Part 6 (1/2)

Hex calmed down first, tried to get the conversation back on track, but started chuckling instead, which set everyone off again. Gradually their mirth subsided.

Li felt a lot better. Paulo had cleverly cleared the air. 'Listen,' she said, 'didn't the vet say there was a drugs black market? Maybe that suspicious guy got the ketamine a bit cheap for general use around the animals and was trying to hide the fact.' She glanced at Paulo. 'What do you think, Enrique?'

Amber began chuckling again, then Paulo. That started Hex and Alex and before they knew it they were all helpless again.

Amber wiped a tear from her eye. 'Alex, just get this out of your system. Why don't you go and look at the bothy again now? There are enough of us here to sort out the kayaking gear for tomorrow. Go and do what you need to do.'

Li felt mean for being irritated with him earlier. 'I'll come with you,' she said. 'Kayaking's not my thing. I feel like another walk.'

Li and Alex climbed into the hills just as the sun was setting. The clouds had turned to purple and crimson; the mountains stood out black against a golden halo, as though there was a glowing fire just behind them. The two friends carried torches but preferred to keep them switched off, soaking up the silence, the vast purpling sky, the fresh cooling air. An owl rose out of the trees, its wings a wide silhouette, silent as a glider.

'This is so lovely,' said Li. 'What a pity people come here to kill things. That lodge rears pheasants and grouse for people to kill. And that pop star, or whoever she was, was out shooting deer today who'd want to shoot a deer?'

'I suppose people pay a lot of money to hunt,' said Alex.

'They do in that place,' said Li. 'You know what annoys me, it's not necessary. It's not like some of the parts of the world we've been to, where you have to be self-sufficient. If we were in the middle of the jungle and we had to kill something to get a meal, I've no problem with that. But a bunch of rich Hooray Henrys they can't eat a whole deer and they probably wouldn't want to.'

They started to climb more steeply, pulling themselves up on rocks that jutted out of the wiry gra.s.s. 'Have you seen Glaickvullin village?' said Alex.

'No.'

'I saw it last week when I took Amber down to get more insulin.' Amber was a diabetic and had to take regular medication, but she didn't let it cramp her style.

'And?' said Li.

'Well, you know Tongue?'

'Yes.' Tongue was a tiny village; they went there to get petrol and diesel for the vehicles. Aside from the petrol station it had a hotel, a bank, a farm and some cottages. That was all.

'Glaickvullin's like a different planet,' said Alex.

'How?'

They reached the top of the hill. Below, the white walls of the hostel reflected the sunset glow.

'It's got a posh country clothing shop and a gift shop selling lots of things marked WITH LOVE FROM SCOTLAND WITH LOVE FROM SCOTLAND. There are a lot of local people making a living out of the people who come here to shoot. And then there are the gamekeepers it's a traditional job. They have to look after the environment, farming the heather, making sure the animals on the estate are healthy...'

Li paused, hands on hips. 'But they shoot so many birds they have to keep rearing more of them or they'd die out.'

'Many more of them are released than are shot. A lot of them go and live in the wild.'

They marched on again. 'That doesn't make sense, Alex. If there are a lot of them in the wild, why do the keepers have to breed them?'

'Too many natural predators. And the weather's so cold up here that partridge and pheasant don't breed. The point is, it's a natural resource, like oil. The gamekeepers make sure it's managed in a responsible, sustainable way.'

'You sound like you've been finding out a lot about this.'

'My mum has. She doesn't want me to have a job where I might get shot at, like my dad. My careers officer told her about gamekeeping and she thought it would be perfect the outdoors, and a few guns, but-'

'But nice and safe. Birds and deer can't shoot back.'

'Precisely,' said Alex. 'She's worried I'm going to try for the armed forces again.' Some time ago Alex had applied to join the army but had been turned down. He'd been gutted, but he'd never quite let go of the dream.

They walked on. Instead of wiry gra.s.s swis.h.i.+ng against their legs they felt brittle twigs which smelled charred. The gamekeepers had been out burning heather, which kept it in good condition to provide cover for the birds.

'Parents, huh?' said Li. 'Always trying to wrap you in cotton wool.'

'Yeah,' said Alex. 'Can't be easy for Mum, though. She gets so worried about Dad. Hey were you checked out by the police before this trip? To see if you had any criminal history before they let you look after the kids?'

Li nodded. 'Yeah. I was dead scared what they'd turn up. All these things we've done over the past few years I know it wasn't illegal but I'd hate my parents to know about it.'

Alex agreed. 'I was scared stiff until they gave me the all-clear.' He turned his torch on to check his compa.s.s. It was fully dark now; the torch would have to stay on.

'So what does the future hold for you, Li?'

'I have an uncle with a traditional martial arts school in Shanghai.'

Alex asked, half joking, 'Is there a Cheong style of martial arts?'

'Actually there is. There are thousands of traditional family styles of martial arts throughout the country.'

'And might the Cheong academy be getting a dynamic new sensei?'

Li sighed. 'I don't know. I'd really, really like to carry it on. They all say I'm the natural successor, but I don't know if I'm ready to settle down.'

Settle down. The words made Alex feel sad.

Li stopped and shone the torch around. 'Hey,' she whispered. The beam caught a stone wall twenty metres away.

'That's it,' said Alex.

They crept up in silence. The bothy was dark. Alex's torch reflected off the windows in a white slick. He peered inside. It all looked much the same as earlier that day.

Li tried the door. 'Locked.'

Alex stood back and shone his torch over the building. It looked peaceful and quiet, like an empty house.

Li went and stood close to him. 'What now?'

'I feel like a right twit. But I'd like to stay for a bit, see if anything happens.'

There was a low stone wall that went round one side of the bothy, like a garden wall. They sat down beside it, huddling into the shadow. The two friends could have carried on their conversation, but now things were different. This was a mission.

After about ten minutes a new sound joined the peaceful night sounds. At first it was barely noticeable, like a buzzing insect, but bit by bit it became louder. An engine. Coming their way.

Li gripped Alex's arm. Two pinpoints of light bounced up the hill. Headlights.