‘I’m not lying. We’re giving up.’
One soldier roughly pulled her arms behind her back as another searched her. Finding nothing, he shouted to Rasche, who issued an order. The rest of the advance party hurried over, keeping their guns fixed on the tunnel. Kroll called down from above. Rasche replied, then faced Nina. ‘What is through there?’ he demanded, pointing at the archway.
‘Andreas’ tomb — and the Spring of Immortality,’ she replied.
Suspicion was clear on the SS man’s face. ‘And you are willingly giving it to us? I do not believe you. You are trying to delay us while the Jews sabotage the spring!’
‘No, I’m not. I’m surrendering because… because there’s nothing else we can do.’
Rasche frowned, then barked commands. His men ran towards the opening, two remaining to guard their prisoner. He shone his torch at her. ‘You have already been sentenced to death,’ he said, seeing the red marks still visible on her neck. ‘We will carry out your sentence.’
Nina felt a chill as a ghostly echo of the rope pulled around her throat. ‘All I ask is that you let me see the spring flowing first. That’s my only condition.’
‘You are in no position to make demands!’ the Nazi snapped. ‘I should kill you right here.’ He started to raise his gun, but a shout from the next chamber caught his attention. A brief exchange, then: ‘Your companions are also surrendering. You said there were five of you; if we see anyone else—’
‘There’s nobody else,’ Nina told him. ‘You have my word.’
‘Your word is worth nothing, American.’ But the moment of imminent threat had passed. ‘Move!’
He pushed her into the tunnel. As they rounded the corner, Nina saw that Taubman had joined the others — all of whom were now kneeling before the tomb with their hands behind their heads, surrounded by Nazi soldiers.
Not even the sight of his captured enemies could prevent Rasche from being amazed by the chamber, however. He stared up at the towering statue as they crossed the viaduct. ‘So it was real all along…’
‘You didn’t believe it?’ Nina asked. ‘Even though the water kept you young?’
‘I do not believe in myths as Kroll does. But… he was right.’ Rasche shook his head as if astonished at making the admission, then called to the other men. A reply came in the affirmative, one soldier indicating a small pile of weapons and equipment. ‘Stand with them,’ Rasche ordered Nina.
‘You okay?’ Eddie asked as she joined the prisoners.
‘Yeah,’ she answered. ‘I just hope I’ve done the right thing.’
‘So do I,’ said Zane, not concealing his bitterness.
‘Silence,’ barked Rasche. He looked the prisoners over, ending with Zane. ‘You too were sentenced to death, Jude,’ he said with a sadistic smile. ‘I will enjoy ending what we started.’
The Israeli stared coldly back at him. ‘It doesn’t matter how long you live. The Mossad will find you.’
‘I will live longer than you,’ Rasche scoffed.
The rhythmic tramp of marching feet echoed down the passage. The rest of the Nazis arrived, some bearing the empty water barrels. Kroll was at their head.
The Nazi leader was visibly struggling not to show his breathlessness from the effort of the descent. But his physical weakness did not make him any less threatening. He took in the spirit-lit wonders of the cavern with triumphant awe, then fixed his gaze gloatingly on the redhead. ‘Dr Wilde. Thank you for leading us to the Spring of Immortality. It will give us life… but for you, it will bring only death.’
36
The obese Nazi laughed at his own joke, his men joining in obsequiously. Eddie was unamused. ‘Christ, and I thought my one-liners were shit.’
A soldier clubbed him across the back. ‘Shut up,’ said Rasche.
Kroll gave the moment of violence only the briefest glance. ‘Where is the spring?’ he asked Nina.
‘There,’ she said, pointing at the huge statue. ‘It’s waiting for you to take it.’
Rasche spoke to his leader, mistrust clear in every word. Kroll nodded. ‘He is right,’ he told her. ‘Why should we believe that you would hand over the spring now, after all you have done to keep it from us?’
‘Because… there’s nothing we can do to stop you,’ she replied. ‘We couldn’t have held you back for more than a few minutes.’
‘And that?’ Kroll gestured at the plastic container amongst the weapons on the floor; a soldier presented it to him. He shook it; it was full. ‘Potassium cyanide,’ he said, reading the label. ‘You were going to poison the water? Why did you not do so?’
‘There wouldn’t have been any point. The water down there isn’t the spring, it’s only an overflow. The statue is the source.’
He stared past her at the stern figure of Alexander. ‘Show me.’
Nina helped Eddie up. Rasche spoke sharply, and one of the Yorkshireman’s guards pointed his gun at them. She gave Kroll a scathing look. ‘If you don’t mind?’
‘Let them stand,’ the German ordered. ‘But at the first sign of treachery, kill them.’
‘Why wait?’ said Rasche as the group started for the statue. ‘We are going to kill them anyway.’
‘I’ll tell you why,’ Nina said to Kroll. ‘Maybe none of the others are, but you’re a scholar. You studied the history of Alexander the Great — and because of that, you realised the importance of the water you found in Greece when anyone else would have just stolen the treasure. There’s more to this for you than money, or securing the water. This is a confirmation of what you’ve always thought: by beating Andreas the cook, you’ve proved you’re Alexander’s equal.’
Kroll’s already ample chest swelled still further in pride. ‘That is true. And it is only the beginning. Once we have control of the water, we will lead the world into a new age. And we will have you to thank for opening the door.’
‘Which is why I’d like to make a last request.’ He stopped to listen, everyone else following suit. ‘I know I’m not going to leave here alive, but I want to ask you, one scholar to another, if I can watch you draw the first water from the spring. To prove that I was right.’ Nina’s voice became pleading. ‘I got involved in all of this because I wanted to find one last great secret from history before I die. Will you let me see it through to the end? Please?’
Rasche let out an impatient snort. ‘No. No more quests and riddles; just kill them, Kroll.’
Kroll flushed with anger. ‘You do not give orders to me, Rasche! Dr Wilde is right — this place is a part of history. And today, we shall make history.’ He addressed his men. ‘The New Reich was born in exile, building its strength in secret. But today, we shall use the Spring of Immortality to retake our rightful place in the world!’ What began as a speech became a rant, as spittle-flecked as an address by Hitler himself. ‘Our victory is inevitable! We came to this place as soldiers — but we shall leave it as conquerors!’ He pointed at the towering statue. ‘And I shall lead you to glories that not even Alexander the Great could imagine!’
‘Sieg heil! Sieg heil!’ his men chanted, arms snapping into salutes. Even Rasche joined in.
Leitz had remained slightly apart from the Nazis, keeping a gun on the prisoners. ‘So where is this spring?’ he asked. ‘I would like to see what is worth so much money.’
‘Dr Wilde, show us,’ Kroll ordered.
Nina led the way to the far end of the bridge. ‘It’s up there,’ she said, pointing at the statue’s hands. ‘You can see the Greek text: “He who believes himself equal to Alexander, step up and receive your reward.”’