The Lost Labyrinth

FORTY-ONE
I

Argo surged irrepressibly through the gorse, cutting beneath the worst of the thorns, with Gaille, still hanging onto his leash, taking numerous scratches on her hands and arms. She half stumbled on a stone and cried out and hauled him back so violently that he stopped at last, if only in surprise, allowing her to recover her balance and glance back.

Iain was striding through the gorse behind her, but that wasn't what shocked her. What shocked her was that a third person had appeared, a man wearing jeans and a green sweatshirt and a plain blue baseball cap tugged down over his eyes, who'd also found the mouth of the path and was following them along it.

Iain must have seen the surprise on Gaille's face, for he whirled around. 'Who the fuck are you?' he demanded.

The man held up his hands to allay suspicion. 'Don't be alarmed,' he said. 'I'm a friend.'

Iain grabbed his Mauser from his shoulder, levelled it at the man's chest. 'I'll be the judge of that,' he said. 'What's your name? What are you doing here?'

'My name's Mikhail,' replied the man, spreading his arms as wide as crucifixion, but still walking towards Iain. He nodded pleasantly at Gaille. 'Your friend Daniel sent me. He's worried sick about you. You should have called him.'

'We can't get a signal,' she said.

'Ah,' he said. 'Is that all it was?'

'Stay where you are,' ordered Iain.

'Please lower that thing,' said Mikhail. 'I hate guns.'

'I said stay where you are.'

'I'm one of the good guys,' said Mikhail, continuing his advance. 'I can prove it.' He extended his left palm forward, like a policeman stopping traffic, then reached behind him with his right hand, and drew a hunting knife from his belt.

'What the fuck…?' muttered Iain, taking off the Mauser's safety-catch. 'Stay back!'

But it was too late, Mikhail was already on him. He swatted away the Mauser barrel with his left hand, then thrust the knife hard up beneath Iain's ribcage, lifting him off his feet for a moment, giving the blade a sharp, vindictive twist. The Mauser discharged with a futile crack, clattered to the ground. Mikhail pulled out the knife, allowing Iain to slump to his knees and onto his back, making ghastly keening and sucking sounds. 'Guns don't kill people,' Mikhail told him piously, as he wiped the blade on his sleeve and put it back in his belt. 'People kill people.' Then he picked up the Mauser and turned it on Gaille.

It was only now that she recognised him from the lift. He saw it in her eyes and grinned. 'I told you I had a good memory for faces,' he said.