The steps were concrete for the first few flights, and then a series of black metal stairs had been bolted to the rock face like a fire escape. The treads of these were quite narrow, in some cases only wide enough for one foot. About halfway up, a metal cage had been placed around the stairs for safety purposes. Otherwise, people could fall or jump to their deaths.
Near the end of their climb, the stairs were concrete again. Cobb could see long grasses and trees growing on top of the rock. He also noted the weathered holes that paralleled the metal steps — the original hand-carved footholds. Water, sunlight, and ferrous minerals had streaked the cliff-like face with wide, vertical swaths of color in white, black, and orange.
‘Doctor,’ Cobb said, ‘any other ways up or down?’
‘Not without a rope,’ Senanayake said. ‘Or wings.’
‘Good to know. Can we have a look around up top?’
The director nodded and started walking forward.
‘Sir,’ Cobb said, ‘we’ll need to ask you to wait down below for us. Between you and me, I don’t think there’s a bomb up there, but I have rules to follow. Can’t endanger civilians.’
‘Ah, of course,’ Senanayake said. ‘It’s your show. If Paris says you’re in charge, then you’re in charge. I was about to head down to my office anyway. There are fences up near the edges. They’re not terribly stable, and people have fallen, so don’t get too close. When you’re done, I trust you can find your way down. My office is on the edge of the car park at the south side of the compound. You can’t miss it.’
Cobb and McNutt waited until the man was long gone before they started their final ascent. The director had said there were 1,200 steps to the top of the rock from the gardens below. It looked to Cobb like most of those were ahead of them.
As they made their way up the rock face, Cobb and McNutt didn’t notice the sets of eyes that watched their every move from the shadows of the foliage below.
They had been there for several hours.
And they were ready to attack.
61
Having ascended the series of rusted steps that led to the rock’s expansive top level, Cobb stopped and stared at the foliage below, admiring the view. The morning rains had collected the dust from the air, and the clear skies allowed him to see for miles in every direction. The distinct hills of the landscape were a quilt of lush forest interspersed with the occasional barren areas of dirt.
The top of the massive column of rock had been terraced centuries ago, the natural stone slopes replaced with a series of level areas of various heights and sizes. Each level had several staircases connecting it to the flat lawns, stone foundations, or shallow pools of the surrounding areas. Everywhere he looked Cobb could see reddish-brown bricks standing out against the grass and other creeping greenery that threatened to conceal the ruins. It reminded Cobb of photos he had seen of Machu Picchu in Peru.
McNutt stared at the murky brown water of the nearest pool, and at the dirty brown mutt basking in the sun at the water’s edge. Despite its filth, the dog looked well fed and content. It certainly had far less concern for them than the men did for it.
‘Will you look at that,’ McNutt said. ‘Snoopy looks perfectly at home up here.’ He glanced back at the narrow staircase they had just climbed. ‘Then again, maybe he’s just making the most of a bad situation. That rickety fire escape is scary as hell.’
Cobb glanced at the dog. ‘I highly doubt that he’s stuck here. I bet he comes up here every day for handouts from tourists.’
McNutt grinned. ‘I would, too, if people kept feeding me.’
Cobb smiled and pulled out his phone. He pressed a few buttons and brought up the image of the floor plan that Garcia had loaded into the device. He glanced back and forth between the blueprint on the screen and the landscape in front of him, trying to picture the buildings that once stood on the grounds. In his mind, he could see the lavish palace and the impenetrable ramparts, the stone courtyards and the exquisite gardens.
In reality, all that remained was little more than rubble.
‘Where’s the hidden room supposed to be?’ McNutt asked.
Cobb oriented the image on the phone to match the landmarks in front of him, hoping it would give them a clearer picture of where to search. Cobb pointed up ahead. ‘I think it’s that way. Does that sound right to you, Hector?’
‘I agree,’ Garcia said in his ear. ‘The palace was located on the highest ground.’
Thanks to the conveniences of technology, Garcia didn’t need to make the climb to see the plateau. Instead, he and Maggie were watching Cobb and McNutt’s video feeds from their hi-tech sunglasses. Garcia couldn’t actually see the others atop the monument from the safety of the nearby Hotel Sigiriya — the distance was simply too far — but the unobstructed view gave their comms a clear path of transmission. Even though the devices had already proven that they could send and receive signals through several feet of solid rock, this wasn’t the time to take unnecessary chances.
Not when they were so close to solving the mystery.
Not with Polo’s treasure within their grasp.
They walked forward, traversing multiple levels on cracked stone stairs while avoiding a large retention pool in the center of the plateau. When they finally arrived at their destination, they were dripping in sweat from their long climb and the thick humidity. They took a moment to catch their breath and to enjoy the 360-degree vista of the surrounding terrain.
‘I can see why he chose this place,’ McNutt said.
‘Polo?’ Cobb asked.
‘No, the king!’ McNutt turned and imagined his personal kingdom. ‘Got my palace here. My swimming pool there. And my naked ladies down below. What else would I need?’
‘Electricity … Plumbing … Cable TV.’
‘TV?’ McNutt burst out laughing. ‘Chief, I rarely have the opportunity to give you advice, but this is one of those times. If you have a harem, you don’t need a TV.’
Cobb grinned. ‘I’ll try to remember that.’
‘Trust me, you’ll thank me later.’
‘In the meantime, do you mind if we look for the treasure?’
McNutt shook his head. ‘Just tell me what to do.’
Cobb walked along the edge of a low brown wall about two feet in height. He looked down at the bricks and wondered. Senanayake had confided in them that despite the site being a World Heritage location, restoration work had actually involved moving some of the bricks from one of the mostly ruined areas to another that was mostly intact. It was unthinkable from an archeological point of view, but it made perfect sense taken within the context of tourism.
Cobb’s realization that damage had already been done to the site by the organization that was supposed to protect it eased his guilt considerably. He knew that they would have to damage some walls to look for the hidden room, but he also knew if they located Polo’s treasure that the local government would make millions and the site would be inundated with tourists.
Still, he would do his best to limit damage.
‘Hector,’ Cobb said, ‘I think we walked up too high. Based on this diagram, we have to go down a few levels to access the secret room.’
Garcia stared at the map on his screen. ‘I tend to agree. The palace started at the top but sprawled down over multiple levels. You need to go a hundred feet south or so. You can access that area by taking the steps on your right.’