The Last Bazaar

CHAPTER FORTY THREE

Drake held his body as firmly as he could when the impact came. Against Hayden’s original wish, Beau had done a heroic job — practically leveling the chopper off as it crash landed. Its underside struck the castle walls, shattering them, rubble raining down inside and outside the structure. A new hole appeared right next to the front gates and the drawbridge that spanned a house-sized ravine. Everything juddered as they broke through the walls, then shook and bounced as the helo wobbled and vibrated its way down and into Ramses’ inner courtyard.

Drake stayed still as the world spun. Then, steeling himself, he launched into action, checking the others for wounds.

“Sound off.”

Affirmatives rose very quickly and clearly, the best sign that nobody was injured. Drake pushed at the door, cracking it open a little before it wedged. Beau shoved at his side, creating a gap large enough for them to squeeze through. The Frenchman went first, drawing his weapon, then Dahl and Mai. The chopper wheezed and coughed around them, glass trickling to the floor and metal shrieking as its weight shifted. Alicia paused a moment to grab more ammo and Drake gave her a shove.

“Hurry, the others are clear.”

“You’ll thank me later. And quit poking me, it’s friggin’ freezing out here.”

“It would be. You’ve just spent days in the Amazon.” Drake spoke before feeling the chill draught of the mountain air roll into the cabin. Alicia was right, it was actually “friggin’ freezing”, but at least they were well below the snow line.

Drake compressed his frame to fit through the small gap, gasping a little. Bacon butties, he thought, will be the bloody death of me. The sound of gunfire erupted from somewhere, shots being fired at his comrades. Drake looked up to see a swarm of legionnaires bearing down on them from the inner courtyard and more scrambling down the wreckage of the walls. Ramses stood in the center of it all, directing men, and Drake could hear the deep timbre of his voice.

“Bring me any memento you like. But make sure they’re dead.”

A price on our heads? No change there then.

Dahl had topped the rubble pile and was now scrambling over it, heading away from the castle and toward a stand of trees some way off. Mai and Beau quickly followed. Drake urged Alicia along as legionnaires bore down on them from three sides.

“We good?” Drake heard Dahl call.

“Go, go, go!” Alicia cried back, running so fast her legs, slipping on the shifting rubble, suddenly went out from beneath her.

Drake caught her under the shoulder, spun and rammed a fist into the first attacker. He lifted Alicia. The blonde fired instantly, two men dropping to their knees. Together, they attacked the rubble pile again, nearing the top, but they had already fallen far behind.

A whistle, and the sound of a streaking missile made his heart skip a beat. Are they firing RPGs at us? No, he decided a second later, they’re firing at the rubble pile!

The rocket hit and exploded, shifting heaps of mortar, stone and rock, a percussive blast ringing around the mountains. The large mass relocated, swelling and rippling and becoming as unstable as melting ice. Drake tried to catch Alicia as she fell, but failed, for he was already tumbling himself.

Back down into the courtyard the two soldiers fell. Back down toward Ramses.