Chapter 34

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.