Page 49 of The Death
“It means ‘princess,’” Dominic said. “And the reference is to the daughter of Darius, the Persian emperor whom this waterfall was named for quite recently. Roxanne later married Alexander the Great of Greece and helped save Persia. Afterthat, there were a lot of monuments named after her, including this waterfall.”
“I’m impressed. How did you know all that about her?” She glanced down at the map. “It’s very interesting, but I wouldn’t think it was quite your cup of tea.”
“History usually fascinates me… particularly when I start to see it possibly leading to a use that’s very modern indeed.” His lips tightened. “And there’s no one more modern and up to date than you, Celine. I needed to see why Zakira seems to be so fascinated by the queens of Egypt that he chose to sacrifice you to honor one of them. If Kontara remembered that temple wall correctly, that statue she spoke about was the one he had the most fondness for. I’m betting it was Nefertiti. Though he had a few other powerhouse queens from whom to choose. There was Cleopatra, who was a great strategist. Hatshepsut, who ruled for years as pharaoh and even went to war to protect her throne. And Arsinoe, Ptolemy’s queen, who extended Egypt’s trading power and made it the richest country on earth.”
“But you still think he chose Nefertiti? Why?”
“Because Zakira has the reputation for being the complete egotist. The reports I’ve gotten on him indicate that he not only has ambitions to be in complete control of this section of Africa, but he also can’t bear to have his orders questioned. Which means he probably couldn’t tolerate the thought of having to compete with a woman who insisted on standing on equal footing with him. He’d prefer to have her as a beautiful toy so that other men could envy him his possession.”
“And that was Nefertiti? You mean she wasn’t that smart?”
“I didn’t say that. She was very intelligent. A scholar andlinguist who was also very good with diplomacy. She just preferred to stay in her husband’s shadow. Since that pharaoh was Ramses the Second, and quite the egotist himself, it was more comfortable for her to stay beautiful and adored and not get in her husband’s way. Some call her the perfect trophy wife. That’s why Caldwell had to find a stunning woman like you to please Zakira as the ideal sacrifice to satisfy his followers. He managed to get the surface stuff right, but there’s no way your personality is anything like Nefertiti’s. Zakira would have been disappointed the minute you opened your mouth to speak. There’s nothing in the least self-effacing about you.”
She made a face. “Good. I take that as a compliment. I’d just as soon forget about those particular plans.”
“I wish I could,” he said grimly. “I’m having a good deal of trouble not imagining and reimagining that entire scenario. And I can’t even try to dismiss it, because I have a hunch that statue was just the tip of the iceberg. I doubt if Zakira has given up on you yet. I think he’s still clinging to any plans he’s made for you. According to what Kontara has told me, once he makes a decision, he sticks to it in every detail.” He gestured to the waterfall. “I contacted the geographic mapmaking organization and found out that it was Zakira who recently insisted that the name of these falls be changed from the original African one to honor the wife of Alexander the Great. Evidently he also spent most of his life searching for this tomb of a lost queen that he’d heard about from his father since his childhood. When he found it, he immediately started to plan how that discovery could make him famous and rich. But he wanted to make sure every step was right and that anyone who came to the village would feel an emotional connection withnot only Folashade but with other famous queens throughout history. But I’d bet that he gave Caldwell specific orders to go along with his fantasies.” His gaze went back to the thundering waterfall. “This waterfall is fairly close to the village of Karimu, where the massacre took place. We know Caldwell was involved in that massacre. It wouldn’t be difficult for him to set up a command and lookout position down there in that tangle of caves and brush that let him control the attack. I’ve been wondering if they might have also hidden something of interest in that cave. He’s definitely an opportunist. Caves are traditionally great hiding places for things you don’t want found. Or maybe the path through the cave leads somewhere else where we need to be—like Zakira’s village.” He was suddenly heading down the cliff slope as he spoke. “I think I’ll go see if I can find anything intriguing down there in those caves…”
“Wait.” Celine jumped to her feet. “Why didn’t you tell me we need to go there? I’ll come with you!”
He didn’t stop. “No, not now. I’ve already told Rashid to watch out for you. Maybe after I check it out…” He disappeared around a bend in the cliff and she could no longer see him.
But she saw Rashid strolling toward the cliff and settling on a boulder a few yards away.
“Dammit!” Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. It was clear Dominic had known he was going to those caves and had made arrangements to keep her safely here while he explored them. She wanted to hit him.
She was still angry when he hadn’t returned after over two hours. But by that time she was also beginning to panic. Where the hell was he?
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Kontara was strolling toward her, but she was gazing at the waterfall. “Dominic told me that we’d be spending the night here. I wonder if that roar will keep us awake?”
“Did you recognize the waterfall?” Celine asked.
She shook her head. “No, as I told Dominic, there are several waterfalls along this stretch of cliff, and they all look pretty much the same to me. Yes, it’s beautiful. But when I was on the run, it was just a hazard to work around so that I could save myself. There’s only one waterfall that I remember well at all, and that was the huge one on the far side of Shafira village. I’d recognize that one because I almost drowned when I slipped out of the village and into the waterfall itself. I was trying to reach the currents downstream, and I was lucky enough to find a limestone ledge on the edge of the bank. I sheltered there until the soldiers gave up the hunt a few hours later. I was sopping wet and almost froze when the temperature dropped that night.” She made a face. “I decided I’d rather face the punishment the soldiers were handing out than get hypothermia. You can see why I’d prefer to skip the spectacular waterworks show and stay warm and cozy at Bon Jaka.”
Celine nodded soberly. “For any number of reasons. You’re being very brave, Kontara. If I can help, let me know. I realize it’s a nightmare for you.”
“Yes, it is. But the only way I would have refused to come was if you’d let me talk you out of it. I wasn’t doing this for you. I owed Dominic, and I pay my debts.” She gave a slight shrug. “And maybe I wanted to stick it to Zakira and Caldwell and give all those women they were torturing a break. By theway, where is Dominic? It’s been two days, and until now he hasn’t let you out of his sight.”
Celine tried not to show how upset she was. “A couple hours ago, he took off to explore those caves he noticed on the hillside beside the waterfall. He’s looking for a path to where Caldwell might have hidden more arms or anything else. Or maybe another way to Shafira village.” Celine couldn’t keep from scowling as she nodded at Rashid sitting on the bank several yards away. “And he turned me over to Rashid, dammit. When I asked why I couldn’t go along, all he said was that he’d take me back there if anything proved interesting. Then he was gone before I could start to argue with him.” Her lips twisted. “But I’ll guarantee he’ll hear about it when he gets back.”
Kontara gave a low whistle. “I can tell you’re not pleased with him.”
“To put it mildly. He went in that cave alone. He didn’t think it was dangerous enough to take a team with him. But it was too dangerous to take me when he knew I’d want to go. That wasn’t fair.”
“Then I’ll make sure not to be around when he appears on the scene.” Kontara grinned. “Actually, I’m glad we’re stopping for the night. I made preparations for a few decent meals while we were on the road, but I’ve been bored to tears with what I’ve had to serve to those poor men so far. I didn’t want my reputation totally ruined.”
“Those meals were very good,” Celine said. “Excellent.”
Kontara shook her head. “You ain’t seen nothing yet. I’ll invent something completely unique now that I’ve got the time. It will be a relief to try to forget about that blastedvillage and what Zakira and Caldwell did to all of us.” She added soberly, “And I’d think you’d want to try to do a little forgetting yourself, considering what I’ve heard you’ve gone through lately.”
Celine shook her head. “To each her own. I don’t have your gourmet talents, so I won’t be able to lose myself in that kind of escapism. All I can think of right now is Eve Duncan and her son, who are still being held by those bastards who killed my friend Barnaby. I’m feeling very helpless at the moment. There must be something I can do.” She looked back at the entrance of the cave beneath the waterfall. “And I’m thinking about maybe exploring there if everything looks safe enough.”
“Oops.” Kontara grimaced. “I believe that may be my exit line. You’ve got the same expression on your face that I see right before you take me down on the mat and get me in a headlock.” She waved her hand as she turned away. “I’m going to go get my supplies, and I’ll ask Rashid to help me set up my kitchen. It’ll keep him busy for a little while, but not for long—then he’ll notice you’re gone and be on your trail. He’ll catch up with you in no time because he’ll know where you’re heading.” She shook her head at Celine. “If I thought there was any danger at all connected to this, I wouldn’t be doing it. But since Dominic brought you with him, he doesn’t have the right to smother you just because he wants to take care of you. We both know how well you’ve been trained to do that all by yourself.” She turned on her heel and started toward Rashid. “Get moving!”
Celine got moving!
She was down the hill and around the cliff in seconds, heading for the cave opening she could see just beyond the mist of the waterfall. She made her way through the first prickly patch of the maze bordering the cave, but then she was caught by the spray and had to cling with her back to the cliff as she carefully inched herself down the rocky pathway into the cave. Where was Dominic? She could see a flashlight dimly glowing in the distance; she lit her own flashlight and headed toward it.
Cockroaches on the uneven stone floor… She hadn’t even known there were cockroaches in the African wilds. Of course there were, she thought impatiently. They were everywhere. Didn’t some scientists say that cockroaches would eventually supplant the human race?
