Page 62 of Wild Temple
"You’re never going to get the map," Brooke said.
Caspian’s jovial demeanor faded. "Yes, I am." The scumbag snapped his fingers, and a soldier emerged from the jungle in the distance. He dragged Hannah along. She was bound at the wrist and gagged. Tears streamed from her eyes, and her hair was a tousled mess. She was thin and pale and probably hadn't been eating. I'm sure they'd kept her doped up, but it was starting to wear off now. Her skin would be crawling before long.
Caspian said to the soldier, "If they don't hand over the map, shoot her."
The soldier drew his pistol and put it to Hannah's head.
That smug smile returned. "I'm going to ask you one more time. Where's the map?"
Brooke swallowed hard, her eyes round with fear. “It doesn’t exist anymore.”
Caspian‘s eyes narrowed at her. “That’s too bad. Your friend was so pretty. Now she has to die.” Caspian shouted to the soldier, “Kill her!”
Brooke’s eyes bugged out of their sockets. “No! Please!”
Caspian signaled the soldier to hold up. “Are you ready to stop playing games?”
“If you want to find Pura Jiva, I’m the only one who can take you there. And I won’t do it if you kill Hannah or anyone else,” she said through tears, rage consuming her face.
Caspian lifted an impressed brow. “Well, look who’s got spunk!”
He told the soldiers to frisk us, then search the tent for the map.
“You’ll never find it.”
“Why is that, my dear?”
“Because I ate it,” she said with a sneer.
A scowl tensed Caspian’s face. “If that’s the case, you have made a grave mistake.” He leaned close and spoke in a low,measured tone that was more ominous than a growl. “What makes you think I won’t cut it out of your belly?”
38
If Brooke was frightened before. She was terrified now. With her eyes round like saucers, she swallowed hard again.
A soldier found the diary. He handed it to Caspian. He flipped through the pages until he came across one that had been torn out, confirming Brooke’s story.
“She knows the map inside and out,” I said, trying to head off the situation. “She’ll lead us there.”
Caspian gave me a curious look. “Us?”
"We’ll help you get to the temple. Once you have what you want, you let us all go."
Caspian laughed again. "You're still under the mistaken idea that you have anything to negotiate with. I don’t need your help."
"I don't know if you’ve considered this, but your soldiers won’t make the full journey. Locals believe it is bad luck to trespass on the sacred land. They don’t want to anger thespirits. You need someone who has experience navigating the jungle if you expect to make it to Pura Jiva and back.”
“I suppose that someone is you?“
“I can get you there and back.”
Caspian considered it for a moment. Then he spoke to a soldier in his native tongue, asking him about Pura Jiva. By the look on Caspian’s face, he didn’t like the response.
A slight smirk tugged my lips. “Told you.”
“The guardians protect the temples. Only the pure can enter,” the soldier said. “All others are cursed.”
“Looks like you won’t be entering the temple,” I snarked.
