The Midas Legacy (Wilde/Chase 12) (17 page)

The Gurkha glanced towards the chopper, where his kukri was still jammed in the window. ‘Used to.’

‘Arse chives. We’ll just have to hope it slows ’em down long enough for us to get back to the monastery.’ He recovered his breath, then followed Nina and Jayesh down the line of platforms after the monks.

Axelos’s radio squawked. ‘Come in, come in,’ said Collins.

The Greek and his men had just descended the ladder. He halted, the mercenaries following suit. ‘Did you stop them?’

‘No – and they, ah, took out the bridge.’

The American’s hesitancy made Axelos suspect that he was not telling the whole truth, but there were more important concerns. ‘Will we still be able to follow them?’

‘There’s a rope across the gap, so maybe. I wouldn’t want to risk it myself, though.’

‘That’s very helpful,’ said Axelos, annoyed. ‘Do they still have the other Crucible?’

‘Yeah. The woman’s carrying it.’

‘Then keep tracking them. We’ll try to catch up.’

He waved the other men on. Before long, they arrived at a rocky ledge before a deep cleft in the mountainside and he saw what the pilot had meant. The two halves of what had been a rope bridge hung limply down into the gap. All that remained intact was a single line spanning the void, and the post holding it at this end was damaged. He peered at its counterpart on the far side. It looked intact. ‘Keep hold of this,’ he told the Nepalis, indicating the crooked support. ‘I’m going to climb across. If I make it, follow me.’

‘What if you fall?’ asked one of the twins. He did not seem concerned by the prospect.

‘Then you can go back and keep all the gold in the cave for yourself. If you can dig it out. And if you can get down from this mountain once you have it. And if the monks don’t warn the government what happened here.’ He gave the Nepali a stern look. ‘So it’s best for everyone that we stay together and get the other Crucible before they do.’

The brothers exchanged glances, then moved to secure the pole. Axelos started his crossing.

15

The end of the long run of platforms was in sight, to Eddie’s great relief. The first monks had almost reached the ledge with the little hollow containing wood and ropes. After that, there was only the last stretch of the plank walkway before the monastery.

He looked back. No sign of their pursuers, but he doubted the bridge’s destruction would slow them much. The helicopter was still a constant presence, flying languid circles over the valley. If the mercenaries had been unable to cross the chasm, he was sure it would have been summoned to collect Axelos—

‘Speak of the devil,’ he growled as a figure came into view around the mountain’s edge. ‘We need to go faster!’

Amaanat reached the ledge. ‘They are still a long way behind us.’

‘Yeah, but a bullet’ll catch up pretty quick,’ Nina pointed out as she stepped gratefully on to solid ground behind him.

Jayesh and finally Eddie arrived on the ledge. ‘Get around this corner,’ the Englishman said, ushering everyone onwards into cover. ‘They’ll have a clear shot at us while we’re on that last lot of planks to the tower, though.’

‘You’re right,’ said Nina, remembering how the route followed the great curving wall of the natural amphitheatre. ‘What do we do?’

Eddie spotted the repair supplies. ‘We’ll move a lot faster on the ground. Get the ropes – we’ll climb down the cliff and run up the hill to the monastery.’

Amaanat called back the other monks as he reached the little nook. ‘I do not know if the ropes will be long enough.’

‘There isn’t anything to fasten them to either,’ said Nina.

‘We’ll tie them together, then wedge those planks inside the cave and fix the rope to ’em,’ Eddie told them. ‘And if it doesn’t reach the ground, we’ll jump the last bit. Snow looks pretty thick down there.’

Nina peered over the edge. ‘You do know that falling off a real cliff into real snow won’t be like in
Frozen
, right?’

‘Aw, let it go.’ He grinned, then started to haul out the hollow’s contents.

With everyone working together, it took only a short time to knot the ropes and secure them to the planks. Eddie examined the piecemeal line. ‘How long is it?’

‘About twenty metres,’ Jayesh replied.

The Yorkshireman made a concerned sound. ‘That’s never a good noise,’ said Nina as he went back to the drop. ‘How high’s this cliff?’

‘More than that.’ Twenty metres was about sixty-five feet; he estimated the ground to be over eighty feet below. ‘I’ll check it’s survivable.’

‘How?’

‘By seeing if I survive!’

‘Not funny.’

‘I wouldn’t go down there if I didn’t think it was doable. Here, give me that.’ He took the Crucible from her and unwrapped its top, fastening the end of the rope in a loose knot around its wire handle. Then he held the line over the edge and quickly lowered it. Once the rope had reached its full length, he took a firmer hold of it. ‘We’ll make it,’ he assured Nina. ‘We’ve got to.’

‘I hope you’re right,’ she said nervously.

‘See you at the bottom.’

Without a harness or the time to wrap the rope around his body to abseil, he was forced to descend in the crudest possible way, relying on raw muscle to take his weight as he walked himself downwards. Ten feet, twenty, without difficulty, the knots acting as handholds. Thirty feet, half the rope’s length. He looked down, and got his first clear view of the gap between the end of the line and the snow beneath it. It was more than twenty feet – and the drift itself was probably a few feet deep. Even if he hung from the very end of the rope, he would still have to fall about sixteen feet. The snow would cushion the landing to some degree, but if there were any rocks buried beneath it, the impact could be fatal.

No choice now. He kept descending, muscles starting to ache. Fifty feet, sixty, and he was at the end of the rope. The Crucible hung below him. He awkwardly reached down and tugged at the knot. It popped loose with only a little effort. Snagging the handle with his fingers, he swung the sphere outwards before releasing it. It landed in a snowdrift with a soft
whumph
.

It had survived; would he? Eddie looked up, seeing faces peering over the ledge. He managed a brief wave to Nina, then lowered himself to grip the rope’s frayed end. The snow along the cliff’s base undulated ominously, suggesting fallen rocks beneath the pristine surface. He would have to jump clear to land farther out, and hope no boulders had rolled down the slope.

He leaned back, bending his legs . . . and threw himself outwards.

A moment of freefalling fear, not knowing what was hidden below—

Eddie hit the snow with a thump, pain jarring his back as the drift compressed beneath him. He lay still for a moment. The sensation faded. Nothing was broken. He sat up, pushing a hand down through the flattened snow to find hard rock only a few inches beneath him. It had been deep enough to absorb his landing – just.

He stood. ‘I’m okay!’ he yelled. ‘Come down!’

Nina was first to follow. He watched anxiously as she started her descent. She had been a regular – well, semi-regular – visitor to the gym since Macy’s birth, so he was sure she had the strength to make the climb, though her clumsy movements showed how long it had been since she had done anything like this in the real world.

But she passed the halfway mark with little difficulty. Relieved, he moved to get a view back down the valley. The mercenaries were halfway along the line of platforms, moving briskly despite the danger of falling. ‘Come on, faster,’ he muttered, returning to watch his wife continue down the rope.

She reached its foot. ‘What do I do?’

Eddie pointed at fresh snow next to where he had landed. ‘Aim for there.’

‘Okay.’ She hesitantly sidestepped, the rope trembling as her arms strained – then closed her eyes and jumped with a shriek.

A cloud of powder burst from the drift as she vanished into it. No cries of pain came from the hole, however. Eddie yomped across to her. ‘You okay?’

She sat up, blowing snow from her face. ‘Yeah. Macy’d probably love that. If it was a lot lower and there wasn’t a risk of death, I mean.’

He smiled and helped her stand. The rope was already twitching as Amaanat started to descend. Despite his age, the abbot was moving considerably faster than Nina, having clearly had plenty of climbing experience during his years living on the mountain.

‘You should get to the monastery,’ Eddie told her.

‘I’m staying with you,’ she insisted.

He sighed. ‘I’d argue, but we’ve been together ten years now, and I know how well
that
works out!’

By the time she recovered the Crucible, the abbot had reached the bottom of the line. Without a word, he leapt backwards to land heavily in a drift. ‘Bloody hell!’ cried Eddie, running to him. ‘You all right?’

Amaanat stood painfully. ‘I am fine. How far away are those men?’

‘Not far enough!’ The next monk was already beginning his descent, leaving only one more and Jayesh still on the ledge. ‘You need to warn the monastery that there’s trouble coming. ’

‘Use the satellite phone to call for help,’ Nina added.

‘I . . . Yes, I will go ahead,’ Amaanat said, with deep reluctance. ‘But you must follow quickly.’

‘Don’t worry, we’ll be running after you as fast as we can!’ she promised. The abbot placed his palms together and bowed, then started a trudging jog through the snow.

The descending monk soon reached the end of the rope. Eddie pointed to a patch of virgin snow. ‘Over here.’ The man positioned himself, then launched off the cliff – only to wail on landing. The Englishman hurried to him. ‘What is it?’

‘Hurt . . . arm,’ the monk gasped, clutching his left shoulder. A dark grey rock was exposed in the impression where he had fallen.

Nina joined her husband. ‘Can you move your hand?’ The monk grimaced, but managed to flex his fingers. ‘I don’t think it’s broken, but you need to get to the monastery to check it. Do you want me to come with you?’

‘No, I am okay. I go with Abbot Amaanat.’ A pained bow, then he followed the old man’s path through the snow.

Eddie glared at the rock. ‘That’s what I was worried about. These things could be all over the place like a bloody minefield.’

‘At least they won’t explode.’ Nina watched the last monk’s progress. Above him, Jayesh shouted in Nepalese, getting an alarmed response from the descending man. ‘Oh, he didn’t like that.’

‘Getting the feeling I won’t either,’ said Eddie, before raising his voice. ‘Jayesh! What’re you doing?’

‘Coming down now!’ the Gurkha replied.

‘What, two on one rope?’

‘Can’t wait! Bad guys almost here.’ The Nepali dropped over the edge and scrambled down the knotted line. The monk below him let out a fearful yelp as the rope jerked in his grip.

‘Jayesh!’ Eddie yelled. ‘For Christ’s sake slow down, or you’ll knock him off!’ The Gurkha reduced his pace, but only slightly.

The Englishman could do nothing but clench his teeth and watch the two men clamber towards him. The monk was clearly struggling, but eventually he reached the bottom of the rope. ‘Here,’ said Eddie, indicating a clear patch of snow.

The monk dived from the rock face with a panicked cry. To Eddie’s relief, there were no screams as he landed, just frantic gabbling in Nepalese.

‘I don’t speak the language,’ said Nina, seeing the monk shoot an angry look at Jayesh, ‘but I’m fairly sure that wasn’t complimentary.’

‘What’s the Buddhist line on calling someone a bell-end, anyway?’ Eddie asked the monk, whose only reply was a bemused stare. ‘You don’t speak English? Probably for the best. Amaanat, that way.’ He pointed at the retreating monks. The man hurried after them.

Nina looked up. The Gurkha was moving faster now that the line was free. ‘Aim for a clear patch!’ Eddie called up to him.

Jayesh found a landing spot – and jumped.

He disappeared into a snowdrift. Neither the Yorkshireman nor his wife needed to see him to know that he had been hurt. The dull snap of breaking bone as he hit a buried boulder was more than enough. ‘Shit! Jayesh!’ Eddie cried, finding his friend’s face screwed up in agony. ‘What’s broken?’

‘Leg,’ Jayesh rasped. ‘Left ankle . . .’

Eddie scooped away the snow around his foot. ‘I’m going to check it. Hold on.’

Jayesh braced himself. The Englishman carefully ran his fingertips over the other man’s ankle. The Gurkha flinched, but made no sound. ‘I can feel the break, but I don’t think it’s come through the skin,’ Eddie told him.

‘Leave me,’ said the Nepali, voice strained. ‘You get out of here.’

‘Don’t be a bloody idiot. Nina, help me lift him.’ Jayesh continued to protest, but the couple hoisted him upright and supported him on their shoulders. ‘Okay, try and hold up your foot so it doesn’t drag in the snow.’

The other man made a choked snort that could almost have been a laugh. ‘Yeah. Easy to do that!’ But he lifted his knee as high as he could as the trio set off, following the monks’ trail.

Axelos raised his gun as he reached the ledge and hurried along it. Collins had already reported that the fugitives had descended to the ground below, but he quickly checked in case they had left a rearguard in ambush. Nobody was there.

Their means of escape was obvious. He went to the rope. No one directly below, but tracks had been cut through the snow. His eyes followed them – to see three people about to round the base of a cliff.

One of the twins raised his rifle. ‘Wait!’ Axelos barked. ‘I don’t want to risk damaging the Crucible.’ He faced his men. ‘We’ll go down after them.’

Nina looked back as she and Eddie, carrying Jayesh, made it to cover. Figures watched them from above. ‘Oh crap. They’re on the ledge! Can we get to the monastery ahead of them?’

Eddie didn’t reply, that exact thought already dominating his mind. The great natural bowl opened out before them as they rounded the cliff’s foot. The religious redoubt awaited at the top of the slope, prayer flags fluttering. Ahead, the other monks had caught up with Amaanat. The abbot paused to check on the progress of his visitors; on seeing Nina and Eddie supporting the wounded Jayesh, he gave an urgent command and one of the monks ran back to meet them, Amaanat and the other continuing on to alert their brothers at the monastery.

‘Careful!’ Eddie warned. ‘He’s got a broken ankle.’ The monk didn’t appear to understand English, so he directed him to hold the Gurkha under his knees. Nina shifted to put her free arm beneath his lower back as Eddie took up position to carry his friend from behind, arms supporting his shoulders. With the load spread between them, their pace up the hill quickened.

A monk appeared on the wall, bewildered by Amaanat’s arrival from an unexpected direction. The abbot called out to him. After a moment, the gates began to open.

‘The mercs’ll have a hard time getting through those,’ said Nina, panting as the slope became steeper.

‘Won’t keep ’em out for ever,’ Eddie countered.

‘Maybe not, but the monks are going to call for help on the satphone.’

‘And how long’ll it take to get here?’

‘You know, sometimes I hate being married to a realist . . .’

A noise rose behind them. Apparently responding to an order from Axelos, the helicopter descended towards the foot of the slope, aiming for a patch of relatively flat ground. The large Crucible still hung beneath it, the pilot slowing to lay it in the snow as gently as possible before sliding his aircraft sideways to land beside it.

As it touched down, the mercenaries emerged from behind the cliff – but by now, Amaanat and his companion had reached the safety of the monastery. The others passed the tethered yaks, which raised their heads in bemusement to watch them. ‘We’re going to make it!’ Nina cried.

Eddie was less exuberant. ‘Split up! They’re going to shoot!’

Nina let go of the Gurkha and darted clear, ducking. The monk was confused, but the flat thud of a bullet smacking into the snow a few feet away was more effective than any translation. The Yorkshireman pulled Jayesh from him to take the other man’s whole weight himself. His friend held in a gasp as his injured foot brushed the snow.