Raiders

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

Mason clung to the pillar as the water smashed over him and rapidly started to flood the chamber. The power of the bursting aquifer was forcing his hands away from the smooth marble pillar and it took everything he had to stop himself getting sucked away into the underground river.

Hearing a blood-curdling scream to his right, he turned to see one of the Hidden Hand soldiers lose his grip on the base of a statue. The aquifer’s mighty power swept him away as if he were made of straw, and then he was gone, dragged by the churning water, kicking and squealing into the darkness of the subterranean tunnel.

Instinct commanded Tekin to throw out a hand to save his friend, even though it was already too late. He screamed an impassioned cry. “Kaaper!”

“Leave him!” Kranz yelled.

Tekin look shocked at the ruthless order, but Kiya’s face was passive and inscrutable.

Mason was struggling to stay afloat and hold onto the pillar at the same time. His clothes were completely waterlogged now, and his weapons long gone. Fighting against the force of the water, he raised his head to check on the others, but saw only Ella who had crawled to safety on top of one of the sarcophagi, and Milo was now sprawled in a wet heap at Kiya’s boots, with the muzzle of her gun jammed into his neck.

Straining with all his might, he pulled himself free of the water’s fatal tug and clawed up onto the relative safety of Cleopatra’s tomb. Seeing Tekin’s Steyr TMP, he snatched up the weapon and fired, sweeping it back and forth in a wide arc, covering the entire breadth of the chamber. The muzzle flashed as the weapon spat fire all over the enclosed space, blasting chunks off the marble statues and tombs and forcing Kranz and the rest of the Order to scramble away up the spiral steps for cover.

Mason gave chase, but when he turned the corner he was met by a hefty palm strike that came close to knocking him out. He fell back, releasing the Steyr and nearly cracking the back of his skull on the flagstone floor. Dizzy and with blurred vision, he was just able to see the imposing figure of Tekin pad over to him and then pile drive a fist toward his face.

Mason dodged to the left and followed his evasive manoeuvre with a sideways roll to avoid a second punch. Scrambling to his feet, he slipped over on the wet tiles and went down again, only just stopping himself by throwing his arm out and grabbing hold of the side of a boulder.

Tekin marched over, a macabre grin cracking on his face. He said nothing, but beckoned the Londoner forward with his hands.

“If you want me, come and get me,” Mason said, stalling for time.

The Raven marched forward, but slipped on a wet tile and went over. Before Tekin could get to his feet, Mason spun around and planted the sole of his boot squarely in the other man’s face, grinding his skull down into the marble floor.

Ella winced. “Ouch.”

“It’ll stop him Tekin the piss though,” Milo said.

Ella groaned. “Did you have to say that?”

“I thought it was funny!” Milo said.

Mason ignored it. The blow had done nothing more than give Tekin a few seconds of blurred vision, and now the enormous Raven was rising to his feet like some kind of avenging vampire. He raised his hands and pulled back his fists for another round, and his black leather trench coat billowed out behind him as the wind rushed down the tunnel.

Mason saw it first: a mini-tsunami was racing up behind Tekin. He felt a vague undertone of hope and his heart quickened. He took a step back, all the time trying not to alert the Raven to his fate.

Tekin grew suspicious, turned and screamed with terror but it was too late. The water smashed into him and carried him screaming into the under ground tunnel.

Mason dived back onto the top of Cleopatra’s tomb and narrowly avoided the same fate of being swept away by the torrent like Tekin and the other Hidden Hand acolytes. Tekin was dead, but Kiya and Kranz were alive and kicking, and still desperately trying to get away with the Book of Spells. Pausing to find a way out, Milo screamed out at them.

“You can run but you can’t hide, Kranz! The hell you gave other people is going to come back around again and kick you in your arse.”

Kranz sneered at him and waved the Book of Spells in the air. “The gods are giving me what I deserve, you pathetic sewer rat!”

Before Milo could reply a chunk of plaster fell from the ceiling and smashed on Kranz’s head, instantly killing him. He collapsed in a heap on the floor and the book fell from his hand and came to a rest in the wet sand.

“They certainly did give you what you deserved,” Milo said, scrambling over and picking up the book. He tossed it over to Mason who caught it in one hand as he watched Kiya fleeing through the exit, but seconds later she returned with her hands in the air.

“What the hell?”

Then he saw. When she stepped inside the chamber, she was followed by a unit of Egyptian soldiers. “Looks like Ezra finally got in touch with someone of influence,” Mason said, eyeing the Egyptian army as they poured into the chamber.

He walked over toward the commanding officer, pausing on his way to look at the dead body of Schelto Kranz with a mix of disgust and pity. The Dutch politician had dreamed of being the puppet master, but in reality he had been nothing more than one of their many marionettes.

“I am Colonel Nazif,” the officer said.

Mason handed the book over to Nazif with a heavy heart. “I suppose you want this.”

Nazif shook his head. “I’m under orders to let you take it. Apparently your boss Ezra Haven knows how to pull strings with the Egyptian Government.” He stopped and looked at Kiya with contempt as his men cuffed her and led her out of the tomb. “And she will go to prison for rest of her life,” he said.

“I don’t think so,” Kiya snarled. “Not with the sort of people I know.”

“All right, that’s enough,” Nazif said coldly. “Take her away.”

The Raiders watched as the soldiers dragged Kiya from the tomb. Just before they rounded the corner, she looked over her shoulder and cried out to them. “Each one of you will die for this, and everyone you love. Occulta Manu!”

Mason and his team shared an uncertain glance in the chaos of the tomb.

“You think she means it?” Eva said.

“Fuck what she means,” Milo said. “We beat them once, we can beat them again.”

“Threatening us is one thing,” Ella said, “but threatening our families is something else.”

“Come on, chucklefucks,” Milo said. “The beers are on me.”

Mason kept his counsel, and led the team from the tomb. Where they had rushed earlier, they now walked back in their own time, leaving Nazif and his men to catalogue the destruction behind them. When they hit the surface, they walked back to the Escalade, broken with the exhaustion of the securing the book.

Milo’s cell phone rang. He answered it and had a brief conversation.

“It’s Caleb,” he said grimly. “Virgil didn’t make it.”

Mason felt his stomach turn over. “What? Virgil?”

Milo nodded, and handed Mason the phone. The leader of the Raiders spoke to his old friend for a few moments and then cut the call. “It’s true. I can’t believe it. Ben said he died trying to stop the Spiders escaping in a helicopter. Cage killed him.”

“Christ,” Milo said quietly. “Not Virgil. What about Jen and Amy?”

Ella’s eyes filled with tears. She shook her head gently in denial. “There must be some kind of mistake.”

“No mistake,” Mason said firmly. “He’s dead. Chuck Ikard’s liaising with the US authorities about flying his body back to the States.”

Eva searched for something to say. “I’m so sorry.”

“I want to go home, Jed,” Ella said.

“Me too,” Milo added, his voice low, hollow.

Mason nodded once.

Ezra Haven had his ancient Book of Spells, but they had lost a dear friend and valued member of the team. Jen had lost a husband, and Amy had lost a father she never even had a chance to know. “All right,” he said at last. “We go home.”

Mason started walking again, feeling as if someone had just hollowed him out with a giant knife. He led the team toward the Escalade, the Book of Thoth in his hands, unopened.