The Eye of Shiva

CHAPTER 41

Abdul Afridi and Ibrahim Sayeed were just two more bearded men wearing turbans and robes in a crowd of thousands. The high dome and graceful minaret of the Hazratbal Mosque stood silhouetted against snowcapped mountains and a storm lit sky filled with dark clouds.

All eyes were turned toward a high balcony, where the chief cleric of the mosque would emerge with the relic of the Prophet. The crowd was silent, waiting for the moment. A sudden burst of sunlight struck the white marble building with translucent light, just as a bearded man wearing a white turban and dressed in a black robe embroidered with gold appeared on the balcony. For Afridi, it was a sign God was pleased with this gathering of His followers.

A vast, collective sigh rose from the crowd. The cleric paused for effect, then held up a tapered crystal and silver container in his right hand. A green, woven cord attached to the container wrapped around his little finger. Two silver and green enamel teardrop shapes scribed with holy scripture trailed from the cord.

Afridi held up his open hands toward the relic and prayed for Allah's blessing. Next to him, Sayeed's eyes moved constantly, searching the crowd for potential threats.

Nick had parked some distance away on the main access road leading toward the mosque. He scanned the crowd through binoculars. A picture of their quarry was pinned to the dash.

"This is impossible," he said. "We'll never be able to pick Afridi out in the middle of that. He could be anybody."

"Let's think about it," Selena said. "Afridi is somewhere in that crowd right now. If Ijay wasn't killed last night, he'll be here somewhere. But I don't think he'll try anything with all these people around."

"No, I don't think he would."

"That means he'll wait until Afridi leaves and try to get him somewhere else."

"Makes sense," Nick said.

"If you were Afridi, would you put yourself in the middle of all that?" Lamont asked.

"I hate crowds," Nick said. "I'm the wrong guy to ask."

"If I were him, I'd hang out on the edge where I could get away fast. He'll probably be one of the first to leave. That's our best chance to spot him."

Nick panned the binoculars past the crowd and adjusted the focus. Beyond the mosque was a wide, barren area with a few houses.

"Trouble," he said. "A convoy of army trucks just pulled up. Soldiers are getting out." He paused. "They're in full battle dress."

"Armed?" Lamont asked.

"Take a look." Nick handed him the binoculars.

"Assault rifles," Lamont said. "They're forming up. Looks like two or three hundred men. That's a lot of firepower."

Nick's ear began itching. He reached up to scratch it. "I've got a bad feeling about this. The crowd's peaceful. Why bring in the military?"

"They're advancing toward the crowd," Lamont said.

Nick was behind the wheel. They were facing the mosque. He looked in the rearview mirror and saw more troops approaching.

"Time to boogie, boys and girls. This is going bad, fast." He started the van and turned around, ready to drive away.

"Too late," Selena said.

An officer broke away from the troops coming up the road. He held up his hand and signaled them to the side. Nick pulled over. He left the engine running and rolled down his window.

"You are in a restricted zone. What are you doing here?" the officer said. His voice was unfriendly.

"I didn't know we weren't supposed to be here," Nick said. "We're making a documentary film about Srinagar."

"Where are your cameras?"

"In the back. We were getting set to film the crowd and the mosque. Waiting for the light to be right."

The soldiers moved past the van. They looked determined. Their assault rifles were held in the ready position. Nick saw that the safeties were off.

"You took no pictures?"

"No."

"Filming is not permitted here. You will leave immediately." He put his hand on his holstered pistol.

"Nick, let's go finish that segment about the antiques market," Selena said.

"Listen to the woman," the Indian officer said. "Leave. Don't come back here."

Nick didn't like his tone. He was about to say something when Selena gripped his arm, hard. She shook her head. He put the van in gear and began to move away.

Lamont watched the mosque recede in the side mirror. "They're closing on the crowd," he said.

Everyone was looking at the relic. The cleric suddenly looked out past the crowd. Sayeed turned to see what he was looking at and saw the line of soldiers. He put his hand on Afridi's shoulder.

"Abdul."

Afridi turned, annoyed, his prayers interrupted.

"Soldiers," Sayeed said, his voice quiet.

Afridi looked at the soldiers advancing in a tight line, weapons at port arms.

"Dogs," he hissed. His face was angry.

"When they reach the crowd there will be panic," Sayeed said. "That will be our best chance to escape."

He slipped a long dagger from his sleeve and held it down by his side in his right hand. Afridi nodded and drew his own. Allah would forgive the shedding of blood at this holy site. It was permitted in defense of the faith against the infidel. Whatever happened here today, it was on the heads of these Indian vermin.

The soldiers were almost upon the worshipers. Voices rose in alarm. People started to turn around. With no warning, the soldiers attacked. They used their rifles as clubs, striking out at anyone in their path, driving viciously into the crowd. Afridi saw an old man go down, blood gushing from his forehead. He heard screams from the other side of the compound, where the women had gathered separately from the men.

"Abdul," Sayeed said, "over there."

The formation began to break up as the soldiers plunged into the crowd. A small gap appeared in the line and Afridi and Sayeed started for the opening. They pushed against the current of people trying to get away.

A shot sounded, flat and harsh, echoing from the marble walls of the mosque. A low moan swept through the crowd. For an instant, there was silence. Then someone shouted in a voice filled with rage and anguish.

"Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!" God is Great!

Words that had echoed over the centuries. Words that had soaked a quarter of the earth in blood.

The mob awoke. Thousands of voices took up the cry. In seconds, the lawn in front of the mosque turned into a churning mass of people. Soldiers began to go down under a storm of kicks and curses as the crowd surged forward. More shots were fired. The sound grew into a constant, rippling crackle.

Afridi and Sayeed were surrounded by panicked and angry men. Two soldiers blocked Afridi's way. He ran his knife into the stomach of one and ripped upward. Bright red blood gushed out and the man screamed. Sayeed's dagger flashed in the sunlight and another Indian fell. Then the two men were through the line and running for their lives.

Nick turned off the exit road and started back into the city. Trucks filled with police sped past them, sirens blaring. Lamont was in the back of the van, watching through the binoculars.

"The soldiers are firing into the crowd," he said. "It's a massacre."

"Whoever sent them in has got a lot of explaining to do," Selena said.

"Why do that?" Lamont asked. "Those people weren't hurting anybody."

"It's a deliberate provocation." Nick swerved to avoid a man on a bicycle. "How do you think this will go down in Pakistan? Indian troops attacking unarmed Muslim worshipers?"

"Maybe Cobra's behind it," Lamont said.

"If he wants a war, he's got it. It can't be stopped after this. The only question is whether or not it goes nuclear."

"Why would he think India could win a nuclear war?" Selena asked. "It's crazy."

"People like him think they're smart enough to control the outcome," Nick said. "They never think the missiles will fall on them. Or else they think they've figured out how to survive and that means they win."

"What if Cobra isn't motivated by winning?" Selena said.

"What else would it be?"

"Hate. Revenge. Religion. Love."

"How do you get love in there?" Lamont asked.

"Shakespeare did it all the time. Love and hate are just flip sides of the same feeling."

Nick thought about what she had just said. If you didn't care about winning, you had nothing to lose. An enemy with nothing to lose was the most dangerous kind of opponent. An enemy with nothing to lose who wanted a nuclear war and the ability to make it happen was a nightmare.

More trucks filled with troops sped past them, heading toward the mosque.

"What's our next move?" Lamont said.

"Time to bring Harker up to date and see what she wants us to do."

Nick touched the transceiver in his ear. "Director, you copy?"

"Copy, Nick. Go ahead."

"Things are going south over here."

He told her about the attack at the mosque.

"Any sign of Afridi or Cobra?" Elizabeth said.

"Negative."

"Where are you now?"

"Heading back to our hotel."

"This changes everything," Harker said. "It makes war between Pakistan and India a certainty."

"I thought the same thing."

"Keep trying to find Afridi."

"We need more Intel or we'll never find him."

"I'll see what I can do," Elizabeth said. "Be ready to get out of there in case things start to heat up."

"I think they already have," Nick said.