The Prisoner's Gold

61

Having ascended the series of rusted steps that led to the rock’s expansive top level, Cobb stopped and stared at the foliage below, admiring the view. The morning rains had collected the dust from the air, and the clear skies allowed him to see for miles in every direction. The distinct hills of the landscape were a quilt of lush forest interspersed with the occasional barren areas of dirt.

The top of the massive column of rock had been terraced centuries ago, the natural stone slopes replaced with a series of level areas of various heights and sizes. Each level had several staircases connecting it to the flat lawns, stone foundations, or shallow pools of the surrounding areas. Everywhere he looked Cobb could see reddish-brown bricks standing out against the grass and other creeping greenery that threatened to conceal the ruins. It reminded Cobb of photos he had seen of Machu Picchu in Peru.

McNutt stared at the murky brown water of the nearest pool, and at the dirty brown mutt basking in the sun at the water’s edge. Despite its filth, the dog looked well fed and content. It certainly had far less concern for them than the men did for it.

‘Will you look at that,’ McNutt said. ‘Snoopy looks perfectly at home up here.’ He glanced back at the narrow staircase they had just climbed. ‘Then again, maybe he’s just making the most of a bad situation. That rickety fire escape is scary as hell.’

Cobb glanced at the dog. ‘I highly doubt that he’s stuck here. I bet he comes up here every day for handouts from tourists.’

McNutt grinned. ‘I would, too, if people kept feeding me.’

Cobb smiled and pulled out his phone. He pressed a few buttons and brought up the image of the floor plan that Garcia had loaded into the device. He glanced back and forth between the blueprint on the screen and the landscape in front of him, trying to picture the buildings that once stood on the grounds. In his mind, he could see the lavish palace and the impenetrable ramparts, the stone courtyards and the exquisite gardens.

In reality, all that remained was little more than rubble.

‘Where’s the hidden room supposed to be?’ McNutt asked.

Cobb oriented the image on the phone to match the landmarks in front of him, hoping it would give them a clearer picture of where to search. Cobb pointed up ahead. ‘I think it’s that way. Does that sound right to you, Hector?’

‘I agree,’ Garcia said in his ear. ‘The palace was located on the highest ground.’

Thanks to the conveniences of technology, Garcia didn’t need to make the climb to see the plateau. Instead, he and Maggie were watching Cobb and McNutt’s video feeds from their hi-tech sunglasses. Garcia couldn’t actually see the others atop the monument from the safety of the nearby Hotel Sigiriya — the distance was simply too far — but the unobstructed view gave their comms a clear path of transmission. Even though the devices had already proven that they could send and receive signals through several feet of solid rock, this wasn’t the time to take unnecessary chances.

Not when they were so close to solving the mystery.

Not with Polo’s treasure within their grasp.

They walked forward, traversing multiple levels on cracked stone stairs while avoiding a large retention pool in the center of the plateau. When they finally arrived at their destination, they were dripping in sweat from their long climb and the thick humidity. They took a moment to catch their breath and to enjoy the 360-degree vista of the surrounding terrain.

‘I can see why he chose this place,’ McNutt said.

‘Polo?’ Cobb asked.

‘No, the king!’ McNutt turned and imagined his personal kingdom. ‘Got my palace here. My swimming pool there. And my naked ladies down below. What else would I need?’

‘Electricity … Plumbing … Cable TV.’

‘TV?’ McNutt burst out laughing. ‘Chief, I rarely have the opportunity to give you advice, but this is one of those times. If you have a harem, you don’t need a TV.’

Cobb grinned. ‘I’ll try to remember that.’

‘Trust me, you’ll thank me later.’

‘In the meantime, do you mind if we look for the treasure?’

McNutt shook his head. ‘Just tell me what to do.’

Cobb walked along the edge of a low brown wall about two feet in height. He looked down at the bricks and wondered. Senanayake had confided in them that despite the site being a World Heritage location, restoration work had actually involved moving some of the bricks from one of the mostly ruined areas to another that was mostly intact. It was unthinkable from an archeological point of view, but it made perfect sense taken within the context of tourism.

Cobb’s realization that damage had already been done to the site by the organization that was supposed to protect it eased his guilt considerably. He knew that they would have to damage some walls to look for the hidden room, but he also knew if they located Polo’s treasure that the local government would make millions and the site would be inundated with tourists.

Still, he would do his best to limit damage.

‘Hector,’ Cobb said, ‘I think we walked up too high. Based on this diagram, we have to go down a few levels to access the secret room.’

Garcia stared at the map on his screen. ‘I tend to agree. The palace started at the top but sprawled down over multiple levels. You need to go a hundred feet south or so. You can access that area by taking the steps on your right.’

They followed his directions and climbed down two levels of stone steps to a grassy area below. They walked around in the flat space, peering at the brick walls on three sides of them. It wasn’t an area most people bothered with; Cobb could tell from the overgrown grass, and the path behind him that ran parallel to the wall. People would walk down to this level and skirt around the base of the terrace, but they were on their way to or from the steps on either end of the stretch of grass.

Where Cobb and McNutt were standing, there was really nothing to see but the blocks of the wall in front of them. For some reason, the wall wasn’t straight. It was canted in slightly, like the walls of the Potala. Upon closer inspection, Cobb realized that loose soil filled the spaces in between the stones instead of mortar. The wall stood simply because of the way the stones had been stacked, with gravity doing most of the work.

Cobb reached forward and pressed his palms against the rock. He felt the rough surface on his fingertips and tried to picture what the angled wall was protecting.

‘Uh, chief? Do you two want to be left alone?’

Cobb ignored the comment. ‘I think we’re going to have to dig.’

‘We’re gonna need some shovels and picks then. Unless, of course, you give me permission to blow the wall. But, you know, not in a sexual way.’

Cobb pushed his fingers into the loose dirt around the nearest stone until he could grasp the brick with his hand. He wiggled it back and forth, his movements no more than an inch at first. Ever so slowly, he pulled the block free as soil spilled from the wall. He carefully set it in the grass at his feet, as if the brick was a part of the treasure itself.

‘It’s reinforced,’ Cobb said. ‘There’s another wall inside the outer shell.’

Cobb stepped away and McNutt moved closer to see for himself. True to Cobb’s word, he saw a second layer of stonework on the other side of the first. The good news was that the layers would work in tandem, supporting each other as the men removed enough stones to pass through the wall. The bad news was that there was no way to pull the larger inner bricks out. McNutt could tell by looking at them that they were simply too heavy.

He put his hand through the opening and gently pushed on the inner stone. Much to his surprise, it moved.

‘Chief, this is loose. I think I can push it in. But …’

Cobb knew what had given McNutt pause. Neither of them knew what might be damaged if the stone fell and ruptured. Maybe nothing. Or maybe the final clue to the treasure. Unfortunately, they had no way of knowing if they didn’t get behind the wall.

‘Do it,’ Cobb ordered.

‘Here goes nothing,’ McNutt said as he leaned into the stone.

Surprisingly, it gave way quite easily, sliding out of position and dropping out of sight. They expected to hear it thump when it struck the ground at their feet a second later. Instead, they heard silence until it shattered at the bottom of a chasm somewhere deep inside the plateau.

‘Holy hell, the mountain is hollow!’ McNutt exclaimed.

Cobb nodded. ‘Things just got a lot more interesting.’

McNutt removed his glasses and stuck them through the hole. Then he used his other arm to extend a small but powerful flashlight into the darkness. He hoped that he could cast enough light for Garcia to get some idea of what they had found. ‘Diego, you see anything?’

‘You were right,’ Garcia replied. ‘It’s hollow. I’m guessing maybe thirty or forty feet down to the bottom. That’s really all I can see.’

McNutt was disappointed. ‘No gold? No silver? No dragon?’

‘No, nothing like that,’ Garcia replied. ‘Just an empty chamber. It looks like a giant well.’

‘Then let’s throw something in and make a wish,’ Sarah said as she joined the conversation. Her voice was backed by the reverberating sound of a helicopter.

Cobb looked south and saw a small white chopper rising in the distance.

‘Sure,’ Cobb replied. ‘What did you have in mind?’

‘How about me?’ Sarah said.

Cobb laughed. ‘Copy that. See you in a few minutes.’

The helicopter made a beeline for the plateau as Cobb and McNutt cleared away several more of the outer blocks. By the time the gap was big enough for Sarah to climb through, the chopper was close enough for Cobb to make out the pale blue UN lettering on the side. Despite all the problems he’d had with Papineau, he really appreciated the man’s efficiency.

Why rent a helicopter when you can convince the UN to let you use theirs for free?