The Sword of Fire

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Hawke woke first. He had never needed an alarm clock to wake up early, and even as a child he was able to train himself to wake naturally at a precise time and usually got it right. Today was no exception and when he checked his watch he saw it was just before dawn.

Even before he opened his eyes he was aware of Lea beside him, one of her arms over his chest. Reaper and Devlin were enjoying a less intimate arrangement and their two separate sleeping bags were either side of the entrance.

He yawned and woke Lea. Moments later they were all outside the tent. Ryan and Kim were already outside.

“And what about Cairo?” Hawke said, leaning inside her tent.

“Piss off,” Scarlet said. A boot sailed past his head and thudded down in the muddy ground. “I’ve decided to have breakfast in bed.”

“Get up,” Hawke said. “Now.”

“But it’s still night.”

“Dawn’s about to break, Cairo.”

“All right, all right. Let’s get this show on the road, fuckers,” Scarlet said, clambering out of her tent. “Any sign of Zito?”

“Not yet,” Ryan said.

“Maybe Kloos kept his mouth shut,” Kim said, but not too convincingly.

“Talking of Kloos,” Devlin said. “What did he say about this legend again?”

Ryan climbed up on the highest granite slab of them all and looked out across the mountainous horizon. “He said that the son of Arianrhod will reveal where the Sword of Fire rests.”

Hawke turned to Ryan. “And who might that be, mate?”

“Arianrhod was an important part of ancient Celtic mythology, and the mother of Llew Llaw Gyffes,” Ryan said, lighting up a cigarette and flicking the match into the breeze.

“Give us one of those, will you?” Scarlet said. “Smoked all mine.”

He handed her one and took a deep drag on his own.

Hawke watched Ryan’s eyes for a moment. A new coldness was moving in, for sure, but he wasn’t the boy’s father. Maybe when all this was over, he’d have a chat… “Who was that last bloke you just mentioned, mate?”

“He was a major hero in Welsh mythology, tucked away deep in the fourth branch of the Mabinogi.” He breathed out another long cloud of smoke and sniffed. “Point is, he was symbolized by Perseus, the slayer of dragons. I was thinking about this all night and now I posit that the reference to the heavens in fact means stars. Jesus, I could do with a drink.”

Hawke shot a quick sideways glance at the young man but said nothing.

“So we’re looking for something in the stars?” Lea said.

“A constellation?” Kim asked.

Scarlet sighed. “No, a Klingon mothership. What do you think?”

“Hey, I was just asking.”

“Which one’s the Perseus constellation?” Lea said.

“There,” Hawke said, raising his arm. “The bright star just there is Mirfak, the brightest star in the Perseus constellation.”

“Most of these constellations have an important role to play in traditional Welsh mythology,” Ryan said. “The Milky Way was originally called the Fortress of Gwydion. Every one of these stars has a part to play in these ancient legends, including Perseus there.”

They followed Perseus down to the horizon and one by one the stars in the constellation began to fade.

“Look!” Lea said. “The Sword of Perseus is pointing precicely to that smaller peak down there.”

“Craig y Castell,” Ryan said. “The tip of Perseus’s sword is pointing to Craig y Castell.”

Then it happened.

The sun broke the horizon in the northeast and struck the western slopes of the caldera directly beneath the peak of Craig y Castell. They watched in silence as one particular rock glowed almost as bright as the sun itself.

“It faces the sun at dawn in such a way that it’s acting like a mirror,” Ryan said, shielding his eyes from the glinting, gleaming piece of smooth granite.

“Looks like we found the tomb,” Hawke said.

“So let’s get on it, people,” Ryan said.

“Look who thinks he’s the big boss,” Scarlet said sarcastically.

“I could be the big boss,” said Ryan, nodding his head firmly. “An apex predator.”

Scarlet laughed. “You? You’re just the comic-relief sidekick.”

Instead of a comeback, Ryan said nothing, and headed toward the ridge to the west of them. Hawke thought he looked offended by Scarlet’s comment, but let it go.

They walked along the ridge and as the sun slowly climbed in the clear sky it illuminated the valleys either side of the mountain. Great oceans of emerald green farmland stretched out in every direction. They could see the famous Minffordd Path snaking its way up from a visitors’ car park, and Hawke followed its path as it twisted through forests and rushing rivers on its way up the slope.

The massive lake to their right sparkled in the morning sun. The previous night Ryan had regaled them with ancient myths about how it was supposed to be bottomless but the reality was more prosaic: it was the caldera of a volcano that last burned in ancient times not long after the glaciers carved these valleys out of the landscape for eternity.

Hawke looked at his watch. “Still no sign of Zito.”

“Or that giant tank of shit, Kruger,” Scarlet said.

“Just as well, eh?” Devlin said. No one had spoken about the night before, and Hawke wanted it kept that way. “Maybe we got lucky?”

Hawke shook his head. “No way. Kruger won’t mess around with this. For one thing, I think he’s working for someone else and that someone else will want results. Failing your boss in Kruger’s world means more than a demotion or getting fired — it means your life, so he’ll do whatever he has to do to get what he needs out of Kloos. They’re here all right. It’s just a matter of time.”

“You’re such a pessimist, Joe,” Lea said. “Maybe just this once we got a break?”

“I’ll believe when I see it,” he said.

And then, just to prove him right, the destruction unfolded right in front of their eyes.