Veils of Silk(152)

The worst time was after moonset, when the pass was lit only by the faint light of the stars. Ian stood on his ledge and listened. It wasn't long until he heard stealthy movements along the opposite track. He waited until they ran into the first of his stone barricades. There was an oath, hastily cut off, followed by the grating noises of rock being shifted.

In prison, his ears and eye had gown uncannily perceptive, and he was able to make a shrewd guess as to which dark shadows were human. He fired, and the sound of a shriek filled the gorge.

Reloading by touch, he fired again, then again. He wasn't sure if he made any more hits but his first lucky shot had been enough. The footsteps retreated to safety and he heard a voice cursing him as a demon. But still they didn't withdraw.

Nothing more was tried that night, though he had to stay awake and alert to be sure. By dawn, fatigue was starting to affect him. It was an open question whether his ammunition or his stamina would give out first.

As he ate cold chapatis and a handful of raisins, he waited and listened. There were still human sounds from the opposite side of the gorge, but no one appeared. They were planning something, he knew it in his bones. The question was, what?

* * *

Kuram proved an excellent guide. Laura gave silent thanks. More and more she felt that she and Ian were in divine hands. There had been too much amazing good luck for it to be coincidence. The way they had met; the perfect matching of their needs; Kamala's timely insight that had enabled Laura to free herself of the past. Pyotr's notes; Meera's banyan tree eavesdropping; Gulzar Khan; now Kuram.

Perhaps it was all what Ian had called iqbal, preordained good fortune. Laura wasn't particular about where help came from, as long as it could stop a war and, she prayed, save her husband's life.

Soon after setting out the next morning, they saw a cloud of dust in the distance. Kuram reined in his horse and peered at the dust, his hand shaded against the eastern sun.

Laura asked, "Is that the road to the Khyber?"

"Not yet." He lowered his hand. "It's a group of Company lancers. Your reinforcements are here, Lady Falkirk."

It was faster than she had dared dream. The troops must already have been on their way north when Zafir met them. Iqbal, indeed. Recklessly she spurred her horse toward the troops, Kuram following behind.

As they galloped up to the approaching lancers, the guide in the lead whooped and waved his hand. Laura was delighted to see that it was Zafir. But what really convinced her that iqbal was at work was the approaching British captain.

"Laura, thank heaven you're all right," David said when he pulled up beside her. "What about Ian?"

Right in front of the interested eyes of dozens of soldiers, Laura leaned from her horse and hugged her brother-in-law. "He was fine when I last saw him, but we'll need to move quickly to insure that he stays that way.''

He hugged her back, though he said, chuckling, "Better behave, or I'll never live this down. Must uphold the dignity of the Sirkar, you know."

"I've given up on being an English lady, but I'll try to control myself for your sake," She gave him an unsteady smile. "Merciful heaven, I'm glad to see you!"

She introduced Kuram, explaining how much he had helped her. Since Zafir was Mohmand and Kuram an Afridi, at first the Pathans bristled at each other. Laura said. "For the purpose of this engagement, can I offer you both temporary British citizenship so you won't be at each other's throats?"

Both men laughed. "Very well, lady," Kuram said. "As long as this curly-tailed son of an unclean beast knows that he'd better not venture onto Afridi land alone in the future."

Equally good-natured, Zafir said something in Pashto, probably some version of, "Your mother's one, too."

But both Pathans had lived in a wider world beyond their tribal lands, and the hostility seemed more pro forma than real. With a truce declared, Laura filled David and Zafir in on what she and Ian had done.

At the end of her recital, David said, "Well done, Laura. Do you think the Pathans who helped you earlier will let you stay with them again while we go into the pass and retrieve Ian?"

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm going with you."

David studied her face for some time. "Mmm, so you are."

She smiled. "You learn much more quickly than Ian did."

He rolled his eyes. "God help my poor brother."

He turned and lifted his arm as a signal for his men to move forward. Laura stayed at the head of the troops, riding between David and Zafir while Kuram led the way back to the pass.

In a few hours, just a few more hours, she and Ian would be together again. And never again would she let them be separated, she swore, not even to save the British Empire.