Girl
IF IT WEREbpossible for looks to kill, Suraya's dagger-filled stare
would have guaranteed one more ghost in the cemetery right there
and then.
"We'll never give up!" Jing said, spitting furiously in the pawang's
direction. The gob of saliva landed by his foot, studded with bubbles
that shone in the light of the moon, and he looked downat it with
disgust.
"That's your decision, I suppose," he said smoothly. "But you're
going to die tonight anyway, girly, so why waste your energy fighting
it?"
"Why are you doing this?" Suraya whispered. "What do you
want?"
"What do I want?" The pawang seemed genuinely surprised by
this question. "My dear girl. I want what I deserve. I want the world."
And he stretched out his arms wide, as if to show her just how great
his claim was.
"But why do you need Pink to get it?"
The pawang shrugged. "I guess I don't need him, exactly. I just
want him. You know how it is, when you collect things—you don't
feel like you're really done unless you have everything. Like kémon! Gotta catch 'em all. . . ." He hummed tunelessly to
himself.
"You're insane."
"Call me whatever you like."He smiled at her. "You're still the
ones all tied up and at mymercy." He chuckled and rubbed his
hands together. "Oooh, I'm so excited! I've been after a pelesit for so
long! They're so much more difficult to come by. The timinghas to be
just right. Bajangs, toyols, those are a little irritating to handle, but
doable, you know? And polong, boy, those are easier still! You just
need the blood of a murdered man. And nobody notices one less
vagrant, one less drug addict, one less drain on society."
Suraya felt a wave of nausea wash over her. "You . . . you killed
people?"
He waved his hand dismissively. "I helped clean up the streets. I
did the authorities a service, in fact. They should thank me. But the
thing is, while the polong do what they're told, they haveno . . .
finesse. Send them to exact revenge on my enemies and people just
wind updead. And I don't particularly mind that, but it's just such a
mess, and eventually people do notice when dead bodies start
turning up. . . ."
"So what do you want Pink for?"
The pawang stared up at the moon. "When the pelesit and the
polong work in tandem . . . ohdear girl. The possibilities are endless.
The pelesit, you see, goes first. He may spread a little disease and
disorder in the beginning to set the scene. And then he uses that
sharp little tail end of his to dig a path into a human, so that my little
polong can burrow their way inside, giving me control. Total control."
He shivered in delight at the thought. "Possession. Imagine all that I
could do with that kind of power. Leaders of nations would be on
their knees before me! Banks would willingly offer up their riches!"
He sighed happily. "The world, as they say, would be my oyster. And
I do love a good oyster." His tongue flickered out of his mouth to lick
his chapped, peeling lips.
Suraya's voice shook with anger. "You could never make him do
it. He would never listen to you."
"No. But he would listen to you." The pawang smiled, baring rows
of perfectly straight white teeth. "You see, you're coming with me."
"No!" Jing kicked and struggled against the tiny hands that held
her down. "You can't do that! You can't take her!"
"Shut her up, please," the pawang barked, and a dozen polong
swarmed onto Jing's face, using their little clawed hands topress her
lips firmly together, ignoring her muffled yelps of protest.
Suraya glared at him. "I'll never tell him to do what you want me
to. I'd rather die."
"But that's justit. He'd ratheryou didn't. In fact, he'd do anything
to makesure you didn't." The pawang grinned. "He'll do whatever I
tell him to, as long as I keep you alive. It's the perfect plan. And if he
doesn't . . . well, it's only your blood that I need, after all."
Suraya swallowed hard. She knew he was right.
"Call him."
She pressed her lips together so tight it was like she was willing
them to fuse together.
"A rebel, eh?" The pawang grinned as he drew somethingout of
the pocket of his robe and flicked his wrist deftly so that a blade
whispered out of its hiding place, moonlight glinting alongits razor
sharp edge. "Good for you, standing up for what you believe in."
With light, quick steps, he walked over to Jing, whose eyes
widened in terror as he used the blade to caress the line of her jaw.
"Of course, one must also understand that disobedience has
consequences."
His eyes never left Suraya's face.
"Are you prepared for those consequences, child?"
The blade pressed a little too close, biting into the tender flesh
right at Jing's chin, making her wince. Suraya watched through her
tears as blood trickled down Jing's neck.
"Look at that," the pawang said, frowning at his knife. "You've
made it all dirty." And he brought the flat of the blade up to his face
and licked it, from hilt to tip, so that no blood was left. Helooked at
Suraya again, and this time there was no hint of a smile on his face.
"This isyour last chance, my dear, before I add your friend to my
polong collection." Each word was etched with ice. "Call. Him."
Suraya bowed her head. "Pink," she whispered brokenly. "Pink.
Come to me."
n aflash he was beside her, roaring at the polong who still held
her in their grasp, tearing them away by the handful and hissing
through his teeth as they attacked him right back. Thick, dark liquid
came oozing from his wounds as he tried to fight them off.
"Tell himto stop hurting my polong." The pawang had to raise his
voice tobe heard over the sounds of polong and pelesit locked in
struggle. "Or you'll pay the price." The bright little blade moved,
settling itself on Jing's exposed neck, tender veins ready to be sliced
in one quick move.
"Stop, Pink," Suraya yelled, her throat raw with tears. "Stop!"
Pink growled, ignoring her ashe continued ripping away the last
of the polong that clung to her shoes and tossing them to the ground
before stomping them into the thick mud with his huge feet.
Suraya drew herself up and yelled with all the strength she had
left in her body. "Pink. As your master, I COMMAND YOU TO STOP.
NOW."
She sawhis whole body go still, even as the black creatures on
him still gnawed away on his flesh.
"Good, good," the pawang said, beaming as he inspected Pink up
and down like a prize he'd just won. "Nice and strong, aren't you?
You'll make a good addition to my little army."
Your army?Pink's nostrils flared slightly, and his flanks gleamed,
damp with sweat and slick with rain.
"Haven't you heard? You're under new management from now
on."
I obey no one but my master.
"And she obeys me, so that works out just fine." The pawang
leaned in close, so close that his breath misted on the scales of
Pink's cheek. "We're going to get to know each other well, you and
I."
He pulled back and glanced at Suraya. "Tell him to shrink. We're
going to go, you and I, before people come looking for you little
miscreants." He looked at Jing, trembling next to him, and sighed. "I
suppose I'll have to kill this one after all. Can't have you telling tales
now, can we?"
"Go grasshopper, Pink," Suraya said, trying to keep the tremble
out of her voice, and in seconds he was back in his familiar form on the palm of her hand.
The pawang chuckled. "I knew it," he said, shaking his head. "I
knew as soon as your mother told me about you, that you were the
sort to obey. A biddable child, a child who does as she's told. A child
who doesn't like to make trouble for other people. A good girl."
Suraya's cheeks burned. Why did he make it sound like an
insult?
"The best part," the pawang continued, "the most wonderful part
of it all, is that taking you won't even be that much of a hassle. Your
mother, she doesn't care for you much, does she?" That slow smile,
that taunting look in his eyes.Suraya could feel a hot flame of anger
start to flicker in her belly.
"She probably won't miss you at all," the pawang said, still smiling
that wicked smile.
The flame grew and grew, spreading from her belly to her heart,
igniting her chest in a fiery explosion of rage.
"She might not even notice you're gone."
She stared straight at him, and if you looked closely, you might
have seen the telltale sparks of her wrath glowing in the depths of
her eyes. Luckily, the pawang was not the sort of person to pay
much attentionto children, or indeed, believe that their emotions
carried any weight at all.
"Now you tell that monster of yours that he's only to transform on
command." The pawang gestured toward the grasshopper in her
hand. "Go on, now. Tell him."
Suraya looked down. Her voice, when she spoke, was low and
even. "Pink. You are only to transform when I tell you to. Do you
understand? When I tell you, transform."
He inclined his head very slightly. Yes, master.
Pink never called her master.
"Very good," the pawang said, smiling at her. "All right, come now,
let's get out of here before anyone finds us. We'll take care of . . .
this . . . later on," he added, curling his lip as he looked at Jing. "I
don't want to get her all over my jubah. Blood is a real pain to clean
off, let me tell you. The number of nice robes I've had to sacrifice
over the years . . ."
"One last thing," Suraya said, and her voice was clear and strong.
The pawang cocked one eyebrow and looked down at her, his
arms crossed. "Well?"
"Fortune favors the bold." And with that, she took Pink and threw
him with all her might behind the pawang. "NOW, PINK!" she
shouted, as she stepped forward and threw her shoulder against the
pawang's stomach with all her might.
The moon had draped itself in clouds and shadow, but in the dim
light, Suraya could see the small grasshopper shape of Pink
transform and grow as he tumbled in midair, and when he landed it
was in a crouch right behind the pawang, still stumbling from
Suraya's sudden, unexpected attack, still unable to do much more
than pant to try and catch his breath.
Before he could regain hisbalance, she shoved him again,
throwing all her weight behind her shoulder, trying to makeherself as
heavy and strong as she could.
The pawang stepped back, tripping over Pink's low, crouching
form and tumbling onto his back—straight onto a fresh grave mound.
Immediately, Pink moved to hold him down.
I cannot do this for much longer,Pink said, hisbreath ragged.
And as soon as he is able to speak, the polong will be all over us.
"Hang on, Pink." Suraya ran to where she could see the ghosts
fighting with the pawang's polong army. "Badrul!" she yelled. "I need
a little help!"
It seemed to take no more time than it took to blink for the ghost
to glide to her side.
"You heard thelady!" he barked to the grave mound. "Give her a
hand, if you please."
Nothing happened.
The pawang struggled against Pink's grip, mud seeping into the
soft gray cloth of his jubah.
Suraya glanced at Badrul. "What was that supp—"
"Shush," Badrul growled. "You'll see. Children, honestly," he
muttered to himself. "So impatient."
The ground moved.
"There, you see? I told you to wait."
The pawang looked down, wild-eyed. "What's happening?
What . . ."
But before he could finish, hands had burst out of the dark, damp
earth; cold, graying, clammy hands that reached up and around the
pawang, gripping him firmly around his arms.
The pawang began to scream.
Badrul spat in disgust. "Look at him, making all that riot.
Mangkuk. In my day, we took our punishments like MEN." And he
hitched up his sarong from where it was starting to droop at his waist
and turned to march back to the melee, swinging his tree branch
merrily along.
"Quick, Pink," Suraya yelled, "make sure he can't call his
creatures for help!" And Pink used his great hands to shovel dirt into
the pawang's mouth so that he choked and spluttered and could say
nothing, nothing at all, as those cold, cold hands drew him onto the
dirt, until they heard the crack of his head on a rock, andthe hands
glided smoothly back into the earth they had come from.
And then there was silence.
"Is he . . . is he . . ." Jing couldn't seem to finish her sentence,
and Suraya shook her head quickly so she wouldn't have to.
"No! No, of course not."
He is just stunned,Pink said. Unconscious, he cannot give
commands. He cannot harm us.
"What do we do with him now?" Suraya looked at the pawang's
still body with some distaste.
"Maybe we should ask his . . . friends," said Jing, jerking her
head. For all around them, the pawang's monsters had gathered,
staring silently at the body of their former master.
He was never their friend,Pink said quietly. He was cruel. They
have no loyalty to him.
"Then maybe they should be the ones to decide his fate," Suraya
said.
As soon as the words left her mouth, there was a loud skittering
and a mass of polong came forward, lifted the Pawang's body, and
bore it away. Behind them, the bajang and toyol slunk through the
shadows.
"What will they do to him?" Suraya whispered.
They will have their way, Pink replied.The langsuir may flee, as
may the bajang and the toyol. But the polongs will set out to look for his blood in a new master. Someone somewhere is about to get a
nasty surprise. . . .
High above them, they heard the langsuir-owl screech one last
time as she swooped off into the night.