J. Killik Klaw - chapter 9: Birthday Girl

Ben rubbed at the bump on his head and examined his fingers
carefully, no blood at least. The fall had been short but perilous,
skidding down the snow slope in the dark he had knocked his head on
something but otherwise had gotten away with it. He checked each limb
in turn and got up. The weather had turned, the moonlight had broken
through the clouds and the wind had eased, he searched all he could see
in the new light and saw movement about quarter of a mile away, the
binoculars unmistakably revealed Peters. He shouted, waved and flashed
his torch, Peters waved back.

'I managed to get hold of the others.' He said once they were back
together. 'They're not far below but won't make it in time. Where's
Fairuza, I heard gunshots.'

'No longer on our side.' Said Ben.

'What?'

'I'll explain on the way. Come on we have to run. Fast as you can,
I'll take the radio, you take the binoculars. Everything else we leave
behind. Okay?'

Peters thought for a second and agreed. Together they shed their
equipment and set off as fast as they could wade through the snow.

'What do we do when we get there?' Peters shouted as they went. Ben
pretended not to hear him.

As with all mountains and hills the summit appeared to run from
them, each crest they traversed revealed another, even higher, each
looking for all the world like the very top. Ben began to find within
him the feeling he had missed when the helicopter first set them down,
a vague sense of the mountains personality. Not evil as the monks had
suggested but ancient and solitary, unyielding and without pity.

With an energetic sprint he breached another false crest only to see
a figure on the next. He immediately dropped back down out of sight and
beckoned Peters forwards, the monk edged up the slope to where Ben was
waiting and peered over the top with the binoculars.

'It's Fairuza.' He said. 'I don't think she's seen us.'

Ben looked at his watch. 'We've barely got five minutes.' He said.
'We couldn't make it up that slope in time if she wasn't there, not in
this snow.'

Peters dropped back down and looked over Ben's shoulder at the
watch. 'We've got longer than that.' He said. 'She wasn't born until
twelve minutes past.'

'That may be enough.' Ben unfolded the map from his pocket and
studied it closely, eyes straining in the moonlight.

'We can't go up that slope, she'd see us coming a mile off.'

'Would help if the clouds hadn't broken.'

Ben jabbed his finger at the map. 'We can get round the edge, we'll
be twenty yards away before she sees us for sure.'

'And then what?'

'We've got quarter of an hour to work that out.' He produced a
penknife from a pocket and handed it to Peters. 'Cut the reflective
strips off you jacket.'

'It's two against two and they're armed.'

'Three against two with Kirsten. If one of us could lure Fairuza
away the other could maybe rush DeMontford.'

'That would be me doing the luring then.'

'Not necessarily.'

'Come on, your faster and stronger and Kirsten trusts you.'

Ben saw the logic but was not sure if he got the better deal or not.
He took the penknife back and attacked his own jacket.

'Lets get on with it then.'

The pair of them circled around and below Fairuza. The climb here
was more treacherous than before and Ben was glad the wind had eased
with the passing storm. It was still too dark to see far down, he
wondered what was beyond the tiny footholds that held him and imagined
treacherous black rocks like teeth, hungry for falling climbers.

Peters climbed upwards to take a look, looking stealthily over the
top.

'We're quite close.' He said in a whisper. 'Kirsten is about fifty
yards further along with DeMontford, it looks like he has her tied
up.'

'You wait here for five minutes and I'll get as close to them as I
can. Then you try and draw Fairuza away.'

'You won't get close enough in five minutes.'

'It's all we have.'

'Hurry then.' Said Peters, and then 'Good luck.'

'You too.'

Ben moved on as fast as he dared, fearful both of falling and making
a sound. His thoughts strayed to friends and family at home and what
would happen if he died up here tonight, he wondered if they would be
told the truth or even if they would believe it, hell he did not even
believe it.

There was a shout from behind him and then a gunshot, had Peters
been discovered early, he checked his watch, it was time. He scrambled
upwards and peered over the ledge, Fairuza was nowhere to be seen but a
man was there with Kirsten, she had her hands tied behind her back and
the man was holding her on a rope, in his other hand he was holding a
gun. So this was DeMontford.

It was too far to rush him, he'd be shot before he made a step. If
he had enough time he might be able to work his way around behind them
but every second he delayed put Peters in danger. Ben tried to work out
a plan in his head but it would not work. He felt a painful tightness
in his chest and a hollow fragility. 'Your scared' he thought to
himself and still did not move. There were more shouts from behind him
and he saw DeMontford check his watch and say something to Kirsten.

'Are you going to cower here and watch him kill her.' He said to
himself out loud but still did not move.

'Now or never.' He said. 'Now or never.' And went to move but found
no strength in his limbs. He dropped down to a crouch and turned
away

'I can't do it.' He said quietly and pulled himself into a ball,
sick with cowardice and self disgust.

There was another gunshot and Ben leapt upwards to see over the
ledge again, DeMontford and Kirsten were standing as they were before.
Peters, he thought and clenched his fists, closed his eyes and vaulted
up onto the mountains summit in one movement and ran towards Kirsten
shouting to her the entire way.

Kirsten leapt on her uncle before the man had a chance to react and
clung to the gun preventing him from shooting. Somehow she managed to
hold him. Then two shots thudded into the snow either side of Ben, in
his alarm he slipped and fell. Behind him Fairuza stood calmly aiming
the gun at him with one outstretched arm.

'Get up.' She said.

Kirsten ran to Ben and helped him up, DeMontford released the rope,
letting her go.

'I'm sorry.' Said Ben, untying her hands.

'So am I.'

She held his hand behind her back, as if she was trying to hide the
fact. Her grip was cold and trembling but she held so tight it hurt,
Ben let her. He thought he heard a low rumble, like distant thunder,
felt as much through the ground as through the air.

'The other one's still out there.' Fairuza said to brother
DeMontford.

DeMontford shouted. 'Come out now or I kill the boy.'

Sheepishly Peters walked forwards with his hands raised and stood so
that the group of them formed the points of a square, Kirsten and Ben
on the corner opposite Peters and Fairuza and DeMontford making up the
other two.

'Idiot monk.' Said DeMontford and fired his pistol into Peters
chest. The bullet ripped through layers of insulated climbing gear with
a thud and a fine spry of blood like mist. Peters fell silently back
into the forgiving snow, coughed and died. Kirsten screamed.

'That's for killing my sister.' Said DeMontford and turned away. He
walked to the very edge of the ridge, the stabbing apex of the
mountain.

'Idiot monks never understood.' He shouted out to the empty night.
'Never understood the power.' He stretched his arms out and announced
to the world. 'This is my mountain and all those long years of waiting
tonight it shall be freed.'

'No it isn't.' Said Kirsten so quietly that only Ben heard her.

DeMontford turned and looked at his watch. 'Times almost up K'.'

'It's not your mountain.' She replied.

'Oh no.'

'It's mine.' She said and squeezed Ben's hand so tightly that he
yelped in pain. There was a crack of thunder and the ground shook so
violently that they were all knocked to their knees apart from Kirsten
who remained perfectly steady. With a terrible wrenching, roaring tear
the ledge upon which DeMontford now kneeled fell away taking him with
it. His screams lost in the rising sound. Abruptly the movement and the
thunder ended leaving only the crash of rocks far beneath them. Fairuza
ran to the edge and shouted desperately down into the darkness, she
kept shouting until the noise had ended and the night was silent again,
there was no answer. She turned to face Kirsten.

'Go.' Said Kirsten and lightning flashed across the sky behind her
lighting the three of them up as clear as day and with a roll of
thunder the mountain moved again in a violent and sickening lurch.

Fairuza stumbled but remained standing, strong and proud. 'What's
the time Mr Carter?' She said.

Ben, on his knees couldn't pull his hand from Kirsten's grip if he'd
have wanted too. He knew what she meant though and suddenly the noise
ceased and Kirsten fell. Ben caught her and held her in his arms, she
was pale and shivering, weak and spent.

'Time's up.' Said Fairuza drawing her pistol and walking towards
them. 'Your fifteen years old and now you die.'

Ben laid Kirsten down in the snow and stood up to face the woman.
'Stay away from her.' He said.

'Out of my way boy.'

'Never.'

Fairuza raised her pistol but Ben jumped at her and knocked her to
the ground. In the confusion the gun fired and Ben screamed, a searing
pain as the pullet penetrated his shoulder. Fairuza pushed him off and
rose to her feat, Ben rolled on the ground clutching his wounded arm
and clenching his teeth in pain. Fairuza went to finish him off but the
gun was empty, she threw it away contemptuously, pulled a knife from
her jacket and went over to Kirsten's prone form.

Ben struggled to his feet and followed, panting and gasping at the
desperately still air, blood flowing freely from his shoulder. Fairuza
rolled Kirsten onto her back and put the knife to her throat but
paused. Ben pulled her off and made a grab for the knife but Fairuza
was too quick and cut him across the cheek. He tried to hold her but
she was stronger and the pain in his arm was too much to bear, she
threw him to the ground again.

Fairuza circled round Ben staying out of reach, kneeled down besides
Kirsten and held the knife at her throat but again did not cut. Ben
struggled up and staggered slowly towards her again and noticed she was
crying. She whispered something to Kirsten and kissed her lightly on
the forehead and then removed the knife from her throat, stood up and
threw it over the side of the mountain.

She said 'It appears Mr Carter that I am not strong enough after
all.' And turned and walked to the edge of the ridge where she had
stood before and jumped off after DeMontford.

'Ben.' Said Kirsten, coming to.

Ben rushed over and helped her sit up, collapsing himself. Kirsten
noticed the blood and clutched at the wound, trying to stop the
flow.

'How are you?' He asked between sharp breaths.

'Try not to talk.'

'Not to worry. Help is on its way.'

He shivered and she laid him down in her lap, holding his shoulder
tightly.

He looked up at her and smiled.

'What?'

'Happy birthday.'