The King's Tomb

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Ryan Bale wasn’t sure how to react when he saw Dirk Kruger walk into the safari lodge. Of all the ECHO team, he had more reason than anyone to despise the arms trafficker. It was Kruger who had kidnapped him in the notorious Seastead battle during the Atlantis mission. He felt the memory wash over him like icy water.

Dragan Korać, the former Serbian military commander and warlord had blown up a boat beneath the enormous sea platform and knocked Ryan unconscious into the raging ocean. Kruger had saved his life, but only to use his brilliant mind to help locate the Lost City.

This man had kidnapped him, beaten him and tortured him for information and been part of the force who had murdered his girlfriend, Maria Kurikova. Now, standing a few feet from him he felt an overwhelming desire to destroy him as painfully as possible.

Without knowing it, he had moved forward a few inches, his fists clenched so hard his knuckles had gone white. He felt Lea’s hand on his stomach as she held him back. He blinked in the shaded light of the lodge as he looked over to her. He saw she felt the same hatred as he did. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Not now, Ry.”

Kruger gave Blankov a suspicious glance and then flung his sweat-stained broad-rimmed bush hat on a chair. “You have more lives that a cat, Mr Bale.”

“Get fucked, Dirk.”

The corner of Kruger’s mouth turned up. “Woah — are you a tough guy now, or something?”

“Tough enough to wring your neck, for damned sure.”

Kruger eyed up the young man for a moment, judging his physical strength. “It takes more than muscle to wring a man’s neck, Bale. Doesn’t matter how strong your arms are. It’s about how strong this is.” He tapped his temple. “You think you could choke the life out of a man? Watch him die right before your eyes, at your own hands?”

“I don’t think it, I know it. Even easier to kill a rat like you. When I kill you I’ll dance on your grave.”

Kruger thought about speaking but instead he tapped his fingers on the desk for a moment and then glanced at Blankov for the next move.

The Athanatoi chief turned and looked out over the veld. “This is a very impressive park, Mr Kruger.”

“Yes. We have everything here at the park. The elephants you already saw, but we also have rhino, buffalo, hippo, leopard, hyena, eagles… and lions.”

“Of course, lions,” Blankov said. “Talking of which, shall we all go outside?”

Kruger led Blankov outside to the elevated deck running around the outside of the first floor. Venter and Scarface raised their guns and frog-marched Ryan and Lea outside, a few feet behind them.

Out on the balcony, Kruger gestured to a table beside some steps which led down to the ground level. On the table were a pitcher of iced water, some glasses and an expensive laptop. The trafficker stared longingly across the veld with his hands in his pockets and sighed. “It’s always good to be home, but my mission’s not over yet — not by a long shot.” He turned and ordered them to take a seat. Ryan looked over his shoulder at the men with guns and obeyed.

Blankov spoke next. “Ever heard of Professor Julius Cronje?”

Ryan and Lea kept silent.

The Athanatoi man wasn’t to be baited. “He’s a leading authority on ancient languages, specializing in pictograms and symbolism. We invited him here to the safari park to help us with the symbols on the Sword of Fire.”

“You mean you kidnapped him?” Lea said.

“Yes and his son, too.”

“You bastard.”

Blankov waved a fly off his face. “Julius is one of us.”

“Athanatoi?” Lea asked.

He nodded. “Yes.”

“And you kidnapped him?”

“He’s a traitor,” Kruger added.

Ryan said nothing. He was past the point of rage and knew what had to be done to this man. It was just a matter of staying alive long enough to kill him. He decided to let Lea do the talking.

“How is he a traitor?” Lea asked.

“After careful consultation with the professor, he decided that he didn’t want to help the Oracle after all,” Kruger said.

“Shame.”

“I’m not finished.”

“You will be soon.”

A shit-eating grin spread across the South African’s cracked, tanned face and revealed a set of uneven teeth. “As I was saying, Professor Cronje took exception to the hospitality I extended him here at the park and refused to give me the information I required, but it turned out he was much more agreeable after I threatened to throw his son to my lions.”

“You disgust me.”

Blankov spoke next. “You see, immortal or not, Julius has the same weaknesses as anyone else. Family is one of these weaknesses. Loving people is a weakness. It makes you vulnerable. Academic principles and ethics are one thing, but faced with watching lions tear your son apart and eat his guts, they go right out of the window. We soon agreed it was better that he told me the meaning of the symbols and in return his son would be allowed to live. I call it the art of compromise.”

Outside below the balcony they heard a heavy animal breathing hard and padding about in the dust. The smell of wild big cats floated up through the slits in the teak decking.

“But after translating half the symbols, the traitor tried to modify the terms of our agreement,’ Blankov said.

“What do you mean?” said Lea.

Kruger chuckled. “He means that Julius Cronje didn’t take my threat seriously and thought he could barter with me.”

Ryan gripped the arms of his chair until they almost snapped. In his head, he repeated the same mantra over and over again. Later… you’ll kill him later.

Lea brushed a mosquito away. “I don’t understand.”

“Have you ever thought about when terrorists take some people hostage and make their demands? How they say, we’ll kill the hostages if you don’t do this or that? Ever wondered why the authorities don’t simply spin it around and say, you’ll let the hostages go or we’ll kill you all and your families too? It’s because they’re weak and the terrorists know they won’t do it.”

Lea yawned and looked at her watch. “Is it nearly bedtime?”

Blankov offered a cold smile. “The traitor Julius Cronje thought his knowledge and my desire to access it was a more valuable commodity than the strength of my threat. He translated the first half of the symbols, and after proving himself he decided to make a counter offer. If I let his son go, he would translate the other half.”

Below, they heard a lion roaring and growling.

Kruger sipped his iced water and picked up his bush hat. “Julius tried to play fucking poker with me. With me! And you know why?” Before she could say anything, he said, “Because he didn’t take me or my threats seriously. He thought he was the one driving our little bargain, so I made sure he found out the hard way what happens when you try and play games with me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I killed his son.”

“Oh my God.”

Kruger said, “Needless to say we now have a full translation. What he wouldn’t do to save his own son’s life, he did to save his own.”

Lea felt deflated. They already knew what the symbols meant. “So you know where the King’s Tomb is located?”

“Yes,” Blankov said. “And now Julius must also pay for his treachery.”

Kruger set the hat on his head and his eyes disappeared into the brim’s shade. He pushed his chair away from the table and stood up. He turned and looked over the balcony. “How’s my baby?”

A man called up and told him the lion was in good form. “But a little hungry and restless, just as you ordered, boss.”

He turned to face Lea and Ryan. “Did you hear that? Just as I fucking ordered.”