“They’re from Adjágas. They were on their way home from a hunt. Their dogs were tired. It was better to come here and then send word to me in Friddja.”
“I remember being tied up.”
Sini nodded. “You were in bad shape. They wrapped you in blankets and secured you to one of their sleds so you wouldn’t roll off.”
She had a kind, craggy face and a gentle voice. Harvath reached for the cup and she held it to his lips again so he could drink.
When he had finished, he asked, “What about Christina? Have you heard anything from her?”
Sini shook her head.
He looked at his watch and tried to figure out how long it had been since he had left Nivsky. “I can’t stay here.”
The Sámi woman smiled. “It’s late. It’s also very cold outside and you are in no condition to travel. Let’s wait until morning. Maybe Christina will be here. We can discuss everything then.”
Harvath didn’t have the will to fight. He also didn’t have the strength to charge back out into the snow—not tonight at least. So he gave in.
“May I?” Sini asked, pointing at the blanket that covered him.
He nodded and she pulled it down in order to reexamine his wounds. Slowly, using the items on the table, she began replacing the poultices she had applied to him earlier.
“Are you a doctor, too?” he asked.
“No,” she replied. “In my language, I’m called noaidi, a healer.”
“Your English is very good. Where did you learn it?”
“I grew up in the Swedish part of Lapland. We all studied English in school.”
“How did you end up in Russia?”
“It was part of my calling as a noaidi. I’m originally from here. We left because of communist persecution. Eventually, I felt compelled to come back.”
“And Christina? How do you know each other?”
“The Sámi people embrace both traditional and modern medicine. Christina has always been good about coming out if there’s a situation I can’t handle. I guess you could say that we began as colleagues, but now are close friends. She’s a very special person.”
Harvath agreed. Christina was special.
Pulling his blankets back up, Sini removed his compress and walked into the kitchen to prepare another, along with a special kind of tea.
Returning with the new compress, she laid it across his forehead. “Your body has absorbed a lot of punishment. It needs rest. This will help you sleep,” she said, as she raised the cup, now filled with tea, to his mouth.
Harvath was grateful for the broth, the poultices, and especially the rescue. He knew he was not one hundred percent and that his body needed repairing. He also knew that he couldn’t stay here. He needed to get moving. For the moment, though, he’d gladly take anything she offered that would help him recover.
“Is there anything else I can do for you?” she asked.
He looked around the room once more. “Is there a computer or a cell phone? Maybe a radio of some sort?”
The Sámi woman smiled and shook her head. “We still do things the old way here. Word travels fast, but it travels by foot.”
Pointing at his shotgun, he asked, “Would you please bring that to me? I dropped it in the snow and need to clean it.”
“It will be fine until tomorrow. Like I said, you’re safe here. Nothing is going to happen to you.”
He didn’t doubt her sincerity, but she had no clue about the two dozen mercenaries who had landed in Nivsky and were actively hunting him. He needed to get across the border. But it wasn’t going to happen tonight.
At best, he’d be well enough to strike off in the morning. And while he didn’t like having to operate during daylight hours, if Sini and her friends were willing to help him, he might be able to make it to the border. Already, a plan was beginning to form in his mind.
Tomorrow, though, was a long way off. There were still many hours of darkness to go. And under the cover of darkness was where some of the worst things were known to happen.
CHAPTER 47
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Teplov had dragged Christina out of the house by her hair. He didn’t care who saw. The more the better as far as he was concerned. Just as at the bar, it would send a message. She had lied to him, repeatedly, and in so doing had only made things worse for herself.