The golden sparks still spun around Tyson, who struggled to rise. Maddock lashed out with another kick, connecting with his temple, then followed with a vicious knee to Tyson’s forehead. Tyson slumped to the ground, unconscious. The golden nimbus flickered and died, but golden sparks still danced in his skin.
“Maddock! Help me!” Down on the floor, Dima was performing CPR on Bones.
Maddock’s knees nearly buckled at the sight of his friend, his brother in all the ways that mattered, lying still on the floor. He hurtled down the stairs, dropped to the ground beside Bones, and pressed an ear to his friend’s chest.
He heard nothing.
Maddock quickly took over the resuscitation efforts. First two rescue breaths, and then a series of chest compressions.
“Come on, Bones,” he urged.
All around them, the chamber was coming apart. Water gushed in from holes burned in the stone by the golden sparks. It was a deluge that Maddock knew wouldn’t be stopped this time. If Bones didn’t come back to them soon…
And then Bones coughed, and his chest began to rise and fall on its own. He hacked, coughed again and sat halfway up, resting on his elbows.
“Come on, buddy, let’s get you on your feet.” Maddock tried to slip an arm around his friend, but Bones shoved him away.
“No time for hugging. Let’s get out of here.” Bones lurched to his feet, wobbled, and took a look around.
“Nice waterfalls. Are we screwed, or what?”
“Maybe not,” Maddock said. “I think there’s a way out behind Noah. Come on.”
They hurried up the stairs, shielding their heads from the falling rock. At the top, they rounded the bier and headed for the passageway the trident had blasted open.
The trident!
Maddock searched for it, but it was gone, washed away by the pouring water or crushed beneath falling rock. Either way, it was probably better off buried here.
“Maddock!” Bones grabbed Maddock by the belt and yanked him back into the shelter of the passageway as a huge section of ceiling collapsed, burying Noah, perhaps for all eternity.
“Thanks.”
“No sweat. Just answer one question for me.” Bones stared intently at Maddock.
“What’s that?”
“Did you do the rescue breathing, or was it Dima?”
Maddock threw back his head and laughed.
“I’m serious, Maddock,” Bones protested. “I need to know.”
“We’ll talk about it later. For now, let’s see where this passageway leads.”
Chapter 50
It was well past midnight when they emerged from the warren of underground passageways that twisted and turned beneath the slopes of Ol Doinyo Lengai. It had been a long, difficult climb, with only their cell phones for light, but they’d kept at it, taking every passageway with even the slightest uphill slant, hoping to find a way to the surface. All the while, the sounds of destruction had chased them along as the chambers that had lain hidden for thousands of years were washed clean by the deluge and buried beneath a mountain of stone. It was a shame, Maddock thought, but fitting in a way that a flood should be the agent of its demise. Again and again the ground shook beneath their feet, but the tunnels through which they traveled held fast.
They lay on the rocky mountain slope, battered and bloodied, but alive. The chill night air sliced through their sodden clothing. Dima pressed her body against Bones for warmth, but Maddock kept his distance. After the CPR incident, he knew Bones would have no interest in sharing body heat. He didn’t care; he was happy to be alive.
The moon hung high in the velvet sky, casting the land beneath in silver light. It amazed him that the world could lie at peace, blissfully ignorant of the destruction wrought far beneath the mountain. After witnessing the terrible power that had been unleashed, it somehow seemed wrong to bask in the serenity of the African night.
Maddock gave their group a half-hour to rest before he insisted they begin working their way down the mountain. Climbing after dark wasn’t exactly safe, but hypothermia was a real threat considering the temperature and their thin, wet clothing and weakened conditions. At least they were down on the lower slopes and the moon provided more than enough light for them to find their way. It should be a safe descent.
“I don’t suppose there’s any chance of recovering the trident?” Dima clung tightly to Bones’ arm as if she feared he might get away if she were to let go.
Maddock had a feeling his friend would have no easy time shaking that girl.
“I doubt it. My gut tells me the whole place caved in. You heard the sounds.”
“And felt them, too,” Bones added.
“It’s not that I want it, or anything,” Dima said. “But if it can be recovered, I would hate to see it to fall into the wrong hands.”
“Amen to that, sister.” Bones gave her a squeeze.
“Don’t call me ‘sister.’ It’s creepy.”
“True. Besides, Maddock is the one who’s into sisters.”
Maddock stopped in his tracks. “Wait a minute. She’s not my sister. As a matter of fact, someone in this group did date my sister, and it wasn’t Dima and it sure as hell wasn’t me.”
“Is that a fact?” Dima quirked an eyebrow at Bones. “Funny, I don’t recall you mentioning that.”
“Well, I’ve dated a lot of chicks. It’s hard to keep track.” Bones paused. “That didn’t make it any better, did it?”
“Not even a little bit.”
Buoyed by the joy that only comes from narrowly averting death, they kept up the light banter as they continued down the slope and into the valley.
“Where’s our car?” Dima asked when they’d finally come down off the slopes.
“A few miles that way,” Maddock said. “Still a bit of a hike, but we can handle it.”
“You know what I just realized?” Bones rose up on his toes and looked around. “This valley is full of predators and we lost the stone that lets us make friends.”
Maddock shook his head. “It’s all right. After what we’ve been through, I’ll take my chances.”
Epilogue
It was a balmy day in Key West. A stiff breeze blew in from the Gulf, filling the air with a pleasant hint of the sea. Maddock and Angel sat on the deck of Maddock’s condo, soaking in the sun and suds. Maddock tried to lie back and relax, but Angel’s skimpy bikini, a star-spangled, red, white, and blue number, kept him pleasantly distracted. From inside, the sounds of boisterous conversation drifted out, along with strains of The Police playing on the stereo. Bones and Dima were regaling Willis, Matt, and Corey with the story of their search for the ark. As usual, Bones was doing most of the talking and all of the embellishing.
“Dude, I’m serious. Big, freaking, stone giants!”
“Aw, c’mon man,” Willis said. “Dima, is he messing with us?”
“If Bones says he saw them, I’ll take him at his word,” Dima said mildly.
Bones sputtered a protest over the raucous laughter.
Maddock smiled and closed his eyes. Things were just as they should be.
“Maddock, we need to talk.” Angel rolled over onto her side, tipped her sunglasses up, and fixed him with her doe-eyed gaze that he always found difficult to resist.
“What about?” he said with a touch of trepidation.
“First of all, we need better music. You know, something from this century.”
Maddock chuckled. “Talk to Corey. He’s spinning the discs.”