Winter of the Passion Flower (The de Vargas Family) (7 page)

“I think you handled traveling across two
centuries with more aplomb than the last four hours, Captain.”

Zane glared at her, his hasty exit from the
vehicle leaving him a little embarrassed.

“Now, don’t forget to watch out for
jaguars, cougars… and oh…there are anacondas here too. And don’t put your hands
or feet in the water because there are electric eels and piranha in the river.”
Indigo said the grin spreading across her face

She burst into peals of laughter and he
ignored her.

“We shall discuss my remuneration in
greater detail when we return from the voyage, Madame,” he replied stiffly.
Turning his back on her, he walked away to explore the compound, examining the
old rusted vehicles and discarded equipment littering the small area. Vines and
broad-leafed vegetation covered the buildings, the solid green curtain
contrasting with the rusted machinery. Broken windows and doors hanging from
corroded hinges gave the place an air of neglect and it appeared as if it was rarely
used for the expedition base it was purported to be. Zane glanced and across at
Luis who gestured for him to assist with the unloading of the vehicle.

After the vehicle was unpacked, Luis drove
it behind the smaller building, immediately camouflaging the large machine with
loose vines. He constantly scanned the perimeter of the compound as he worked,
appearing uneasy. Speaking to Indigo in fast Spanish, she turned to Zane. “Luis
says there has been more traffic on the road than usual today. He is rather
concerned. We must take extra caution.”

Indigo entered the building, beckoning Zane
to follow. “This was a base for the copper miners at the end of the twentieth
century. When the mining boom declined, copper mines were abandoned throughout
the Amazon basin. This suits our needs, as no one usually comes up here. It
provides a safe base for gathering our blooms. We will eat and rest before we
embark on the next leg of our trip. It is impossible to travel through the
jungle in the heat of the day. “

Luis handed her a set of small keys before
disappearing outside once more. Moving across to the back of the abandoned
building, Indigo unlocked a door camouflaged by a piece of ripped hessian
before ushering Zane ahead of her into a large room. Tinned food lined the
shelves on one wall and two bunk beds were secured to the opposite wall. Crates
in a clear white transparent material were stacked along the back of the room.

Indigo heated a tin of meat stew on the
stove and Zane moved around the small building. He was still enthralled by the
thought of being in the future and wanted to retain as much in his memory as he
could. Picking up unfamiliar objects, he examined each one closely; interested
in the strange shapes and materials He removed the lid of a small white crate,
jumping as it made a sharp snapping sound.

“It’s called plastic,” said Indigo. “It
will be exhibited for the first time at the second Great Exhibition in 1862.
The government of our day resists every move to share these wonderful
inventions with the general populace. Prince Albert, our Consort, has been
fighting for an Exhibition of All Nations for many months. It will be wonderful
to see Henry Cole bring the consort’s dream to fruition.”

Zane smiled at the passion in her voice and
the light in her eyes as she emphasized each point. His gaze locked on hers; he
was almost bewitched by this woman and fought to control his response to her.

Now was not the time.

He grinned to himself, trying to figure out
what ‘now’ really meant to him. Shaking his hand in wonder he looked up as
Indigo continued speaking.

“We must confront conformity and
complacency.’ She held his gaze and her eyes were dark. “We can make the world
a much better place. We must unite to overcome the resistance of our
government. It is up to us, the common people, to move our society forward.
Look at the things we see in this century. We must be ready for the Exhibition
in May. I believe the duke is under pressure from the parliament to stop my
display at any cost, so we must work even harder to have our product ready.”

Zane thought her words sounded impressive,
but wondered at her sincerity.

 “You are hardly a member of the
common people, Madame Indigo de Vargas y Irausquínno. Your cliff top manor and
the way you pander to the rich with your elegant holiday retreat speak
otherwise to me. Your passion is admirable but what do you know of the people
in the dark alleys and the lower-class hovels?”

Her eyes narrowed as she stared back at
him.

“Don’t take what you see at face value,
Captain Dogooder. You may be in for a surprise or two.” He watched as she
turned back to the stove, lifting the pan and dropping it on the table with a
loud crash.

“There is food here, if you are hungry,”
she said tersely.

He smiled to himself as she moved across to
the bunks, kicking off her boots, before stretching out on the bottom bed. Her
beauty intensified even as her temper flared.

“I would suggest you rest while you can, as
we have a long night ahead. It will be a hot and uncomfortable trip. Luis is
used to the humidity of the jungle. He will load the barge while we rest.” She
rolled over, turning her back to him.

Zane did not reply. He ignored the food
congealing on the stovetop and climbed to the top bunk mulling over the day’s
events and the enigma of Indigo de Vargas y Irausquínno.

* * * *

Zane appeared fascinated by the energy of
the rainforest as Luis steered the barge along the side of the wide river.
Indigo was well used to it and had too much on her mind to appreciate the
beauty as she usually did. She loved the jungle, it appealed to her nature; it
was much more liberating than the Cornish society where she had to maintain
decorum…
most
of the time.

The heat and the expectation of danger
around every corner made the jungle an exciting place to be. The water racing
past the barge held her gaze as she lost herself in her thoughts and after a
while she glanced up to find Zane staring at the shoreline mesmerized by the
scene in front of them. Festive parrots danced along the low hanging branches
and black-capped capuchin monkeys chattered at them as they peered curiously
through the leaves. Occasionally, a black-collared hawk with iridescent green
wing feathers dove down from high above, pinning them with a steely gaze as he
swooped past. The movement of the barge disturbed the river life as taricaya
turtles popped their heads curiously above the surface to peer at them with
sleepy eyes.

Contrasting with the natural beauty were
occasional villages which Luis avoided, steering to the opposite side of the
river, and the barge slipped by quietly, unnoticed by the occasional native on
the shore. The electric motor propelled them through the water silently. Zane
stared intently at the small villages as they slipped past.

“The twenty-first century and still the
wealth of the elite has not been shared with all members of society,” said
Indigo.

As the sun disappeared behind the treetops,
the jungle fell silent instantly and darkness was complete within minutes. Luis
turned the barge into a small bay where the jungle thinned. After securing it
by rope to a small pontoon, Luis walked along the bank, scanning the edge of
the jungle and speaking quietly to himself. Indigo followed the light from his
flashlight, moving along the mud on the riverbank.

“There has been a boat here today,” Luis
pointed to the riverbank. “See… there are marks in the mud and the broken
vegetation?” His voice was concerned.

“They have gone now, but all the more
reason for taking extra care,” whispered Indigo. Fear clutched at her throat
but she tried to hide it. “There is something not right. Keep your ears and
eyes open. We will work with one small light. Luis, we will take the back path
to the plantation tonight, in case there is someone on the main track.”

Luis nodded. “
Caminar en silencio
”

Indigo translated. “Luis agrees. We must
walk silently.”

 After the small crates were loaded
into three large hessian bags and water flasks were attached to their belts,
Luis led them into the jungle and forged ahead. His flashlight provided a small
pinprick of light for them to follow at a distance.

“Stay behind me and hold the back of my
pack,” Indigo whispered. Zane followed her closely, holding her pack as they pushed
their way along the track for more than an hour. Rustling and scurrying in the
trees edging the track kept them alert.

Indigo was about to call to Luis for a
break when suddenly the light ahead disappeared. There was a short sharp cry,
then silence. Indigo grabbed Zane, pulling him off the track. Dropping her
backpack, she whispered urgently for him to follow her.

“Leave your bag here, be absolutely silent.
Our lives depend on it. With a bit of luck, we may have been far enough away
and they think Luis was travelling alone.”

Moving stealthily in the darkness, Indigo
and Zane walked deep into the jungle. Using a small flashlight covered with a
piece of hessian ripped from one of the bags, Zane held it low to light their
way. Indigo bit back a scream as a snake with a circumference as thick as man’s
wrist slithered lazily across the path before them.

“God, this whole voyage is turning into a
disaster,” she muttered under her breath.

 After another ten minutes, she pulled
on Zane’s arm. “We will take a brief rest. I only hope they weren’t watching
for us and didn’t see the three of us on the boat. We will have to take the
long climb to the plantation now. It is isolated, but I am sure no one can find
it without following us.” Her voice shook—she was concerned for Luis. He had
been guiding her for the last few trips and although he was a private man, she
knew he had a young family back in Ilo.

Zane reached out to her and pulled her into
a close embrace and for a moment she leaned her head on his shoulder and
accepted his concern. He rested his chin on top of her head and she closed her
eyes; it was not often she allowed a man to offer her comfort.

“Come on.” She pulled away impatient with
her moment of weakness. “It is time to go or we will not have enough time to
pick the blooms.”

They set off again and climbed steadily for
another hour in complete silence as Indigo led Zane along the familiar path.
Occasionally, a glimmer of moonlight lit their way as the top of the rainforest
canopy thinned.

“We are almost there,” she said quietly.
Stepping over a large log, the ground opened beneath her feet. Bouncing down
the steep sides, Indigo screamed as she slid to the bottom of a deep pit. She
lay winded on the soft leaves covering the base, groaning with frustration.

“Indigo, are you all right?” Zane’s
concerned voice came from above, his head silhouetted by the soft moonlight.
“Damn it, answer me, woman. Can you hear me?”

“I’m all right,” she called up to him. “I
didn’t realize we were so close to the plantation. This is one of our own
traps.”

Crawling around on her hands and knees,
Indigo felt around for one of the ropes she knew was hidden in the pit. Seconds
later, she choked back another scream. Her hands encountered a skull, sightless
eyes staring up at her in the faint moonlight. Worms wound their way through
the sunken eye sockets. Breathing slowly and deeply, she moved away from it and
felt her way around the side of the pit, encountering more bones as she moved
to the edge.

“You need to get me out of here quickly,
Captain.” she called, her voice shaking. “There should be ropes hidden in the
log we stepped over just before I fell. Hurry.”

The sound of his footsteps and muttered
cursing drifted down to her and within minutes a rope snaked down the sides of
the long drop. Tying the rope securely around her waist, she called up to him
and Zane began to slowly pull her up. As she neared the edge of the pit, he
took the full weight of her body, and it must have thrown him off balance. She
began to slide back down as the rope slackened and she let loose with a string
of profanities. The rope tightened as Zane took up the slack and she bounced
against the side of the pit.

“Fuck!”

“Sorry.” Zane adjusted the rope to her
weight and she grabbed for handholds on the side of the pit as he pulled her to
the top. Soon her head and shoulders were above the edge of the pit and the
muscles in her calves burned as she braced her legs against the sides and
pushed with her toes as Zane pulled her up the last few feet.

As she clambered over the edge of the drop
to the path, Zane tried to pull her close, but Indigo pushed him away. Backing
away from the edge, she sat on the ground and pulled her legs up, lowering her
head to her knees, trying to control the shaking of her limbs and fight the
nausea rising in her throat

 As she regained her composure, she
looked up at Zane who was hovering over her. “We are in danger, Captain. They
have found their way to the plantation.”

“Can you hear something? How do you know?”

“No, there are three bodies in the pit.”