The Hunt for Shambhala

2

With the mighty twin radial engines up to full power, Decker pulled back on the yoke and the Albatross’s smooth, deep-V hull lifted up out of the water. For a second the plane seemed to be skimming over the surface of Kowloon Bay like a speed boat but then it roared up into the sky above the city. The gunmen were left on the dockside, firing pointlessly as the boat plane slipped out of the range of their pistols.

Glancing below, Decker saw a town full of memories — bars, clubs, restaurants… and he was starting to wonder if they’d ever let him back in the place after what just happened.

“I can’t believe we got away,” Selena said, visibly relieved.

“Live to fight another day,” Riley said. “But I bet their boss is already sharpening his brisket slicer for us.”

Selena shot him an anxious glance. “Oh, don’t say that.”

At ten thousand feet, Decker levelled the Avalon and decreased power to settle down into a cruise. The old plane rumbled uneasily through a stretch of turbulence as they crossed the tail end of a typhoon that was building to the east, but at least they were safe now. The American pilot glanced at his watch and made some adjustments to the GPS. “You still haven’t told me where we’re flying.”

“Bangkok.”

“Why Bangkok?”

Selena and Riley shared a quick glance. Riley said, “Because that’s where this told us to go.” He pulled a cell phone from his pocket and held it up for the American pilot to see.

Decker sighed. “You’d better tell me what’s going on or we’re turning around and flying back to Hong Kong.” It was a bluff, because the last thing he wanted to do was fly back into the chaos they had left behind in Kowloon Bay.

“As I think we mentioned, this phone belongs to one of the men who tried to kill us back in Hong Kong,” Selena said. “This morning we were at a house in Jardine’s Lookout viewing a private collection of antiquities. It was pre-arranged and I was there to view an old journal. I viewed it and bought it.”

“And then what happened?”

“When we got outside we were jumped by those men. There was an altercation and they took the journal from us.”

Decker nodded his head. “Now I’m starting to understand.”

“We objected to the robbery and things got ugly.”

“Ugly?”

“She’s talking about flying lead,” Riley said. “Lots of it. We decided to get out and live to fight another day. Outnumbered ten to one, and on the way out one of the goons surprised us. I had a chat with him and persuaded him to let us get out with our lives.”

“A chat?”

“I knocked him out cold, mate.”

Decker was unsure how to respond to Riley’s words. “So that’s his phone?”

“It is,” Selena said. “And on it is an address of a well-known Thai gangster named Kunchai — a private address.”

“And you think he’s the guy behind the robbery?”

Riley shrugged. “Guess so.”

“It’s our only lead,” Selena said. “That’s why we’re asking you to fly us to Bangkok. The man who owned the phone was taking orders from this Kunchai fellow. He owns a nightclub in Bangkok. According to the texts on the phone that’s where they’re delivering the journal.”

Decker was silent for a while and then he made the necessary adjustments to the autopilot. The mighty Albatross banked gently to starboard for a few moments before levelling up once again and starting on its new course.

“Thank you, Mr Decker,” Selena said quietly.

“Don’t thank me till we land.”

“And when will that be?”

“Just under seven hours.”

“Seven hours?” Riley said, running his hand through his hair. “Geez, I could paddle home to Sydney in that time.”

Decker turned in the pilot’s seat. “The aircraft’s not pressurized, Mr Carr. If you want to jump out and start paddling I’m not going to stop you.”

Riley looked sheepishly from Selena to Decker. “No, I’m all right, mate. I was only yanking your chain.”

As the flying boat flew southwest they hugged the coast of southern China, passing Macau and Zhanjiang before cutting over the north coast of Hainan Island. This was home to a major Chinese strategic nuclear submarine base and buzzing with military activity, from aircraft carriers below to spy satellites above. Decker was always apprehensive when flying near it, but it was the quickest way to get to Bangkok, and that was where his twenty-five thousand dollars was waiting.

He turned to face the Englishwoman. “So now you’re going to tell me about this old journal and why it nearly cost me my life.”

Selena and Riley shared another silent glance until she broke eye contact and started to rummage around in her canvas bag. “This is what we’re talking about.”

She handed him an old photograph and he turned it over in his hands for a few seconds before handing it back, totally unimpressed. “What is it?”

“This is the only known photograph of the journal they stole. It was taken in the 1920s.”

He glanced at the tiny book though the gloom and deterioration of nearly a century of wear and tear. “And this shitty bit of crap is why those assholes tried to shoot up my plane?”

“This shitty bit of crap, as you put it, is the only clue we have that proves Shambhala was real.”

Decker turned to her and frowned. “And what the hell is Shambhala?”

“It’s an ancient Tibetan kingdom,” she said.

Riley cleared his throat. “An ancient mythical kingdom.”

“You got my plane shot up for a myth?” Decker said.

“But that’s just it,” Selena continued, holding the photograph up between their faces. “Thanks to this we know it’s not a myth any longer — it’s as real as your bad attitude, Mr Decker.”

“Hey! Watch it, lady,” Decker said. “It was my bad attitude that just saved…”

Selena sighed. “That saved our asses, yes, I get it.”

“And you could show a little more gratitude, you know that?”

“We’re both very grateful,” Riley said.

“I’m giving you twenty thousand dollars!” Selena protested. “I would have thought that was a good enough expression of my appreciation.”

“Hmmm,” Decker said, returning his attention to the instruments. “And the deal was twenty-five thousand dollars as I recall.”

“Was it?” she said. She leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms.

“It was.”

“Yeah, it was, Lena,” Riley chipped in. “Sorry.”

“Oh, good one, Riley.”

The Australian looked at her with narrowing eyes. “Oh… you did that on purpose, sorry.”

“Just trying to see if Mr Decker here was paying attention to detail,” Selena said in Cantonese.

Riley replied in Cantonese, “Now you know.”

“Yes, and I can speak some Cantonese as well,” Decker said in the same language.

“Can you now?” Selena said, switching back to English. “I’m impressed.”

“I wasn’t trying to impress anyone,” Decker said. “Least of all you.”

Selena peered out the window at the coast of southern China, visible in patches through gaps in the thick cloud below. “You’re rather rude, aren’t you?”

“Take it any way you want, just don’t get upset about it.”

“Upset?” she said, turning to face him. “I’m not upset. When we get to Bangkok I’ll never seen you again.”

“Fine with me, lady. Just as soon as I get my money I’ll never see you again either.”

“Then that’s settled then,” Riley said, clapping a hand on each of their shoulders. “And in the meantime you kids play nice while I grab me forty winks. I’m sure I can make a nice bed out of that sea of smashed ceramic cats back there.”

Decker watched him leave and returned his gaze to the instruments before scanning the horizon for a few moments. Beside him, Selena stared out across the ocean of clouds stretching away from the vintage aircraft.

“I can’t believe Shambhala is out there somewhere, just waiting to be discovered.”

Decker smirked. “Oh yeah, I forgot — the place that doesn’t exist. Go on.”

“Oh my gosh, you are so tiring.”

“Me? You’re so boring you could send an elephant to sleep.”

“Hey! Wait a minute, what does that even mean?”

“Huh?”

“The elephant thing.”

“They hardly ever sleep.”

“Really?”

“Sure. Three hours a night.”

“Oh, I never knew that.”

“Well, shit in my hat and spin it to the moon. You mean you don’t know everything?”

“I only know useful things, Mr Decker. Knowing how many hours an elephant sleeps every night does not fit into that category.”

“Would you two keep it down,” Riley yelled through the door. “Former war vet back here trying to get some sleep on a bed of broken cats.”

“Sorry, Riley,” Selena shouted back.

Decker turned to her. “Former war vet?”

“He was in the Australian SAS. Never talks about it.”

He nodded once. Good to know. Mitch Decker was no stranger to the occasional bar fight or drunken brawl, and his new life running cargo all over Asia had supplied him with more than enough adventures and experiences to last a lifetime. Still, he was a man who knew his limitations, and fighting with a former Special Forces man with SAS experience was certainly over the line even with his military experience.

“So you spend your life chasing fairy tales, huh?”

“It’s no fairy tale, Mr Decker, but yes… making discoveries like this is our bread and butter.”

“Please, you can call me Mitch.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Why not?”

“It just doesn’t feel right. I think it’s a bit like when they say never give a pig a name if you’re going to have to send it to the slaughterhouse.”

He turned sharply. “What the hell?”

“We’re never going to see each other after Bangkok and I hardly know you.”

“Are you being English right now?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Like the whole tea and crumpets thing. Have I broken some sort of social protocol that the lower orders don’t know about?”

“Hardly, although you’re certainly from the lower orders.”

Decker opened his mouth to reply but Selena spoke again before he’d even thought of the words. “I’m going for a short nap as well. We can talk about the rest later. I want to be bright and fresh when we get to Bangkok. Getting hold of the journal is essential if I’m going to find Shambhala.”

“Plus my cash.”

A sigh. “Yes, of course your cash.”

Decker sighed with relief when she left the cockpit. He loosened his belt and then yawned and stretched his arms. Peace, at last. He reviewed the instruments once again and then settled back to enjoy the view. Thousands of feet below was the steamy coast of Guangdong Province and ahead was the promise of Bangkok.

Decker liked Thailand and was always pleased when a job took him there because it meant a few days of catching up with old friends and sinking a few beers in a rooftop bar like Above Eleven in Sukhumvit. Here he liked to sit and talk about the old times as he watched the sun set over the city with a cold Singha in his hand. What the experience would be like with Selena Moore and Riley Carr, he had no idea, but he’d be twenty-five grand richer, tax-free, and that was a lot of aviation fuel and beer.

He pushed back into the seat and decided to enjoy the peace while it lasted.