The Cult of Osiris

by Andy McDermott

  Nina glanced round. The pursuing jet ski was gaining fast, and the speedboat was also rapidly closing the gap. I think this guy's a better driver than you,' she said as the other jet ski carved cleanly through a swelling wave without losing speed.

  I bloody hate show-offs,' Eddie growled, seeing that the other rider would quickly catch up - and that he was armed.

  A flash of fast-moving colour beyond a line of anchored yachts. Even from a momentary glimpse he knew what it was, and turned towards it. What're you doing?' Nina asked nervously as the harbour entrance swung away. Their pursuer changed course to intercept them, drawing closer.

  When I say duck, duck. And I mean really, reattyduckl'

  They were heading almost straight at the lead yacht's bow. 'You're going to hit it!' No, I'm aiming close - but we're gonna be even closer to something else.'

  What do you—" A red and white powerboat shot into view from behind the yacht, thundering along parallel to the line of vessels. Holy shift'

  The man on the other jet ski raised his gun—

  Duck!' Eddie screamed, dropping as low as he could behind the handlebars. Nina followed suit.

  The jet ski zoomed past the yacht, barely missing the powerboat's stern as it crossed behind it - passing under the tow-rope hauling a waterskier along in its wake, the line slicing an inch over their heads.

  The other rider swerved to follow them past the powerboat. The tow-line was partly hidden by spray, and by the time he saw it, it was too late—

  The line caught him just below the chin. His speeding jet ski kept going as he was snatched from it with a crack of shattering vertebrae, spinning back over the rope to splash into the water. The waterskier hit the corpse, taking off as if hitting a ramp before tumbling to a waterlogged stop.

  Eddie turned back towards the harbour entrance. The Solar Barque's speedboat swerved through the anchored boats after them.

  Another vessel, green and gold, burst out of the harbour. The yacht's tender, two men aboard. It made a hard turn as it cleared the outer breakwater, coming right at them.

  They were cut off.

  Eddie made a split-second decision and brought the jet ski back into the millionaires' armada. The larger boats were more powerful, but his Kawasaki had the edge in manoeuvrability. If he could weave through the stationary yachts, he might gain enough of a lead to run for the harbour . . .

  Shit!

  His plan would fail. The Solar Barque was powering for the harbour entrance. If he wasted time trying to escape the two smaller boats, it would block their path.

  The speedboat was gaining fast from behind. The tender was also accelerating, smacking hard through the waves.

  Every escape route was closed - unless he made a new one.

  Nina clung harder to Eddie as he turned the jet ski again and headed straight for the tender. Whoa, whoa!' she cried, jabbing a finger at the rapidly approaching boat. 'Bad guysf'

  I know!'

  Then go away from them!'

  Trust me!' He jinked from side to side, searching for the perfect wave.

  A man in the tender stood up, one hand clutching the windscreen for support as he aimed his gun with the other.

  Eddie saw a deep trough in the water ahead, a steep breaking wavecrest beyond it. Right in line with the tender. 'Hang on!

  He swept into the dip, turning the throttle as far as it would go as the jet ski shot up the crest.

  And out of the water.

  The gunman was about to fire when the jet ski momentarily dipped out of sight beneath his boat's prow - then flew up ovev it, smashing down on the bow.

  Gripping the handlebars with all his strength, Eddie leaned over, pulling Nina with him and tipping the jet ski as it skidded sidelong over the decking. The little craft's underside smashed through the windscreen and ground along the tender's side - in the process crushing the driver against his seat back and catching the gunman with ajet blast that struck him like a blow from a baseball bat.

  The jet ski flew off the stem and slammed back into the water, only Nina's near death-grip on Eddie keeping her from being flung off. The jet spluttered and coughed before drawing more water into its impeller, sending the Kawasaki surging forward again.

  The tender ploughed onwards at full power, the driver dead. The gunman fumbled for the controls, catching the steering wheel and knocking the boat into a turn—

  Directly into the speedboat's path as it swung to avoid a head-on collision.

  The speedboat ripped through the tender 's side, both boats exploding in a storm of shattered wood and fibreglass. Blazing debris rained over the surrounding yachts.

  Nina looked back at the cartwheeling wreckage, but Eddie's attention was fixed on what lay ahead. The Solar Barque was almost at the harbour entrance. 'Hold on!'

  She saw green-jacketed men on the yacht's main deck - all armed. 'They're gonna shoot us!'

  He brought the jet ski parallel to the breakwater. 'Shoot them first!' I'll never be able to hit them!'

  You don't have to - just keep their heads down so they can't hit us

  Nina pointed the MP7 up at the rapidly approaching ship. Oh, God, I'm so not a gun person,' she said, wincing as she pulled the trigger.

  The gun bucked in her hand, the bolt's rapid clacking almost as loud as the hissing tlmat of the suppressor with each shot. Firing one-handed from a bounding vehicle, it was almost impossible for her to aim, but against a target the size of the yacht it didn't matter. Black spots pockmarked the Solar Barque's pristine white superstructure, a window shattering. The men dived to the deck.

  Stop, stopl' said Eddie. Save some!' The end of the breakwater was coming up fast. He hauled the jet ski round in a savage left turn, clearing the concrete by inches.

  The harbour opened out before them, Monaco shimmering under the sun on three sides. Eddie aimed for the inner harbour; the outer harbour's high quays were built for commercial ships and liners, not tiny pleasure craft. They needed to find a lower pier to get ashore.

  Nina looked back. Oh, crap!' The Solar Barque was right behind them, its prow a giant knife blade slicing through the water. Gaining. 'Faster, faster! Seriously, go faster!'

  It's ajet ski, not ajet fighter!' Eddie complained. 'If anyone sticks their head over the side, blow it off!'

  Nina awkwardly turned in her seat, pointing the gun up at the looming bow. She saw a man lean over the port side, spotting the jet ski. He hurriedly ducked out of sight as she fired a couple of shots.

  They entered the inner harbour, Eddie turning to make landfall at the northwestern corner -and saw a new threat powering towards them. Not from Osir's people; this was a police boat, siren wailing. The chaos outside the harbour had inevitably attracted attention. An officer shouted commands over a megaphone, ordering both vessels to stop. 'Buggeration and fuckerv!

  Any friends in the Monaco police department?' Nina asked hopefully. The absence of an answer was enough. 'Thought not!'

  More figures appeared at the bow railing, guns pointing down—

  Nina fired first. One man retreated sharply; the other was hit in the shoulder. He spun backwards, finger convulsively tightening on his trigger . . .

  Sending a stream of armour-piercing bullets up the front of the superstructure.

  The bridge window blew out - and the captain, at the wheel behind it, was hit square in the forehead. He collapsed over the instrument panel, dead. The throttle control was pushed to full beneath him - and with the other crew members all on deck trying to shoot Nina and Eddie, there was nobody to take over . . .

  The police boat altered course to cut off the chase. Eddie darted behind it, the jet ski leaping out of the water as it crashed through its wake. He glimpsed an officer in the stern raising a rifle. Down!' he warned Nina, looking back to see when the man was going to fire.

  He wasn't. Instead, he was leaping desperately out of the boat, his companions diving off the bow.

  A moment later, the Solar Barque ploughed over the smaller craft, rip
ping it in half. The smashed boat's fuel tanks exploded, the yacht carving through the fireball as it blindly pursued the jet ski. One of Osir's men flung himself into the harbour as flames rolled across the foredeck.

  Jesus!' Nina cried. 'Are they insane?

  Eddie turned again, aiming for a small slipway between the crowded quays. The yacht didn't follow. I don't think anyone's driving.

  What? But I only winged that guy!'

  I'm not complaining!

  The Solar Barque surged past behind them, any thoughts amongst its crew of shooting the fugitives replaced by simple survival instinct as they dived overboard. The yacht was powering straight for a clutch of smaller but still hugely expensive vessels in the corner of the harbour, their occupants' attention suddenly diverted from the racing before them to the rapidly approaching behemoth behind. People fled screaming down the gangways.

  Get ready to run,' Eddie told Nina. 'Soon as we hit land, we leg it, and don't stop until we're half a mile away!'

  The jet ski shot up the slipway, keel scraping noisily along the concrete. Crash barriers rose ahead: the racing circuit ran right along the harbourfront. Eddie yanked at the controls, but out of the water there was no way to steer the Kawasaki. It hit the corrugated metal, flinging both passengers painfully against the handlebars.

  A race marshal nearby saw the unexpected collision and started to run to them - then froze in shock as the Solar Barque, smoke billowing from its scorched bow, rammed into the harbour at close to thirty miles an hour.

  The smaller yachts disintegrated into fireballs of multi-million dollar debris as it smashed through them. A larger vessel was flipped on its side - and the megayacht ran up over it to crash down on the quay, its mangled prow ripping apart the crash barriers. The Solar Barque skidded across the track like a steel wall, beaching itself in front of a grandstand as it screeched to a stop.

  Mikko Virtanen was still in the lead, powering out of the chicane on the harbour's northern side - to find a towering white barrier where he expected to see a corner. The marshals came to their senses and frantically waved warning flags, but it was too late for the Finn.

  He stamped on the brakes, his car skidding past Nina and Eddie's position and spinning out before crashing tail first into the hull. Another million dollars of Team Osiris hardware was reduced to shrapnel, what was left of the body whirling back along the track and grinding to a standstill. Again, the car's designers had done their job perfectly; dazed but unharmed, Virtanen shakily opened his visor and blinked up at the people staring at him over the barrier.

  Nina nudged Eddie. 'You know you said to run as soon as we got to land?

  Yeah? Oh, right.' They sprinted away as more marshals hurried to the scene.

  You did that?' said Macy in amazement, indicating a helicopter shot of the beached yacht on a TV screen. Wow! That must be like a hundred million dollars in trashed boats!'

  I told Osir it'd cost him,' Nina said, looking warily round the hotel lobby. The fences surrounding the circuit were designed to keep spectators our, exiting hadn't been hard, but there had been the constant worry that the police were hunting for them as they made their way back to Casino Square. So far, nobody had recognised them - the cameras were focused on the race, not the harbour, until moments before the Solar Barque crashed spectacularly

  ashore - but she still wanted to get out of the principality as soon as possible. At the very least, there would be several angry insurance companies after their heads.

  Sucks for Mikko, though. Poor guy. He really thought he was going to win.'

  Eddie gave her a look. 'Wait, you talked to Mikko Virtanen?

  She grinned. I did more thanjust talk to him.' Seeing Nina's and Eddie's expressions of dawning realisation, she went on: 'What? I wasn't going to walk around the streets all night after the casino closed. Where did you think I got this?' She showed off the expensive soft leatherjacket in Team Osiris's colours she was wearing over her shimmering dress.

  You didn't nick it off him, did you?' Eddie asked.

  Of course not!' she said, offended. 'It was a gift. You know, he's fast on the track, but in bed—'

  Okay, heard enough,' said Nina hurriedly.

  Nice work in the casino, by the way,' Eddie told Macy. That big bugger would've tackled me if you hadn't tripped him.

  Macy smiled. 'I just remembered what you said about always being ready for action - and I figured that with you two, there's always action.'

  Unfortunately,' said Nina, grimacing. 'But never mind that. There are more important things.' She took the photo of the zodiac from her pocket and showed it to Macy. Though crumpled, the picture was still clear enough to show the details of the painted relief. T think I figured out where the pyramid is. It's somewhere near Abydos.' She quickly explained her reasoning.

  Macy regarded the picture in wonderment. That'd make sense. Abydos was supposed to be the site of Osiris's tomb - nobody's ever found it, but the Egyptians definitely believed it was near there. All the First Dynasty pharaohs were buried there so they could be close to Osiris. You think the pyramid's to the west?' Nina nodded. That fits, too. The western desert was supposedly where the dead went to enter the Underworld, where the sun went down.'

  What about the "second eye of Osiris"? Does that ring any bells?'

  Macy frowned, thinking. The second eye? I dunno. Unless . . .' Her dark eyes opened wide. Unless it's something in the Osireion!'

  The what?' Eddie asked.

  The Osireion - it's a building, it's meant to be a copy of Osiris's tomb.

  A second tomb/ Nina realised. A second eye. And if it looks in the direction of the silver canyon

  '. . . we've found the pyramid,' Eddie finished. 'So, back across the Med, then!'

  Rest assured, I will be co-operating with the authorities to find out who was responsible for this catastrophe,' Osir told the news crew. 'It's been a terrible day for the sport, for Team Osiris, for Mikko Virtanen - and for myself personally, as you can imagine.'

  What about the reports of a shootout on your yacht?' asked the newsman, thrilled to have a story more juicy than sports reporting.

  Osir needed all his acting skills to keep a neutral face. T don't know anything about that, only what the Monaco police have told me. Thank you, and excuse me.' He retreated into the VIP box, the newsman still firing questions as he closed the door.

  Shaban and Diamondback were waiting. 'Well?' Osir demanded.

  Wilde and Chase must have got away,' Shaban said grimly. 'The Monaco police haven't caught them, and since it would only take them ten minutes to reach the border I doubt they will.'

  What about the yacht? Did the zodiac survive?'

  Yes, so we still have that, at least. I've arranged for it to be shipped to Switzerland once the police clear the scene.

  'My God,' said Osir, shaking his head as he sat. How did they escape?

  Because you were soft,' Shaban snapped. Osir was startled by the fury in his brother's voice. 'I warned you! You fell for that woman, and she betrayed you. I toldyou to kill her, but you refused - and now look what has happened!

  Osirjumped up again, stabbing a finger at Shaban. You do not speak to me like—'

  This is your fault]' Shaban roared, making Osir flinch. Everything I do, I do to protect the Temple - but this has gone too far for you to tie my hands! If you want to find the Pyramid of Osiris - and keep it for yourself - then it will take blood. It has taken blood. And because you didn't let me do what needed to be done, the blood is of our own followers instead of our enemies!' His voice softened, slightly, as he put a hand on Osir's shoulder. Don't you see, Khalid? If we don't get everything, we will be left with nothing . . . and I will not let that happen. Let me do what needs to be done. We have to find Dr Wilde before she finds the pyramid - and kill her. You know I'm right.

  Yes,' Osir said reluctantly. 'Yes, you're right. I'm sorry. I should have listened to you, my brother.'

  Shaban nodded, satisfaction on his scarred face. Then we'
re agreed. We find them, and kill them, and take the pyramid for ourselves.

  Agreed,' said Osir.

  Just one minor problem,' Diamondback said, voice heavy with sarcasm. 'We don't know where they're goin', and we don't know where the pyramid is either.'

  We need an expert,' said Shaban. 'Someone who knows the entire history of Egypt.

  'Hamdi?' asked Osir.

  Shaban shook his head. 'Hamdi is a glorified librarian. We want someone world-class . . .' He smiled malevolently as an idea came to him. 'And someone with a grudge against Nina Wilde.' Raising his phone, he selected a number: the Osirian Temple's Swiss headquarters.

  This is Sebak Shaban. I need you to contact the International Heritage Agency in New York, and tell them . . . tell them I want to speak to Dr Logan Berkeley.'

  21 Egypt

  220

  What initially seemed like a simple trip back to Egypt quickly turned into a far more stressful experience. An attempt to book a flight from Nice was stymied when Macy discovered - to her mortification - that her credit card had been cancelled. Her parents had pulled the plug.

  An angry phone call home made it clear that her line of credit would be only restored if she agreed to go straight back to Miami. Nina's suggestion that, now they knew Abydos was the key to finding the Pyramid of Osiris, her work was done and she could return to the US did not go down well.

  Eddie managed to defuse the tension between the two women by cobbling together an itinerary that was - just - manageable on his and Nina's strained finances, flying from Nice to Athens on a no-frills budget carrier, then on to Cyprus, and from there a plodding ferry to Egypt's Port Said. Following that was a slow and draining overland journey south by rail to the town of Sohag. Tempers frayed, they traversed the last miles in a rented 4x4, finally reaching their destination three days after leaving Monaco.

  If Cairo had been uncomfortably hot, then Abydos, three hundred miles further south on the edge of the Sahara, was almost agonising. The temperature was well over a hundred degrees Fahrenheit, and what breeze there was provided little relief, being laden with gritty, astringent sand. Nina was already on her second bottle of water, and it was still only morning.