The Sword of Fire

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

The surface to air missile screeched down the center of the valley at Mach 3 and smashed into the caldera’s western slope. The resulting fireball was of Hollywood proportions, blasting tons of granite and earth out of the side of the mountain and scattering smoking detritus all over the slope. As the deep roar of the explosion echoed back down the valley like thunder, dislodged boulders tumbled down the mountain and crashed through the black surface of the lake far below.

“Holy smokes!” Kim said, unable to take her eyes off the unfolding devastation. “What the hell was that?”

Hawke was already on it, scanning the valley to the north with his binoculars. The deep folds of the pastoral farmland below was still untouched by the rising sun, but it was easy enough to track the smoke trail back to its origin. He was just able to make out a pair of black Jeep Cherokees on a track to the north of a smaller lake just beyond the main one in the caldera. “Around a dozen men,” he said. “Looks like the fireworks was provided by an Eryx.”

“A what?” Kim said.

Reaper replied. “Eryx — it’s a shoulder-launched missile. European. Of all the handheld weapons it has the biggest caliber.”

“Right,” Hawke said. “And their warheads are easily capable of breaking open a concrete bunker seven or eight feet thick. The granite slab blocking the entrance to the tomb in that mountain would be no match at all — as we all just saw.” He watched the Jeeps move along the track toward them.

“So now what?” Kim said.

“We’re still much closer to the entrance,” Devlin said. “Surely we can get in there and out again with the sword by the time they get up the mountain?”

“No,” Hawke said. “Look.”

The Jeeps had driven closer now and were pulling up around the northern shores of Llyn y Gader in the bowl of the caldera. Giancarlo Zito climbed out of the leading vehicle and gave them all a cheery wave. The Jeep’s other doors opened and then Bruno and another man dragged Henk Kloos out into the new day. He was badly beaten and had to be held up by the two Italians.

The doors of the Jeep in the rear now opened and several more of Zito’s men got out. Armed like a militia, they looked out of place in the Welsh countryside, but then things cranked up another notch when a face they all knew and hated emerged from the front passenger seat.

“Dirk Kruger,” Hawke said through gritted teeth.

Scarlet dragged on her cigarette, as cool as ice, and stared at the South African. “That, my friends, is a face that invites a massive slap.”

“What he needs is a few years in a Russian salt mine,” Reaper said.

Another man stepped out behind Kruger and Hawke shook his head with disbelief.

Lea noticed him bristle. “You know him, Joe?”

“Yes. His name’s Vermaak. Last time we met was on a joint training exercise in Angola. He was a South African commando, but now it looks like he’s a mercenary.”

Before anyone could respond, Dirk Kruger cupped his hands either side of his mouth and called up to them. His voice echoed weirdly as the horseshoe shape of the caldera acted as a giant soundbox and amplified his words.

“How nice to see you all again,” he shouted. “Especially you, Mr Bale.”

Hawke took a step forward ahead of the group and called back down. “You want to talk, you talk to me, Kruger.”

“Major Hawke, the big hero…” Kruger looked around at Zito and the others and they gave a short laugh. “Listen up then, big hero: throw your guns and weapons into the lake or I’ll drown Doctor Kloos in it with my own two hands.”

“He’s got us,” Reaper said.

“Bullshit,” said Devlin. “We’re not going to roll over that easy now, are we?”

“He’s right,” Hawke said. “We haven’t got a sniper rifle and even if we did we can’t take out that many men before they kill Kloos.”

Devlin looked at Hawke. “But we’ve got to try something, dammit.”

“I’m responsible for the safety of everyone on this mission,” Hawke said, “including Kloos. If I say it’s over then it’s over.”

Lea was first to hurl her gun off the edge of the mountain. What was a heavy, chunky weapon in her hands was now a tiny, fragile piece of metal bouncing off the rocks with a light smack until it finally hit the lake and vanished forever.

The others followed her lead until they were all unarmed.

“That was awesome!” Kruger called up in a mocking tone. “Now walk over to the tomb’s entrance and wait like the good dogs you are until we come up.”

Hawke watched the South African give a series of orders. From the body language it was clear to see that Kruger was the man in charge and Zito and his men were just the hired help.

“Looks like we’d better do as he says,” Kim said. “We all know he’s capable of killing innocent people.”

“We should fight,” Devlin said.

“You’re crazy, Danny,” said Lea.

“Just sayin’.”

“No,” Hawke said. “Kim’s right. Any funny business and he’ll kill Kloos. We play along with his rules for now and bide our time.”

“So what are we waiting for, girls?” Scarlet said. “Let’s get this thing over with.”

And with that, they started to march toward the smouldering entrance that the Eryx had gouged out of the mountainside. Smoke was still spiralling out of the newly blasted hole, and somewhere behind it was a tomb containing the Sword of Fire.