The Codex

59

They spent the rest of the afternoon in the cover of the trees, observing Hauser and his men. One group of soldiers was clearing trees from a stone temple at the base of the pyramid while another group dug and blasted into a smaller pyramid nearby. The shifting winds brought them the faint sounds of chainsaws and, every half hour or so, the distant rumble of explosives, followed by a rising cloud of dust.

“Where is Father’s tomb?” he asked Borabay.

“In cliffs below city on far side. Place of dead.”

“Will Hauser find it?”

“Yes. Trail down is hidden, but he find it in end. Maybe tomorrow, maybe two weeks.”

As night fell, a pair of klieg lights went on in the White City, and another set illuminated the suspension bridge and the area around it. Hauser was taking no chances, and he had come well equipped with everything, including a generator.

They ate their dinner in silence. Tom could hardly taste the frogs or lizards or whatever dish it was Borabay had cooked for them. From what he could see from their vantage point on the ridge, the White City was well defended and well-nigh impregnable.

At the conclusion of the meal, it was Philip who spoke what was on everyone’s mind. “I think we better get the hell out of here and come back with help. We can’t do this on our own.”

“Philip,” said Tom, “when they find the tomb and open it, what do you think’s going to happen?”

“They’ll rob it.”

“No, the first thing Hauser will do is murder Father.”

Philip didn’t answer.

“It’s going to take us at least forty days just to get out of here. If we’re going to save Father, we’ve got to act now.”

“I don’t want to be the one to say no to rescuing Father, but Tom, for God’s sake, we have an old rifle, maybe ten rounds, and some painted warriors with bows and arrows. They have automatic weapons, grenade launchers, and dynamite. And they’ve got the advantage of defending an incredibly secure position.”

Tom said, “Not if there’s a secret way into the city.”

“No secret way,” said Borabay. “Only bridge.”

“There has to be a second way,” said Tom. “Otherwise, how did they originally build the bridge?”

Borabay stared at him, and Tom felt a flush of triumph.

“Gods build bridge,” said Borabay.

“Gods don’t build bridges.”

“Gods build this bridge.”

“Damn it, Borabay! The gods did not build that bridge, people built it, and to do that they had to be on both sides!”

“You’re right,” said Vernon.

“Gods build bridge,” Borabay insisted. “But,” he added after a moment, “Tara people also know how to build bridge from one side only.”

“Impossible.”

“Brother, you always so sure you right? I tell you how Tara build bridge from one side only. First, Tara shoot arrow with rope and hook. Get it stuck on tree on far side. Then send little boy across in basket on wheels.”

“How does he get across?”

“He pull himself.”

“How could a man possibly span a two-hundred-yard gap with an arrow trailing a rope and hook?”

“Tara use special big bow and special arrow with feather. Very important to wait for day with strong wind in right direction.”

“Go on.”

“When little boy across, man shoot second arrow with rope. Little boy tie two ropes together, put rope around little wheel—”

“A pulley.”

“Yes. Then with pulley man can pull across many things. First he pull across heavy cable in basket, which uncoil as it go. Boy fix heavy cable to tree. Now man can come across on heavy cable. Now man and boy on far side. Man use second pulley to pull across three more cables, one at time. Now four cables across canyon. Now more men cross in basket—”

“That’s enough,” interrupted Tom. “I get the picture.”

They fell into silence, the impossibility of their situation sinking in.

“Have the Tara warriors tried to ambush them and cut the bridge yet?”

“Yes. Many die.”

“Have they tried burning arrows?”

“Cannot reach bridge.”

“Let’s keep in mind,” said Philip, “that if the bridge is cut, Father’s also trapped inside.”

“I’m well aware of it. I’m just going over our options. Maybe we can offer Hauser a deal: Let Father out and Hauser can keep the tomb and its riches. We’ll sign it all over to him and that’s that.”

Tom said: “Father would never agree.”

“Even if it meant his life?”

“He’s dying of cancer.”

“Or our lives?”

Philip looked at them. “Don’t even think of trusting Hauser or making a deal with him.”

“All right,” said Vernon, “we’ve eliminated getting into the White City by some other route, and we’ve eliminated it by a frontal attack. Anybody here know how to build a hang glider?”

“No.”

“That leaves only one course of action.”

“And what’s that?”

Vernon smoothed out a place in the sand near the fire and began to draw a map while he explained his plan. When he was finished, Philip spoke first.

Philip shook his head. “This is a crazy plan. I say we go back, get help, and return. It may take them months to find Father’s tomb.”

Borabay interrupted. “Philip, maybe you no understand. If we run away now, Tara people kill us.”

“Bosh.”

“We make promise. Cannot break promise.”

“I didn’t make any bloody promises, that was Tom. Anyway, we can slip past the Tara village and be long gone before they even know we’re missing.”

Borabay shook his head. “That coward way, brother. That leave Father die in tomb. If Tara catch you, death for coward slow and ugly. They cut off—”

“We’ve already heard what they do,” Philip said.

“There not enough food and water in tomb to last much longer.”

The fire crackled. Tom glanced through the trees. Below and almost five miles distant, he could see a trio of diamond lights clustered in the White City. There was another faint explosion of dynamite. Hauser and his men were working around the clock. They really were up against the wall. There were no good options and only one mediocre plan. But it was the best they were going to get.

“Enough talk,” said Tom. “We have a plan. Who’s in?”

“I’m in,” said Vernon.

Borabay nodded. “I’m in.”

“I’m in,” said Sally.

Now all eyes were on Philip. He made an angry gesture as if to sweep them all away. “For heaven’s sake, you already know what my answer’s going to be!”

“Which is?” Vernon asked.

“For the record, it’s no, no, no! This is a James Bond plan. It’ll never succeed in real life. Don’t do it. For God’s sake, I don’t want to lose my brothers, too. Don’t do it.”

“We have to, Philip,” said Tom.

“No one has to do anything! Maybe this is blasphemy, but isn’t it just a little bit true that Father brought this down on himself?”

“So we just let him die?”

“I’m just asking you, please, not to throw your lives away.” He threw up his hands and stomped off in the darkness.

Vernon was about to shout a reply, but Tom touched his arm and shook his head. Perhaps Philip was right and it was a suicide mission. But Tom personally had no choice. If he didn’t do something now, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself later. It was as simple as that.

Their faces flickered around the firelight, and there was a long, uncertain silence.

“There’s no reason to wait,” said Tom. “We leave tonight at two A.M. It should take us a couple of hours to get down there. Everyone knows what they have to do. Borabay, you can explain to your warriors their role.” Tom glanced over at Vernon. The plan had been his, Vernon’s, the brother who never took the lead. He reached out and grasped his brother’s shoulder. “Good going,” he said.

Vernon smiled back. “I feel like we’re in The Wizard of Oz here.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve found my brain. Tom, you’ve found your heart. Borabay’s found his family. The only thing is, Philip hasn’t quite found his courage.”

Tom said, “Somehow I don’t think a bucket of water is going to take care of Hauser, either.”

“No,” murmured Sally, “that it won’t.”