by Rob Jones
Lea felt the anger rise, as one of the men raced toward her. “They’re holding us back while he gets away, dammit!”
The other attacked Lexi and now a third and fourth arrived from a side door and launched themselves at Hawke. The fighting intensified, each of the ECHO team members being pushed to the max just to survive against some of the fastest and most aggressive hand-to-hand combat they had ever experienced.
“We’re in trouble, Joe!”
“Not with the cavalry here!”
Turning, she saw the welcome faces of Scarlet, Ryan and Reaper burst around the corner, followed by a man-mountain of epic proportions. Bronzed, tattooed arms and a torn t-shirt barely containing a muscle-bound chest, and a pair of tight blue jeans fixed at the waist with a Lone Star belt buckle, it was topped off with a torn, sweat-stained ten-gallon cowboy hat.
“What the fuck?” Lea said.
“Wonder where he’s from?” Lexi spun around and kicked her opponent in the stomach, sending him doubling over in pain.
“Meet Zeke,” Scarlet said, rolling her eyes as she waded into the fray. “Zeke, meet the weaker half of the team.”
“Hey everyone!”
“Good to meet… hey!” Lea said, kicking one of the monks in the balls. “Fuck off with that! We’re the best half.”
“And does the best half of the team have a plan?” Ryan said.
Hawke ducked a punch and turned to Ryan. “Just keep going forward until we stumble onto the truth, to be honest mate.”
The fight wore on, and the ECHO team gradually overcame their opponents, desperate to get after the Oracle before he got away with the Codex. The man fighting Lea drew a blade from a holster on the prayer rope around his waist. A look of hatred curdled his young face and struck terror into her, but she never flinched.
He lunged forward, but she was ready for him. Side-stepping the attack, she brought the back of her hand down hard on his wrist and disarmed him, hooking her leg around his and throwing him down to the floor.
As they gathered around him, he scrambled for his knife and shocked everyone to the core by slashing at his own wrists.
“Damn it!” Lea yelled. “Don’t die!”
Lexi ripped some material from her shirt and tried to create two tourniquets around his cut wrists.
A sad, but satisfied smile appeared on his lips. “It’s too late. You can’t torture me for information now. I’m dying…”
She crouched down beside him and twisted the fabric of his cowl around in her fists. Blood bubbles popped at the corners of his mouth and his eyes were rolling back into the back of his head. “The Alexander Codex! Where is it?”
Now a much crueller smile spread on his split, bruised lips. “Why should I tell you?”
Reaper crouched down beside Lea. “Because if you don’t, I can make the end of your life so painful you will wish for la mort, you understand me?”
“This is pretty heavy,” Zeke said. “I only came here to hitchhike the Greek islands!”
Confusion spread on the man’s agonized face as the blood streamed out of his wrists despite Lexi’s improvised tourniquet. “You would torture a dying man?”
Reaper gave his famous Gallic shrug. “Unfortunately, oui.”
“Just tell us where it is, arsehole,” Hawke said, kicking the man’s legs.
The Athanatoi warrior coughed blood up over his lips and wheezed for air. He tried to hoist himself up n his elbows but crashed back down to the floorboards. “I will never tell you where it is. I will never disobey my master.”
“Oh, Christ,” Hawke said. “One of them. It’s so bloody frustrating.”
Scarlet smacked her hands together and started stretching her leg. “You want me to take your frustration out on his balls?”
“Where is the Oracle?”
“He’s not here, you fools.”
“Where is he?”
The man shook his head. “You’re going to lose this war.”
“Where, dammit?!”
“Not here. He left hours ago.”
“Then you be good little lad and tell us where he is and we might save your life.”
The man gave Scarlet a strange, patronizing look. “I don’t want my life saved. I now go to a better place where I can walk in eternal peace.”
“You’ll be walking with an eternal limp if you don’t start talking.”
“It’s too late,” Lea said, lowering the man’s head to the floor. “He’s gone.” She got up and paced away from the dead man, leaning up against the wall near a stone archway. Damn it all, we’re buggered again.”
“Look out!”
Lea turned sharply to see the oncoming threat but it was too late. A black-robed acolyte was already upon her, quickly whipping a garotte around her throat and wrenching it as tight as he could.
Lea struggled to pull the leather strap from her throat, but it was too tight.
Hawke sprinted toward her but the man hurriedly twisted the garotte.
The man called out. “Get back or I will tear it right through her windpipe!”
He skidded to a halt, his heart thumping in his chest. “You hurt her and I’ll kill you where you stand.”
The man made no reply, but gradually walked backwards, pulling his terrified hostage into the darkness of the archway.
And then the blood-streaked tip of a blade poked through his throat.
He released the garotte and Lea stumbled forward, doubling over as she heaved breath into her lungs.
The man fell to his knees and the blade tip vanished again. Hawke ran to Lea, reaching her just as another man in brown robes stepped out of the shadows.
“Get back!” Hawke yelled, reaching for his gun.
The man dropped the blade and raised his hands. “I am no threat. I surrender.”
“What the hell just happened?” Lexi asked.
“He saved my life is what…” Lea wheezed between breaths.
The man stayed perfectly still, his empty hands still held high above his head. He looked down at the corpse of the man in black robes with contempt. “His name was Konstantin,” the man said. “And I am glad he is dead.”
“Who was he?”
“One of the Oracle’s closest guards, along with his brother Kazimir.” He nudged his chin at the dead man with the slashed wrists.
“And who are you?”
“My name is Nikolai, and I offer you my loyal service. If you want to kill me, then do so now.” He drew a sword from beneath his robes and handed it to Hawke. Kneeling before the Englishman, he pulled his robes forward to expose his neck. “But I beg you, make my execution fast.”
“No one’s getting executed on my watch,” Hawke said. “Least of all an unarmed man who just risked his life to save us. On your feet, Nikolai.”
The man stood, a look of grave confusion on his face. “I don’t understand. The Athanatoi would have executed you if this situation was reversed.”
“Which is exactly why we’re going to win this thing,” Lea said.
Hawke extended his hand. “And you’re welcome to join us, Nikolai.”
They shook hands. “My friends call me Kolya.”
“Then, thank you for saving my fiancée’s life. Kolya, but we have to go. Your Oracle has something that belongs to us and we need to get hold of it in a hurry.”
Nikolai looked concerned. “No, he does not have what you seek.”
Hawke and Lea exchanged a deflated glance. “Then where is it?”
A wise but mischievous smile appeared on Nikolai’s face. He reached into his robes and pulled out the Alexander Codex. “It’s right here, in front of your eyes.”
“Didn’t see that little baby coming!” Zeke said.
“I’ll say.” Ryan stared at the ancient codex. “Hello again, old friend.”
Nikolai handed the book to Lea. Hawke could hardly believe what had happened and got busy calling Eden back at HQ. “We’ve got the Codex,” he said into his mic. “Repeat, we have the Codex.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Royal Navy Wildcat hovered precariously above the warship as the pilot fought a strong crosswind. Regaining level flight he lowered the chopper through the air and touched down on the aft deck of HMS Duncan. The Type 45 air-defense destroyer was in the Aegean Sea on exercises when the Ministry of Defence had taken the call from Sir Richard Eden.
Lieutenant Brian Robinson met them on deck and after a short round of professional introductions Ezekiel and Nikolai were taken to their private quarters while the ECHO team were led into the ship and taken to the wardroom. When they stepped into the comfortable mess cabin, the familiar face of Eden was already waiting for them.
Hawke looked at Eden and laughed, repeating his words back to him. “I’ve got a little boat in the Med, indeed!”
Eden shrugged. “It’s not much, but it does the job.”
After a good-natured chuckle, Eden skipped the small talk and got straight to business. They all knew the value of keeping their humour, but the recent losses of Danny Devlin and Magnus Lund had made that harder than ever. “So, you have the Codex?”
Without speaking, Ryan slung the canvas bag off his shoulder and dumped it on one of the tables in the center of the wardroom.
“Little bastard’s in there,” Scarlet said. “Can you smoke in here?”
Eden shook his head and pointed to the large NO SMOKING sign on the door. Then he opened the bag and pulled the heavy, leather-bound tome from the tattered, dusty bag. Weighing it in his hands, a rare smile crept on his face. “Very good work, team. I am impressed.”
Scarlet sniffed. “Well, I don’t know about anyone else but that’s why I risked my life to get it back.”
Eden gave her a sour look. “It was merely a compliment, Cairo.”
Ryan laughed like a child and pointed his finger in her face. “Ha, you got told off by your boss.”
Scarlet tipped her head and pouted. “Go fuck a hot teapot, boy.”
“Damn!” Ryan said. “I knew you put a pinhole camera in my kitchen.”
Reaper howled with laughter and high-fived Scarlet while Eden shook his head and gave a long, disappointed sigh.
“And we’re the people who are going to save the world?” Lea said to herself.
Eden was sanguine. “Hey, it works, and getting back to the subject – have you had time to look at the Codex, Mr Bale?”
Ryan nodded and slumped down in one of the chairs. Lifting his dirty boots onto the table he crossed his arms behind his head and scanned the room. “But anything to eat around here?”
The Maritime Logistics Chef took one look at the dishevelled young man in the leather jacket and torn Megadeth t-shirt and raised his eyebrow. “Breakfast’s not for another hour.”
“Great.”
Eden cleared his throat. “You were about to tell us what you have derived from the Codex, Mr Bale.”
“Oh yeah, right. Sorry – I was thinking about food. Is it a cooked breakfast or that oatmeal crap?”
“A full range of breakfasts will be served, sir,” the chef said as he left the room.
“Back to work, Ryan,” Hawke said. “Tell the boss what you have so far.”
“First, according to Alexander’s writings in the Codex, King Midas was real and was also hunting the idols. Alexander wrote that Midas managed to secure three of the idols. Ra in Egypt, Brahma in the Indus Valley in north India and Pangu on the Tibetan-Chinese border. He then returned with them to Pavlopetri, but then the city sank into the ocean, taking with them the idols he had looted from Egypt and Asia.”
“Now that is bad luck,” Reaper said.
“It sure is,” Ryan continued. “And it helps clear up a long debate about whether or not Midas was real or a legend, and when he lived. Of those who say he was real, some say he lived in the second millennium BC and others much later. Now we know he was real and the fact he was in Pavlopetri before it sank dates him much earlier than we believed.”
Lexi yawned. “I wish I’d sat at the back now.”
Ryan frowned. “But Alexander knew from Midas that there were eight idols in total, the other four being Tanit, Tinia, Viracocha and Buri, but he never found them.”
“No, we did,” Lea said.
Eden was impressed. “Back in Athens you mentioned something about there being eight rings?”
“The Rings of the Gods,” Ryan said, his voice rising confidence. “I had snatched some info about them before Kruger stole the Codex from me. A longer reading on the journey here today has thrown more light on the subject. The Codex describes how there are eight rings to match the eight idols. There is almost certainly a link here to the eight gates surrounding the ancient city of Babylon and the eight-pointed rosette star of Inanna we see all over cuneiform tablets from ancient Sumer, some of which refer to gods who lived among the people and flew in the skies. Anyway, the number eight was highly significant to the ancient Sumerian culture.”
“The plot thickens!” Scarlet said.
Ryan smiled. “And the Sumerians invented beer, so Cairo should feel right at home here.”
“But I thought the number seven was the big mystical number?” Hawke said.
“Seven also has a great mystical significance to many ancient cultures,” Ryan said, “but today we’re all about the number eight.”
“Oh my God,” Lea said, aghast. “You’re a numbertard! I had no idea.”
Scarlet and Lexi laughed. “Leotard, more like,” said the Chinese assassin.
“Very funny, Lexi,” Ryan said. “Had any luck in the boyfriend department lately?”
She looked daggers at him. “As a matter of fact I dumped someone just last week.”
“Was he offended?”
“He was when I told him that I faked every orgasm.”
“Hey, don’t feel too sorry for him,” Ryan said. “He probably faked the whole relationship.”
“You want a slap?”
“Just commenting on the course of true love,” he said. “If love is chemistry then sex is physics, right?”
“Please,” Scarlet said. “No sex or violence, I’m British.”
Hawke spat out his coffee. “That’s a good one, coming from you!”
“Whatever are you trying to say?” she said with a smirk on her lips.
Ryan and Reaper shared a high five, but Eden was less impressed with the jokes. “What’s the significance of these rings?” he asked, bringing the subject back on track.
Ryan continued, unfazed by the ribbing. “Each ring belonged to one of the eight deities of the Land of the Gods, and when put together they reveal the location of their Citadel. According to the Codex, each ring is forged from pure, 24 carat gold and on the face of each ring is one section of a map that reveals the Citadel’s location. Alexander said that the faces of these rings tesselate…”
“Fit,” Lea said.
“…fit together perfectly to form the map.”
“So we get the rings and we’re all set to find the Citadel,” Lexi said.
“Right,” Ryan said proudly. “And the idols are the keys which open the Gateway and give us access. Easy as pie.”
Hawke raised a sceptical eyebrow. “Somehow I doubt that. For a start, where does the search for the rings begin?”
“With me, Joe,” the young hacker said with a cocky wink. “With me.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Lea was leaning on the Duncan’s taffrail and looking out to sea and taking in a magnificent ocean dawn. After a long night, they were charting a course south to the Mediterranean and just off the starboard side she could see the faint outline of Skyros. Two Hellenic Air Force Mirage jets roared over the ship and headed to the island’s air base. It seemed like everything was moving except them, and she sighed. They’d been on the ship several hours waiting while Ryan and Eden tried to work out the location of the divine rings and she felt like taking a walk to relieve the boredom.
Scarlet stepped out onto the aft deck and yawned. Giving one of the Wildcat’s Sea Venom missi
les a loving pat as she walked past the chopper, she joined Lea at the stern and pulled a packet of cigarettes from her pocket.
“If you do jump, can I have your ring?”
Lea gave her a look. “Funny.”
“Let’s have another look at it, then.”
Lea reluctantly held her hand up on the rail, but couldn’t resist staring at it her herself when it sparkled in the sunshine.
Scarlet lit her cigarette and slipped the lighter back into her pocket. Exhaling the smoke into the sea air, she looked at the ring. “Woah, and I thought Hawke was a tight bastard.”
“He thought about giving me Liz’s.”
“Oh.”
“He didn’t.”
“Good or bad?”
“Good. That ring was hers, and another part of his life. It was good he wanted to start over, don’t you think?”
“I never think, darling, especially when men are involved. Better to go with your gut.”
Lea was quiet for a long time. “You think we’ll find the Citadel?”
“We found everything else we ever looked for.”
“I know, but if we do, then what next?”
Scarlet stretched her arms and yawned. “Early retirement for me, babe. You?”
She shrugged. “Dunno, maybe go back to Ireland with Joe. He never talks about his family in London so I don’t think he’d mind making a new home. Maybe even start a family.”
“Christ, a miniature Joe Hawke.”
Lea turned. “What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing, darling, nothing at all.”
Lea gave her a look. “Retirement, huh?”
“You’ll find me on my little island in the Caribbean, fast asleep with a daiquiri in each hand and a straw hat over my face.” She turned to her. “And if any of you bastards phones me up about any pissing treasure I’ll go nuts. Now, shall we go inside and see if the boy has worked out where these rings are?”
*
Freshly showered, Hawke was second back onto the wardroom. First back had been Ryan, and now he saw the young man slumped forward, fast asleep on a table. In front of him was an empty plate covered in grease and ketchup streaks and the Codex opened somewhere in the middle and tipped upside down beside a pad of paper covered in Ryan’s illegible scrawl.