PART IV

SEYCHELLES

         

31

They touched down and coasted to a stop, then taxied back to the terminal. It was an odd airport, with 747s from France side-by-side with small passenger aircraft that made the circuit of the out islands, and even smaller planes, such as Jacobi’s, in among them.

“No one’s questioned why you needed landing coordinates?” asked Oliver.

“No,” she said. “It seems to be a very laid-back place. And given how many private planes there are here, it’s only natural that some of the pilots would need directions.” She climbed down to the ground. “I’m surprised that it’s not more humid.”

“Ocean breezes,” suggested Oliver, joining her. “Besides,” he added with a grin, “they wouldn’t allow too much humidity in Eden. The Seychelles have been cashing in on General Gordon’s description for a century or more.” He looked around. “I wonder where Praslin is from here?”

“Twenty miles north and east,” said a voice, and they turned to find themselves facing a tall man in his fifties, his grizzled face browned from the sun, a thick gray beard reaching down to his chest, piercing brown eyes trained upon Lara. He was dressed in a white outfit that wasn’t exactly Western, wasn’t exactly Indian, and wasn’t exactly Arabic.

“Who are you and why have you approached us?” she demanded.

“Do not be afraid, Lara Croft,” he said. “My name is Ibraham Mohammed el-Padir. My cousin told me you would be arriving and asked me to watch over you.”

“You’re another of Omar’s cousins?”

“Yes. I am here to serve you.”

“Prove it,” said Lara.

The man nodded, as if he had expected her to test his claim. “Omar told me to tell you that he had ‘burned the rest.’ He said you would know what that meant.”

Lara smiled. “Pleased to meet you, Ibraham,” she said. “Now, I have something in my shoulder bag that I don’t want to take through customs and immigration. Do you know a way to get it through unnoticed?”

“I can do that,” said Ibraham. “But you must go through Customs.”

“All right. Bring it to my hotel.”

“Where are you staying?”

“I knew we’d be landing just before dark, and I thought it would be too late to take the ferry to Praslin Island, so I reserved at the Beau Vallon Beach Resort tonight. Then tomorrow we’ll go over to Praslin.” She took off the bag and held it out to Oliver. “I believe you have something you’d prefer not to take through Customs, too?”

“It’s no problem for me,” he answered. “As I told you, I’m still officially on the Kenya police force, and I have a license for the Magnum. They’ll let me carry it through as a professional courtesy.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’ve done it in other countries.”

“All right,” she said. “Ibraham, we’ll meet you at the hotel as soon as we get through all the red tape.”

She left her bag with him, and she and Oliver went off to clear customs. They passed through quickly and without incident, had their passports examined and stamped, and soon caught a cab. It drove west for a few miles, then turned right and shortly thereafter pulled up to a sprawling, luxurious structure right on the beach.

They walked through the spacious tiled lobby to the desk that overlooked a huge T-shaped swimming pool. Lara stopped at the desk, waited while the clerk found her reservation, and picked up keys to adjacent rooms.

“Have you no luggage, Madame?” asked the clerk in a heavy French accent.

“It’s coming from the airport,” she answered. “Don’t bother calling the bellboy. We’ll find our own way.”

She checked the numbers on the keys, then began walking down a long, cool corridor, the walls painted in muted colors, until she came to their rooms. She handed one key to Oliver, then opened her own door with the other.

The room was spacious and filled with all the amenities of a five-star hotel: mini-fridge, complimentary robes, a walk-in closet, coffeemaker, hair dryer, whirlpool tub, and sliding doors to a private patio facing the water. She was still exploring its features when there was a knock at the door.

“Come in, Malcolm,” she said. “It’s not locked.”

“It should be,” said Ibraham, entering the room and tossing her shoulder bag onto a leather chair. “You are not safe here.”

“I won’t be here that long,” she said. “In the meantime, I have a question for you.”

“Ask it, and I will do my best to answer.”

“I know the Seychelles were a former British possession . . .”

“That is true.”

“So why does almost everyone who works at the hotel and the airport speak with a French accent?”

Ibraham smiled. “Have you ever heard of the Chevalier Jean-Baptiste Queau de Quinssy?”

“No.”

“At the dawn of the nineteenth century, the Seychelles were a French colony. Then came the Napoleonic Wars, and first the British claimed them and then the French did. De Quinssy was the administrator of the Seychelles, and though he was French by birth his only concern was for the islands, not for the politics of two nations that were thousands of miles away. So whenever a French fleet put in to port in Mahé he flew a French flag, and when a British fleet approached he flew the Union Jack. And since he never went to war with either side and was never conquered by either side, the English and French who lived here stayed here. Neither was ever forced to leave.” He paused. “You mentioned that most of the people you’d met speak English with a pronounced French accent, and that is true; what you don’t know is that most of the people you would meet at some of the other hotels or certain government offices speak French with a British accent. It is all because of the Chevalier de Quinssy, who refused to take sides in matters that were truly none of his concern.”

“That’s a fascinating story,” said Lara.

“There are many interesting aspects of Seychelles history,” replied Ibraham. “Perhaps over the next few days I can share some of them with you.”

“Were you born here?”

He shook his head. “I come from the Sudan. I have been here for nine years.”

“What are you doing here? You couldn’t possibly have known I was coming.”

“I grew tired of the desert. Only mad Englishmen like Gordon and Lawrence love the desert. Those of us who were born there prefer water and green things.”

“Makes sense to me,” she said.

She walked over to the shoulder bag, withdrew her holsters, strapped it on, and then began checking out the pistols.

“Those are remarkable weapons,” said Ibraham admiringly.

“They’re Wilkes and Hawkins Black Demon .32s. Fifteen shots to the clip, specially weighted, and with a palm print chip lock.”

“They are very impressive,” said Ibraham. “What do you call them?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your weapons.” He pulled out a small pistol from a hidden shoulder holster. “This, for instance, is the Spitting Cobra.”

She sighed. “You guys and your toys.”

Ibraham frowned. “You must have a name for your weapons,” he said in a voice filled with concern. “It is customary.”

“All right.” She pulled out a pistol and twirled it around an index finger. “This one is called Lara’s Gun, and this one”—she pulled out the remaining pistol—“is called Lara’s Other Gun. Okay?”

He looked defeated. “Okay.”

“Whoops—I forgot!” she said, suddenly removing the holsters.

“What is wrong?”

“I’ve got to go out, and I can’t wear my guns out in the street.” She stared at Ibraham. “Maybe you can help me.”

“That’s what I am here for.” His voice took on a hopeful tone. “Would you like me to kill the man you arrived with—the man in the next room?”

“He’s my friend,” she said sharply. “Leave him alone.”

“As you wish.”

“I need to find a really fine artisan, someone who works in bronze. Do you know of such a person?”

“I know many.”

“I want the best. Cost is no object.”

“I can take you there.”

“How far is it? I didn’t see any shops when the cab drove up, except for the gift shop in the lobby.”

“It is not far. I have an automobile here.”

“Let’s go,” she said, returning her pistols and holsters to her bag. “This shouldn’t take too long. There’s no sense bothering Malcolm.”

He led her out of the hotel to a small Japanese car that had seen better days and better decades, headed back to Victoria, and pulled up before a wooden shack a few minutes later.

“You wait here,” she said, getting out of the car.

“I will come in and bargain for you.”

“I don’t need anyone to bargain for me,” she said. “Stay here. I’ll be fine.”

“But—”

“Ibraham, are you going to do what I ask or not?”

“Yes, Lara Croft. I will do as you ask.”

She turned and entered the shop, and emerged ten minutes later with her purchase in a small cardboard box.

“What did you buy?” asked Ibraham.

“A remembrance of the Seychelles,” she said.

“Where can I drive you now?”

“Back to the hotel.”

“Nowhere else?” he persisted. “You came out only to buy a gift?”

“That’s right.”

His expression said that he would never understand Western women, but he did as she asked, and a few moments later they were back in the hotel.

“I’m going to go to my room for a minute and then see if my friend would like some dinner. Do you recommend the hotel’s restaurant?”

“It is one of the best on the island, perhaps second only to the Scala, which is in the capital city of Victoria.”

“Good,” said Lara. “Then we’ll eat here. Would you care to join us?”

He shook his head. “I am not staying here, and only residents may dine in the hotel restaurant. I will watch you from the lobby or the beach, depending on where you are seated.”

“Then thank you for the ride, and I’ll see you later. Or at least you’ll see me, which is probably more important.”

She went down the corridor, unlocked her room, tucked the box into her shoulder bag next to her guns, then stopped by Oliver’s room.

“Ready for dinner?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said. “I knocked on your door a few minutes ago, but you didn’t answer.”

“I was asleep; I just woke up.”

They began walking to the lobby, then turned and entered the restaurant.

The maître d’ escorted them to a table and a moment later a waiter came by to deliver menus and take their drink orders. He seemed offended, as only waiters in very fine French restaurants can seem, when they asked for tea instead of wine.

“By the way, Malcolm,” she said, “there’s a very nice casino just opposite the restaurant.”

“I know. I saw it when I came in.”

“I was thinking we might stop by for an hour or two when we’re done with dinner.”

“Sounds good to me.”

They ordered the lobster thermidor, and followed it with Grand Marnier soufflés, then wandered over to the casino. Lara quickly lost more than ten thousand rupees at roulette, while Oliver bet far less and played far more conservatively at the baccarat table. She was looking around for a different game when an elegant young Frenchman approached her.

“I have a message for you, Lara Croft,” he said.

“What is it?”

“Your table is waiting for you.”

She frowned. “My table?”

“Yes. Please follow me.”

“And if I don’t want to?”

“Then you will continue to live in ignorance,” he said. “I assure you that this is not a trap.”

“What are your assurances worth?” she asked.

He smiled. “I will enter first. You can watch me every second, even use me for a shield if I have lied to you.”

She considered his offer for a moment. “All right,” she said. “Let’s go.”

He led her to a small door that she hadn’t noticed at the side of the casino.

“This is it?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“You go in first.”

“Certainly.”

The young Frenchman opened the door and entered the dimly lit room. She followed him in, and the door closed behind her.

“And now I must leave you,” said the Frenchman.

He seemed to grow thinner and less substantial, and then he vanished completely.

“Welcome, Lara Croft,” said a wispy voice to her right. She spun around to confront it, and found herself facing another manifestation of the sand creature she had seen in the desert. This one sat behind a table; it took human form, though its features were very vague, and it wore a hooded robe. “Sit down.”

A chair popped into existence across the table from the sand creature, and she felt an almost irresistible compulsion to walk over and sit on it. She resisted for a moment, just to make sure she could, and then complied with its request.

“You are closer to finding me than anyone has ever been,” said the creature. “Others may guess where I am hidden, but you know.”

“Why do you talk to me through a sand demon?”

“I come from hot dry sands of the desert, and someday I shall return to them. I have power over many things, but foremost among them is the sand.”

“Why have you brought me to this room?”

“I know your heart and I know your mind,” said the creature. “You will be the one who finds me, but you cannot use me to my full power—yet.”

“Yet?”

“I can make a true believer of you.” Its clumsy hands pushed a deck of cards to the middle of the table. “Cut the deck, Lara Croft.”

“You’re going to convert me with card tricks?” she said sardonically.

“Cut the deck.”

She cut to a three of spades.

The sand creature reached out and cut to the king of hearts.

“You win,” said Lara. “For whatever it’s worth.”

“I lose. Observe your card.”

She looked at the card, and somehow it had turned into an ace of diamonds.

“Good trick. So what?”

“These are not mere tricks, Lara Croft. This is the power you can have over your fellow man. You will never lose, not in battle, not in finance, not in anything.”

“Why are you telling me all this?”

“I know what Omar gave you when you left Khartoum. I know you have the power to destroy me. I tell you, Lara Croft, that I will not allow myself to be destroyed. Of all those who have sought me, you are the brightest. Apply that wisdom to use me as I should be used and I shall willingly serve your ends as you will serve mine. But try to utter those eight words, and you will learn the true extent of my power.”

And as the words left the sand creature’s mouth, the ace of diamonds she was holding instantly metamorphosed into the living skeleton of a huge snake, growing bigger and bigger until it was larger than the black mamba she had killed.

Use me against your enemies, Lara Croft, said the snake silently, its words entering her brain, or you yourself will become my enemy.

She leaped out of the chair, pulled out the Scalpel of Isis, and swung it at an angle that would sever the snake’s head—but when the blade reached it, the snake was gone.

“Are my skills and powers impressing you?” whispered the sand creature. “We could be effective partners, you and I.”

Lara glared at it. “I’m impressed.”

“You still have more foes to vanquish,” it said. “And I see that you have intuited what is awaiting you on Praslin. I will not help you, but if you overcome the final obstacles, I am yours, and together we will rule the world. Strong men will tremble at the mention of your name, and we will carve a path of blood to the thrones of the world.”

And then, suddenly, she was not looking at a humanoid sand demon, but at a tiny pile of sand on the floor, barely enough to fill a small hourglass.

She examined the empty room, and finally opened the door and walked back out into the casino. She went over to where Oliver was standing at a craps table and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Ready to call it a night?” she asked.

“I suppose so,” he said. “I looked for you a couple of minutes ago. Where were you?”

“I had an interesting experience in that little side room,” she said, pointing.

“What little side room?” he asked.

“That one,” she said, and suddenly realized that she was pointing at an unbroken stretch of wall, with no sign that there had ever been a door there.

“Never mind,” she muttered, and walked out of the casino.

She knew something was wrong as she approached her room. The door was wide open, and there were agonized moans coming from inside. She ran the last hundred feet, followed by Oliver, and found Ibraham lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood.

“What happened?” she asked, kneeling down next to him.

“A man,” he gasped. “He was searching your room. I tried to stop him, but I was too clumsy. He knocked me down, and before I could get to my feet, he shot me. He had a silencer on his gun, so no one heard.”

She opened his robe to stanch the bleeding.

“You haven’t been shot,” she said, surprised. “You’ve been stabbed.”

“That came later. The Silent Ones also came looking for you. They were very . . . methodical,” whispered Ibraham. “I refused to speak for as long as I could endure it, but finally I could not help myself.”

“The man who shot you—was he a Mahdist?”

“Yes,” said Ibraham weakly.

“Who was he?”

He tried twice to get the words out, and failed. “Praslin,” he finally rasped. “They know you are going to Praslin.”

Then his body jerked spasmodically, and he died.

“Maybe we’d better postpone our trip to Praslin until we can enlist some help,” suggested Oliver.

“No,” said Lara firmly. “I’ve had enough of Mahdists and Silent Ones and things that go bump in the night. Tomorrow we’re going to Praslin after the Amulet of Mareish, and one way or another I’m going to settle matters.”

“Meanwhile, what are we going to do about poor Ibraham?”

“Make sure he didn’t die in vain, that’s what.”

“I mean, about his body. We can’t just leave it lying here. We have to dispose of it somehow.”

“I don’t suppose you brought along a pride of hungry lions?” Lara asked.

“Sorry,” said Malcolm. “I reckon we’ll have to try and sneak him out without anyone seeing us. If the police start asking questions, you’ll never get to the Amulet.”

“Check and see if the coast is clear,” said Lara. “Meanwhile, I’ll get the sheets off my bed to wrap up the body.”

When Lara returned to the room, the bedsheets bundled in her arms, she found Malcolm looking at the empty spot on the floor where the body had been. Now there was only a small pile of sand.

“You didn’t take the body into the bedroom while I was gone, by any chance?” asked Malcolm.

“No,” said Lara. “It was the Amulet. Like I said, it wants to be found. And it looks like it wants me to find it enough to smooth my path a little.”

Malcolm looked pale. “But . . . what do you suppose happened to the body?”

Lara shook her head. “I don’t know, and I don’t want to know.”

“Amen,” said Malcolm.