The World Duology (World Odyssey / Fiji: A Novel) (35 page)

9

W
hen dawn arrived at Momi Bay, mist blanketed the sea and the surrounding hills. The mist was so dense it was like cotton wool, obscuring all that it covered. Nathan was sleeping soundly—as were the Drakes and most of the villagers.

The only sign of life came from the Qopa lookouts. Among them was Babitu, a one-eyed warrior who was patrolling the headland behind the village. He followed a well worn trail near the cliff edge, a traditional conch, or sea shell horn, hanging from a cord over one shoulder.

The mist always made Babitu nervous because not even his keen hunter’s eye could pierce its denseness. So he was relieved when it began to lift. Out in the bay, the gray outline of the
Rendezvous
was now visible where moments earlier there had only been mist.

A movement beyond the schooner caught Babitu’s attention. He tensed as the sail of an outrigger canoe appeared out of the mist. The mist parted momentarily to reveal thirty musket-bearing warriors sailing the craft at speed toward the beach below the village. Two more war canoes suddenly appeared close behind.

“The outcasts!” Babitu said to himself. Although he couldn’t identify the warrior in the bow of the nearest canoe, he knew instinctively it was Rambuka. Babitu lowered his spear and raised the conch to his mouth, blowing into it for all he was worth.

The blare of the conch echoed throughout the bay, immediately waking its sleeping residents.

After several long blasts on the conch, Babitu raced back to the village, shouting, “The outcasts are coming!”

Villagers emerged from their bures, alarmed by the sudden commotion. The men and some of the women carried weapons. They knew full well what the blare of the conch
signified. Behind them, children stumbled out into the open air, looking confused and frightened.

Nathan awoke at the same moment. Still half asleep, he quickly dressed and emerged from his bure in time to see the one-eyed Babitu talking to Iremaia and Joeli. Babitu was pointing at the bay. Nathan looked to where he was pointing, but saw nothing. The mist had descended again, hiding any sign of the approaching danger.

An alarmed Iremaia led his warriors down to the beach, carrying the musket Nathan had gifted to him. Unsure what was going on, Nathan retrieved his pistol from his bure and followed them.

On the beach, he caught up to Iremaia, who was staring into the mist. The ratu saw Nathan approach and turned to him. “Rambuka’s outcasts come,” he said simply.

Nathan followed Iremaia’s gaze, but saw only mist. Moments later, the mist parted to reveal three outriggers spearing in toward the beach. The American estimated they were less than three hundred yards distant and traveling fast. He knew little about the outcasts, but recalled they lived in the interior of Viti Levu. Nathan wondered how they’d come to acquire oceangoing craft. He wasn’t to know they’d seized the outriggers after ransacking the village whose smoldering ruins he’d seen from the
Rendezvous
the previous day.

“Back to the village!”
Iremaia ordered his warriors. “Prepare to give our guests a welcome they will not forget!” He hurried back toward the village with his warriors close behind.

Only Nathan and Joeli hung back. The ratu’s son wanted Rambuka to see him.

Looking on, Nathan could see the hatred in Joeli’s eyes. He wondered what had caused the bad blood between him and Rambuka.

In the lead outrigger, Rambuka recognized Joeli. The half-brothers locked eyes and held each other’s gaze for several moments as Rambuka’s craft approached the shallows.

Joeli turned to go. “We must hurry!” he said to Nathan.

Nathan’s only thought was for his own safety. He didn’t care about what happened to the Qopa because he knew Fijians were always at war. That was their way of life.

Life and death are nothing to these people, so I’m damned if I’m gonna risk my life to help them.

Nathan turned and looked out to into the bay where the
Rendezvous
was anchored about half a mile offshore. He considered swimming to the schooner, but figured he would probably be shot or captured before he reached it. Nathan then looked behind him at the rainforest that fringed the village. He considered it offered the best chance for escape.

It was then the American suddenly remembered Susannah and her father. He cursed when he realized this complication was likely to put him in danger. For a moment he considered leaving the missionaries to their own resources, but the thought of Susannah being raped, or worse, changed his mind.

Nathan ran after Joeli. “What about them?” he asked, pointing toward the mission station.

Joeli simply shrugged, indicating he didn’t have time to worry about the missionary couple, and continued running toward the village.

Nathan reluctantly sprinted toward the mission station. As he neared it, he saw the Drakes had already emerged onto the veranda of their cottage. Despite the early hour, they were fully dressed. By their expressions, Nathan could see they were obviously still trying to work out what the commotion was all about.

Waving his arms as he ran, Nathan shouted, “Hurry! Get to the village!”

The couple looked at Nathan in bewilderment. Neither moved.

Leaping the rail onto the cottage veranda, Nathan glanced over his shoulder and saw the outcasts had almost reached shore. “Quickly,” he urged, “we don’t have much time!”

Drake Senior asked, “What’s all this about?”

“No time to explain! Just worry about getting yourself and your daughter to safety.”

Only now did Drake Senior notice the outcasts. Turning to Susannah, he said, “You go with Mr. Johnson, my dear. I have to get something.”

“No, Papa!” Susannah implored. “We must go.” She, too, had seen the outcasts.

Turning to Nathan, Drake Senior said, “Take her.”

Nathan took Susannah firmly by the arm and began pulling her toward the village. As he ran, he noticed some of Iremaia’s warriors doubling back toward the mission station. Evidently, the ratu had sent them back to provide an escort for the Drakes. Nathan wasn’t aware it was, in fact, Joeli who had sent the warriors back.

The ratu’s son had had second thoughts about the welfare of the missionaries who had come to spread God’s Word. Although he wouldn’t admit it, Joeli had a grudging admiration for the Drakes and their kind—even though he couldn’t relate to their god. Nathan, however, was something else; Joeli couldn’t care less about his welfare.

Looking behind her as she ran, Susannah saw her father had disappeared inside the cottage. She was relieved to see him reemerge almost immediately, clutching a Bible in one hand and a pistol in the other. He began running after them.

The sight of a pistol in Drake Senior’s hand came as a shock to Susannah. She hadn’t known her father possessed such a thing. While it was a shock to her, it was only mildly surprising to Nathan. He’d suspected the reverend had steel in his spine and would not be content to leave the safety of his daughter entirely in the good Lord’s hands.

Down on the beach, Rambuka’s outrigger canoe was the first to reach shore. The Outcast and his followers jumped out and pulled the craft up onto the sand just as the other two outriggers arrived.

At the same time, on board the
Rendezvous,
Lightning Rod was on watch. As always, the simpleton was looking nervously skyward as he paced the deck. The mist finally lifted and early morning sunlight bathed the bay. Lightning Rod did a double-take when he saw the armed outcasts on the beach. He rang the schooner’s bell to raise the alarm. “Savages! Savages!” he stammered. Soon, the deck was crawling with armed crewmen.

Lightning Rod was still ringing the bell when Nathan and the Drakes reached the safety of the village. As soon as the trio had crossed the ditch in front of the outer palisades, warriors withdrew the plank walkway, leaving no easy access to the village.

Inside the first line of palisades, the Drakes were greeted by two large women who each had babies strapped to their backs. The women took Susannah and Drake Senior by the hand and led them away to where the other villagers had assembled, on the headland behind the village. As Susannah was being led away, she looked back at Nathan and mouthed her thanks.

Looking around, Nathan observed Iremaia and his warriors had taken up defensive positions behind the palisades. Several female warriors were among them.

The American strode toward the ratu. He was feeling angry and frustrated.

This ain’t my fight!

However, he knew in a sense it was his fight, for now there was no chance for escape—and there was Susannah to think about it. Like it or not, he knew he couldn’t leave her to fend for herself.

Fortunately, Nathan had been involved in many skirmishes around the world, and he’d lost count of the number of men he’d shot with his trusty musket or stabbed with his Bowie knife, so the prospect of one more skirmish didn’t affect him as it would some.

Glancing behind him, he noticed two warriors were escorting the women, children, and elderly toward a rocky outcrop at the far end of the headland. Susannah and her father were among them.

The American joined Iremaia on a wide plank that served as a platform behind the palisades. The vantage point offered a commanding view of the approaches to the village. Nathan was alarmed to see the outcasts were now less than a hundred yards away. A quick head count told him there were ninety or more of them. Led by Rambuka, they were coming at a fast trot, their muskets held high. Their grotesque nose bones and other facial adornments added to their sinister appearance.

Iremaia pointed at Rambuka. In Fijian, he said, “Treacherous dog. He must die. I will personally cut out his heart and eat his flesh.” The ratu spat in Rambuka’s direction.

Nathan could never have guessed Iremaia’s hatred was directed at his own son. He looked around at the defenders. Brandishing their primitive weapons, the Qopa appeared staunch and ready for battle, but Nathan feared they’d be no match for an enemy armed with muskets. Apart from his pistol and Iremaia’s musket, firearms were conspicuous by their absence.

As if they’d read his mind, the outcasts opened fire. Nathan observed their shooting was pretty accurate considering they were firing and reloading as they ran.
This ain’t looking good,
he told himself.

The boom of musket fire was deafening. Crouched behind the palisades, the Qopa could only wait until their enemies were within range of their spears.

The outcasts’ attack was slowed by the deep, strategically placed ditch that ran along the full length of the first line of palisades. Once in the ditch, the outcasts had to climb up the other side. At this point they were at the mercy of Iremaia’s warriors, who rained spears and rocks and other missiles down on them. Despite having the advantage of cover, half a dozen Qopa were shot dead by sharp-shooting outcasts.

Nathan used his pistol to good effect, killing two outcasts. He suddenly noticed two defenders waiting with axes held high at the far end of the ditch. They were looking back at
Iremaia. At the ratu’s signal, they began hacking at posts supporting a wooden barrier that was acting as a dam, preventing water from flooding into the ditch from a river just beyond the headland. Most of the outcasts in the ditch saw the danger too late. As the last post was smashed aside, the barrier collapsed and water swept along the ditch, turning it into a raging torrent.

Behind the palisades, Iremaia’s warriors cheered as those in the ditch were swept down its full length. Several outcasts drowned. Unfortunately, Rambuka wasn’t among them. Some sixth sense had alerted him and he’d just managed to clamber out before the torrent reached him.

As the torrent subsided and the water settled, the ditch now resembled a moat, presenting a new obstacle for the outcasts to overcome.

Nathan was surprised how sophisticated the Qopas’ defenses were. He’d never seen technologies like these used before by natives.

Momentarily stymied, Rambuka led his men back beyond the range of his enemies’ spears. There, he called a council of war, surrounding himself with his senior warriors.

During the lull, Nathan considered his situation. Until now, he’d been keeping an ace up his sleeve—his muskets. He’d known all along that if he could somehow signal to the
Rendezvous
’s crew to transfer muskets to the village, then Iremaia’s warriors would stand a better chance. Still he hesitated: the muskets were needed to trade to the Qopa. If the muskets ended up prematurely in the Qopas’ hands, he doubted he’d ever see them again. Nor would he see the sea slugs he’d been promised. That would put his trading plans back weeks or even months. Even though his own life was in grave danger, the lust for riches consumed him.

It was only when he looked back at Rambuka and saw the ruthless expression on his face that Nathan realized this was do or die. Rambuka and his outcasts clearly weren’t going anywhere, and if the Qopa couldn’t fight fire with fire then Nathan knew he and Susannah
would be killed—and probably eaten—along with everyone else.

The American picked that moment to approach Iremaia. “We can’t hold out against their muskets,” he said bluntly. The old ratu nodded, having already reached this conclusion. Nathan pointed to the
Rendezvous
out in the bay. “I have muskets,” he reminded him.