“Give me the stones,” Tyson repeated. He had tossed his headlamp aside, and it lay at his feet, shining up and casting him in sinister shadow. His eyes gleamed with a zeal bordering on madness. “They rightfully belong to the Trident. Hand them over now.”
“We’re not giving you anything,” Maddock said.
Tyson’s laugh chilled his marrow.
“You will give them to me, voluntarily or otherwise. I have enough bullets to finish the three of you.” He twisted the gun, grinding the barrel into Dima’s head for emphasis. “Starting with her.”
“You think you’re that good?” Maddock began to slowly move forward, mind racing, hoping to find a way out of this.
“I don’t have to be good to put a bullet in Zafrini’s brain. And unless you’ve grown wings, neither of you can make it up the steps in time to stop me.” He sneered, baring his straight white teeth. “The way I see it, you have two options: give me the stones and I let the three of you walk away; or watch Zafrini die, after which I will kill you and take the stones. Make up your mind quickly. My offer expires in about ten seconds.”
An icy certainty, colder than the water that still rained down from the ceiling, enveloped Maddock. There would be no diverting Tyson from his course. He would kill Dima without a moment’s hesitation.
“What’s to stop you from killing us once you have the stones?” he asked.
“Nothing. But I assure you, I only want the stones. Once I have them, you will be as insects to me. Sometimes an insect gets crushed beneath the boot, but often they scurry away into the holes from which they came. I am offering you that chance.”
“Don’t do it,” Dima said. “This is all my fault. I should have destroyed that page the moment I got it.”
“No,” Bones said. “They still would have come looking for this.” He took out his family’s Noah Stone and held it up.
“I mean it!” Dima shouted. “If the Trident gets the stones, who knows what they’ll do? They might destroy the world with them, for all we know.”
This time, Tyson’s laugh held a touch of mirth. “Destroy the world? The stones are not weapons of mass destruction. I thought you were an expert, but you know nothing.” He looked down at Bones. “Last chance. Bring the stones, lay them on the top step, and back away.”
“You’ll let her go?” Bones asked.
“Of course. She’s useless to me.”
Bones turned to Maddock. “Give it to me.”
“Bones, I…”
“Give it to me, Maddock.” He lowered his voice. “I can’t let her die.”
There was such pain in his friend’s voice that Maddock couldn’t possibly say no. Besides, Tyson was correct — they had no choice. He searched Bones’ eyes for any indication that he had a plan, but all Maddock saw there was desperation.
Maddock handed the Templar Stone to Bones and turned his eyes toward Tyson. Disgust filled every fiber of his being. He hated losing, and even more, he hated giving up. There had to be something he could do.
Bones made his way up the steps, hands held out at his sides, moving slowly to show he wasn’t about to try anything stupid.
“That’s far enough,” Tyson said when Bones neared the top. “Put them down and back away.”
Maddock could tell it was costing his friend everything to comply. If Maddock hated surrender, Bones despised it. Maddock moved to the base of the steps to stand behind Bones.
“Send Dima down to us and we’ll leave,” he said.
“In a moment.” Tyson shoved Dima to the ground, took three steps forward, and scooped up the stones. He returned to the top of the stairs and stood gazing down at the body of Noah. Dima sat nearby, frozen in fear.
“The trident,” Tyson said, raising the golden weapon aloft. “With this we shall once again claim the power of Poseidon himself!”
“Poseidon! Are you saying Noah was the Greek god of the sea?” Maddock asked, their perilous situation momentarily forgotten in light of Tyson’s bizarre statement.
Tyson’s lips curled in a sneer. “Simple man. Poseidon is much older, much greater than any of the so-called patriarchs of the Bible. The trident, the vessel for his power, was lost ages ago, long before the fall of Atlantis. It fell into the hands of Noah, and he abused that same power.”
“What are you talking about?” Dima rose to her feet and inched toward the steps, keeping as far from Tyson as possible. “He used the stones to do God’s bidding.”
“That is the story you’ve been told, but it is a lie. Noah thought himself better than those around him, believed his line purer. He committed genocide, used the power of the stones to purge his lands and begin again. The power of earth, water, and life.” He held up the other two stones.
“That’s crap,” Bones said.
“Believe anything you like. The trident is the ultimate power. Look at it.” He held the weapon high. “The power of three, the Trinity itself, sprang from the loins of the trident. Even the holy menorah is the offspring of this, the earth’s greatest force. And now you shall witness its power for yourself.”
“No!” Dima shouted. “Bringing the stones together means death. The Book of Noah said so.”
“Another lie, spread by Noah himself to prevent anyone else from daring to harness the power. His son, the ancestor of my leader, tried to take it for himself but failed. Now the power is mine.”
“You can’t.” Dima snatched at the trident, but Tyson batted her hand aside and gave her a shove, sending her tumbling to the ground.
“Dima!” Bones mounted the stairs but Tyson quickly drew his pistol and trained it on Bones.
“Stop.”
Bones froze, hands in the air.
“It would be a shame if I killed you all before you saw the true power of the trident.” He took one of the Noah Stones and slid it into one of the trident’s empty tines. It clicked into place with a metallic hum.
“Please, I’m begging you,” Dima said. “You don’t know what it might do. You’ll kill us all.”
“I know exactly what it will do. It will bring us one step closer to harnessing the power of the ancient world.” With a smile, he clicked the final stone into place.