The Gods' Gambit (33 page)

No.

The warmth was spreading into his limbs. He was weakening.
It was taking all his strength away. He tried as hard as he could to take his
clenched fist out of his pocket, ordering himself to lift his arm at any cost,
but he could not. He didn’t feel his arm. The world turned upside down and
cracked. He could see the sky full of stars and the man with whom he had just
fought bending over him. James realised that he was on his back on the ground.
He had sensed nothing when he fell. How could he? He felt as if his body was
missing.

Sounds of footsteps came to Irina’s ears. Still hiding
behind the tree, she glanced past it and saw the sniper walking in her
direction carrying the long rifle and the stand. She realised that he was
trying to take up a better shooting position. If that was his intention, he
would come to where she was or go a bit further on in order to be able to see
behind the warehouse where James had moved the car. She took out her gun from
the holster under her armpit.

The man was treading, appearing not to be worried about the
noise he made. He had no reason to believe he was in danger. He got very close
to the tree Irina was hiding behind. She heard his breathing and raised her
gun. The worst that could happen would be the sniper choosing to establish his
shooting nest where she was. If that were the case, he would appear face to
face with her, which would make her attack difficult.

The man passed by her, looking for another site further on.
Irina lashed out and hit the man on the head with the handle of her gun. He
made a brief sound – something between a sigh and a groan – and fell on his
knees, dropping the stand and rifle. She hit him a second time. He tilted sideways
and laid motionless.

Irina took the stand and rifle to the edge of the wood and
set them up. She pulled back the weapon’s bolt slightly illuminating into the
slot by her mobile phone. The magazine contained two cartridges and one was in
the barrel.

She looked through the telescopic sight, which was adapted
for night vision, and began surveying the vicinity. Suddenly, about a hundred
metres ahead, a man holding a rifle similar to the one she had in her
possession dashed out of the wood. He ran, keeping close to the tree edge. He
looked like he had also decided to change his position. Irina aimed at him and
pulled the trigger. He fell dead as the bullet struck home.

Irina scanned the area. If there was another sniper, he may
have seen the sudden death of his colleague and might be able to locate her.

She discovered the third sniper after a few seconds. Luckily
for her, he didn’t seem to have noticed what had happened, because he was
looking at the industrial estate. She held her breath and aimed carefully.
Through the telescopic sight she saw the bullet hit him and his head exploded.

She looked around again but did not see anything suspicious.

A distant angry shout attracted her attention. The gang had
spread out in a line in front of James and Lao, who were out of the car. One of
the armed men shouted and brandished a gun in the air. Irina tried to stay calm
and aimed at him.

She had experience of difficult situations. She had
participated in operations to free hostages and shoot criminals. From a professional
point of view, she regarded the situation in which James and Lao found
themselves as hopeless. She regretted how easily they had fallen into the trap.

She had seen many things, but she couldn’t have envisaged
what happened next. She released the half-pulled trigger because the behaviour
of the man with the gun changed and he was not directly threatening James and
Lao. James walked into the open to make the exchange with Malee. Suddenly, the
situation changed in a snap. Irina saw Lao’s mad lightening attack, escaping
the hail of bullets with incredible feints. By some miracle he managed to get
close to the gunmen unharmed, and in a few seconds he had knocked some of them
out. James also tackled several members of the gang. The next thing Irina saw
was James falling. Only after he had fallen did she see a kneeling man holding
a gun. Until that moment he had been masked by James and the last man he had
fought.

She aimed at the man but didn’t have time to pull the
trigger. Lao, who had knocked down the remainder of the gang quickly and
effectively, leaped towards him. In the next instant, James’ last opponent was
on the ground. One more leap and Lao was next to the kneeling man. The speed of
his movements was exhilarating. In a fraction of a second the pistol flew into
the air and the man fell. Lao was standing, looking around, his foot on the
man’s throat.

Irina jumped to her feet.
James, what’s happened to him?
She took the sniper rifle and ran. On her way she glanced about for any
surprises. Although everything looked calm, she knew that impression was
deceptive. The cult had forged a large-scale operation to capture James. She
was one hundred per cent sure that part of their squad was patrolling somewhere
on the road linking the industrial estate with the major road. Thus, their way
back would be cut. Those people could show up at any moment.

“James!” she shouted as she approached. “How is he, Lao?”

Lao was kneeling next to him, one hand touching James’
chest. With the fingers of the other hand he was tapping different pressure
points on James’ neck and head. “He’s been injected with some kind of
tranquilliser I think,” he said and pointed to the three syringes that James
had thrown aside.

Irina sighed with relief. “Yes. They wouldn’t kill him with
a gun. Lao, we must find a way out and take James to hospital. But we can’t use
the road we came on.”

“When we entered the estate we noticed a wooden gate behind
the last warehouse. Beyond it there’s a dirt road. It leads into the forest.”

“That may be a good chance for us,” said Irina. “Hopefully,
they didn’t position any men there.”

Lao lifted James and put him on his shoulder. He took him to
the Land Rover and laid his body on the rear seat. Irina walked behind, side-on
to keep an eye on the road and the forest.

“Sit next to him. I’ll—” She didn’t finish the sentence
because Lao was already walking back. “What are you doing? Other cult people
could appear any moment now,” she shouted.

Lao turned and said with a flat voice, “I’ve got unfinished
business.”

“Damn it!” murmured Irina and followed him.

He approached the leader, who lay unconscious, and bent over
him. The sounds of a roaring engine came floating through the air and Irina saw
a car driving at great speed in their direction. She knelt on one knee to give
the heavy rifle better support, took aim and shot at a front tire. The car
swerved off the road but the driver managed to retake control.

Bullets hissed in the air close to Irina. She stooped low
and then saw Lao dragging the leader toward the gang’s cars. They offered the
only shelter for them from the hail of bullets. It would be too risky for Irina
and Lao to try to reach the Land Rover right now. Irina threw away the empty
rifle and ran to the cars. On her way she took a risk and picked up as many of
the of the gang members’ weapons as she could and brought them to the cars. She
chose a machine gun with a full cartridge clip and squatted next to Lao who had
knelt behind the cars and was leaning over the leader. Lao was holding the
man’s neck with both hands gazing intensely into his face.

Suddenly, the leader exclaimed,his eyes wide open. “What—”

Lao slapped his face with the back of his hand. “You will
only answer my questions,” he said.

Irina hadn’t yet figured out what he was doing, but she
didn’t have much time to ponder over it. The gunmen from the derailed car were
attempting to get closer. She fired off a few short bursts at them and they
dived to the ground.

“You’re not getting him out alive …” the man began.

With a flash-like movement, Lao took out a bunch of long
needles with round heads from the folds of his sleeve and, in a matter of a few
seconds, stuck them into the man’s neck and torso. His arms and head flopped
down as if they had been paralysed. He started howling as if he were in great
pain.

“What’s it going to be with James?” asked Lao.

The leader didn’t answer.

Lao drew out two of the needles and stuck them sharply near
the corners of the man’s eyes. The howl he produced was terrible. Lao pulled
the needles halfway out. The leader stopped screaming and began to moan in
pain. Lao repeated his question and pressed on the needles slightly.

“Aaah … he’s just drugged. I can’t bear it anymore,” the man
begged. “I’ve got a wafer … with salve in it. Take it. Just stop the pain. Aaah
… I can’t move my arms … Coat his gums with it and he’ll recover.”

Lao found the wafer and dropped it into his pocket. Then he
pushed the needles deeper. The man’s scream was wild.

Lao released the needles. “Where’s my daughter?” he asked.

The man was breathing heavily and covered in sweat. Blood
trickled out of his ears. “She’s not here. She was taken … She’s gifted.”

“Who took her? Where is she now?”

“Aaah … she will be a seer.”

“Where is she?” Lao touched the needles.

“Aaah … in the mountains.” The man’s eyes rolled up until
only the white of his eyes were visible.

Lao applied gentle pressure to some of the needles stuck in
the man’s torso. His eyes immediately returned to the normal position.

“What mountain are you talking about?” asked Lao.

The man didn’t answer straight away. He looked as if the
life power had left his body. Lao shook him.

“I don’t know. The Perfecty’s horns come from there … The
horns of the eternal death.” A haggard smile appeared on the man’s lips.

“Lao,” said Irina, “we need to get to the Land Rover. We
won’t be able to hold it here much longer. They’ve begun to surround us.”

Lao looked round. “Okay. Let’s try. You’ll drive.” He nodded
to the leader. “This one’s almost finished. If you want to ask him something,
this is your last chance.”

Irina got closer to Lao and his victim. What Lao had done
was cruel, but necessary. She didn’t have the right to judge him. “Tell me the
names of the high ranks in your organisation,” she said.

“Prior on the top of the High Gathering … The Perfectys’
circle … Touched ones.” The man’s voice faded.

“Give me names. Who are you?” Irina asked insistently.

“My name is Roger … I am North,” he said in a barely audible
voice, and then his eyes rolled up for the last time.

Lao drew the needles out of the lifeless body, wiped them on
the man’s clothes and stuck them back in his sleeve.

Irina popped her head up above the car and fired the last
rounds of the machine gun. She threw it aside and looked at Lao. “Now!”

They started running. Irina jumped over one of the fallen
men. While her back leg was still in the air, the man beneath suddenly
stretched his arm up and grabbed it. She lost balance and fell to the ground.
She rolled over and drew the gun from the holster under her armpit. She saw the
man pull out his gun and point it at her. She pulled the trigger a fraction of
a second before him and then fired a second time. The man’s head dropped and he
stopped moving. These two shots were the only ones that had been fired from a
weapon without a silencer. They echoed loudly in the quietness of the night.

Irina got to her feet and ran. She saw Lao at the car taking
aim with the hunting rifle. The two loud bangs muted the hissing of the bullets
flying around her. She reached the Land Rover unscathed. Lao was already
sitting next to James. She jumped behind the wheel, pushed the starter and
drove away, tires burning. When she switched on the headlights she saw the
wooden gate that Lao had spoken about. She accelerated rapidly. The car went
through the gate as if it were made of paper. The dirt road stretched ahead
about a hundred metres, crossing a meadow before disappearing into the dark
forest. They managed to get to the forest without seeing any of the cult’s men.
Irina noted that the meadow and the road must have been the shooting zone of
the last sniper she had shot.

She continued driving through the forest as fast as she
could for ten minutes more. Then she stopped, killed the engine and got out.
She stood still, listening for a minute. Nobody was coming after them – no
sounds, no lights. She heard the very distant roar of car engines, but it was
coming from ahead of them. Most probably there was a road there, which they
could use to get away from the area. Heavy rain began clattering on the
treetops. Irina got back in the car and took a look at James. Lao had strapped
him in with the safety belt and was holding his shoulders.

“How is he?” she asked.

“I coated his gums with the cream. Let’s hope it will have
an effect soon.”

“I don’t know if we can trust that man’s words,” said Irina.

Lao smiled sadly. “He can be trusted. I broke his spirit.
May Buddha forgive me for what I did,” he said.

“It’d be better if we took James to a hospital. The road is
not far from here—”

“No hospitals,” muttered James. His speech was somewhat
unclear. He hadn’t yet regained full control of his facial muscles. He lifted
his eyelids and looked – first at Irina, then at Lao. “Malee?” he asked.

“She was not there. They never had any intention of
releasing her,” Lao informed him.

James swallowed with an effort. “Let’s get out of here,” he
said.

Devon, UK

The fine raindrops penetrating through the slightly lowered
side-window of the Land Rover refreshed James. He was breathing the cool air while
listening to Lao who was telling him what had happened during the time he had
been unconscious.