The Eye of Shiva

CHAPTER 51

The Khyber Pass was a major gateway between West and East. The old Silk Road connecting the Mediterranean to China had come through the pass. Invading armies seeking to plunder the riches that lay beyond the snow-capped peaks had fought and died by the thousands in the narrow defile. In the days of Marco Polo and the trade caravans the route had been little more than a steep and difficult, rocky trail. Now there was a modern, blacktop highway. The camels had given way to trucks and armored personnel carriers.

Afridi signaled a stop when they reached the summit. They were still five kilometers inside Pakistan. Around them the market center of Landi Khotal bustled with tradesmen and trucks bearing goods from both sides of the mountains. Merchants eyed the heavily armed pickups and gave them a wide berth.

Afridi got out to stretch and look out over the view. The day was clear, the sky cloudless. A constant wind blew through the pass, bringing with it the smell of dust and spices and the passage of time. To the west, a long series of switchbacks descended to the brown landscape of the arid Lowyah Dakkah plain in Afghanistan. To the east, the plains of Peshawar were turning green after the passing of the monsoon rains.

Afridi thought of his ancestors, warriors among the invading hoards from the west, a scourge upon the Hindu unbelievers.

With God's help, I will raise a new scourge upon them, he thought.

All that was needed was a spark to ignite the wrath of the faithful. That, and the weapons to arm them. The spark had been struck at the mosque in Srinagar. Afridi intended to fan it into flames. The weapons waited only for gold to buy them. Gold that lay in a forgotten canyon, mixed with the bones of elephants.

After the men had refreshed themselves, Afridi ordered everyone back into the trucks. They headed toward Afghanistan.

Once down from the pass, the convoy turned south and then back into the mountains, following the alternate route Afridi had taken on foot months before. An hour before dark, they arrived in the canyon where he'd found the coins.

Everything was as it had been. The scar left by the landslide that sent the elephant to its doom was a gray line down the side of the mountain. At it's foot, the huge pile of rock and debris lay where it had fallen centuries ago.

"Post sentries," Afridi said to Sayeed. "The Shinwari will know we're here. They need to see we're ready for them if they try anything."

"The men are hungry."

"Let them eat while it's still light. No fires. Split everyone into two groups. Feed one, while the rest stand guard. Then the other. We'll begin clearing the rocks tomorrow."

"Insha'Allah," Sayeed said. He walked away and began giving the orders.

Afridi sat down on a rock, took out a copy of the Qur'an and began reading. He didn't know he was being observed or he would have been less tranquil as he studied the Book.

On the other side of the Khyber Pass in New Delhi, Rao's phone alerted him to a call.

"I have Afridi's location," Krivi said. "He's just west of the Khyber Pass in Afghanistan, this side of Kabul."

"What's he doing there?" Rao asked.

"Nothing, yet. Setting up his camp. Do you have a satellite over the area?"

Rao made a quick check. "Yes."

Krivi gave Rao the coordinates.

Rao brought the area up on his monitor. The light would soon be gone but there was still enough to see Afridi reading a book.

"I see him," Rao said. Bile rose in his throat at the sight of his enemy.

"Can you get to him there?"

Rao thought about it. The only way was to send Ijay and the Leopards in by helicopter. It meant flying across Pakistan from Kashmir, through the mountain valleys. A night mission was bad enough in itself. With Islamabad alert on the eve of war, there was a high risk of failure. The chances were good Ijay would be intercepted.

On the other hand, Ijay had one of only two Rudra attack helicopters modified with experimental stealth technology. Even the Americans didn't have anything like it. The technology was untested in combat, but field tests had gone well. If anyone could get through Pakistan's air defenses, Ijay could.

Rao made up his mind. "Yes. I can get to him."

"How can I help?" Krivi said.

"You seem to have a lot of resources," Rao said.

"A few."

"My team will have to cross Pakistani air space. Can you distract their defenses tomorrow evening, if I tell you when?"

"Where will the flight originate?"

"From Poonch. It's near the border, west of Srinagar."

"I'll see what I can do and call you back," Krivi said.

Fifteen minutes later, Rao's phone rang.

"You have a corridor one mile wide west of Poonch and across to Afghanistan from 2000 to 0600 tomorrow," Krivi said. "Tell your pilot to stay low and inside the corridor. He may still run into problems."

"Good," Rao said. "That should be enough time."