wrong, and I admit it freely. Anyway, the Iranian will likely meet his end, tonight. And now I found a place where I feel at home, and in one way or another, I know I’ll find peace, as other people kill my enemies and send them to me. I’ll be with my own kind, so to speak. I don’t know if you understand.’

‘We understand,’ Karla said, although I didn’t.

‘Do you believe me, when I say that I have no quarrel with either of you, and that I wish you no harm?’

‘No,’ I said. ‘Goodbye, Concannon.’

‘They say he’s a writer,’ Concannon winked at Karla. ‘They must be teenie weenie little books that he writes.’

‘He’s the big book,’ Karla gave back. ‘I’m the big character. Thank you, Concannon, for the heads-up. What’s your first name, by the way?’

‘Fergus,’ I said before he did, and he laughed, jumping from the car with his arms wide.

‘You do like me! I knew it! Will you stab me, if I give you a hug?’

‘Yes. Don’t come back.’

He let his arms fall slowly, smiled at Karla, and walked a few steps backwards to his car.

‘There’s no use in callin’ the police,’ he said at the car. ‘There’s a lot of money been paid to keep this mountain dark tonight, until the Iranian is dead, once and for all.’

He started the car, locked the wheel, hit the gas and spun around beside us, his arm resting on the open window.

‘Would you like some dynamite?’ he asked. ‘I’ve a box full in the back, and no purpose for it at all, now.’

‘Maybe next time,’ Karla smiled, waving him away.

The twinned tail-lights on either side of the car were bats, swooping into the first curve. She turned to me quickly, waking the queens.

‘We haven’t seen Abdullah up here, so he must be at Khaled’s. We’ve gotta warn him.’

‘Agreed, and then Silvano and the students. This might spill up the hill to Idriss.’

She braced herself for the run to Khaled’s mansion, but I held her back.

‘Can we talk about something, before we talk to Khaled?’

‘Sure,’ she said, relaxing from a run almost started. ‘What’s up?’

‘You know how we said we’ll always be together?’

She looked at me, hands on hips.

‘I’m not hiding in a hollow tree, Shantaram,’ she said, the squint in her smile scanning me.

‘I don’t mean that. I’m trying to explain something.’

‘Now?’

‘If things get rough tonight, don’t separate from me. Stick to my side, or my back. Lock your elbow in mine, if you have to. If we’re back to back, you shoot, and I’ll cut. But let’s be one thing, because if we’re not, I’ll go nuts worrying about you.’

She laughed, and hugged me, so I guess some part of it must’ve been right.

‘Let’s go,’ she said, getting ready for the run to Khaled’s.

‘Wait,’ I said.

‘Again?’

‘ Maybe next time? ’ I said, repeating her final words to Concannon.

‘What?’

‘You said Maybe next time to Concannon, when he offered us dynamite.’

‘ Now? You’re bringing this up now ?’

‘Concannon isn’t a next-time guy. He’s a one-time guy, and half a planet is almost far enough away.’

‘You don’t believe in redemption?’

She was adorable, when she teased, but we were talking about Concannon, and there were killers coming to the mountain to kill our friend.

‘I don’t believe Concannon,’ I replied. ‘The overtaking version, or the undertaking version. I don’t believe anything he says. This could be a trap.’

‘Good,’ she shouted, sprinting up the path. ‘Coming?’

We heard music and chanting, hundreds of voices in harmony, as we turned the last bend on the tree-lined path to Khaled’s mansion. It was lit like a prison, with spotlights fixed to trees.

‘His flock must’ve grown,’ Karla said quietly, as we stopped together on the path before the steps, looking at the floodlit veranda. ‘That’s quite a chorus.’

The trees around us, bleached of leaves by spotlights, were startled skeletons with their hands in the air. The chanting was intense, the singers drunk on devotion.

Khaled walked out through the wide doorway and onto the veranda, his hands on his hips.

He was a shadow figure, black against the lights that were slow-burning our eyes. He had two shadow figures with him.

He raised his hand, and the devoted chanting stopped. Insects sang the silence again.

‘ Salaam aleikum ,’ he said.

‘ Wa aleikum salaam ,’ Karla and I both said.

Very loud, very big dogs started barking somewhere. It was a sound that makes you think of sharp teeth, and running away. Karla slipped her elbow through mine. The barking was ferocious. Khaled raised his hand again, and the barking stopped.

‘Sorry, wrong tape,’ he said, handing a remote control to a shadow figure. ‘What are you doing here, Lin?’

‘We came to see Abdullah,’ Karla said.

‘What are you doing here, Lin?’

‘Like she said,’ I replied. ‘Where is he?’

‘Abdullah has cleansed himself for death, and is at prayer,’ Khaled replied. ‘No-one can disturb him. Not even me. He is alone with Allah.’

‘They’re coming for him,’ I said.

‘We know,’ Khaled said. ‘There are no students here. The ashram has been closed for some time. We are -’

The chanting started again. After a few frenzies it stopped, mid-mantra.

‘Stop playing with the remote, Jabalah!’ Khaled shouted over his shoulder.

Insects and frogs welcomed the silence again.

‘We are ready for war,’ Khaled said.

‘Now, where have I read that before?’ Karla said.

Khaled held up his hand imperially.

‘I am the one who spread the rumour that Abdullah is here. I am the one who provoked this attack, out of the city. This is a trap, Lin, and you are standing in it.’

Dogs barked again.

‘Jabalah!’ Khaled shouted, and tape stopped.

Khaled walked down the silence, to join us on the path. He’d lost half the weight he’d gained, and had been training again. He looked fit, strong, confident and dangerous. It seemed that he’d learned to love himself.

He took my hands in his, leaning close between us, but he spoke to Karla in whispers.

‘Hello, Karla,’ he said, embracing me. ‘I cannot greet you, directly, in front of my men, because you are a woman, in the company of a man who is not your family.’

He hugged me close to him, whispering into my ear for the sake of his men, but speaking to her.

‘My commiserations, on the loss of your husband. You must leave this place, now. There will be war tonight.’

He pulled away, but I held his arm.

‘You knew about this, and you didn’t warn us?’

‘You are warned now , Lin, and you should take that as a blessing. You must leave. My men are nervous. Let’s not have any accidents.’

‘ Allah hafiz , Khaled,’ Karla said, dragging me away.

‘Tell Abdullah… tell him we’re here, on the mountain, if he needs us,’ I said.

‘I’ll tell him, but I can only speak to him when the fighting begins,’ Khaled answered sadly. ‘Peace be with you both tonight.’

He waved, because we were at the end of the path, and it was too far away for him to speak his mind. We waved back, and we jogged to the start of the long climb up the mountain.

I stopped her. It was dark, but reflections glittered in her eyes.