Hiltmeyer dropped to a seated position, his back thudding against the wall, his head falling forward, hands at his side as the blood continued to pump down the front of his shirt.
“I killed him.” Alexander stared at his open hand as if it belonged to someone else.
Montross stood, wobbling. He picked up the tablet, then snatched up the Ruger, sliding it under his belt. Then, with a glance at Hiltmeyer and a look of newfound respect for Alexander, he went to the wall and scanned the darkness below.
“Flashlight.”
Alexander remained motionless.
“Now, kid! Snap out of it or we’re going to lose her.”
The light bobbled, came over and aimed below. Alexander held it in both hands, still shaking. Montross focused, looking left and right.
“Here!” shouted a voice.
The light sought her out, then found her, clinging to the side of the first block. She looked ragged. Her sleeves were torn. The beam fell on her battered face, illuminating streaks of blood and a patch of her hair ripped away.
She squinted, then with great effort pulled herself up and rolled onto the platform, chest heaving. She held up a hand to ward off the light, and said, “You definitely do not want to fall in.”
She stood, testing her balance, and Alexander and Montross tensed, expecting the block to fall into the waters or to break apart and drag her under. But nothing happened.
“I guess we’re safe on the walkway,” Alexander said.
“Appears so. At least that one,” Montross agreed.
“And,” called Nina, “at least the water’s fine. Drank a gallon of it under there while I fought with something. I don’t know exactly what, but they were slimy, long and had lots of teeth.
Montross eyed the bubbles below. “I think we still want to RV this area, to be sure. And now, thanks to Alexander, we don’t have to worry about getting backstabbed by Mr. Liability over there.”
Alexander hung his head. “Why did I shoot him?” Alexander asked. “When I could’ve shot you?”
Taking his hand away, Montross looked down, meeting Alexander’s grave stare. “I’m sorry kid. I really am. About your mom. About all this. But someday, soon I hope, you’ll see what I’m doing — what I’ve done — and you’ll understand.”
“Never.”
Montross shrugged, and his face darkened before the tablet’s glow lit it up again. “Come on, I’ll lower you down to Nina, and we’ll make our way to the Mausoleum.”
“Where we’ll see my dad?”
“I’m positive of it.”
“What about all these other buildings. These temples, those palaces? All that treasure?” Alexander’s eyes lit up and he licked his lips. The enormity of what he had just done was fading under a renewed boyhood enthusiasm for adventure, overwhelming the onslaught of witnessing so much death. “All that gold must be piled up somewhere in here.”
“If you want to explore and sightsee,” Montross said, “then you come back here with your own annoying kids someday. We’re only here for the keys.”
10
The underground river below the terra cotta army was more like a sewer tunnel system than a river. The water was about knee-deep, and fortunately it was fresh, without a hint of the toxicity of the outside stream.
Cupping some in his palm, Caleb took a tentative drink. A sip, then a hearty swallow. Then he washed off his face as the others saw him and gratefully did the same.
“Keep moving,” Renée ordered. “Unless you want to RV this portion of the tunnel as well. But it seems odd that they would trap the very route just rewarded to us for solving that riddle up there.”
“They’ll booby trap everything,” Phoebe said. “It’s what they do. Sadists.”
Qara made a clicking sound.
“Or,” Caleb said, “they just want to make sure we’re worthy.”
“You’re not,” Qara said quietly. “No one is.”
Renée turned to her, splashing in the cool water. “Then why is this tunnel here?” The radiance from the flashlights reflected off the water, and danced like sunbursts in her eyes. “Why have we gotten this far, if your great Khan didn’t want someone to find him?”
Behind her back, Qara’s wrists worked the straps. Blood dripped into the water, the flesh cut through almost to the bone. Her face bore no expression.
“No,” Renée continued, “our presence here is proof. It was meant to be found. Found, and taken.”
“By you?” Phoebe asked. “I don’t think so. This is just like the Pharos Lighthouse. It was designed to keep out everyone except those with our kinds of abilities. And despite your minor glimpse at our RV session, I don’t think you qualify.”
“We’ll see,” Renée said. “I’m blessed in other ways. Chosen.”
Qara worked her shoulders, pulling, tugging, twisting her fingers back at a nearly impossible angle, getting under the plastic.
Caleb stood by his sister and addressed Renée. “You want these keys, the translation and the tablet. Want it returned to your master. But Marduk’s long gone. And your cult, it’s nothing anymore, is it? So what is this really about?”
Renée smirked. “You have no idea. Once we have those keys, and once we find the—” She stopped herself suddenly, smiled and turned away.
Find the what? Caleb thought. Something else of Marduk’s?
Renée looked back and smirked. “Thoth’s failure will be complete, and all this secrecy and protection will be all for nothing.”
“You’re wrong,” Qara whispered. She separated her hands, snapping through the frayed bonds, then raised her arms over her head in an angelic stance.
She bent her knees, and charged.
Renée felt the Darkhad’s talon-like fingers around her throat before she could free her gun. She fell back into the water, with the Mongolian witch on top of her, choking her, trying to gouge her eyes out. She got a mouthful of icy water and her head struck the bottom, sending up starbursts in her vision. But then, mercifully, the pressure withdrew.
She sat up, shaking her head and coughing. Chang and another soldier had Qara pinned against a wall. Renée pulled out her gun, shook off the water, and aimed. But something hit her hard on the side, spinning her around.
Orlando grabbed the gun. “No!” Then he grunted as a soldier bashed his side with the butt of his rifle. Renée shoved him off and turned back to see that Qara had broken free. She kicked one soldier in the groin and then elbowed Chang in the face, ripped herself free, and ran back for the ladder.
Guns trained on her, but Caleb and Phoebe blocked the way.
“Damn!” Renée hissed, then leapt ahead, pushed between the brother and sister, and fired, just as Qara jumped up the ladder, scaling it like an energized spider monkey. She fired twice, one round hitting the ladder, the other causing a sharp cry from Qara. But the Darkhad still pulled herself up and out.
Renée chased her. You are not getting away. She had a flash of a vision, maybe something psychic — or just her imagination. A brief clip of Qara hiding up above, somewhere in the tunnels, and firing on her as she returned with the keys.
Not going to happen.
Renée hauled herself up, dove and rolled, bringing out the flashlight in her left hand, the .45 in her right, sweeping the beam around in a tight circle around the opening.
A legion of blank-faced white-eyed warriors glared at her in the light, swords and shields glinting, horse’s rearing.
Then, a glimpse, legs scuttling back by the water’s edge.
Renée settled the flashlight, sighted, and fired.
Qara stood up, back arched. Knee-deep in the mercury-river, she staggered ahead. Turned, her mouth open in a silent curse.