The Survivor (Eve Duncan #30)

“Heal?” Jelsko repeated, looking down at his son. “Will we ever heal?”

“I know it doesn’t seem that way.” Riley’s hand tightened on her medical bag. “But we can only do what we can. I noticed a young woman over there by the fountain tending a soldier who might need help. I’ll go over there and see after we get you and your son settled.”

“Tell me how many of the island guard are left,” Maya said. “I need numbers, old friend.”

“They sent a unit of thirty-six when I called after the attack. There were nine of us who had already been killed by the snipers by the time they got here. They fought them off the village and then followed them into the forest. I was so proud of my son. He was like a lion.”

“I’m sure he was,” Maya said gently. “Perhaps that was why there were two bullets. They thought one would never put the lion down.”

“I didn’t think of that,” he said. “It might be true.” His face twisted. “But when they followed the guard into the forest, it was a trap. The snipers had double their number waiting in the trees and they started cutting them down. The guard fought well, but it was useless, there were too many. Eleven finally fell back to the village to protect us. I thought my son might be among them.” He shook his head. “But he was one of those cut down in the forest. After dark I went after him and brought him back. I’ve been sitting here with him.” He was rocking back and forth. “I was listening to their mocking and watching the fire they set in the trees. They seemed to be tending that fire as if it was a burial flame.”

“How many of the guards are left?” she asked again.

“Only eleven or twelve. But it seems to be enough to keep the snipers from attacking the village. They appear to want to wait until it’s easier to gather us up and finish us.”

“You said they were calling for me,” Maya said. “Did they do that very often?”

“I don’t know. It seemed as if they did.”

She looked at the wispy smoke floating up over the trees. “I can understand calling it out once, but why repeat it?”

“Because you’re the caretaker,” Jelsko said wearily. “Why else? They knew you had to come to help us.”

“I’m just wondering.” She got to her feet. “Now we’ll take your son inside if you don’t mind. He shouldn’t be lying out here.”

“We’ll do it.” Kirby knelt beside the boy’s body. “Cade?”

Together they carefully lifted Calar’s body and carried it into Jelsko’s hut.

Riley and Maya watched until they disappeared inside. Then Riley turned toward the wounded man by the fountain. “I’ve got to go see what I can do for that soldier. Do you want to come and help?”

Maya shook her head. “Perhaps later. I want to go over to the edge of the village and take a closer look at that fire. Something Jelsko mentioned caught my attention.” She held up her hand as Riley started to protest. “I’m not going any farther than the edge of the village. This has nothing to do with my argument with Cade.” She turned and headed toward the stone wall that encircled the village.

“You know that one of those snipers could have you in his sights right this minute?” Cade said as he joined Maya twenty minutes later. “Riley didn’t like you this close to the forest. You shouldn’t worry her.”

“And having Riley not worry is paramount?” She turned to face him. “But the wall was so high where I was standing that a sniper would have had to be almost standing on his head to have a good shot at me. I’m not stupid, Cade.”

“But if you’d moved two feet either way you would have been vulnerable.”

“I had no intention of moving. I could see what I wanted from here.”

“And what did you want to see?”

“I wasn’t sure. But it had something to do with that fire they built in the forest. It obviously wasn’t intended to start a destructive forest fire because it was small and well contained. Yet it’s not a campfire to keep those bastards warm. From here it appears to look almost like a tent enclosure, but no one is going inside except to keep the fire burning. Why did they build the damn thing?”

“You tell me.”

“I have no idea except that I believe it has something to do with me. Jelsko said they kept mentioning my name. They did terrible damage that first night, but now they seem to be sitting around and waiting for something. Why haven’t they attacked again?”

“It’s your puzzle, solve it.”

“I think I will.” Her eyes narrowed intently. “You stay right here and keep your eyes sharp and that rifle ready.”

Cade stiffened warily. “What the hell are you going to do?”

“I’m going to move that two feet to the right.” She was turning to face the forest and looking straight in the direction of the fire. “That should do it…”

“Shit!” He pushed her to the ground and lifted his rifle.