Monkey Wars by Richard Kurti

Author:Richard Kurti
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2015-01-05T16:00:00+00:00

“We need to strike back!” urged Stoneball. “Show the monkeys of this city who’s in charge!”

Mico emerged from the cold damp of the undercroft to find the patrols whipping themselves up into a vengeful mood.

“Let’s not overreact here,” he said firmly.

But Stoneball glared at him. “Tell that to my scars,” he sneered, pointing to the wounds on his face that had only just healed after the ambush in the alley.

“We turfed some rhesus scum out of the bus garage this morning,” said Breri. “We should head to Temple Gardens and do to them what they did to our trooper!”

A guttural roar erupted from the patrols—they wanted blood.

“You’re overstepping your orders!” Mico shouted above the angry hooting.

“I thought we were supposed to make our own orders,” Breri mocked.

“Rhesus blood for langur blood!” declared Stoneball.

“Yes! Rhesus blood for langur blood!” thundered Breri and Sweto, and in a few moments both patrols had taken up the chant:

“RHESUS BLOOD FOR LANGUR BLOOD!!!”

Mico racked his brains; somehow he had to delay the patrols long enough to allow the refugees to reach safety.

He pulled Breri aside. “Call them off!”

“Why?”

“It’s part of Lord Tyrell’s plan,” Mico lied, hoping mention of the supreme leader would carry enough weight. “He wants the monkey god shrines to be rhesus ghettos.”

Breri just shrugged. “The only good rhesus is a dead rhesus. If there’s fewer alive at sunset than at dawn, I don’t think Lord Tyrell’s going to complain.”

“If you take the battle to Temple Gardens, you’ll be defying his orders!” warned Mico.

“Temple Gardens is exactly where we should strike!” Stoneball declared, stepping between the brothers. “That’s where they harbor the resistance. We have to go there and root them out!”

The ferocious roar of support sent a shiver down Mico’s back—images of thugs with smoke rampaging through the gardens flashed through his mind. In a last-ditch attempt to avert violence, he reached out for any argument he could find. “What about Bandha?” he said to Breri. “What would she think if she saw you murdering refugees as they ran?”

Breri glared at his brother through narrowed eyes, hurt at the suddenly personal attack. “What would Hister say if she thought you lacked the courage for battle?” he retorted.

The two monkeys squared up to each other, years of tension and rivalry between them now boiling over; Mico would have loved nothing more than to fight it out, but he knew the important thing was warning the rhesus before it was too late.

“Do what you want, Breri. But don’t look for my support when Tyrell calls you to account.” And with that he scampered away.

The moment he was out of sight, Mico veered left, scrambled up an ivy-covered wall, swung across a series of window ledges and ended up on the shambolic rooftops. In the distance he could see the top of the giant Hanuman statue poking above the chimneys. No time to waste.

He had never run so fast or so precariously in his life: sliding across washing lines, clinging to gutters and drainpipes, leaping over the gaps between buildings.

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