Wild Justice (52 page)

Read Wild Justice Online

Authors: Wilbur Smith

BOOK: Wild Justice
11.19Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
H
e came back very slowly out of the darkness, conscious first of the bandages that swathed his chest and restricted his breathing.
The next thing he was aware of was Magda Altmann, and how beautiful she was. It seemed that. she must have been there all along while he was in the darkness. He watched the joy bloom in her face as she saw that he was conscious.
‘Thank you,' she whispered. ‘Thank you for coming back to me, my darling.'
Then there was the room at La Pierre Bénite, with its high gilded ceilings and the view through the tall sash windows across the terraced lawns down to the lake. The trees along the edge of the water were in full leaf, and the very air seemed charged with spring and the promise of new life. Magda had filled the room with banks of flowers, and she was with him during most of each day.
‘What happened when you walked back into the boardroom at Altmann Industries was one of the first questions he asked her.
‘Consternation,
chéri
.' She chuckled, that husky little laugh of hers. They had already divided the spoils.'
The visitor came when Peter had been at La Pierre Bénite for eight days, and was able to sit in one of the brocaded chairs by the window.
Magda was standing beside Peter's chair, ready to protect him from over-exertion – physically or emotionally.
Colin Noble came into the room like a sheepish St Bernard dog. His right arm was strapped and carried in a sling across his chest. He touched it with his good hand.
‘If I'd known it was you – and not Sir Steven – I'd never have turned my back on you,' he told Peter, and grinned placatingly.
Peter had stiffened, his face had transformed into a white rigid mask. Magda laid her hand upon his shoulder.
‘Gently, Peter,' she whispered.
‘Tell me one thing,' Peter hissed. ‘Did you arrange the kidnapping of Melissa-Jane?'
Colin shook his head. ‘My word on it. Parker used one of his other agents. I did not know it was going to happen.'
Peter stared at him, hard and unforgiving.
‘Only after we had recovered Melissa-Jane, only then I knew that Caliph had planned it. If I had known – I would
never have let it happen. Caliph must have known that. That is why he did not make me do it.' Colin was speaking quickly, urgently.
‘What was Parker's object?' Peter's voice was still a vicious hiss.
‘He had three separate objects. Firstly, to convince you that he was not Caliph. That's why his first order was to have you kill Parker himself. Of course, you never would have got near him. Then you were allowed to recover your daughter. It was Caliph himself who gave us O'Shaughnessy's name and where to find him. Then you were turned onto Magda Altmann—' Colin glanced at her apologetically. ‘– Once you had killed her, you would have been bound to Caliph by guilt.'
‘When did you learn this?' Peter demanded.
‘The day after we found Melissa-Jane. By then there was nothing I could do that would not expose me as Cactus Flower – all I could do was to pass a warning to Magda through Mossad.'
‘It's true, Peter,' said Magda quietly.
Slowly the rigidity went out of Peter's shoulders.
‘When did Caliph recruit you as his Chief Lieutenant?' he asked, his voice also had altered, softened.
‘As soon as I took over Thor Command from you. He was never certain of you, Peter, that was why he opposed your appointment to head of Thor – and why he jumped at the first chance to have you fired. That was why he tried to have you killed on the Rambouillet road. Only after the attempt failed did he realize your potential value to him.'
‘Are the other Atlas unit commanders Caliph's lieutenants – Tanner at Mercury Command, Peterson at Diana?'
‘All three of us. Yes!' Colin nodded, and there was a long silence.
‘What else do you want to know, Peter?' Colin asked softly. ‘Are there any other questions?'
‘Not now.' Peter shook his head wearily. There will be many others later.'
Colin looked up at Magda Altmann inquiringly. ‘Is he strong enough yet?' he asked. ‘Can I tell him the rest of it?'
She hesitated a moment. ‘Yes,' she decided. ‘Tell him now.'
‘Atlas was to be the secret dagger in the sleeve of Western civilization – a civilization which had emasculated itself and abased itself before its enemies. For once we would be able to meet naked violence and piracy with raw force Atlas is a chain of powerful men of many nations banded together, and Caliph was to be its executive chief. Atlas is the only agency which transcends all national boundaries, and has as its object the survival of Western society as we know it. Atlas still exists, its structure is complete – only Caliph is dead. He died in a most unfortunate air accident over the Jordan valley – but Atlas still exists. It has to go on, once that part which Caliph has perverted is rooted out. It is our hope for the future in a world gone mad.'
Peter had never heard him speak so articulately, so persuasively.
‘You know, of course, Peter, that you were the original choice to command Atlas. However, the wrong man superseded you – although nobody could know he was the wrong man at that time. Kingston Parker seemed to have all the qualities needed for the task – but there were hidden defects which only became apparent much later.' Colin began enumerating them, holding up the fingers of his uninjured arm.
‘Firstly, he lacked physical courage. He became obsessed with his own physical safety – grossly abusing his powers to protect himself.
‘Secondly, he was a man of unsuspected and overbearing ambition, with an ungoverned lust for raw power. Atlas swiftly became the vehicle to carry him to glory. His first
goal was the Presidency of the United States. He was using Atlas to destroy his political opponents. Had he succeeded in achieving the presidency, no man can tell what his next goal would have been.'
Colin dropped his hand and balled it into a fist.
‘The decision to allow you to reach the rendezvous with Kingston Parker on the cliffs above Jericho was made by more than one man – in more than one country.'
Colin grinned again, boyishly, disarmingly.
‘I did not even know it was you. I believed it was Steven Stride, right up until the moment I turned my back on you!'
‘Tell him,' said Magda quietly, ‘Get it over with, Colin. He is still very weak.'
‘Yes,' Colin agreed. to do it now. Yesterday at noon, your appointment to succeed Doctor Kingston Parker as head of Atlas Command was secretly confirmed.'
For Peter it was as though a door had at last opened, a door so long closed and locked, but through it now he could see his destiny stretching out ahead of him; clearly he could see it for the first time.
‘You are the man best suited by nature and by training to fill the void which Kingston Parker has left.'
Even through the weakness of his abused body, Peter could feel a deep well of strength and determination within himself which he had never before suspected. It was as though it had been reserved expressly for this time, for this task.
‘Will you accept the command of Atlas?' Colin asked. ‘What answer must I take back with me?'
Magda's long fingers tightened on his shoulder, and they waited while he made his decision. It came almost immediately. There was no alternative open to him, Peter knew that – it was his destiny
‘Yes,' he said clearly. ‘Tell them I accept the responsibility.'
It was a solemn moment, nobody smiled nor spoke for long seconds, and then:
‘Caliph is dead,' Magda whispered. ‘Long live Caliph.'
Peter Stride raised his head to look at her, but his voice when he replied was so cold that it seemed to frost upon his lips.
‘Never,' he said, ‘call me that again, ever.'
Magda made a small gesture of acquiescence, of total accord, then she stooped to kiss him on the mouth.
THE COURTNEYS
 
When the Lion Feeds
The Sound of Thunder
A Sparrow Falls
 
THE COURTNEYS OF AFRICA
 
The Burning Shore
Power of the Sword
Rage
A Time to Die
Golden Fox
 
THE BALLANTYNE NOVELS
A Falcon Flies
Men of Men
The Angels Weep
The Leopard Hunts in Darkness
 
ALSO
The Dark of the Sun
Shout at the Devil
Gold Mine
The Diamond Hunters
Eagle in the Sky
The Eye of the Tiger
Cry Wolf
Hungry as the Sea
Elephant Song
River God
The Seventh Scroll
Birds of Prey
Monsoon
Warlock
The Sunbird
Blue Horizon
WARLOCK
“When it comes to historical fiction, Smith is without rival. He is a warlock of writers.”
—Tulsa World
 
“The action … is pummeling and addictive … it's hard to see how anyone who begins the book can possibly put it down unfinished … a perfect choice.”
—Chattanooga Times Free Press
 
“Filled with enough action, adventure, battles, betrayals, and actual cliffhangers to satisfy Indiana Jones, Wilbur Smith's new novel
Warlock
is a rousing and worthy sequel to
River God
.”
—The Plain Dealer
 
“Each time I read a new Wilbur Smith I say it is the best book I have ever read—until the next one. It's the same with
Warlock
. Smith illuminates all the cruelty and magnificence of a time lost in history, and what is truly amazing is that he does it with apparent ease. He has produced a totally credible story in a period that is shrouded in mystery and brings it flawlessly to life.”
—Times Record News
(Wichita Falls, TX)
 
“Seamlessly composed, this epic historical drama by veteran author Smith tracks a power struggle in ancient Egypt between false pharaohs and a true royal heir, evoking the cruel glories and terrible torments of the era. Those willing to brave the blood and gore will be carried away by the sweep and pace of Smith's tale.”
—
Publishers Weekly
 
“Those of you familiar with Smith's writing … can expect more of his signature brand of pulse-pounding, ‘Perils of Pauline' – style of adventure and excitement, with more blood and guts than a slaughterhouse.”
—Tampa Tribune Times
 
“This summer's most entertaining read … another full-blown tale of war, intrigue, murder, lust, and true love set in ancient Egypt. [This] is really the book Taita fans have been waiting for.”
—Flint Journal
 
 
RIVER GOD
“A grand tale of intrigue, deception, true love and exile.”
—The Denver Post
 
“Vivid and fascinating … packed with passion, war, intrigue and revenge … sprawling and absorbing … gripping … A racy rampage through ancient Egypt that puts the reader right there with details that are intimate, inspiring, horrifying … The author makes you see it, hear it—even smell it … Fans will be happy to know Smith hasn't lost his touch for the dramatic, exotic adventure story.”
—The Orlando Sentinel
 
“A page-turner … few novelists can write action scenes that all but leap off the page the way Smith can … his detailed portrait of ancient Egypt is fascinating.”
—Anniston Star
(TX)
 
“Smith tackles the elevated literary fields of ancient Egypt, and comes up with a full-blooded epic.”
—The London Times
 
“Like a good action movie, the book ends with a show-down between the good guys and bad guys on the battlefield … well-written and entertaining.”
—Lexington Herald-Leader
(KY)
 
“Compulsively readable … contains intrigue, romance, greed, cruelty, and furious action … rewarding and satisfying.”
—El Paso Herald-Post
(TX)
 
“An epic … Smith joins the ranks of one of the grand masters of twentieth-century novels.”
—
Tulsa World
 
“An epic novel of ancient Egypt, a great adventure with all the right ingredients: victories and defeats, secrets and revelations, life and death, reverence and godlessness, hate and love.”
—The Des Moines Register
 
“It's clear Smith knows his subject: his graphic depiction of lust, bloodletting, politics, and, in Taita's case, honor is firmly grounded in rich details that evoke the period.”
—Booklist
 
“[
River God
] gallops swiftly through the action and flying blood his fans have come to relish … Brightly colored, sweeping escapism.”
—
Kirkus Reviews
 
 
MONSOON
“[Smith] paces his tale as swiftly as he can with swordplay aplenty and killing strokes that come like lightning out of a sunny blue sky.”
—Kirkus Reviews
 
“Readers who love swashbucklers will enjoy this book.”
—Booklist
 
“[A] non-stop thriller that takes readers on a magical tour … this is what makes a Smith book worth reading.”
—Midwest Book Review
 
“Only a handful of 20th-century writers tantalize our senses as well as Smith … a rare author who wields a razor-sharp sword of craftsmanship.”
—Tulsa World
 
“A wild adventure … brought flawlessly to life through realistic sword fights and sea battles, vivid stories of pirates … breathtaking.”
—Times Record News
 
 
BIRDS OF PREY
“Smith's novel is far more than your typical pirate script … A fascinating account … Smith deftly evokes not only the horrific but also the beautiful, particularly the lush landscape of Africa.”
—The Washington Post Book World
 
“As usual, Smith … peoples his tale with unforgettable characters … swashbuckling and sensuous,
Birds of Prey
is not for the faint-hearted. Its bloodiest scenes are vivid and detailed—and so are hero Hal's romantic encounters. But, as with Smith's previous two best-sellers,
River God
and
The Seventh Scroll,
this latest epic transcends the average actionadventure yarn.”
—The Orlando Sentinel
 
“Birds of Prey
is a wonderful novel filled with excitement, pirates, and vivid sea battles … In short, it is vintage Wilbur Smith.”
—Times Record News
(Wichita Falls, TX)

Other books

The Look of Love by Mary Jane Clark
Birthday Blues by Karen English
Voices of Islam by Cornell, Vincent J.
Rock Hard by LJ Vickery
Love in the Time of Scandal by Caroline Linden
The Poisoned Arrow by Simon Cheshire
As She Grows by Lesley Anne Cowan
Living to Tell the Tale by Gabriel García Márquez, Edith Grossman