‘Sarah,’ he said, ‘you’ve got four men headed your way, just around the farthest corner. I need you to move into the armory coming up on your left. Keep your pace and you’ll make it. You’ve still got ten seconds to get there… nine… eight…’
In his own head, Garcia was screaming for them to hurry.
Sarah and Dade moved steadily toward the room in front of them. There was no hitch in their stride or any noticeable change in their movements — nothing that would give them away. As Garcia reached the count of ‘two’, they pushed through the unlocked door and gently closed it behind them.
Garcia breathed a sigh of relief as the guards walked past. ‘See, no problem. A whole second to spare.’
‘Thanks,’ she whispered. ‘Let me know when it’s clear. In the meantime, I’m going to check out their supplies.’
‘Don’t stray too far,’ Garcia warned as he searched for her on his computer screen. ‘There’s a camera mounted above the door. Right now I can’t see you. I’d advise you to keep it that way.’
‘Will do,’ she said as she grabbed Dade’s sleeve.
He nodded in understanding. He would stay by the door.
In person, the armory was even more impressive than it had been on screen. The cache that they had accumulated would rival those of the world’s most formidable warlords. The guns alone were enough to stage an invasion — if that invasion had taken place fifty years ago, because many of the weapons were antiques.
The real prize, however, was the explosives.
Each pound of Semtex could do the work of a thousand guns.
And that was just the beginning of their arsenal.
A curious grin spread across the elder’s face.
‘Tell me,’ he said, ‘do you understand the concept of faith?’
Before Jasmine could speak, he answered his own question.
‘Of course you don’t. Your version of faith allows you to pick and choose your level of devotion, paying tribute when it suits you. Meanwhile, our faith is all-consuming. Our devotion is absolute. It has not faltered in more than two thousand years. Even when our city was overrun by Romans, we triumphed because of our faith.’
‘You did what was needed,’ she said.
She hoped to make a connection.
Instead, it fueled his indignation.
‘Do you think you know us? Do you think you understand sacrifice?’ He shook his head. ‘You know nothing! We planned in advance for the oracle’s prophecy to come true — never questioning, never doubting that the flood would eventually come. Every action in Alexandria was a calculated endeavor, from the feigned acceptance of the Roman doctrine to our adoption of their culture. The clothes we wore, the words we spoke — all maneuvers that allowed us to keep an eye on Alexander. Our forces were always outnumbered, but we were never outsmarted. First we took their temple. Then we took the tomb. For centuries no one suspected our actions, and no one discovered our hidden message. But the moment it was found, we took care of that as well!’
As much as it pained him to destroy a sacred piece of their history — a temple in the bowels of the city that they had maintained over the centuries — the elder had done so without remorse. The preservation of their religion far outweighed the protection of a landmark.
Garcia didn’t like what he was hearing. The speech in Jasmine’s cell had suddenly gone from educational to heated. The once calm façade of the priest had started to crumble, revealing the furious disposition below.
Garcia worried that the shouting hinted at what was to come.
He feared it was a prelude to violence.
He checked his screen and saw that the hallway was finally clear. ‘Sarah, it’s time to go! Things are getting loud in there, and I don’t like it. I’m starting to get a bad feeling about this — like he’s about to erupt.’
Sarah stepped into the hallway, with Dade following close behind. She knew they were close, but she couldn’t afford to be careless. Not with so much at stake.
Stay calm. Don’t run.
Find Jasmine. Get the hell out.
If their path stayed clear, the only thing that stood between them and Jasmine’s cell was a long corridor that ended with two quick turns before it continued on. Sarah knew there were no cameras covering the zigzag section of the hallway. They couldn’t linger long, but it offered them one last chance to gather themselves.
One quick moment before they made their final push.
The elder rose from the block to deliver his final words. ‘We have no quarrel with those who mean us no harm. But those who seek to desecrate our lands in search of our relics will be met with the full force of our power. Amun will reward us for our faith. He and his son protect us. They guide us. They are the source of our strength. And our strength is unsurpassed because we are fueled by god.’
As if on cue, the muscular guards charged toward Jasmine and grabbed her. Despite her flailing arms and cries of anguish, they easily dragged her across the floor, delivering her to the sacred stone. The guard who had slapped her earlier grabbed a fistful of hair and yanked her head back as she was pulled roughly to her knees.
When Sarah reached the twist in the hallway, she paused briefly. She needed to know what Garcia was keeping from her. Firelight danced across the wall in front of her, as if making that final turn would lead her into a raging inferno.
‘Hector,’ she whispered, ‘what’s going on? I see flickering flames and a bunch of shadows on the wall. What am I facing?’
‘Sarah!’ he shouted. ‘Go now! Go right now!’
She reached under her tunic and pulled out her gun, waiting for more intel on the situation. ‘Tell me what I’m facing!’
For the first time, Jasmine could see finer details of the stone.
From a distance, she had believed that the earthy tone was a natural feature of the rock. Her eyes grew wide when she realized the discoloration in each cut was man-made. The crimson stains were dried blood left by centuries of executions.
She stared up at the elder, nearly paralyzed by fear. She watched as a guard removed the elder’s cloak and handed him a curved sword. She tried to scream at the sight of the blade, but she could barely muster a sound.
The elder looked down at her. ‘You must pay for your indignities.’
‘Wait, wait, please wait,’ she muttered, summoning the last bit of courage she could muster. ‘The tomb! I need to know: where is the tomb?’
The elder smiled, leaned in close, and whispered in her ear. ‘That is not for me to say. Amun will tell you himself when you meet him.’
With a subtle nod, the brutal guard slammed her face against the stone. The other two held her arms far to the sides so she couldn’t squirm away.
Garcia leaped to his feet, knocking over his chair. ‘Oh God. Someone—’
He started to hyperventilate. ‘They’re going to—’
His knees wobbled as he gasped for breath. ‘Sarah… now!’
The elder raised the sword above his head, said a few words in his native tongue, then brought the blade down with all of his might.
The last sound that Jasmine ever heard was the snap of her neck.
A moment later, her head rolled across the floor.
Just as Sarah reached the cell.
One second too late.
77
Sarah stared in horror as Jasmine’s head tumbled across the stone. Time seemed to stand still as the gathered priests in the chamber all turned to face the interloper. She could see the confusion on their faces — their utter shock that someone had infiltrated their sacred dwelling and dared to intervene.