The Hidden by Tobias Hill

Author:Tobias Hill
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2009-06-27T16:00:00+00:00

Saturday they worked till half-six. The days were getting longer. Even so they raced the sun to pack the last of the gear away. Torches dancing over the green for a lost spirit level, a map gone missing.

Jason was posing for Natsuko, a tripod slung across his shoulders, an Indiana Jones-James Dean-Beach Boy captured on picturephone. Eberhard was crosslegged and barefoot, relacing his boots. It had been a poor day’s work, both of the new pits striking an impassable honeycomb of limestone three feet down, but only Missy seemed dispirited. The mood among the others was restless and excitable.

He was standing at their edge, looking towards the Transit van where the brothers stood waiting for him, when Eberhard glanced up at him.

–Are you busy tomorrow?

–Why?

–I want to take you out. I hear you’ve never fired a gun. You should do so before Tuesday week. What time shall I call for you? Would six be too early?

–Six is fine. Tuesday week?

–Unless it rains. The moon is full then.

–We’ll go at night?

–They hunt at night, Jason said, and turning, he saw that both Jason and Natsuko had stopped their play to listen.

–Six it is, then, Eberhard said, and pulled on a boot as Jason started for the cars, his hand clapping Ben’s shoulder as he passed, gripping him there.

–Coming?

–What for? I’ve got my lift.

–Now you’ve got a better offer. We’re going back to the girls’. You haven’t even met Sylvia yet.

–Who’s Sylvia?

–Ah, who is Sylvia, what is she? You’ll never know if you don’t come.

–Look, can I meet you there? Chrystos–

–Forget him, Jason said. His grip tightened.

He shrugged him off, walked down the slope to the van by the northern track. The brothers were already inside. Chrystos leaned from the driver’s window, mobile in his shoulder-crook, smiling ruefully in the reflected highbeams.

–Bad news. Our sister visits friends. Giorgios is cooking. He still makes food like a soldier, always enough for ten. We need another mouth to feed. Ready?

–You go on.

–We can wait.

–I’m busy, he said, and heard Giorgios hurrumph in the interior dark, Chrystos frowning as he folded the phone away.

–Busy. Busy with your foreign friends?

–Only tonight.

–You know what I told you.

–I haven’t forgotten.

–No? We will see, Chrystos said quietly, changing gears, the van already pulling away, its white bulk rocking down the track into the concealing dark.

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