False Horizon

It wasn’t.

Someone else was inside the plane.

Annja’s vision swam as she drew closer to the plane. How in the world had someone else gotten on it? How was that possible? Did Tsing hide someone in there?

She swung her sword and cleaved an opening in the back of the wreckage. Like a piñata splitting open under the assault, the metal sheared under the power of the sword and spilled its contents into the snow.

Annja saw bags tumble out.

And then she saw a tiny man come falling out, as well. He was bloody and he looked terrified.

But he was alive.

Annja took a step toward him, felt another wave of pain wash through her and toppled over.

Back into darkness.

9

The simple fact of his predicament was that Tuk had never ridden on an airplane before. He’d seen plenty of them and he knew what they were and even the basic scientific principles behind them.

But he had never stepped onto one until he’d had the idea to stow away on the plane with Annja Creed and her friend Mike. Any fear he’d felt at the idea was quickly squelched by the promise of reward from the man on the phone. Tuk would again prove himself to the man and hopefully reap an even better reward.

He’d made himself as comfortable as possible after he’d crawled into the plane. His first order of business was to make sure that Annja and Mike were, in fact, still alive. He felt for their pulses and then settled down among the bags, cushioning himself and making sure that the cooler of beverages was closer to the pilot and copilot seats. The last thing he needed was one of them rummaging through the bags and discovering him hidden away.

Once he’d done that, he called the man on the cell phone.

“You’re with them now?”

Tuk nodded. “I am in the airplane. They are still unconscious it would appear, but alive.”

“Your plan is to go with them?”

Tuk smiled. “You requested I remain with them to make sure the woman stays safe. I intend to fulfill my end of the arrangement as best I am able.”

“You’re a marvel, my friend. Without a doubt the best I’ve ever worked with. Are you certain they won’t know you’re there?”

“They will not. I am secreted in the back with more of the baggage that Tsing’s men left for them. I went through the bags. There is a lot of cold weather gear useful for trekking in the mountains. An assortment of other supplies are in the bags, as well.”

“Mountain trekking? Interesting.”

“The man known as Mike had a map on him.”

The man paused. “The logical assumption would be that the map shows the location of Shangri-La on it.”

“I have examined the map. It does not show anything but rather a series of routes that seem to focus on the middle of the country. Particularly, there are several routes through the Mustang region.”

“Mustang?”

“Yes.”

“What do you know of that area?”

“Not much. I know there are temples far to the north in Lo Monthang. But otherwise, very little is known about the region. Parts of it are even off-limits to many foreigners.”

“Do you know why?”

“I’ve heard tell that the government is very sensitive to the fact that the Tibetan border is close. They don’t want to risk offending the Chinese who occupy that region.”

“That makes sense,” the man said. “Still, I wonder…” His voice trailed off. Tuk left him to this thoughts and waited.

Finally, the man seemed to come to a decision. “You will stay with them when they fly up to the region?”

“I will.”

“Excellent. I will be in touch. Let me know the moment you have any more information to share. You’ve done an incredible job.”

Tuk beamed. “Thank you.”

The line went dead and Tuk looked out of the back window. Dawn was starting to break across the eastern horizon. And from the front of the plane, he caught movement. The woman—Annja—was beginning to stir. The drug was wearing off and, very soon, they would both be awake.

Tuk tried to quell the sudden fear that stirred in the pit of his stomach. The prospect of flying now reared its head. Tuk did not fear many things in life, even given his diminutive stature.

But flying?

He shrank down among the bags and waited for the terror to begin.

WHEN MIKE BROUGHT the plane down at Jomsom, Tuk had a brief moment to take a breath. The flight up to the northwest had been terribly frightening. And yet, there had been something else that stirred within him—a sense of adventure and excitement. Tuk had labored so long for the spies of the world, that being on his own operation now thrilled him like nothing else had in his life. No wonder, he supposed, certain people actually flocked to the intelligence world.

He stretched his legs in the back of the plane and luxuriated in getting some blood flowing back into his limbs. He could overhear Annja and Mike talking outside of the plane and knew they would be back inside soon.

But he needed a drink.

Dare he risk it?

His parched lips begged for mercy and he crept forward in the plane like a shadow. With one hand on the cooler top, he reached in and removed a single bottle of water from within. He scurried back to his hiding place and drank the water. The cold liquid rejuvenated him and helped still his beating heart.

He let out an involuntary sigh of relief when Mike and Annja jumped back on to the plane. Mike caught the movement.

Tuk froze as Mike questioned Annja about it.

If they stopped to look in the back, he would be discovered!

His heart thundered in his chest. Perhaps there was a better way to make a living. Tuk knew that Annja and Mike wouldn’t do him harm, but the prospect of discovery set his nerves on edge.

But Mike ignored his instinct and got the plane airborne. In the back of the plane, Tuk felt the water he’d just sucked down loll about his insides. Twice he had to bite back the surge of bile in his throat.

And the worst was yet to come.