Steel nodded. ‘That’s a possibility . . . You’re a natural at this, Ventura. I’m going to have to watch you.’
Ventura was pleased by the flattery. ‘How would we go about it?’
‘It wouldn’t be difficult. We don’t have to alter our plans any.’
‘There is one other issue,’ Ventura said, looking a little uncomfortable.
‘What’s that?’
‘The Nerugan gold mines. I saw the licensing proposal. How much of that syndicate do you control?’
Steel came to a stop and faced the government official. ‘Are you ready to take the pebble?’ he asked, holding out his hand, a threatening look in his eye.
Ventura looked into the open palm that had nothing in it. ‘It wasn’t a challenge,’ he said, aware how dangerous Steel could be.
Steel closed his hand on the invisible stone. ‘Good. Your battalion is on the highway, right?’
‘Yes.’
‘It’s ready to move in on your command?’
‘Yes.’
‘This is now all about neutralising Sebastian’s brigade and there’s only one way you’re gonna do it. You have to move between Hector’s and Sebastian’s encampments. Hector won’t touch your back. He’s got too much to lose. If he countered your attack it would only push him further from his dream of becoming a revolutionary leader. I’ll make sure he knows that.’
Ventura nodded in agreement. ‘We could begin to move into position during daylight tomorrow. Preparations could be complete by nightfall. We could attack the following morning.’
‘Sounds perfect to me, my friend. It’ll be over in a couple hours. Especiallly with those helicopters we gave you.’
‘So what’s the final story concerning Sebastian?’ Ventura asked. ‘How will the people eventually see it?’
‘They’ll see what they’re given. The revolutionary council brokered a deal with the government but Sebastian stood in its way. Sebastian’s outfit became a rogue terrorist organisation that murdered the head of the government’s beloved brother.The revolutionary council tried to get rid of Sebastian but failed and found they were unable to deal with the situation themselves. So they paid a mercenary, who happened to be training Sebastian’s troops at the time, to kill him. Meanwhile, government troops arrived to arrest Sebastian for the murder of Chemora. A skirmish broke out. People were killed. The mercenary was never seen or heard from again. But everything turned out fine in the end. The revolutionaries, under their new leader Hector, brokered a deal with Neravista and everyone lived happily ever after. It’ll get a short column on page five of the New York Post.’
Ventura smiled thinly at the story. ‘It will work. And you will be rewarded for your efforts . . . by your own people?’
‘I get a reputation among people who respect that kind of thing.’
‘Then there’s the gold mine,’ Ventura said, his words this time accompanied by a friendly smirk.
Steel glanced at him long enough to see there was no intended malice. ‘You still ain’t ready to take that pebble, Ventura.’
‘But I’m getting closer, no?’
Both men laughed as they walked into the night.
In the darkness Victor trotted along the track, with the niggling feeling that someone was following him. He slowed to a stop to look back and listen, but he could hear nothing. It was so dark that he could not see far beyond his horse’s nose. The glow from the fires of Hector’s encampment had already disappeared.
He trotted on, not looking forward to the ride or to getting back to the camp. Terrible suspicions about Hector haunted him. He felt something very bad was going to happen. But no one would listen to him, anyway.
Victor felt suddenly alone, and not just physically. He wondered if it was time to move on himself. The rebellion no longer felt like the one he had joined. Deep down he was not entirely against Hector’s efforts to broker a peace deal. Victor hated violence and the prospect of more to come while Sebastian remained entrenched appalled him. He knew his thoughts were disloyal and that his reasons for wanting peace now were selfish. But it was how he felt and he could not ignore it.
An unfamiliar sound snapped him out of his thoughts.
He slowed down again, turned and listened. He couldn’t see anything, yet the distant sound remained. He stopped altogether.
It was a rumbling sound and growing louder, like hooves rapidly striking the ground. That was it. Riders!
Victor’s first thought was to step back into the undergrowth and let whoever it was pass. But that would have been too risky right now. He might not have had good enough reasons for