The Hunters

68

It was mid-afternoon when a virtually unrecognizable Sarah and Jasmine — dirty and sweaty from the blast and the battle — stepped off the treasure train on the edge of the sun-dappled town of Choban. Waiting for them was Jean-Marc Papineau, who had hired a crew of armed guards to protect the treasure on its journey to its final destination.

‘Well done, ladies,’ the Frenchman said.

‘That was quite a ride,’ Sarah said, running her hand through her soot-permeated hair. She took off her sunglasses and shook them. Black ash from the engine and white powder from the explosion drifted down, but her blue eyes gleamed.

Papineau’s eyes settled on Jasmine. ‘You learned quickly. I’m very proud.’

‘I had a master class,’ Jasmine said.

‘Under fire,’ Sarah added.

The moment Jasmine had finished the coupling maneuver with the rogue car, Sarah suddenly appeared in Ludmilla’s cab. She had explained that there was a new plan — one that only she and Cobb had known about. If the engine of the treasure train was operational, they were to uncouple the ancient cars and leave immediately. While everyone else was busy with the Black Robes, they would ensure that the treasure was safe.

Jasmine hadn’t wanted to leave Dobrev, but Sarah convinced her that they needed to put distance between the train and the Black Robes in case the fanatics triumphed; and that the conductor would be happier to lie in state with his lady.

Jasmine couldn’t dispute either point. When the old engine didn’t make an argument — it started immediately due to years of continual maintenance — she agreed to drive. As Ludmilla made her way back toward the main line they had traveled earlier, Sarah, Jasmine, and the treasure train took off in the opposite direction, down the other side of the mountain.

Under the watchful eyes of the armed guards, Papineau did a quick inventory of the treasure. He didn’t stop smiling until he reached the final car.

‘Is it all there?’ he asked with a cocked eyebrow.

‘We had to use some of it,’ Sarah said.

‘We?’

She cleared her throat. ‘Chief, care to explain?’

Cobb answered in their ears. ‘I told her to leave three bags of gold for the village. They need to start anew. They’ve suffered. They saved our lives. They earned it. If you’ve got a problem with that, you can send some of your armed guards to collect it.’

Papineau wanted to argue but decided against it. The treasure, or at least part of it, was in his hands. That was enough for now. He removed his earpiece and walked toward his waiting limousine for a drink.