I wasn't sick but I didn't stop shaking until we were nearly two miles away across the mountain and heading west across the valley as fast as we could.

Chapter 5.

Heaven is a pain in the a.r.s.e and G.o.d looks like Jason. I hate being dead.

When I woke up it was dark. My husband was staring down at me and to be completely honest I didn't know if I most wanted to kiss him or kill him.

I tried to speak. A few mumbled words came out.

Then I remembered being shot.

After a while I was aware of people holding me down. A few more minutes and the panic went away. I lay still, letting the sweat dry on my body, trying to get my breath back. I was cold. I wanted a cuddle so bad I could taste it.

b.u.g.g.e.red if I was going to ask, though.

I screwed up my courage enough to move my arm. It didn't hurt half as much as I was expecting. I touched my side. My fingers came away b.l.o.o.d.y, but it was old blood, and not half as much as I was expecting.

'I a.s.sume you brought the Band Aid and Germolene? Jason frowned. His face scrunched into a shape I wasn't familiar with. Instead of answering my quip he moved aside and I found myself looking at Jan Tanner, one of the mission specialists from the Ararat expedition. What was she doing here?

Were they all having a party without me? If they were the punch was a killer.

Tanner said, 'Don't move too much. Someone shot you.

The bullet went through your coat but only grazed your side. I think it might have bounced off a rib. I bandaged your side and strapped the rib. It'll probably hurt like anything for a while but you're not going to die.'

Oh goody.

I licked my lips and managed a weak murmur of thanks. 'Any chance I can sit up?'

'I should think so.'

Tanner, a.s.sisted by Jason and Sam Denton, helped me upright. I couldn't help noticing the way Jason was staring at Denton as they leant me against a rock. I felt my temper rise. Was it going to be Paris all over again?

'Jason Kane, you're about as subtle as a brick to the head.' Jason gave a puzzled shake of his head. 'Sorry?'

'And don't think I don't know that look because -' I suddenly felt dizzy. I leant back against the rock. A moment, and I began to feel better.

Tanner was looking at me in concern. 'Here. You better give me that.'

Tanner took something from my hand, gave it to Jason to put aside. The paintbrush. I gasped with sudden pain. My hand jerked with cramp as my fingers uncurled - and I realized how tightly I had been gripping the brush.

At the same time I became aware of how cold I was. And hungry. And thirsty. I had no idea how much time had pa.s.sed. I glanced around. The sky was full of clouds so I had no way of estimating the time. It felt like the early hours of the morning though. I needed to go to the toilet very, very badly.

'Where's the soldier?'

Jason looked alarmed. 'Soldier?'

'Oh yes.' I shivered. 'In fact I'm pretty sure I killed one.' 'Killed one?'

'Oui, Brer Parrot. Killed one. He shot Dot and Reefer so I stabbed him in the eye. With my paintbrush.'

Jason made a disgusted noise. 'You mean that was blood? I thought it was paint.'

'Call it performance art.'

'Jesus, Bernice!'

Tanner took Jason's arm, led him a short distance away and sat him down on a rock. That was fine with me. I felt like strangling him anyway. In fact as the shock of my injury wore off I was getting angrier all the time.

Tanner came back and joined the others. I saw that Schofield was also with us. That made four of them, including Jason, and one of me. Five people left. A third of the original number. What the h.e.l.l was going on here?

Tanner sat down beside me. 'You feel like telling us what happened?'

I told them about it. They responded with less shock and surprise than I expected. When I mentioned this they told me how they came to be here.

I listened silently to the story and then scowled. 'Only my husband could begin a twenty-nine-mile trek across Turkey by smashing the only coffee flask.' Jason made some noise or other on his rock. I ignored him. It was just too much bother."

Schofield said gruffly, 'Your husband's actions enabled us to escape.'

'My husband's actions could mean we all die of thirst,' I snapped back.

Schofield twisted his face into a rea.s.suringly familiar scowl. I found the expression almost comforting.

'What are you grinning at?'

I shook my head. 'Nothing.' Facing Tanner, whose smile indicated she had grasped the humour in the situation, I said, 'So you've been walking for a whole day?'

Tanner nodded. 'So have you by the look of it.' Her smile melted into a thoughtful frown. 'You don't remember do you?'

Slowly I shook my head.

Denton, who I noticed had moved closer to Jason, said, 'I suppose you could have bashed your head when you fell, right? You might have concussion. Short-term memory loss is common with that sort of thing.'

Jason added, too loudly, 'So are subdural haematomas.'

No one said anything for a moment, then Tanner shrugged. 'I don't think you're in any danger.'

Jason muttered something beneath his breath, which got him a sharp look from Denton. G.o.d, I wanted to ping her eyebrow rings so badly.

I stared at Jason. 'I beg your pardon?' 'Nothing.'

I'd heard what he said but didn't bother to argue. One crack about the state of my hip flask was not important. We had more important questions to answer. '

Uppermost in my mind was the question of what had happened to Raelsen and the others. Were they dead too? Obviously the attacks on both expeditions had been coordinated. Or had they? I remembered no insignia on the soldier I had killed. Tammuz had said he was Iranian; it was logical to infer that the two a.s.sault parties were from the same country. But there was no guarantee.

'What do you suppose they were after?'

Tanner spoke quietly. 'They had Geiger counters. They mentioned gamma particle activity.'

'Gamma radiation?' I thought aloud. 'Uranium then? That would make political sense. Uranium deposits here could change the balance of power overnight.'

Denton contradicted me straight away. 'The presence of uranium here would be ... geological nonsense.'

I glared at her. 'Oh, go back to school.' Denton seemed to shrink a little at my words. Good. You make eyes at my husband and see where it gets you.

Tanner stepped into the gap. 'The chance of finding uranium deposits in these mountains is highly unlikely. I mean, if it were here, someone would have noticed it already, surely.'

I frowned. 'What if it's not uranium?'

Tanner shrugged. 'What else would draw soldiers here?' 's.e.xy girls? Free guns? Cheap beer? Drugs? Admittedly none of these are detectable by their gamma particle emissions but. . .' I stopped. No one was laughing.

Jason sighed impatiently. 'Allen told me the flood was coming. He said, "Ararat is the door and Mahser Dagi is the key." What do you suppose he meant by that?"

I scowled. 'He's dead Jason. How the h.e.l.l should I know?" I didn't want an answer but I got one anyway.

'Why are you annoyed at me?'

I sighed. 'Jason, two of my mates have been shot. I've been shot. I've killed someone. My favourite paintbrush is covered in blood. I'm annoyed at you because I wanted a cuddle."

Surprise edged his voice. I should have expected it. 'Why didn't you ask?"

'Why didn't you offer?"

'I thought you were the feminist here."

'There's a time to be liberated and there's a time to be hugged."

I could hear the surprise turning to hurt in his voice. 'Oh right. And I'm supposed to know the difference, am I?"

'For crying out loud; Jason. You're my husband. For better or worse remember?" I added, sharply, 'It's your job to antic.i.p.ate my needs and support me.'

'Actually I thought that was something we were both supposed to do. For each other."

'Oh for crying out loud, stop splitting hairs. If you don't love me just b.l.o.o.d.y well say so and we'll call it a day!"

He thought about that one for a while. Thought about it with loud, wheezing, snuffling noises.

'And stop b.l.o.o.d.y crying. I didn't marry a wet."

'I'm not crying because you hurt me. I'm crying because you're hurt."

'Well thank you for your concern."

'Oh what's the use. You're so wrapped up in yourself. You haven't got a clue about the way I feel." He got up off the rock and mooched away, hands thrust into pockets.

'Jason!"

'Oh b.u.g.g.e.r off."

I struggled to my feet, shook off Tanner's helping hands, lurched after Jason. When I grabbed his shoulder it was as much to steady myself as it was to turn him around. 'No I won't "b.u.g.g.e.r off". Now stop acting like a spoilt schoolboy and shut up because -'

'- you're getting fed up with all my whining and moping? Sod you Bernice Summerfield. You think what you like about me. I promised to love you but I never promised to be perfect. I'm not perfect. If you didn't want me as I am then you shouldn't have b.l.o.o.d.y well married me!"

G.o.d, my side was killing me. 'That's not fair!" 'It never is when you're wrong."

'That's not fair either!"

'Thank you for making my point." 'Oh b.u.g.g.e.r you then."

'Well thank you for dragging this down to the level of the gutter."

'Yes, well, judging by the amount of time you spent in them I'd have thought you'd feel right at home!"

I was being unfair and I knew it. But something stopped me taking it back.

Instead I took Jason's arm. He struggled. 'Get off me!'

'Don't worry, I don't want your body." I let my hand slide down into his. It felt warm and strong. So much stronger than his personality. The rings the Doctor had given us clinked together. I felt something pa.s.s through me then, had a sense that the rings were alive. That they had touched and become more than the sum of their parts; Like people in love.

Jason stopped struggling then. He felt it too. His gaze locked on mine.

I brought his hand up to my lips as if to kiss it. 'Shazam,' I whispered.

There was a moment. Something happened between us then. I don't know what it was. I couldn't bear it.

I let his hand go. The tingling sensation pa.s.sed through me. I had a sense of time rushing past, unstoppable, like lightning, earthing itself in the present moment, the now. I felt a jolt, like electricity. For a moment the world flickered into monochrome - then leapt back into full colour and startling clarity.

I answered his unspoken question. 'Now we wait for the genie to appear.'

I felt good, as if I had slept for a week, and I could tell he did too. But there was a balance. Because I also felt we had reached some sort of crossroads in our lives - and by using the rings I had set us off on different paths, not just from each other, but from the path we were supposed to take. It was as though I had made us come unstuck in time.

Jason felt that too. His gaze held mine. I was surprised at the strength there, the eyes, still dark-rimmed, raw and sleepless, but s.e.xy nonetheless, now full of energy.

And bitter accusation. 'You asked for help., 'So?'

'I don't need his help.'

I felt a fresh surge of anger course through me. 'Jason Kane are you -'

'No I am not jealous!'