10
Nina whirled in horror at the sound of gunfire. The
echoes of the first burst faded away, the cries of frightened birds
replacing them – then came another harsh rattle of
shots.
Nearer.
‘Get back over the
wall!’ she shouted to the others.
‘Where are you
going?’ Kit demanded as the explorers rushed for the ruined
stairway.
‘To find Eddie!’ She
charged down the alley.
Becker, closest to
the steps, was the first to begin his ascent. Osterhagen followed,
picking his way up the broken section. Loose stones rattled under
his weight. ‘Come on, schnell!’ he
called down to his companions, before looking up at the panicked
figure on top of the wall. ‘Loretta, run to the
Jeeps!’
Cuff was right behind
him, practically barging his team leader aside as he tried to claw
his way up the broken stairs. ‘Move it, move it!’ he yelled. ‘I
don’t wanna—’
A block burst loose
under his foot. He tripped, chest thudding against the hard-edged
stones, and fell back down to the ground. The entire base of the
stairs collapsed, stones crashing after him. Osterhagen almost
slipped as part of his footing disappeared.
‘You idiot!’ Kit
shouted at the winded American. ‘You almost brought the whole thing
down!’ Above, Becker hauled Osterhagen to safety. ‘Macy, I’ll pull
you up.’
‘What about Nina and
Eddie?’ she protested.
‘You can’t help them
– you’ve got to get out of here!’ He jumped to grab the surviving
part of the stairway as another burst of fire rolled through the
ruins.
Eddie raced through
the crooked streets, swatting greenery out of his path. Only one
soldier was pursuing, the other holding Valero, but the AK-103’s
firepower meant that he was completely outmatched. His only chance
was to draw his pursuer away from the rest of the team, then either
lose him in the maze or stage an ambush—
‘Eddie! Eddie, where
are you?’
Nina, somewhere
ahead. Shit! So much for leading the man away from the others!
‘They’re soldiers! Get back!’ he yelled, rounding a corner to see
her running towards him. Another three-round burst cut through the
air behind, chipped stone spitting at his head. Nina hurriedly
reversed direction, disappearing from view.
He only had a short
lead – shorter than the stretch of the alley before him. The
soldier would have a clear shot at his back . . .
A gap between two
buildings to his right formed a small courtyard, a five-foot-high
wall at its rear. Eddie swerved into the space just as the soldier
saw him and fired again, bullets hissing through the air in his
wake. He leapt at the wall, slapping his palms down hard on its top
to vault over it—
The ivy-covered
stones broke away beneath his hands.
Thrown off balance,
he hit the wall and tumbled over it, realising too late that the
drop on the other side was much higher . . .
All that saved him
from serious injury as he slammed to the ground twelve feet below
was the centuries-old build-up of dirt – and even that couldn’t
prevent a bone-jarring landing. The metallic taste of blood filled
his mouth as he bit his cheek.
He groaned and spat
out a crimson glob, levering himself upright. Footsteps slapped
through the alley above. The soldier was right on him. The only way
out of the sunless pit was through a narrow passage.
He ran for
it.
The AK’s thudding
bark filled the confined space as the soldier leaned over the
broken wall and fired. Bullets kicked up mud as they smacked into
the ground, but Eddie was in the passage, the rest of the shots
twanging noisily off the ancient stonework. Trampling plants, he
darted round a corner to find a flight of steps winding upwards. He
hurriedly ascended them, listening for the thump of the soldier
jumping down after him.
It didn’t come. The
Venezuelan wasn’t willing to take a leap into the unknown. Instead,
he was continuing along the alley.
After
Nina.
Nina raced back to
the stairway, seeing Kit trying to pull Macy up. Osterhagen and
Becker had just reached the top of the wall, but Cuff was still
waiting anxiously at its base. ‘Soldiers!’ she shouted. ‘Right
behind me – everyone run!’
Macy gave Kit a
fearful look – even with his help, she was still having trouble
climbing. There was no way she could reach the top of the wall
before Nina’s pursuer arrived. ‘Hide!’ the Interpol agent ordered.
She nodded, and he released her hands. Arms flailing for balance,
she scuttled back down the pile of stones and ran for the roofless
buildings.
‘Hey! What about me?’
yelped Cuff as Kit rushed up the stairs after the two
Germans.
‘Just run, you moron!’ Nina yelled as she sprinted past
him into another undergrowth-clogged alley. He hesitated, then
started to follow—
‘Hey! Alto!’
The soldier burst
into the open, aiming his gun at Cuff. The American gasped in
terror, throwing up his hands. The Venezuelan looked round,
glimpsing Macy as she ducked into the house Nina had explored
earlier. Movement above – he fired at Kit, but the Indian threw
himself the last few feet up the steps and disappeared over the top
of the great wall.
His smoking AK-103
fixed on Cuff’s chest, the soldier advanced on him. ‘Don’t shoot,
don’t shoot me!’ Cuff stammered. ‘I – I have dollars! American
dollars!’ One shaking hand reached to a pocket. The soldier’s
finger tightened on the trigger. ‘No, no, no! Please! Dollars,
see?’ He took out his wallet and tremblingly thumbed it open to
reveal a wad of banknotes inside, then tossed it to the ground.
‘Take it!’
The soldier regarded
the money for a moment, then lowered the rifle. Cuff whimpered in
relief – and the weapon’s stock smashed into his mouth, spilling
blood and broken teeth. He collapsed on the muddy ground, clutching
his jaw and moaning. A dark patch spread on his trousers as he wet
himself.
His attacker shot him
a brief sneer, then turned to hunt another intruder.
Macy.
The archaeology
student was already regretting her choice of hiding place. The
ancient house was more like a cell; small, devoid of concealment
and with no other exit – except the window. She slipped her arms
into the hole. It was narrower at the top than the bottom, but she
hauled herself through, head and shoulders clearing the sill as she
wriggled the rest of her body out—
A single gunshot, the
bullet shattering part of the lintel. Stone chips stung her
backside and thighs. She screamed, freezing.
‘Well, look at that!’
said a man in Spanish with a mocking laugh. ‘Now that’s a gorgeous
ass – and in just the right position.’ Macy heard him cross the
room. ‘Maybe I should keep you there, eh? Have some fun.’ She
flinched as a hand squeezed her left buttock. ‘Now
that’s—’
There was a muffled
crack, followed by the thump of something heavy hitting the floor.
Then silence. ‘Er . . . hello?’ she whispered
nervously.
‘Get your ass out of
there, Macy,’ said a familiar New York voice.
‘Nina!’ Macy cried as
another hand pulled her backwards. She found the soldier slumped at
her feet, Nina standing over him. ‘What did you do?’
The redhead held up
the bolas. One of the rotten ropes had fallen apart when she pulled
the weapon out of the muck, but its other two stone spheres were
still connected. ‘I got him by the balls. Or with the balls, but same thing.’ She dropped them
and picked up the unconscious man’s AK. ‘Tell Kit to come back down
and keep an eye on this guy, then help that idiot
Cuff.’
‘What about you?’
Macy asked as the other woman returned to the doorway.
Nina looked back at
her, determined. ‘I’m going to find Eddie.’ She moved off at a run,
shouting. ‘Eddie! I’ve got his gun!’
Reaching the top of
the long, twisting stairs, Eddie thought at first he was trapped in
a dead end, but then he found a low opening almost completely
hidden behind a curtain of ivy and creepers. He pushed through the
plants to find himself on a narrow street. To one side, he saw what
he realised was a battlement along the top of the cliff bounding
one side of the ruined city, a collapsed section revealing the
foliage of trees beyond. He went the other way, heading back
towards Paititi’s centre.
Before long, the
street opened on to the central plaza and he stopped, looking out
cautiously. The second soldier stood near the tent with his gun
pointed at Valero, who was kneeling with his hands on his head. If
he could approach without being seen, maybe—
The soldier’s head
snapped round at a shout. Eddie heard it too. Nina! But he couldn’t
make out what she was saying, echoes and his own less than perfect
hearing muffling her words.
The soldier seemed to
understand them, though. To Eddie’s surprise, he didn’t react by
bringing up his weapon, but instead backed in concern towards the
tent, AK still covering Valero.
Nina called out
again, closer. This time he made it out. She had got the other
soldier’s rifle. No wonder the man here was worried.
But why was he going
to the tent? A different weapon wouldn’t give him an advantage . .
.
He realised what was
within the canvas shelter just as the soldier groped inside. He was
getting a radio, calling for backup.
Eddie burst out of
cover and charged at the tent. A click and a hiss of static, then
the noise was cut off as the soldier, still guarding Valero, pushed
the handset’s transmit button and started speaking in urgent
Spanish. The word ‘Socorro!’ stood out
– help!
More troops would be
coming . . .
Eddie dived at the
tent. The whole thing collapsed, knocking the Venezuelan down under
the flapping fabric. The radio hit the stone flags with a heavy
clunk.
The soldier had
managed to keep hold of his AK. He fired wildly, bullets pitting
the buildings at the plaza’s edge. Valero rolled for cover behind a
tree. Eddie scrambled to his feet and kicked, catching the
soldier’s arm and sending the AK-103 spinning across the
plaza.
The Venezuelan
grimaced, shaking off the camouflaged shroud. He looked for his
gun, saw it was out of reach, turned back to face Eddie – and drew
a knife.
Eddie took on a
defensive posture, judging his opponent. The Venezuelan was bigger
than him, and probably fifteen years younger. He would have faster
reactions, but less experience and training – his uniform was
regular army, not special forces. The Englishman’s gaze flitted
between the six-inch blade and his opponent’s eyes, waiting for the
first sign of the inevitable attack—
The knife thrust at
his chest. Eddie twisted to avoid it, then tried to grab the
soldier’s wrist, but the Venezuelan had already pulled back.
Another stab, another dodge, the razor edge this time close enough
to rasp against his jacket’s steel zip.
Third
strike—
Eddie gripped the
soldier’s arm – but the knife sliced across his chest, tearing his
T-shirt. He grunted at the sharp pain, battling to keep hold as the
man tried to shake him off. A sweep of his elbow, the point
cracking against the soldier’s face just under his left eye
socket.
The Venezuelan
staggered, giving Eddie the chance to chop at his hand, trying to
force him to drop the knife. Another fierce blow, the soldier’s
grip loosening . . .
The man shoved Eddie
backwards across the uneven stone slabs into a patch of mud. With
one last strike Eddie finally knocked the knife away, but his feet
slipped in the ooze. One boot lost its grip, and he
fell.
He landed on his back
with a thick splash, the soldier on top of him. And now it was the
Venezuelan’s turn to use his elbow, driving it down with all his
weight into Eddie’s stomach.
Even tensing his
abdominal muscles to absorb the impact, Eddie still convulsed in
sickening, breathless pain. His groan was choked off as the man
clamped his hands round his throat. He tried to claw at the
soldier’s eyes, but the Venezuelan pulled back out of Eddie’s reach
as he squeezed harder—
The pressure abruptly
eased. The soldier was no longer looking down at Eddie, but at
something above. The Yorkshireman tipped his head back to see an
inverted world, buildings hanging over the empty abyss of the sky .
. . and an upside-down Nina pointing an AK-103 at his
attacker.
A quick flick of her
eyebrows told the soldier to release him. Eddie drew in a hoarse
breath as his adversary nervously withdrew, and sat up. ‘You okay?’
Nina asked.
He coughed. ‘Bit of a
hairball. What about the others?’
‘Macy’s fine, Cuff’ll
need a trip to the orthodontist but looked okay apart from that.
Kit’s watching the other guy; everyone else got up the
wall.’
‘Good.’ He stood,
giving the soldier a threatening glare before calling to Valero.
‘Oscar!’ He pointed to the fallen AK. ‘Get the gun – I’ll tie him
up.’
Nina kept her rifle
aimed at the soldier as Valero retrieved the second Kalashnikov. ‘I
don’t understand,’ she said. ‘If loggers found this place, what’s
the army doing here?’
‘Maybe loggers did
find it,’ said Eddie, tugging a length of guy rope from the tent.
‘But they wouldn’t know how to sell the stuff they found, so they
started asking around – and word got back to someone at that radar
base. Quick arrest, bit of an interrogation, and now someone with
stripes on their sleeve knows all about Paititi – and how much
treasure’s hidden in it.’ He pulled the rope through the last
eyelet and lifted the canvas - to expose a field radio lying on its
side, the handset trapped beneath it. The transmit light was on.
‘Buggeration and fuckery,’ he said, lifting the radio and seeing
that the handset’s key had been depressed by the unit’s weight; as
soon as it was released, the channel cleared and an urgent voice
crackled through the speaker. He hurriedly switched it off. ‘He
managed to warn his mates – we need to get out of
here.’
‘Wait a minute,’ said
Nina as Eddie tied up the soldier. She gestured towards the large
buildings at the plaza’s western end. ‘We need to at least check
the temple and the palace first. These guys have already stolen
potentially millions of dollars of artefacts – we’ve got to see if
there’s anything left before they strip the whole place
bare.’
‘We don’t have time.
If they think somebody’s found their little secret, they’ll
probably be on their way here already.’
‘No, I agree with Dr
Wilde,’ said Valero. ‘It took us over two hours to reach here from
Valverde – it will take even longer from the military base. If we
take the road south to Matuso, they will never catch up with us.
And when we get to the Jeep, I can use the satellite phone to
report to the Bolivarian Militia. The more I know about what is
here, the more I can tell my superiors.’
Eddie didn’t like the
idea of delaying their getaway, but Valero was right; it would take
some time for more soldiers to reach them. ‘Okay, but be quick
about it. Ten minutes, no more.’
It took over half
that long just to assemble all the expedition members. Both
soldiers were tied to a tree, Eddie and Kit taking their weapons
after Valero recovered his pistol. With Eddie pointedly checking
his watch, the group hurried up the broad steps to the Temple of
the Sun.
Where something
incredible awaited them.