Another command, and one of the men entered a different hut and returned with a half-full five-gallon plastic water bottle and two clay mugs. “Have at it,” Joe said. “It’s safe to drink.”
The man poured both mugs to the brim, and Allie took one with trembling hands and drained it greedily. Spencer followed suit. Joe said something else, and several of the nearby men laughed while the women averted their gazes.
“What did you say?” Allie asked.
“Nothing important. A little humor at your expense. But what you don’t know won’t hurt you.”
After another refill, Joe poked at the flames with a branch. “So what kind of ruins would get you to risk your lives like this?”
“It’s a legend. We’re following up on it to see if there’s any truth to it.”
“A legend? I’ve been here for thirty years, and I’ve never heard of any legendary ruins.”
“It’s a temple. A temple that’s been lost for centuries. In a hidden valley,” Allie said.
“Well, don’t that just take the cake. Here I’ve been eking out a living in these hills half my life, and nobody told me about the lost temple.” Joe’s eyes locked with Allie’s. “Anything valuable in this temple?”
She nodded. “Could be. That’s what we’re here to find out.”
“There a living in that? Really?” Joe asked skeptically.
Allie shrugged. “Sometimes.”
“It pays pretty good, does it?”
“Depends,” Spencer cut in.
“If someone was to help you find this hidden temple, you might be real generous, would you?”
Spencer’s face was a blank. “Could be. Why?”
“What’s your plan now that your helicopter’s a submarine?”
Allie snorted. “We don’t really have one yet. Probably try to get another helicopter.”
“Good luck. One goes down, you think anyone else is going to sign up for that duty?”
“It was an accident,” Spencer said.
Joe rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Right. Like anyone’ll believe that.” He sat back. “Trust me. You’re grounded. There’s nobody going to risk their lives ferrying your happy asses around.”
“How can you be certain?” Allie asked.
“Easy. I’m a pilot.” He looked up as the women emerged from the hut with some earthenware containers. “And I’m the only one crazy enough to be willing to give it a try — if the price is right.”
“You have a helicopter?” Spencer asked.
“Nah. Those are for sissies. Got my own plane.”
“Where?”
“Dirt strip about a quarter mile away. Comes in handy sometimes,” Joe said, but didn’t elaborate.
“We lost two others in our party,” Allie said. “Before we could do anything, we’d need to try to find them.”
“Where did you lose them, and how?”
“When we crashed. They wound up on one bank, and we swam to the other. Then the shooting started and we took off.”
Joe’s eyes darted to Spencer. “Shooting?”
Spencer told them about the chase and their night crossing of the river. When he was done, the women put the containers down in front of Allie and Spencer before moving back to where they’d been sitting.
“It’s pretty good. Stewed fish. Spicy. There are some wooden spoons in there somewhere. I love the stuff. Goes down easy with some rice wine. You want some?”
“Oh, um, no, thanks,” Allie said.
“None for me,” Spencer echoed.
“Don’t know what you’re missing.” Joe looked back over his shoulder and spoke a few words. The water bearer darted into the hut and returned with a jug. Joe uncorked the top and took three long swallows and then burped contentedly. “You want some grass?”
Allie and Spencer shook their heads in unison.
Joe raised an eyebrow. “Finest kind. Home grown. All organic. Give you a buzz like a mule kick to the head.”
“Maybe some other time,” Spencer said.
Joe shrugged. “Suit yourself. So, last you saw of your buds was on the other side of the river, and some unidentified baddies were shooting at them?”
“That’s right.”
“What would it be worth to find them?”
Allie let Spencer answer that. “You could name your price,” he said quietly.
“Really? Like… ten grand apiece?”
“Done.”
Joe took another drink. “Shoulda asked for twenty. Oh, well. Part of my journey on this plane of consciousness is to let go of the material. It’s only money.”
“Pays for fuel, though, huh?” Allie said, and then regretted the barb.
“Guy’s got to earn a living, you know? Judge not and all that. Turn the other cheek. Be bigger than your hunger. But a word of warning — one of you stays with me until I get the money. That’s not negotiable. I’m trusting, but I’m not stupid.” Joe closed his eyes and then reached into his pocket and withdrew a joint. “Sure you won’t partake? Loosen you up…”
“Not tonight,” Allie said.
Joe poked the branch he’d been holding into the fire for a few seconds and then used the flaming tip to light the joint. He took a deep drag and held the smoke in, and then blew it through his nose, like a bearded dragon. “Whoo! Hot damn, that rules!” He blinked a few times and then called out to the gunmen. At least twenty of the men around the fire leapt to their feet and went to get their weapons.
“What did you say?” Spencer asked when Joe sat back down heavily.
“Told them your associates are out there, and whoever finds ’em will get the mother of all rewards. They’ll put the word out to everyone we know, which is most of this territory. Even the warlords up the river will hear the tom-toms. It’s your best shot.”
“How much did you offer them?” Allie asked, curious.
“As much as it takes,” Joe said, smiling enigmatically.
They sat in silence while Joe smoked his marijuana and drank. When his eyes were glazing over, Allie slid a few inches closer to him. “So what’s your story? You said you’ve been here for thirty years?”
“Yeah. I came for the dope and stayed for the living.”
“There’s got to be more to it than that.”
“Oh, sure. There was a girl.” He grinned crookedly and for a moment looked a decade younger. “Isn’t there always a girl in one of these stories? Anyway, I fell hard for her in Thailand and took her out of the life there. We moved here, to her village, and the rest is history.”
“You still with her?” Allie asked.
“Nope. She’s part of the cosmic dance now. Died in childbirth. Neither of them made it. So she’s gone on to her next incarnation while my tired white butt is still here, learning whatever lessons I can until I get called away for my next chance to get it right.”
“I’m so sorry, Joe,” Allie said.
“It was a while ago, although I’d be lying if I said it didn’t still hurt. But that’s life, right? Bittersweet, and nobody knows when their clock runs out.”
They were quiet for a long moment, and then Spencer spoke. “You’ve been here all that time?”
“Sure, off and on. You know, sometimes you get sucked into the world, whether you want to or not. But I like it here. It’s simple. Real. People live, they struggle, they celebrate when they win and commiserate when they don’t, they honor their old, and they don’t fear death. What would I go back to that’s better than that?”
“Sounds like you don’t miss it.”
“Part of the lesson I’m learning is that nothing is to be missed. It all happens for a reason. The good, the bad, those are just two sides of the same coin. Everything’s an illusion, and our job is to see through it to the real stuff.”
“Very existential,” Allie said.
“Yeah, well, maybe so.” Joe yawned, the alcohol and drug hitting hard, she could see. He gestured vaguely to one of the shacks. “You can crash in that hut, if you want. Or you can come keep me company. I’ll show you my etchings. Or give it the old college try.”