Guet Imm looked equally surprised, but after a moment, she recovered her customary sangfroid.
“Maybe the Yeoh family is pious, but they were cheating you,” she said. “The statue was very good quality—handmade by northern craftsmen. You could have earned a tael from that alone.”
“Good thing we don’t have it anymore, then,” said Fung Cheung drily. “At least we won’t be cheated. Instead, we’re in trouble with the most powerful Tang family in the country. The Protector went to Yeoh Thean Tee’s eldest son’s wedding.”
A polite cough interrupted him.
“Cheung,” said Rimau. “We’re done.”
He jerked his head at the rest of the group. The brothers stood ready to leave with all they had strapped to theirbacks, trying to look as though they hadn’t been listening in on the entire conversation.
Fung Cheung held Guet Imm’s eyes for a moment.
“Fine,” he said. “Let’s go.” He rose, breaking the gaze.
Rimau was a courteous soul and it was obvious it pained him to ask, but he said in a low voice, “What about her?” His eyes flicked towards Guet Imm.
Tet Sang thought of the chalice—the one true treasure among the tokong goods they’d brought to Sungai Tombak. The other artefacts had merely been valuable. The chalice—and what it held—were irreplaceable. Guet Imm had thrown it at the mata without hesitation.
“She comes with us,” he said.
Rimau looked at Fung Cheung.
Tet Sang was prepared to defend Guet Imm—explain that it was not her fault the mata had been put onto them; that she’d helped fend the mata off, even if he was reasonably sure he could’ve got out of the tailor’s shop without her help. But angry as Fung Cheung was, Tet Sang knew he wouldn’t have to argue.
He was right.
“You heard Ah Sang,” said Fung Cheung. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?” said Guet Imm, in a subdued voice.
Fung Cheung didn’t respond at once. Tet Sang saw that he didn’t know the answer.
They’d had plans for what they were going to do oncethey completed the job and had one thousand six hundred cash at their disposal. They hadn’t planned for the job going wrong.
It was usually Tet Sang who made sure there was a backup plan. He hadn’t done it this time, because—he realised now—in his inmost heart, he had believed it was Heaven’s design that this deal should happen. He had been convinced that they were meant to entrust what remained of the tokong at Permatang Timbul to some of the few people on the peninsula who knew the value of the treasures and had a hope of surviving the current turmoil.
“We’re going to get lost,” said Fung Cheung finally.
There was a trail running parallel to the waterfall by which they had camped. It went up the slope before plunging into parts unknown, deep in the jungle. Fung Cheung looked at it without pleasure.
“It’s a good thing you know how to deal with leeches, Sister Guet Imm,” he said. “We’re going to need it.”
Fung Cheung wanted to go as far into the jungle as they could before darkness fell. The deeper they were, the safer they would be from the mata. The wilderness held other terrors, of course, but for now they faded into insignificance beside the concrete threat of the Protectorate.
It was not till nighttime that they stopped and pitched camp. Tet Sang hadn’t been sure how he would summonthe energy to put up his shelter, but Rimau—who was somewhat more insightful than the others—stepped in to help. Tet Sang was too weary to protest.
At least Rimau had tact. Once the shelter was up, he did not trouble Tet Sang with questions or solicitude, but clapped him on the shoulder and went off.
Peace and quiet,thought Tet Sang. He felt like a man in a desert lifting a gourd of water to his lips.
He had started taking off his clothes when Guet Imm said into his ear: “There were only twenty-one votaries at Permatang Timbul.”
“Argh!” said Tet Sang. He pulled his underrobe back on hastily.
As usual, his shelter was some distance from the others’. He should have seen Guet Imm coming. But there had been no sign of her approach—just empty air all around, before she’d popped into existence like a ghost.
“Don’t do that!” he snapped. “I almost punched you.”
