Polar Quest

62

The windows of the château rattled from the sound of the distant explosion. Then the lights went out. Inside Lafitte’s study, an eerie yellow-red glow from the windows provided the only illumination.

‘Everyone, get down!’ Duroc shouted as he crouched and moved toward the windows.

‘What is happening?’ Lafitte demanded.

Pressing his body against the wall beside one of the tall windows, Duroc glanced out onto the grounds. He saw the skeletal outline of a building, charred and black, enveloped within a raging fire. A second explosion ripped open a section of the roof and showered sparks and embers in every direction. Fire consumed the ivy that covered the outbuilding, blackening the fieldstone underneath.

‘They’ve destroyed the generator building!’ Duroc announced. ‘We’ve lost power, communications, and security systems.’

‘What should we do?’ Lafitte asked.

‘You and Dominique go upstairs and find someplace to hide. Walker and I will remain down here with the guard.’

‘Can’t you get more of your men here?’ Lafitte asked. ‘There’s no time. We’ll kill him once he enters the château, then deal with the rest of this mess afterward.’