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Back Whirlwind Save as PDF
Chapters (95)
  1. Title Page
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. 50
  52. 51
  53. 52
  54. 53
  55. 54
  56. 55
  57. 56
  58. 57
  59. 58
  60. 59
  61. 60
  62. 61
  63. 62
  64. 63
  65. 64
  66. 65
  67. 66
  68. 67
  69. 68
  70. 69
  71. 70
  72. 71
  73. 72
  74. 73
  75. 74
  76. 75
  77. 76
  78. 77
  79. 78
  80. 79
  81. 80
  82. 81
  83. 82
  84. 83
  85. 84
  86. 85
  87. 86
  88. 87
  89. 88
  90. 89
  91. 90
  92. 91
  93. 92
  94. Also by DAVID KLASS
  95. Copyright Page

“What? I thought he was from the future.”

“Yes, but his ancestors were from the Amazon. The legends say he is descended from a long line of shamans.”

“So you think Kidah’s backcountry relatives might have found him somehow? And they took him in?”

She doesn’t answer, she just looks beyond me, to the shadowy outlines of the surrounding forest.

I grab her wrist. “Isn’t that a stretch?” I demand. “If there was a tribe here, wouldn’t we have seen some evidence of it by now? I don’t think there’s another human around for a thousand miles.”

“The fact that we haven’t seen anyone could mean we’re close,” she says cryptically, and pulls her wrist free.

I hear something truly weird. It’s discordant yet rhythmic, tuneless but beautiful and compelling. Is it the trilling of a tone-deaf songbird? The ravings of a mad monkey? Or are human voices chanting in a way I’ve never heard before? “Eko, please stop talking in riddles.”

“According to legend, Kidah’s ancestral tribe had no contact with any outsiders. Even the other indigenous tribes weren’t sure they really existed. They were nicknamed the People of the Forest because they lived in perfect harmony with the plants and animals.”

I glance around at the shadowy trunks of giant trees pressing in on us from the narrow banks. “If the People of the Forest are really here, why haven’t we seen any signs of them?”

“If the legends are true and they live in such a pure and natural way,” she answers softly, “their ability to move through the rain forest with total stealth would be of a far higher order than mine.”

I begin to understand why Eko is getting nervous. It must be scary for the queen of the jungle to come up against people whose skills and knowledge surpass her own.

“Okay,” I say, “I get it. They can stay hidden if they want. But you sense that they’re close? Your instincts tell you that we’re moving into their neighborhood?”

Eko’s head moves in an almost imperceptible nod.

“So what do we do? We can’t track them, right? They leave no footprints, and need no marked trails. They might not even sleep in huts or build fires. How will we possibly find them?”

“We won’t,” Eko whispers. “They’ll find us.”

There’s a quiver at the end of her whisper. She half stands in the canoe, raises her arms out to her sides, and stares fixedly at some shadowy ferns along the bank.

The ferns move. Fan out. Men!

They’re four feet tall. Athletically built, totally naked, and covered with streaks of war paint. They hold long spears.

No, wait, not spears. Shafts but no spearheads. They raise them to their lips.

Blowguns, pointed right at us!

67

67

Don’t move, Eko cautions me telepathically.