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Chapter 23
“You wished to see me, Imam?” The young computer tech was ill at ease in the presence of the village cleric, his instincts still remembering the recent days when such a summons from an ISIL-approved imam often lead to charges of apostasy.
Basir gave him a genuine smile. “Please, Isam, be seated. I merely wish your opinion on a few things.” He waited until the computer tech had settled in. “Our good captain is happy to receive American supplies, but I am not sure that he is suspicious enough of our mysterious benefactors.”
“In what way, Imam? He checks the supplies carefully as they arrive, and so far they have been of excellent quality.”
“I am thinking more of ultimate motives, Isam. Whoever this sorcerer really is, he knows far too much of our inner councils. What might he -really- want from us?”
Isam frowned. “That is not an easy question to answer, sir. It would depend on who he really is, of course. Anyone of sufficient means can obtain American material, and even the aircraft that appears briefly to deliver them is not proof that they really are Americans. The Hercules is in wide use.”
“You think that they might not be Americans after all?”
“I am merely pointing out the possibility, sir. Personally, I believe they are. The Arabic in the messages, while fluent, has... well, choices of phrasing that sound to me as if the person writing them is a native English speaker, and definitely not a Muslim.”
“I see. Very well, let us assume he is indeed an American. What ulterior motives might he have that he is not telling us about?”
Isam smiled. “Probably none at all, sir. The Americans are not a subtle people, for the most part. Even their politicians tend to assume that their childish attempts at deception and subtlety will not be noticed by their public, or even by their peers in other nations. Look at what the Iranians did to Obama's people.”
“And yet they prosper. How, if they are so naive?”
“They trust easily. But historically, when trust has been broken, they retaliate savagely. Remember, sir – they are still the only nation ever to use atomic weapons.”
“So you are saying...?”
“That if this is truly an American, he trusts us to oppose the Islamic State. And that it is in our own best interests not to betray that trust.”
“And there are no other motives?”
“He -has- discouraged us from pursuing the snake-demon, saying that his people will deal with her. Why he would wish to do so is unclear to me – perhaps he wishes to recruit her himself. The Americans try to keep their word once it is given, even to their own detriment. Their politicians may try to twist their oaths like a djinn would, but their own people react too strongly when they are caught truly breaking their word for them to risk it easily.”
Basir nodded. “Assuming he -is- an American.”
Isam nodded. “Assuming that, yes.”
“But whatever else he is, he would seem to be a sorcerer. Perhaps the snake -is- his secret motive. Do we wish to allow him to gain a demon ally in return for his assistance?”
Isam swallowed, suddenly nervous all over again. “That is a matter which I will leave to you, Imam. I suspect that the Captain will not wish to risk losing access to these new supplies any sooner than he must, though.”
The cleric frowned, thinking this over. “A very good point, Isam. I shall have to consider that.” He smiled again, standing while Isam scrambled to his feet. “Thank you for your insights. I shall let you return to your own tasks now.”
“You are most gracious, Imam.” He waited until he was outside the mosque before he let himself relax. <The old man -still- does not see the difference between the new powers and trafficking with demons. If he should ever suspect what -I- can do...> He shuddered and headed back to his computers.
“Captain?”
Sayeed smiled at the computer tech. “What can I do for you, Isam?”
“There is another message from our friend. There will be a delivery tomorrow, but not tonight.”
“They haven't missed two nights in a row before. Did they give any idea why?”
“Nothing that was stated. One suspects that they have other deliveries to make. We may not be the only ones to try to escape from the Council, after all. And the message -did- hint that the the Council's attempt to coerce us might be running into some... unexpected delays. Perhaps our invisible plane will be dropping bombs instead of supplies.”
Sayeed chuckled. “I find that I can view their misfortunes without much concern, Isam. Insh'allah.”
Isam leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Imam Basir called me over to speak with him earlier today. He is suspicious of our benefactor's insistence that we leave the snake alone. If he should find out that there is no delivery tonight, he may ask you to go hunting for her again.”
“And you do not agree that this would be a good idea, I presume...?”
“I see no reason to go out of our way to offend one who is helping us, particularly when the snake has not been giving us any trouble.” Isam looked up as one of the militia squad leaders started toward them. “And I have seen Sergeant Ashwar around the Imam's office rather more often than any of your other people.”
Sayeed nodded. “Perhaps a training day is in order, then, to keep him busy. Thank you, my friend.” He turned as Isam headed back into the town. “Ah, Ashwar. Just the man I wanted to see. Call your squad together, we're going to be doing some maneuver training this afternoon...”
Lowe held up a finger as her computer chimed to indicate an incoming email from one of her special accounts. “Hold that thought, Elizabeth. I need to check what's come in...”
From: Isam bin Yusuf
You plan to offer the snake-creature asylum, I think. I wish to seek asylum as well. Our Imam is not a proponent of the Islamic Council, but neither does he have any tolerance for the new ways. He thinks she is a demon, and that you are a sorcerer who wishes to use her powers. He is not an ally you can trust - and I fear that he will discover what -I- am sooner or later.
“Interesting...”
“What's come up, ma'am?”
“Our contact in Al-Suwar wants asylum as well. I think I should look in on him.”
Elizabeth grinned. “I'll get the fireplace lit, ma'am.”
“Thank you.” The message that she sent back was short and to the point. 'Find a mirror and a place you will not be overheard.'
Isam locked the door to his computer study and turned up the fans and air conditioners to block any attempt at eavesdropping before setting his old shaving mirror on the table beside his system. Ten minutes later, the reflection swirled and the image of a white-furred lupine head appeared instead. “Most interesting. Isam bin Yusuf is not your true name after all, I see. Why the pseudonym...?”
Isam, for his part, was surprised. “You're a woman!”
The wolf chuckled. “All my life. This isn't going to be a problem, is it?”
He shook his head. “My apologies. I was surprised. We have been speaking of you as 'the American sorcerer' these past two weeks, and I had forgotten that we didn't actually -know-. You -are- going to bring the snake-woman out, correct? Can you get me out as well?”
“Possibly. But the timing is very tight. You would need to travel to a location twelve miles away in a straight line through the hills north of Al Suwar no later than two hours past midnight -tonight-. Can you make it there in time? Without being followed?”
“I think so. They do not know what, or even who, I truly am. Imam Basir is suspicious of the Captain's motives, and yours, but not of me so far.”
“As I noted earlier – why the pseudonym?”
“Because the Event made me younger. My son is still in the United States as far as I know, and I took his identity to explain why I looked twenty-five years old rather than fifty-five.”
The wolf sat up, suddenly focusing more intently on him. “Indeed? And was there any other effect you noticed?”
Isam huffed a bitter laugh. “Nothing major. Aside from being able to turn into a leopard. And -having- to do so at least once a month, which has been somewhat interesting these last few years.”
“Oh, we -definitely- have to get you out, then. I will send you the location. Don't let anyone else find out, though. I'll be watching, but I won't be able to contact you easily. But remember, you have to make it by two in the morning. That's the scheduled departure time for our extraction team. If you don't make it, I'm not sure when, or even if, I'll be able to arrange for another flight. Do your best, but unless you're sure you can make it, don't burn any bridges behind you.”
“Thank you, Lady Wolf. I will be there, if Allah wills it.”
“Major Davis, Master Sergeant McKenna, Seal Team Four.” Sterling glanced around the conference room, where the two Marines – pilot and loadmaster - had just finished the final mission briefing. “Before we dismiss to start loading, I have just been informed of one last-minute change.” This statement was met with a general groan and the bat grinned. “Hey, if you can't take a joke, why'd you join up?” This led to a brief chorus of rude remarks. “Seriously. It should not affect much of the mission profile. But the perimeter scouts should watch for one extra passenger if he can make it. He may be a human, or a leopard on four feet – my sources tell me he's a shape-shifter.”
Senior Chief Hanson chuckled. “And so we know -why- he wants out.”
“Aye. Can't be comfortable for any Changeling to be stuck in a place where ISIL runs things. I will be in intermittent contact with NSA during the mission, so they'll be able to warn me about any further last-minute difficulties, but for now this is where we stand. Let's be about it, people!”
Isam was just finishing his letter to Sayeed, apologizing for his absence and detailing the procedures for staying in touch with the Americans, when he heard the knock on his front door. He hastily stuffed the letter under his computer keyboard and hurried out to see who was there. He was both surprised and disquieted to find Ashwar waiting there. “Sergeant. Does the Captain need me for something?”
'Not at the moment.” Ashwar was a big man, a head taller than Isam and much more heavily muscled than the tech's wiry frame. He leaned forward, trying to crowd the smaller man into backing up. “But I am... concerned, shall we say? What did you say to the Captain when you met him this afternoon?”
Isam stood his ground, his feline side making him stronger and a lot faster than he appeared and giving him the confidence to ignore the sergeant's attempt at physically dominating the conversation. “Sergeant, I would assume that he would have told you if he had wanted you to know. Not that it matters, now. It was merely an update to the delivery schedule.”
Ashwar glared. “And that was -all- you said to him? He kept me busy all day after you left. Very inconvenient for my... other duties.”
“And I am sure Captain Sayeed will make allowances for it if you were unable to do something because of this.” He gave the sergeant a speculative look. “Or were these additional duties not something assigned to you -by- the Captain?”
Ashwar scowled. “Do not push your luck, little man. We may need you for now, but the Imam knows that your faith is weak. You do not want to end up on the wrong side when your computers stop working.”
“I will keep your advice in mind, Ashwar. But for now, I do have work to do. Is there anything else?”
“We will be watching you, Isam. Be careful.” He turned and stalked off into the gathering darkness.
Isam watched him go. <I am getting out of here not a moment too soon.> He closed the door and went to finish his preparations.
The sun dropped below the horizon and the stars began to emerge one by one in the desert night. Half an hour after sunset, a door opened and shut quietly, and a figure slipped away, sticking to the shadows as much as possible. It was dressed in gray, the better to blend into those shadows (black actually stood out by being -too- dark) as it made its way to the edge of the town.
Isam had plotted a likely route to the rendezvous passable on four feet, along with a few alternate paths if it turned out that the overhead views missed some obstacle on the ground. He could travel faster as a leopard than as a human, and stealing a truck was not an option unless he -wanted- to lead the entire militia to the rendezvous. He glanced at his map one last time before stuffing it into the pack he was taking with him. He'd long since found secret ways in and out of the little town which he used on his monthly jaunts, and given Sayeed's complaints about the quality of his sentries, he did not anticipate that the militia was going to spot him this time, either. He was technically correct... the observer Ashwar had left behind was not one of Sayeed's soldiers.
Rafiq smiled as the door opened. <He -is- going somewhere. Maybe Ashwar was right about him. Maybe he -is- working with the infidels. I'll just find out where he's going. If I can find out who else is involved, I will earn the gratitude of the Imam.> He waited until Isam had gone around the corner, then hurried to peer around it and see where the computer tech was headed.
Isam glanced behind him again. He thought he'd seen someone for a moment a few streets back, but when he backtracked, he hadn't found anyone. He shook his head before ducking around the corner of the blind alley he used when his monthly excursions took him to the desert north of Al Suwar. There was little reason for anyone else to come into the dead-end at night, and as a leopard he could easily leap to the top of the buildings that blocked it off and make his way over the rooftops. He adjusted the straps on his pack to fit his other body, then stripped off his clothing and donned the pack before starting the shift.
Rafiq moved much more cautiously after the time he'd nearly been caught. He ducked behind a corner as Isam looked around this time and waited for a count of ten before peering out, just in time to see his quarry disappear down what he knew was a dead-end alley. He paused to wait for him to come out again.
A few minutes later, he crept carefully forward. <I hope he didn't manage to climb the walls and get away. I'd better make sure.>
Isam whoofed out a long breath in relief as he finished the change. The human mind – if he still qualified that way – never seemed to be able to properly recall pain, and it always hurt more than he remembered. He stretched to work out the residual cramps and kinks as muscle and bone settled into their new forms, extending each leg and paw to make sure he was ready for the trek.
He froze for just an instant at the gasp of alarm behind him before he spun around to snarl at the man who had just come around the corner of the alley. He shook his head, annoyed at being caught, then leapt over the wall that blocked off the alley while the human ran screaming back the way he'd come. <I'd better not miss the plane. I think this was what the wolf meant by burning bridges behind you...> He ran into the star-lit night.
The sergeant had just started his supper when he was interrupted by frantic pounding on his front door. “Ashwar! Ashwar! He... He is...”
Ashwar pulled the door open and yanked his informant inside. “Quiet! What's the matter with you?”
Rafiq was nearly ready to collapse, his chest heaving with the effort of pulling air into his lungs to be able to speak. “He.. demon cat... saw it...”
“What are you talking about? Isam is a sorcerer? You saw him speaking with his familiar?”
Rafiq shook his head. “No... he IS the demon... saw him change... leopard...”
“What!? Where!?”
“Alley... north side... show you...”
“I'll get my driver. We'll get Hafez on the way. It seems we are going to have a hunt tonight.”
Hafez had been the village's chief hunter as long as Ashwar could remember, and he shook his graying head at the traces in the alley. “Never saw anything like it. But Rafiq is right. Human tracks coming in, you can see here where he took his sandals off, this set of halfway prints, and then the cat leaping up...” He considered the orientation of the tracks. “Went up to the roof, probably kept moving in that direction. We'll have to pick him up on the other side.”
Ashwar nodded. “We will find him, and bring him to the Imam.”
“Easier said than done, Sergeant.” Hafez shook his head. “You can track animals because they tend to stay in their home ranges and move as little as they must. Isam won't be doing anything that foolish if he knows we're after him. Did he see you, Rafiq?”
“He did. He knows that we know his secret now.”
“So where might he be going?” Ashwar scowled at the hunter, wanting an answer.
“Well, let's see what direction he took off in first.” Hafez led the way around the block and searched for more tracks. It took him only a few minutes to realize that they led north, away from the river valley and into the hills above it. “He's not prowling like a normal leopard, that's certain. Heading north, and in a hurry about it. We're not going to catch up to him on foot any time soon.”
Ashwar nodded. “Of course. That's where the snake lives. No wonder he's been trying to get us to ignore her – he's one of her kind after all.” He turned to the others. “Ibrahim, get the rest of the squad. Omar, get two of the trucks fueled up. We're going to hunt him down. Maybe he'll lead us to the snake after all.”
Major Davis handled the take-off and the first fifty miles of the flight before letting the bat take over. “The Osprey doesn't handle quite like a helo -or- a standard fixed-wing, Captain. I gather that you have to be at the controls to pull off whatever voodoo you do with the radars, but if anything tricky turns up, you'd better hand off to me, no matter where we are. Your instincts for what to do will probably be wrong.”
Sterling nodded. “I read the reports from the initial trials. Practically every last one of the early crashes was due to pilot error, and that was with experienced test pilots. Gotta figure there's gonna be something wonky about an aircraft that -can't- land normally because the blade arc is too big. I'll let you handle anything that isn't basic.”
“I appreciate that, Captain. And I suspect our passengers do as well.”
“But with that in mind, I think it's time for me to take over. We don't want to vanish just as we're approaching their official airspace. Someone would probably notice.”
“Roger that. Copilot's plane.”
“Copilot has the plane. Ascending to six thousand.”
“You wished to see me, Imam?” The young computer tech was ill at ease in the presence of the village cleric, his instincts still remembering the recent days when such a summons from an ISIL-approved imam often lead to charges of apostasy.
Basir gave him a genuine smile. “Please, Isam, be seated. I merely wish your opinion on a few things.” He waited until the computer tech had settled in. “Our good captain is happy to receive American supplies, but I am not sure that he is suspicious enough of our mysterious benefactors.”
“In what way, Imam? He checks the supplies carefully as they arrive, and so far they have been of excellent quality.”
“I am thinking more of ultimate motives, Isam. Whoever this sorcerer really is, he knows far too much of our inner councils. What might he -really- want from us?”
Isam frowned. “That is not an easy question to answer, sir. It would depend on who he really is, of course. Anyone of sufficient means can obtain American material, and even the aircraft that appears briefly to deliver them is not proof that they really are Americans. The Hercules is in wide use.”
“You think that they might not be Americans after all?”
“I am merely pointing out the possibility, sir. Personally, I believe they are. The Arabic in the messages, while fluent, has... well, choices of phrasing that sound to me as if the person writing them is a native English speaker, and definitely not a Muslim.”
“I see. Very well, let us assume he is indeed an American. What ulterior motives might he have that he is not telling us about?”
Isam smiled. “Probably none at all, sir. The Americans are not a subtle people, for the most part. Even their politicians tend to assume that their childish attempts at deception and subtlety will not be noticed by their public, or even by their peers in other nations. Look at what the Iranians did to Obama's people.”
“And yet they prosper. How, if they are so naive?”
“They trust easily. But historically, when trust has been broken, they retaliate savagely. Remember, sir – they are still the only nation ever to use atomic weapons.”
“So you are saying...?”
“That if this is truly an American, he trusts us to oppose the Islamic State. And that it is in our own best interests not to betray that trust.”
“And there are no other motives?”
“He -has- discouraged us from pursuing the snake-demon, saying that his people will deal with her. Why he would wish to do so is unclear to me – perhaps he wishes to recruit her himself. The Americans try to keep their word once it is given, even to their own detriment. Their politicians may try to twist their oaths like a djinn would, but their own people react too strongly when they are caught truly breaking their word for them to risk it easily.”
Basir nodded. “Assuming he -is- an American.”
Isam nodded. “Assuming that, yes.”
“But whatever else he is, he would seem to be a sorcerer. Perhaps the snake -is- his secret motive. Do we wish to allow him to gain a demon ally in return for his assistance?”
Isam swallowed, suddenly nervous all over again. “That is a matter which I will leave to you, Imam. I suspect that the Captain will not wish to risk losing access to these new supplies any sooner than he must, though.”
The cleric frowned, thinking this over. “A very good point, Isam. I shall have to consider that.” He smiled again, standing while Isam scrambled to his feet. “Thank you for your insights. I shall let you return to your own tasks now.”
“You are most gracious, Imam.” He waited until he was outside the mosque before he let himself relax. <The old man -still- does not see the difference between the new powers and trafficking with demons. If he should ever suspect what -I- can do...> He shuddered and headed back to his computers.
“Captain?”
Sayeed smiled at the computer tech. “What can I do for you, Isam?”
“There is another message from our friend. There will be a delivery tomorrow, but not tonight.”
“They haven't missed two nights in a row before. Did they give any idea why?”
“Nothing that was stated. One suspects that they have other deliveries to make. We may not be the only ones to try to escape from the Council, after all. And the message -did- hint that the the Council's attempt to coerce us might be running into some... unexpected delays. Perhaps our invisible plane will be dropping bombs instead of supplies.”
Sayeed chuckled. “I find that I can view their misfortunes without much concern, Isam. Insh'allah.”
Isam leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Imam Basir called me over to speak with him earlier today. He is suspicious of our benefactor's insistence that we leave the snake alone. If he should find out that there is no delivery tonight, he may ask you to go hunting for her again.”
“And you do not agree that this would be a good idea, I presume...?”
“I see no reason to go out of our way to offend one who is helping us, particularly when the snake has not been giving us any trouble.” Isam looked up as one of the militia squad leaders started toward them. “And I have seen Sergeant Ashwar around the Imam's office rather more often than any of your other people.”
Sayeed nodded. “Perhaps a training day is in order, then, to keep him busy. Thank you, my friend.” He turned as Isam headed back into the town. “Ah, Ashwar. Just the man I wanted to see. Call your squad together, we're going to be doing some maneuver training this afternoon...”
Lowe held up a finger as her computer chimed to indicate an incoming email from one of her special accounts. “Hold that thought, Elizabeth. I need to check what's come in...”
From: Isam bin Yusuf
You plan to offer the snake-creature asylum, I think. I wish to seek asylum as well. Our Imam is not a proponent of the Islamic Council, but neither does he have any tolerance for the new ways. He thinks she is a demon, and that you are a sorcerer who wishes to use her powers. He is not an ally you can trust - and I fear that he will discover what -I- am sooner or later.
“Interesting...”
“What's come up, ma'am?”
“Our contact in Al-Suwar wants asylum as well. I think I should look in on him.”
Elizabeth grinned. “I'll get the fireplace lit, ma'am.”
“Thank you.” The message that she sent back was short and to the point. 'Find a mirror and a place you will not be overheard.'
Isam locked the door to his computer study and turned up the fans and air conditioners to block any attempt at eavesdropping before setting his old shaving mirror on the table beside his system. Ten minutes later, the reflection swirled and the image of a white-furred lupine head appeared instead. “Most interesting. Isam bin Yusuf is not your true name after all, I see. Why the pseudonym...?”
Isam, for his part, was surprised. “You're a woman!”
The wolf chuckled. “All my life. This isn't going to be a problem, is it?”
He shook his head. “My apologies. I was surprised. We have been speaking of you as 'the American sorcerer' these past two weeks, and I had forgotten that we didn't actually -know-. You -are- going to bring the snake-woman out, correct? Can you get me out as well?”
“Possibly. But the timing is very tight. You would need to travel to a location twelve miles away in a straight line through the hills north of Al Suwar no later than two hours past midnight -tonight-. Can you make it there in time? Without being followed?”
“I think so. They do not know what, or even who, I truly am. Imam Basir is suspicious of the Captain's motives, and yours, but not of me so far.”
“As I noted earlier – why the pseudonym?”
“Because the Event made me younger. My son is still in the United States as far as I know, and I took his identity to explain why I looked twenty-five years old rather than fifty-five.”
The wolf sat up, suddenly focusing more intently on him. “Indeed? And was there any other effect you noticed?”
Isam huffed a bitter laugh. “Nothing major. Aside from being able to turn into a leopard. And -having- to do so at least once a month, which has been somewhat interesting these last few years.”
“Oh, we -definitely- have to get you out, then. I will send you the location. Don't let anyone else find out, though. I'll be watching, but I won't be able to contact you easily. But remember, you have to make it by two in the morning. That's the scheduled departure time for our extraction team. If you don't make it, I'm not sure when, or even if, I'll be able to arrange for another flight. Do your best, but unless you're sure you can make it, don't burn any bridges behind you.”
“Thank you, Lady Wolf. I will be there, if Allah wills it.”
“Major Davis, Master Sergeant McKenna, Seal Team Four.” Sterling glanced around the conference room, where the two Marines – pilot and loadmaster - had just finished the final mission briefing. “Before we dismiss to start loading, I have just been informed of one last-minute change.” This statement was met with a general groan and the bat grinned. “Hey, if you can't take a joke, why'd you join up?” This led to a brief chorus of rude remarks. “Seriously. It should not affect much of the mission profile. But the perimeter scouts should watch for one extra passenger if he can make it. He may be a human, or a leopard on four feet – my sources tell me he's a shape-shifter.”
Senior Chief Hanson chuckled. “And so we know -why- he wants out.”
“Aye. Can't be comfortable for any Changeling to be stuck in a place where ISIL runs things. I will be in intermittent contact with NSA during the mission, so they'll be able to warn me about any further last-minute difficulties, but for now this is where we stand. Let's be about it, people!”
Isam was just finishing his letter to Sayeed, apologizing for his absence and detailing the procedures for staying in touch with the Americans, when he heard the knock on his front door. He hastily stuffed the letter under his computer keyboard and hurried out to see who was there. He was both surprised and disquieted to find Ashwar waiting there. “Sergeant. Does the Captain need me for something?”
'Not at the moment.” Ashwar was a big man, a head taller than Isam and much more heavily muscled than the tech's wiry frame. He leaned forward, trying to crowd the smaller man into backing up. “But I am... concerned, shall we say? What did you say to the Captain when you met him this afternoon?”
Isam stood his ground, his feline side making him stronger and a lot faster than he appeared and giving him the confidence to ignore the sergeant's attempt at physically dominating the conversation. “Sergeant, I would assume that he would have told you if he had wanted you to know. Not that it matters, now. It was merely an update to the delivery schedule.”
Ashwar glared. “And that was -all- you said to him? He kept me busy all day after you left. Very inconvenient for my... other duties.”
“And I am sure Captain Sayeed will make allowances for it if you were unable to do something because of this.” He gave the sergeant a speculative look. “Or were these additional duties not something assigned to you -by- the Captain?”
Ashwar scowled. “Do not push your luck, little man. We may need you for now, but the Imam knows that your faith is weak. You do not want to end up on the wrong side when your computers stop working.”
“I will keep your advice in mind, Ashwar. But for now, I do have work to do. Is there anything else?”
“We will be watching you, Isam. Be careful.” He turned and stalked off into the gathering darkness.
Isam watched him go. <I am getting out of here not a moment too soon.> He closed the door and went to finish his preparations.
The sun dropped below the horizon and the stars began to emerge one by one in the desert night. Half an hour after sunset, a door opened and shut quietly, and a figure slipped away, sticking to the shadows as much as possible. It was dressed in gray, the better to blend into those shadows (black actually stood out by being -too- dark) as it made its way to the edge of the town.
Isam had plotted a likely route to the rendezvous passable on four feet, along with a few alternate paths if it turned out that the overhead views missed some obstacle on the ground. He could travel faster as a leopard than as a human, and stealing a truck was not an option unless he -wanted- to lead the entire militia to the rendezvous. He glanced at his map one last time before stuffing it into the pack he was taking with him. He'd long since found secret ways in and out of the little town which he used on his monthly jaunts, and given Sayeed's complaints about the quality of his sentries, he did not anticipate that the militia was going to spot him this time, either. He was technically correct... the observer Ashwar had left behind was not one of Sayeed's soldiers.
Rafiq smiled as the door opened. <He -is- going somewhere. Maybe Ashwar was right about him. Maybe he -is- working with the infidels. I'll just find out where he's going. If I can find out who else is involved, I will earn the gratitude of the Imam.> He waited until Isam had gone around the corner, then hurried to peer around it and see where the computer tech was headed.
Isam glanced behind him again. He thought he'd seen someone for a moment a few streets back, but when he backtracked, he hadn't found anyone. He shook his head before ducking around the corner of the blind alley he used when his monthly excursions took him to the desert north of Al Suwar. There was little reason for anyone else to come into the dead-end at night, and as a leopard he could easily leap to the top of the buildings that blocked it off and make his way over the rooftops. He adjusted the straps on his pack to fit his other body, then stripped off his clothing and donned the pack before starting the shift.
Rafiq moved much more cautiously after the time he'd nearly been caught. He ducked behind a corner as Isam looked around this time and waited for a count of ten before peering out, just in time to see his quarry disappear down what he knew was a dead-end alley. He paused to wait for him to come out again.
A few minutes later, he crept carefully forward. <I hope he didn't manage to climb the walls and get away. I'd better make sure.>
Isam whoofed out a long breath in relief as he finished the change. The human mind – if he still qualified that way – never seemed to be able to properly recall pain, and it always hurt more than he remembered. He stretched to work out the residual cramps and kinks as muscle and bone settled into their new forms, extending each leg and paw to make sure he was ready for the trek.
He froze for just an instant at the gasp of alarm behind him before he spun around to snarl at the man who had just come around the corner of the alley. He shook his head, annoyed at being caught, then leapt over the wall that blocked off the alley while the human ran screaming back the way he'd come. <I'd better not miss the plane. I think this was what the wolf meant by burning bridges behind you...> He ran into the star-lit night.
The sergeant had just started his supper when he was interrupted by frantic pounding on his front door. “Ashwar! Ashwar! He... He is...”
Ashwar pulled the door open and yanked his informant inside. “Quiet! What's the matter with you?”
Rafiq was nearly ready to collapse, his chest heaving with the effort of pulling air into his lungs to be able to speak. “He.. demon cat... saw it...”
“What are you talking about? Isam is a sorcerer? You saw him speaking with his familiar?”
Rafiq shook his head. “No... he IS the demon... saw him change... leopard...”
“What!? Where!?”
“Alley... north side... show you...”
“I'll get my driver. We'll get Hafez on the way. It seems we are going to have a hunt tonight.”
Hafez had been the village's chief hunter as long as Ashwar could remember, and he shook his graying head at the traces in the alley. “Never saw anything like it. But Rafiq is right. Human tracks coming in, you can see here where he took his sandals off, this set of halfway prints, and then the cat leaping up...” He considered the orientation of the tracks. “Went up to the roof, probably kept moving in that direction. We'll have to pick him up on the other side.”
Ashwar nodded. “We will find him, and bring him to the Imam.”
“Easier said than done, Sergeant.” Hafez shook his head. “You can track animals because they tend to stay in their home ranges and move as little as they must. Isam won't be doing anything that foolish if he knows we're after him. Did he see you, Rafiq?”
“He did. He knows that we know his secret now.”
“So where might he be going?” Ashwar scowled at the hunter, wanting an answer.
“Well, let's see what direction he took off in first.” Hafez led the way around the block and searched for more tracks. It took him only a few minutes to realize that they led north, away from the river valley and into the hills above it. “He's not prowling like a normal leopard, that's certain. Heading north, and in a hurry about it. We're not going to catch up to him on foot any time soon.”
Ashwar nodded. “Of course. That's where the snake lives. No wonder he's been trying to get us to ignore her – he's one of her kind after all.” He turned to the others. “Ibrahim, get the rest of the squad. Omar, get two of the trucks fueled up. We're going to hunt him down. Maybe he'll lead us to the snake after all.”
Major Davis handled the take-off and the first fifty miles of the flight before letting the bat take over. “The Osprey doesn't handle quite like a helo -or- a standard fixed-wing, Captain. I gather that you have to be at the controls to pull off whatever voodoo you do with the radars, but if anything tricky turns up, you'd better hand off to me, no matter where we are. Your instincts for what to do will probably be wrong.”
Sterling nodded. “I read the reports from the initial trials. Practically every last one of the early crashes was due to pilot error, and that was with experienced test pilots. Gotta figure there's gonna be something wonky about an aircraft that -can't- land normally because the blade arc is too big. I'll let you handle anything that isn't basic.”
“I appreciate that, Captain. And I suspect our passengers do as well.”
“But with that in mind, I think it's time for me to take over. We don't want to vanish just as we're approaching their official airspace. Someone would probably notice.”
“Roger that. Copilot's plane.”
“Copilot has the plane. Ascending to six thousand.”
Category Story / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 120 x 115px
File Size 68 kB
Listed in Folders
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