Chapter Forty-three


Night had fallen by the time Jessie headed back into the mining tunnels. Following Kefira's directions, she had led Hemant back to the ledge overlooking the facility to set up the watch post. It was clear the instant she and Hemant had arrived that these preparations were vital. The first thing they saw was a column of Janissary soldiers on the main road. They were less than five miles away and moving rapidly in the direction of the mine. She had radioed Kefira immediately and all sign of activity in the mine pit vanished. Jessie had raked the surrounding area with field glasses searching for advance scouts but had seen no sign of any. Finally, she transferred the radio equipment to Hemant, instructed him to take absolutely no risks, and then made a run back for the mine.

Luckily, she had made it back without incident. Their enemies appeared to be severely overconfident, assuming there would be no one here who would dare oppose them. They did no recon, and had marched straight up to the mine gate. But that is where they stopped and appeared to be at something of a loss about how to proceed. The electrified fence was high and heavy and the sheer cliff walls seemed to intimidate them. After two attempted assaults on the gate left men senseless, they had backed off. The leader had ordered a handful of men to search the hills and the rest had settled down and made camp just outside the main gate to the mine. Jessie had been observing them secretly from the large equipment garage in the center of the compound. She radioed Hemant, warning him to find a hiding place, and then settled in to wait.

It was noon when a shout brought her back to her observation window once more. She saw two men on horseback ride directly up to a large tent that had been set up near the center of the encampment. At their calls, the tent flap had opened and a tall, broad-shouldered man dressed in tight breeches, a long sleeved coat-style shirt and a brilliant red sash came out of the tent to meet them. Jessie couldn't hear their conversation, but she didn't need to because draped across the saddle of one of the horses were the abandoned parachutes. Sharp orders from the man in the red sash sent about half of his troops scrambling out into the open countryside. The hunt was on in earnest now. After overseeing the mass exodus, the man had turned back toward the mine. Walking slowly up to the gate, he had stood for a long time staring into the enclosure with a penetrating gaze. Jessie could almost feel him looking directly at her. Her internal radar told her that this man could sense their presence.

Jessie had remained at her post until the sun dropped behind the tall peaks to the west and shadows enveloped the valley. Being careful to stay low and make no sound that might alert the enemy, she had slipped to the entrance into the mines and went in search of Kefira. An inquiry to one of the many people hidden there directed her to a side tunnel where Kefira had supposedly established a resting place for the two of them. When she entered their makeshift quarters, she found Kefira already there. The Indian woman looked as weary as Jessie felt.

"So do they remain at our gate?" Kefira asked as Jessie dropped down onto one of the mats that had been arranged on the floor.

"Yeah, they're still there," Jessie replied, accepting the bowl of rice Kefira offered her. "I don't suppose there's a back door out of this place you haven't mentioned, is there?"

"No. There are several exits to the mine shafts themselves, but all of them open into the enclosure in one place or another."

"Swell. That means that our only way out is right through the front gate. And I really don't think those soldiers on our doorstep are going to be leaving any time soon."

"Why not?"

"The man that leads the group . . . the captain, if you will . . . he knows we're here."

"But how? We have given no outward sign of our presence and Mr. Kumar assures me that the mine has given that impression since the day after my parents were killed. He has no reason to believe . . ."

Jessie shook her head slowly. "Doesn't matter. I've seen his kind before . . . hell, my Dad is just like him. It's a sixth sense. No, he knows we're here. Right now, he's waiting to see what we'll do. How long he's prepared to wait is anyone's guess. Unfortunately, he's probably got all the time in the world and we don't. If we don't get to Bangalore City and find Hadji and Jonny soon, either they're going to end up dead or Dr. Quest is. We can't afford to stay penned up like this. What about the people here? Who are they?"

Sitting up, Kefira set her bowl aside and began to unbraid her hair. "They are exactly who Mr. Kumar said they were . . . the villagers who were loyal to my father. Many of the men and boys used to work for Father in the mines. They are also farmers and local merchants. When they fled their homes, they took their wives and children. With my father dead, they knew of nothing else to do other than to turn to his main mine foreman, Mr. Kumar. He was the one who decided to consolidate everyone and hide them at this mine."

"Are they armed?"

"Yes, to some degree. Better than I expected they would be." Kefira's smile was slightly bitter. "My father was no fool. He did not want war, but he must have seen it coming. Mr. Kumar said that he had been stockpiling arms so that the workers could defend the mines if the need arose. As the people withdrew from the lowlands, Mr. Kumar saw that the weapons were brought with them. They have also taken some rifles from Janissary troops they confronted along the way. But even so, there is not enough to outfit all of them."

Jessie set her bowl aside and stretched out on her back, staring up into the darkness beyond the reach of the flickering light of the oil lamp. After a moment, she said heavily. "You've got some hard choices to make, Kefira. We have to get out of here. Because there's no back door, there's only two ways to do it. One: We can walk out the front gate into their waiting hands and hope that they don't kill us all. I don't know what they do with prisoners, but if we could convince them to take us to Bangalore City . . . without them finding out who you are . . . we might be able to make a break for it once we get there."

"No," Kefira said quietly as she ran a comb through her long hair. "Even if we could convince them to take some of us to Bangalore City, they would never take us all. And Mr. Kumar says that the Janissaries do not leave witnesses behind. Any they do not take with them they slaughter and leave lying where they will be found . . . as examples to others who might think to defy them."

"Then our only other choice is to fight . . . hit them head on and take them out."

"Can we do that?"

"Yes. I watched them all day and I'm certain that they have nothing equal to the firepower we brought with us. But you have to know up front, Kefira . . . people are going to die. We are going to have to kill. There is no other choice. And not only the enemy will die. Some of your people here will, too. Maybe even women and children. If we take this road there is no going back . . . it will be all or nothing."

"What are you thinking?"

Jessie sighed and then sat up to face Kefira squarely. "I said back in Mumbai that a man under pressure make mistakes. One of the most common mistakes is to focus too closely on only one thing, and ignore the others. I've spoken to some of the folks here, too, and they say that the people are fighting . . . they aren't running away. From what they told me, the death toll is appalling. They just fling themselves at their enemies in such numbers that eventually their foes are simply overwhelmed. There's no coordination . . . no planned attacks . . . just mob action."

Kefira shuddered. "So what is your point?"

"That maybe it's time to use the mobs to better purpose. Blast our way out of here and leave this place. Once we're out into the countryside, we rally the rural populace and show them how to fight this war to win. Mr. Kumar's brother told me about a Janissary stronghold about halfway between your father's house and the main road to Bangalore City. It's believed to be the ammunition and weapons storehouse for the Janissary troops based in the field. He also told me that there are Sipahi troops out here, as well, and assures me that these men are still loyal to Hadji. If we can properly arm the locals and get them to follow men who have been trained to fight, we stand a chance of developing an army capable of opposing the Janissaries."

"That will take time."

"Not as much as you might think. Sipahi troops have already identified the storehouse and have been pulling their men together to attack it." Jessie sighed. "I'm sorry, but I've already sent word to them of our presence and told them to begin gathering everyone they could find. If all goes well, they will be waiting for us."

"How?" Kefira demanded sharply.

"I sent Hemant about an hour ago."

"Hemant!" Kefira exclaimed in horror. "He is just a boy!"

"There are no "boys" in this fight," Jessie said brutally. "The Janissaries and Birla made that choice. They kill, torture and maim indiscriminately. Because of that, there are no true non-combatants. Birla will take his revenge on whoever he can lay his hands on . . . including children." Jessie shook her head at the look Kefira gave her. "You must understand this right now or this fight is lost before it even begins. There are only winners and losers. You said it yourself. If the men outside that gate get their hands on the people here, they will kill them all. Isn't it better to die fighting for freedom than to simply be led to the slaughter? Hemant was the only one in a position to get out, so I sent him to the Sipahi with a message."

"What message?"

"'The House of Singh rises once more. Rally the people and await word. A leader will come.'"

"And I am that leader."

"Yes. The people will follow you. After your greeting here, I don't doubt it any longer."

Kefira was silent for a long time. Finally, she looked at Jessie again and the agony was written all over her face. "Do you have any idea how many people will be killed if we do this?"

"Yes," the other woman replied evenly. "But it will be fewer than if Birla is allowed to continue with his plans. And remember, Kefira, if Birla wins this war, it won't just be those who die in the fighting . . . it will be generations of people who are forced to live under his tyranny."

After a time, Kefira sighed. "Yes, I know. And I also know that we cannot allow Mr. Birla to succeed in what he is attempting to do. Hadji had hoped to stop him without bloodshed . . ."

"I'm afraid it's too late for that now."

"Yes." The resignation in her voice was clear. Then she straightened and squared her shoulders. "So what do we do?"

Jessie nodded and relaxed slightly. Following Kefira's example, she began to unbraid her hair as she marshaled her thoughts. "We have an advantage here because of the weapons we brought with us. But we can't go nuts using them for a couple of reasons. For one thing, we have limited quantities. Although I told Jade I needed them to end a war, I really didn't intend to have to wage a full-scale one. I'd need to check the exact numbers, but I think there are no more than 12 missiles for the launcher and probably two-dozen grenades. Paul wasn't able to get as many as I asked for on such short notice. That means that the primary advantage they give us is a short-term one. We need to conserve them for when they can do us the most good."

"That makes sense," Kefira agreed, offering Jessie the comb she had been using. Taking it, Jessie flipped her hair forward over her shoulder and began combing it absentmindedly as she continued her train of thought.

"Also, I have no desire for a massacre. I'll use the missile launcher if I have to, but I'd prefer it be at non-human targets."

"I understand. But I don't believe you will have much choice tomorrow morning. I see no other way out of this situation. And the way the enemy is grouped outside of the main gate, they are a perfect target."

"Yes, I know. But I'd actually thought that I'd go for the mountainside behind them. If we can catch them unaware and give our people time to get out of the gate . . ."

Kefira shook her head. "No, Jessie, that will not work."

"Why not?"

"Because the people we have with us are farmers and miners. They are not trained soldiers. The men waiting outside the gate for us are. They are mercenaries of the highest order, trained to fight. If we are to follow through on what you have planned, then we have no choice but to use every advantage we have to its maximum effect." Kefira paused, gazing at her companion seriously. When Jessie offered no response, Kefira added softly, "You know that it is true."

Finally, Jessie sighed deeply. "Yes, I know," she acknowledged softly. Her shoulders sagged and she looked up at Kefira. "This really sucks, you know?"

"Yes, it does. When do we strike?"

"An hour before dawn."

"Before we have light to aid us?"

Jessie nodded wearily. "The dark will cover our movements and they won't expect an attack then. The closer we get to daylight, they readier they will be."

"Very well. I will tell Mr. Kumar. What of after the attack?"

"Those fit to fight will come with us. We'll need to round up transport. Will that be a problem?"

"No."

"The women, children and the injured should move, but that may not be possible. It will depend on how thorough we are with the attack. If possible, they'll stay here. If not, they'll have to disperse into the mountains until this is over."

"All right. I will have them begin preparations. Now, you should rest. I will return shortly."

Picking up the lamp, Kefira strode out of their resting place, leaving Jessie in the dark. She lay there silently, thinking of the coming conflict. She had been in firefights before. She had even killed before. But she had never instigated a confrontation with the express intent to kill those opposing her. The idea was nauseating. The men on the other side of that fence were human beings who had just as much right to live as she did. She didn't want to kill anyone. "They will kill me," she tried to rationalize desperately. "I have no choice. And if I back away, it will mean the deaths of countless innocents . . . and of Jonny and Hadji, too. I can't lose my nerve."

She thought of the message she had sent to her father and wondered if he would be proud of her for the action she was planning. His voice echoed softly in her ears. It's a dirty game, Ponchita. One I don't ever want you to be involved in.

"But I am involved in it, Daddy," she whispered softly. "What do I do now?"

Trust your instincts.

"But what if they're wrong?"

Then just do the best you can.