Sebastian Darke: Prince of Explorers Read Free Page B

stone arrowhead. The cessation of the pain was such a relief that he slipped back into unconsciousness once again.
     
 
     
His eyes opened. Daylight. The white-bearded man was kneeling beside him, shaking some kind of decorative rattle over his head while he chanted in a long, low monotone. 'Go away,' said Sebastian, quite clearly; and the man stopped chanting for a moment and stared down at him in surprise. Then he resumed his chanting and Sebastian slept once more.
     
 
     
His eyes opened. The woman – the one he had seen at the fight – was sitting beside him, and once again her hand was on his face, stroking it, following the contours of his profile with her fingertips, as though she had never seen anyone like him before. He managed to lift a hand to hold her wrist, but she pulled it away from him and he did not have the strength to hold on. He slept.
     
 
     
Between each vision he was aware that time had passed – but he could not say if it was hours, days or moons.
     
 
     
And then came the day when he awoke and was able to stay conscious for long enough to take stock of his surroundings. He saw that he was lying on a bed of straw in a large hut made of slender branches and woven vegetation. A short distance away from him, a metal pan bubbled over a fire, which accounted for the smoke in the air. Through an open doorway he could hear the sounds of people – children laughing and calling to each other, mutts barking; the general unidentified sounds of habitation. There was a thick woven blanket over him and he eased it back gingerly to look at his bare chest. The wound was livid red and seemed to be packed with a poultice of mud and leaves, but it looked as if it might be healing. Merely breathing caused him considerable discomfort, and when he coughed unexpectedly, the pain was so intense that he slipped back into unconsciousness again, fighting it all the way . . .
     
 
     
He woke again and knew that this time he would be able to stay awake for a while. It was dark and the hut was lit by the glow of a lantern. A small figure was slumped beside him on a seat made out of bales of straw. His head was bowed; he was obviously asleep. Sebastian made an effort and cleared his throat, though the action caused a stab of pain to lance into his chest.
     
Cornelius jerked awake and raised his head. He looked a lot happier than the last time Sebastian had seen him. He leaned forward and placed a hand on Sebastian's shoulder. 'How are you?' he asked.
     
Sebastian tried to speak but his throat was so dry, all that emerged was a croak. Cornelius picked up an animal skin and lifted it to Sebastian's mouth, allowing a stream of water to trickle down his throat. It was warm and brackish, but at that moment it was the best thing that Sebastian had ever tasted.
     
'Careful now,' Cornelius advised him. 'Just a little bit at first.' He eased the water away and beamed at his friend. 'It's good to have you back,' he said. 'For a while there, I was sure we were going to lose you. You were very close to death, my friend – as close as you'll ever get without slipping into the deep.'
     
Sebastian nodded. 'I . . . I believe you,' he murmured. 'It felt as though I was close.' He lifted his head to gaze around. 'Where exactly are we?' he asked.
     
'We're in the village guesthouse,' said Cornelius.
     
'The . . . village?'
     
'Yes. It belongs to a tribe who call themselves the Jilith. I don't know how much you remember about the fight . . .'
     
'I remember . . . those awful creatures . . . and then some people arrived . . . they saved us . . .'
     
'That's right. A hunting party chanced upon us when we were under attack. They came to our rescue.'
     
Sebastian began to remember more details. 'Karl and Samuel . . .' he said. 'Those great hairy brutes came out of the jungle . . . and killed them!'
     
Cornelius sighed. 'It was a terrible end for them both,' he said. 'I can't help but feel responsible for what