Journey from Darkness by Gareth Crocker & Llewellyn Crocker

Author:Gareth Crocker & Llewellyn Crocker [Crocker, Gareth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781415206607
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
Published: 2012-09-06T22:00:00+00:00

28

Xavier sat on the bench under the shade of his dying hut, a cut-throat razor swinging between his fingers. Although barely mid-morning, bloated beads of sweat already clung like ticks to his neck. As he held up the blade to his face and prepared for what would be his first shave in more than two weeks, he took a moment to consider his reflection in the steel. He was pleased by what the world saw of him. Unlike so many other hunters who spent their days trawling through the bush, whose hard and sun-lined features embodied the nature of their work, he carried the looks of a man more suited to a life in high political office or perhaps even treading the boards in London’s West End. His dark hair and bright green eyes were undermined only by a faint scar that trailed down the length of his left cheek. The man who gave it to him, in a drunken knife fight outside a bar in Northern Rhodesia, lived to regret it – for a period spanning less than a minute. Despite how the wound had angered him at the time, in many ways he was now grateful to the man. The scar added an agreeable and sometimes necessary edge to his presence. It was of particular use when negotiating with new buyers – men who were not yet familiar with him or his ways, who sometimes imagined they saw kindness or even weakness behind his features where none existed. The old wound acted in tandem with both his large frame and a number of vivid tattoos that stained his arms and neck – etchings of birds, winged horses and black angels coalescing with French verses.

‘What are you going to do with her?’ Requin whispered, perched on the edge of the bench, his eyes shifting between his brother and the naked young prostitute standing in the burning sun. They had picked her up in town and promised her more money if she would accompany them back to their cabin. They had assured her it was only a few miles away. This, like the promise of a larger payment, had been a lie.

‘How about I–’ Requin began.

‘Please let me go! I’ve done everything you’ve asked,’ the girl suddenly pleaded, her face red and swollen from a night spent in Xavier’s bed.

‘Please be quiet, darling,’ Xavier cooed, drawing the cut-throat over his chin.

The girl hugged herself, stepping nervously from foot to foot. ‘You’re going to kill me … aren’t you? I know you are!’

Xavier frowned and pressed the blade to his mouth, encouraging her silence. ‘You’ll be free to go in a few minutes. You have my word.’

She nodded more in hope than expectation, her eyes wet with fear. ‘Really?’

‘Oui,’ he said, and then quickly shook his head, dismissing his reply. ‘Forgive me, sometimes I think I’m still in France.’

The girl bit down on her lip and began to recite a prayer.

When Xavier had finished shaving, he dabbed his face with his shirt and rose to his feet.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.