*So Mw.a.n.ga's dead?' asked Gaz ruefully.

Mitch shook his head. *No. According to Adwana, Mw.a.n.ga is still alive and being kept hostage by Ngola and his men.'

*Why?' asked Tug. *If this Ngola was paid to kill Mw.a.n.ga, whoever paid him is either going to start looking for revenge, or his money back.'

*Ngola's only been paid half the money. He gets the balance when Mw.a.n.ga is found dead. But, like many criminals, Ngola is hoping to make a bit more out of it. He's realised what a special commodity he's got on his hands, so he's upped the price to the original buyer, and at the same time he's planning to see if anyone else will offer a better price. In the end, the highest bidder gets Mw.a.n.ga. Alive, if they want him that way, or dead. It makes no difference to Ngola. But he'll only hand over the goods once he's been paid the money.'

*Do these people know where Ngola is holding Mw.a.n.ga?'

*Adwana says it's a big place where people stay. It sounds like it used to be a hotel of some sorts. Now it's been taken over by Ngola as his headquarters. It's about ten miles away from here. According to the villagers, Ngola has turned it into a fortress.'

*OK.' Benny sat back. *So we've got what we want.'

*We've got better than that,' grinned Mitch. He gestured at Oba who was now sitting near them, watching the soldiers as he ate his meal. *Oba here says he'll take us to the place.'

*Can we trust him?' asked Tug. *He could be leading us into a trap. He could be getting a handsome pay-off if he betrays us to the rebels.'

*I'm with Tug,' agreed Benny. *These people have given us information a" surely that's enough. Why put themselves at real risk by siding with us against the rebels? If he's caught, the village will suffer even more than it already has.'

*Oba's wife and his brother were killed by those bandits,' explained Mitch. *He says he wants to show his thanks to us for killing them. Plus, our friend, Gold Headband, was from the same tribe as the rebels,' replied Mitch. *These people are a different tribe. The tribal thing is very big here.'

*It's big everywhere,' said Two Moons. *Rival gangs in Los Angeles, New York.'

*Newcastle, Liverpool,' agreed Gaz. *Different people, same problem.'

*OK,' said Nelson. *We take up Oba's very kind offer. Let's eat up and go.'

Mitch held up his hand. *We don't go that quickly,' he said. *Adwana and Oba say it's bad magic to go through the jungle at night. Hungry animals are there. Lots of places to sink in swamps.'

*So? Tell him we've got night-vision goggles,' said Nelson. *Tell him we do some of our best work at night.'

*We might, he doesn't,' said Mitch.

*He could borrow a night-vision set,' suggested Gaz. *I've got a spare in my pack.'

Mitch shook his head. *It's more than that,' he said. *It's about the bad magic.'

The others exchanged thoughtful looks. They all knew how important local customs were. If you wanted to win the hearts and minds of local people, you respected their customs and traditions.

Nelson nodded. *OK,' he said. *So when is good for us to go?'

Mitch turned to Oba and asked him a question. Oba replied, and Mitch turned to the others.

*First thing tomorrow morning, just before dawn. Oba says the magic isn't so strong then, even though it's still dark. Let's face it, that jungle was difficult enough terrain during daylight hours. At night, even with night vision, the chances of us sinking in mud or getting stuck are pretty high.'

Nelson thought it over, and then agreed.

*OK,' he said. *It'll give us time to check our equipment, and grab a bit of shut-eye.' He checked his watch. *Turn and turn about: three sleep, three on watch. Gaz, Tug and Benny, you three grab some sleep first. I'll take first watch with Mitch and Two Moons.'

9.

Mitch and Two Moons sat back to back at the edge of the village so they could keep watch on a full 360 degrees, taking in the village and the jungle. Nelson was on his own, patrolling the perimeter, rifle at the ready. The village was quiet. Everyone else was asleep. The fires had burnt down and now only ash glowed red amongst the grey of the embers in the cooking pits.

Around them, the jungle resonated with the sounds of the night animals: chitter chattering, slithering and an occasional howling.

*Guess those are the bad spirits out there,' murmured Two Moons.

*Guess so,' said Mitch.

Two Moons shook his head and said, *Here we are, with gizmos to get us through any situation, and we take advice about not going through the jungle at night from a guy who believes in magic.'

*I wouldn't have thought you'd have a problem with that,' responded Mitch, with a wry smile. *When I was in Arizona I met a whole bunch of Native Americans talking about being guided by spirits.'

*That's different,' said Two Moons. *Our beliefs don't stop us using modern things. Some of our people believe we should only ride horses and use bows and arrows to hunt, because that's what our ancestors did. Me, I can chase a buffalo faster in a jeep than I can on a horse and I can shoot it quicker and cleaner with a rifle.'

*You hunt buffalo?' asked Mitch, impressed.

*Well, no,' admitted Two Moons. *I prefer a good beef burger. But if I was going to hunt, I'd use a rifle and four wheels. Each to their own.'

*If you think about it, Adwana's belief in magic is no different to a modern army being given a blessing by a priest before they go into battle.' Mitch shrugged. *It's just a different sort of magic, that's all.'

*You don't believe in magic, Mitch?' asked Two Moons. *You don't believe in any sort of religion?'

Mitch grinned. *I believe in everything,' he said. *I'm taking no chances. When I get to heaven, it doesn't matter what sort of G.o.d or juju is there waiting for me, I'm gonna be OK.'

*You're just an opportunistic cynic,' said Two Moons.

*Absolutely,' agreed Mitch. *And it's kept me alive so far, so I'm hardly likely to change now.'

Silence descended between them, and they sat there, listening, ears strained for any sounds other than the background noise of the jungle: a metallic click, a boot on brush.

They watched Nelson as he patrolled, eyes and ears always alert.

Two Moons broke the silence: *Don't come down too hard on Tug.'

*I didn't think I was,' said Mitch.

*It's in your eyes,' said Two Moons. *You don't like him.'

*It's not a case of liking him or not,' said Mitch. *He makes it pretty clear he's suspicious of me. But that's OK.'

*I'm talking about this business of him not trusting the villagers. He had a bad experience. He was with a unit in Afghanistan that took the word of some locals. The locals sold *em out. Tug was the only one that survived. Since then he don't trust n.o.body, *cept us in Delta Unit.'

*Which doesn't include me,' said Mitch.

*Not yet,' said Two Moons. *Give him time.'

*You guys been together long?'

Two Moons nodded. *Nearly two years, which a" in this business a" is a long while for a bunch of guys to stay together as one unit.'

*What happened to the guy I replaced?' asked Mitch.

Two Moons shrugged. *Joe McNeil,' he said. *He died. He was trying to defuse a bomb. The b.a.s.t.a.r.d who rigged it had b.o.o.by-trapped it.' He gave a wry sigh. *I liked Joe. We all did. He used to make us laugh.'

*We all lose people in this game,' said Mitch. *It's the way we live. Doesn't matter how on the ball we are, we're always on the edge and one breath away from dying.'

Two Moons laughed. *When you say it like that, it sure is a h.e.l.l of a stupid way to earn a living.'

10.

They woke before dawn the next morning, refreshed. Nelson gestured at the bandits' jeep. *They'd better not leave that sitting around,' he commented to Mitch. *If the bad guys show up and see it, this village will be in real big trouble.'

*I was just thinking the same,' agreed Mitch. He called Adwana over and pa.s.sed on Nelson's advice about getting rid of the jeep, with a few extra tips of his own.

*What did you tell him?' asked Nelson after he'd finished.

*Told him to take it out into the jungle and abandon it as far away as possible. If he can, find a ravine to run it into.'

*Good,' said Nelson.

The unit gathered up their gear, then set off for the bandit stronghold, with Oba leading the way.

As Mitch had said, with a guide like Oba who knew the jungle like the back of his hand, they covered the ten miles in five hours. On difficult terrain like this, with swamps and deep gulleys to get across, it was fast going.

Suddenly Oba began to slow down and then stopped, his eyes darting around, obviously afraid. The confidence with which he had moved through the jungle suddenly vanished.

*I think we're here,' Mitch murmured to the others.

He whispered something to Oba in Igbo, and Oba nodded, pointing ahead. As gently and as calmly as he could, Mitch talked to Oba, gesturing at the other men of Delta Unit, and a.s.suring Oba that no harm would come to him while they were with him.

Oba nodded slowly, but it was obvious from his face and his body language that he wasn't convinced. However, he dropped down on to his hands and knees and began crawling slowly forward through the jungle. Delta Unit dropped down too, and followed him.

It took ten minutes of slow and careful crawling through the tangle of bush and tree roots, but at last they could see a huge clearing in the jungle. The clearing was covered in overgrown foliage from ornamental plants and bushes, small trees and shrubs that had once been cultivated and kept neat and tidy, but had now grown wild. Rising up from the rampant vegetation was a dilapidated two-storey-high concrete building. The remains of a tennis court could be seen through the trees, as well as the cracked tiles and empty sh.e.l.l of what had once been a large swimming pool. A faded broken sign hanging on the wall near the main entrance announced it was the *Malinawi Hotel'.

*Nice place to come for a holiday,' commented Gaz.

The place had obviously been built for better times, in the hope that tourists would come out with their dollars and pounds and bring luxury to the area. Either the tourists hadn't materialised, or the developer had run out of cash before the place could be completed. Or maybe a civil war had just overtaken the place. Now, the hotel looked like a makeshift fortress. The windows had been boarded up, sheets of wood and corrugated iron nailed into place over them.

*Making sure no one throws any grenades into the building,' murmured Benny.

The grounds were patrolled by guards, all dressed raggedly and as casually as the other crew of bandits had been. But they were all heavily armed, bandoliers of ammunition hanging from their shoulders, a.s.sault rifles dangling from their hands.

Nelson and Tug scanned the building and the armed men through their binoculars.

*How many can you make out?' asked Nelson.

*Ten,' muttered Tug. *And that's only from this side. My guess is there'll be at least another ten out of sight on the other side.'

*That's what I'm thinking,' agreed Nelson. *So, twenty outside. How many inside? What d'you think, Mitch?'

Mitch shrugged. *Hard to tell,' he said. *Ten, twenty. It depends if they've got any of their men out on patrol.'

They studied the men outside the hotel. Most of them seemed very relaxed, joking and laughing with one another, but a few stalked around, guns levelled. They carried a mixture of weapons. Some had AK-47s, one or two had Steyr AUGs and a couple were carrying SKS semi-automatic rifles. One thing was sure: all the weapons had deadly firepower, even in amateur hands.

*Considering they're supposed to know we're here, they don't seem very bothered,' commented Two Moons.

*They don't know we've got this far yet,' whispered Tug.

*And this isn't an army,' added Mitch. *This is just a bunch of gung-ho trigger-happy bandits. My guess is they think they're safe here. Look at the building. There's no sign of any damage to it from weapons. No burn marks. No sh.e.l.l damage.'

*There are bullet holes in the walls,' pointed out Gaz.

*Target practice when they're feeling bored,' suggested Nelson.

*This place has never been attacked,' agreed Mitch. *Why should it be? Locals wouldn't attack it because they're too scared of this Ngola. Just take a look at Oba.'

Oba was crouched low, his eyes darting from the derelict hotel to the armed men.

Nelson turned to Mitch. *Ask him if he knows the layout inside this place.'

Mitch nodded and asked Oba if he or anyone he knew had ever been inside the building. Oba's answer brought a smile to Mitch's face.

*We're in luck,' he told the others. *Oba worked here for a while years ago when he was a kid, when the place was a working hotel. He was a cleaner.'

Taking a sheet of paper and a pencil, Mitch persuaded Oba to draw a rough plan of the hotel to show where the various rooms were: the bedrooms, the kitchen, the dining room, the toilets. All the time he was drawing the sketch plan, Oba kept throwing nervous glances towards the building and the armed bandits.

*He's terrified,' said Two Moons.

*I don't blame him,' said Gaz. *We know what these people can do.'

Mitch tried to calm Oba down, a.s.suring him that the questions would only take a little longer, but it soon became obvious that Oba's fear of Justis Ngola and his gang was overwhelming. He looked more and more towards the building and the armed men patrolling outside. Mitch was finding it harder to keep his attention.