territory,â added Zoe. âThereâs no bird scarer to keep him away now.â
âYou go and enjoy your surprise,â said their godfather. âAnd leave everything to me.â
âAre you ready?â they heard Mat calling from the courtyard. They swung their rucksacks on to their backs and headed outside to find him standing by a small, open-top jeep. He grinned. âHop in!â
âWhere are we going?â asked Zoe, as Mat steered them down a bumpy track. It was impossible to see ahead because of the dense trees.
âYouâll see in a minute.â
The jeep turned a corner and in front of them was a cleared area, about the size of a football pitch, leading to a runway. Ben and Zoe could see it was a small airstrip, and then they spotted the craft shimmering in the heat in the middle of the tarmac.
âA balloon!â gasped Ben. âFantastic!â
Zoe gave a whoop of delight. âDouble fantastic!â
âItâs the best way to see the rainforest.â Mat beamed. âReady for a little ride?â
They walked towards the balloon, which was still being filled with hot air.
âPerhaps our surprise hasnât come at the wrong time after all,â Zoe murmured to Ben.
Ben frowned. âHow dâyou work that out?â
âIf a fire did start, at least we could see exactly where it was and put out an alert immediately!â
Whoosh! Mat turned up the flame that burnt under the huge red balloon envelope. A man untied the rope tethers and Ben and Zoe felt the basket rise up into the air.
âItâs a bit bumpy!â yelled Zoe, over the noise of the roaring flare.
âYouâll get used to it.â Mat smiled.
They were soon at the height of the treetops. Mat pulled on a cord.
âThis opens the parachute valve a little,â he told them. âDonât worry, weâre not jumping! It just lets out hot air to stop us gaining any more height. Can you feel the tug on the basket? At different heights the winds travel in different directions. Weâve reached a patch of wind thatâs blowing south-eastwards. Just what we need to go over the reservation.â
âAnd if we have to change direction we just go up or down to catch a different wind,â said Ben.
âYouâve got it!â said Mat. âI canât guarantee to get us back in the centre of the tarmac, but Iâve never missed the airstrip yet.â
Above the forest canopy the air felt fresher, and Ben and Zoe could feel a welcome breeze on their skin. Parrots glided over the treetops below them, their bright wings flashing through the air.
âThis is all the Adilah Reservation,â said Mat, proudly gesturing over his land.
The tops of the tallest trees reached out but didnât quite touch each other. Small trees filled the gaps below. It looked like an endless sea of green.
âSome of the trees are seventy-five metres tall,â explained Mat. âAll sorts of creatures live up there: monkeys, spiders, snakes, lizards.â
Zoe screened her eyes. âWhatâs that mountain over there?â she asked, as she looked at a barren peak far in the distance.
âMount Kinabalu,â said their guide. âYouâll have a good view now weâre so high.â He handed them binoculars.
âI donât like the look of the dark clouds over it,â said Ben, focusing on the mountain. âAre we going to get wet?â
âTheyâre a long way off,â Mat told them. âDonât worry, we should be back before it rains. Iâm turning to take you right across the reservation. Weâre at the south-eastern point here. You can see the oil palms stretching away at the edge of my land.â
âThere are the seedlings,â said Zoe. âIt looks like a join-the-dots puzzle from here.â
âWe have to get higher,â said Mat, turning up the flame. âHopefully weâll pick up a
Learning to Kill: Stories