Alec hung there for a moment, marshalling his strength. Any hopes he’d had that the creature would fall into the abyss were confounded when he heard a grunting sound behind him and, twisting his head, he saw that the minotaur was standing on the far side of the drop, pacing agitatedly backwards and forwards. Alec turned his head away, concentrating his attention on pulling himself up. Below him, the light was already dying and he knew that once the last of the oil burned away, he’d be left in pitch-darkness. The toes of his sandals found a purchase on the rough edges of the sheer drop and he managed to haul himself upwards and throw one bare leg up onto solid ground. He glanced quickly back, but the creature was nowhere to be seen. Had it headed off by another route to try and catch up with Alec again? There was no time to think about that. He dragged his other leg up and levered himself upright, peering around in the last of the glow to see if he could find the twine.
His hands closed around it and he started edging his way forward. After only a few steps he was plunged into total darkness as the hurricane lamp finally gave out, and it was the most terrifying sensation he had ever experienced. Every sound seemed amplified a thousand times. He could hear the minotaur grunting and snuffling somewhere in the dark and had to fight down the urge to run. He kept following the twine, going hand over hand, following each twist and turn it made, placing one foot in front of the other.
He did not know how long he spent making that terrifying journey, for there was no sense of time or space, just an awful claustrophobic blackness that seemed to press around him like a shroud, squeezing the very air out of him. It seemed to him that the minotaur was only inches behind; he even imagined he could feel the creature’s foul breath gusting onto his neck and he nearly cried out in terror, but told himself he must keep quiet – any sound might lead the creature to him.
He kept on going, making himself do it. Left hand – clutch, release! Right hand – clutch, release! Again! He told himself that with each step he was getting closer to the metal doors that meant escape. And then he became aware of a light somewhere up ahead of him, the glow of it coming round a turning in the rock. He did not know whether he should call out to whoever it was or try to hide. He stood there, rooted to the spot, and then a figure came round a corner, following the twine and holding a hurricane lamp to light the way. Alec gasped. It was Ariadne.
She smiled with relief when she saw him. ‘Thank the gods,’ she said. ‘You’re still alive!’
He stepped closer, staring at her. ‘What are you doing down here?’ he asked in amazement. ‘It’s not safe.’
‘I had to come,’ she told him. ‘I was so worried about you. My father forbids me to come down here, but I defied him. I managed to get hold of a spare control belt to operate the doors.’ She indicated a leather belt around her slim waist, its surface dotted with metal knobs and switches, and Alec realized this must be the same thing that Lee wore.
‘We’d better keep moving,’ he warned her. ‘That . . . thing is around here somewhere.’
‘Thing?’ She stared at him. ‘What thing?’
‘The minotaur. Didn’t you . . . know about it?’
She shook her head. ‘All I know of this place is that my father sends people in and they never come out again. But a minotaur? Surely that’s just a myth?’
‘There isn’t time to explain,’ Alec assured her. ‘Just take my word for it, there is one and it could reappear at any moment.’
She nodded, turned round and, lifting the lantern high, she began to follow the twine back towards the exit. Alec followed her, glancing frantically about, fearing that at any moment, the creature might come lunging out of hiding to attack them. But there was no sign of it.
They kept following the twine through the gloom, the lantern throwing bizarre shadows all around them. Eventually, after what seemed an eternity, they came to the metal doors of the entrance and Alec saw to his dismay that they were open.
‘You didn’t close the doors behind you!’ he gasped.
Ariadne looked at him. ‘I had no reason to suppose that I needed to,’ she said.
They stepped into the room, lit by the lurid glow of the burning torches. Alec was about to tell Ariadne to close the doors behind them – but then he saw that the door on the far side of the room had been smashed open as if by prodigious force.
‘Oh my God,’ he said. ‘It’s out. The beast has escaped.’
And then he heard the sounds coming from the corridor beyond – the inhuman bellowing of the minotaur and the sound of a heavy impact.
‘Come on!’ he cried – and the two of them raced through the shattered doorway and into the corridor beyond.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Out
THE CAPTAIN OF the fishing boat was guiding it in through the narrow opening in the reef, and now Stephen could see the stone jetty up ahead of them. A couple of guards dressed in armour were lounging there, but when they saw the boat approaching, they jumped to their feet and started shouting something in Greek. Stephen couldn’t follow what they were saying, but it didn’t sound very welcoming. Lieutenant Sideras yelled something back at them and then the guards snatched up a couple of bows that were lying on the jetty beside them. They expertly nocked a couple of arrows and pulled back the bowstrings, clearly with every intention of shooting at the newcomers.
Lieutenant Sideras snapped an order to his gendarme and pulled out his pistol. The gendarme lifted his repeating rifle. There was a tense standoff, while everyone stood with their weapons raised and the fishing boat continued to nose its way towards the jetty.
Stephen was beginning to think that the two guards were surely going to back down – after all, what use were bows against guns? But in that same instant, one of the guards released his arrow. There was a brief swish of air and the gendarme standing beside Stephen jerked like a puppet as an arrow slammed into his forehead. He was catapulted out of the boat, into the water, dropping his rifle on the deck as he fell. Stephen instinctively stooped to pick it up.
As he did so, Lieutenant Sideras returned fire, unleashing several shots in quick succession. The first bowman took a bullet in the chest and dropped to his knees before tumbling forward into the water. His companion turned and tried to make a run for it, but Sideras shot him in the back and he went sprawling face down on the jetty. Lieutenant Sideras stared over the side of the boat at his comrade’s body floating in the water and he said something under his breath. Then the captain pulled the boat in alongside the jetty and the lieutenant jumped out and began securing the mooring rope. Stephen followed him, but even as he was stepping ashore, he became aware of dark shapes emerging from the trees that bordered the beach. The Maenads, alerted by the sounds of gunfire, were racing to the attack, their teeth bared.
‘Look out!’ yelled Stephen, and Lieutenant Sideras straightened up, lifting his pistol. As the first dog came bounding towards him, he took quick aim and shot it in the head. It gave a yelp of surprise and fell over on its side, skidding along the stone jetty, its mouth open, its tongue lolling.
Stephen remembered the whistle that controlled the dogs and thought about searching the body of the dead guard to see if he could find it, but it was already too late for that. More dogs were closing in on them fast. He lifted the rifle, took aim at the nearest of them and squeezed off a shot. The recoil of the rifle butt threw his aim off and his first shot went wide of the mark, kicking up stones just to the dog’s left, but his second hit the animal in the chest and it careered off the jetty and into the water, where it thrashed madly, the blue water around it turning red.
Lieutenant Sideras glanced at Stephen and nodded his approval. ‘Which way?’ he asked.
Stephen took the lead, shooting more dogs as he went. He just hoped they had enough bullets to take care of all the dogs. Just at that moment, he became aware of a distant rumbling sound – and then the ground beneath him began to shake with a force that threatened to throw him off his feet. He glanced at Lieutenant Sideras in surprise and they both
turned their gazes to the horizon beyond. They could see the shape of Santorini in the near distance and as they looked, a huge belch of orange flame erupted from the top of it, flinging black smoke and debris in all directions.
‘That felt like an earth—’
Stephen’s words were rudely interrupted as a huge black shape came hurtling through the air and struck him in the chest. He fell backwards with a yell of terror and his shoulder blades slammed against the ground, knocking all the breath out of him. He was horribly aware of a pair of slavering jaws inches from his throat, but then the dog’s menacing growl mutated into a yelp of pain and it twisted aside, howling in agony. Stephen could see that a heavy Cretan dagger was protruding from its back. Lieutenant Sideras lifted his pistol and calmly shot the beast in the head. Then he leaned over and pulled the dagger from its back, returning it to his belt.
‘I told you there was more than one way to quieten a dog,’ he said calmly and helped Stephen to his feet. He nodded in the direction of Santorini. ‘Something tells me we’d better get this done as quickly as possible.’
Stephen nodded. He glanced around and saw that the remaining dogs were slinking back into cover, clearly demoralized by the losses they had suffered. The jetty and the surrounding beach were littered with half a dozen still black shapes.
Stephen pointed to the marble steps that led up to Wolfe’s palace. ‘This way,’ he said, and the two men began to climb, guns held ready for action.
‘That sounded like shots,’ said Coates, lifting his head to listen more intently. He and Ethan had been pacing helplessly around in their chamber, both of them terrified about what might be happening to Alec while they remained here, under lock and key.
‘Where do you think it’s coming from?’ asked Ethan.
‘Impossible to say. Somewhere outside, for sure.’ They listened for a while in silence and then heard more shots: three in quick succession.
‘Sounds like somebody’s waging a war out there,’ muttered Ethan. He brightened. ‘Hey, do you suppose Stephen got back with some help? That could be him, coming to the rescue.’
Coates shrugged. ‘I suppose it’s possible. I just wish we knew what was happening to Master Alec. I swear if that madman Wolfe has harmed him, I will not be responsible for my actions.’ He paced restlessly backwards and forwards for a few moments, gazing helplessly around the room. ‘If only we could get out of here,’ he added. ‘At least then we could do something to try and help him.’ His shoulder still ached from several unsuccessful attempts to break down the door. ‘There must be something we can use on that wretched door—’
He broke off, noticing that Ethan was staring thoughtfully at the heavy metal table in the centre of the room. ‘Forget it,’ he said. ‘That thing is bolted to the floor.’
Ethan nodded. ‘Yeah, I noticed that. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be unbolted. Here, give me a hand.’
Ethan walked to one end of the table and gripped the top in his big hands. Then he began to lift, exerting as much pressure as he could. Coates saw what he was doing and went to help him. They lifted together, putting every ounce of effort into the task. There was a creaking noise and the bolts that fixed the metal feet to the tiled floor began to ease upwards from their fixings.
‘It’s working,’ said Ethan, through gritted teeth, and they renewed their efforts, straining until every muscle in their bodies ached. But finally, the bolts broke free from the tiled floor, releasing the feet at one end.
‘Good,’ said Ethan, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his arm. ‘Now . . . grab hold.’ They took hold of the released end and began to lever it up and down like a seesaw, groaning with the effort. The tiles around the bolted legs began to crack and splinter.
‘You know,’ grunted Coates, ‘this reminds me of another Greek myth.’
‘Oh yeah?’ panted Ethan. ‘Which one?’
‘The . . . labours of . . . ruddy Hercules,’ wheezed Coates, and at that moment, the bolts sheared off and the table was free. They set it down and stood there gasping for breath, the sweat pouring down their faces.
‘What now?’ asked Coates.
Ethan looked at him. ‘Now we’ve got ourselves a battering ram,’ he said. He walked around to the other side of the table and took up a position. ‘We just need to get it close to the door.’
Coates nodded. He took a firm grip on the table and they lifted it together.
‘Good Lord,’ said Coates. ‘It weighs a blessed ton!’
Ethan didn’t disagree with him, but together, with a combination of lifting, dragging and pushing, they managed to get the table across the room until it was just inches from the solid door.
‘Now,’ said Ethan. ‘We take this thing and we pound it against that door until we bust it wide open.’
‘And then what?’ Coates asked him.
‘We’ll decide when we get there,’ said Ethan.
Coates nodded. ‘Well, it’s not much of a plan,’ he admitted. ‘But let’s see how it goes.’ He spat on his hands and took up his position. ‘I’ll count to three,’ he said. ‘And then we—’
He broke off in surprise as a deep shudder seemed to ripple through the floor beneath him. Suddenly, the walls were vibrating and dust was swirling down from the ceiling in thick clouds. He looked around in disbelief. ‘Oh, perfect,’ he said. ‘ “Don’t worry about Santorini. It’s perfectly safe.” ’ He shook his head. ‘Why is it that whenever Master Alec says something like that, we end up in hot water?’
‘Never mind about that,’ snapped Ethan, returning his attention to the table. ‘Let’s get this door open before the roof comes down on our heads.’
As Alec and Ariadne burst into the corridor they saw that the minotaur had indeed escaped from the labyrinth, and that it was already intent on claiming its next victim. Lee must have been coming back down the corridor to check on Alec’s progress and had been surprised by the creature as it smashed its way through the door. Now the two of them were struggling together in the narrow stone corridor in the lurid light of a blazing torch. Lee’s face was bloodied and the minotaur had him in those mighty arms and was attempting to crush the life out of him.
Alec and Ariadne watched in mute terror, not knowing what to do, or even who, if either, to help. Lee had managed to get a knee up into the creature’s chest and he pushed hard, his teeth gritted. With a monumental effort he managed to prise himself out of the minotaur’s grasp and drop to the floor. He staggered into a defensive crouch, but a stream of blood was pulsing from his mouth and it was evident that the minotaur’s powerful embrace must already have done him some damage. As the creature came at him again, he twisted nimbly round and swung a high kick at his adversary, catching it full in the face. It was a blow that would have felled an ordinary man, but the minotaur just reeled back a few steps, shook its head and came lumbering forward again, bellowing with rage. Lee threw a powerful punch into his opponent’s stomach, but the beast caught the arm in its huge hands, pulled Lee forward and raised one knee. Then it brought the arm down hard and snapped it like a rotten twig. Lee screamed in agony and the minotaur grabbed him by the throat, lifted him clear off the ground and threw him as though he had no more substance than a bundle of rags. Lee slammed against the wall and dropped into a sitting position.
The minotaur could easily have finished him there and then, but chose not to. Instead, it strode on along the corridor, heading for the stairs to the ground floor. In that instant, Alec thought he knew exactly where the creature was going: to find Wolfe and take revenge for all those years of imprisonment and torture. It might look like a mindless beast, but deep inside, some kind of reason must have remained.
As soon as the creature was out of sight, Alec and Ariadne ran over to Lee. He was alive, but the back of his head was drenched in blood from where it had crashed against the stone wall and when he opened his mouth to speak, a crimson trickle flowed down his chin. One arm dangled uselessly beside him.
‘You . . . found the s
tatue?’ Lee asked weakly.
Alec nodded. He reached instinctively into his pocket and pulled out the figurine of Theseus, pressing it into Lee’s functioning hand. He had no idea why he’d done that other than it seemed the right thing to do. Then he took the little switch from his pocket, the one that had helped him release the collar of obedience. ‘Why did you give me this?’ he asked.
Lee smiled. ‘I owed you . . . a favour,’ he said. ‘I thought the collar would . . . only slow you down.’ His tunic had fallen open and Alec could see his belt, studded with metal dials and switches, identical to the one that Ariadne was wearing.
‘We need to get you out of here,’ he said, but Lee groaned. He seemed barely conscious.
‘The beast . . . has finished me,’ he whispered.
Just then, the ground beneath them began to tremble and dust fell from the ceiling above. A low rumbling thunder seemed to come from somewhere far below ground.
Ariadne looked at Alec, her eyes wide with terror. ‘Earthquake,’ she said. ‘We must get out of here.’
Alec nodded. He went to try and help Lee to his feet, but the manservant waved him feebly away. ‘Go,’ he whispered. ‘I’m done for.’ He coughed, and fresh blood sprayed down the front of his tunic. ‘The creature . . . will try to get to . . . my master. You must try . . . and stop it.’
Alec frowned. ‘After what Wolfe has done to it, don’t you think it deserves its revenge?’ he asked.
The shuddering sensation was getting worse. The falling dust was swirling back up in clouds, making it hard to breathe.
‘Get out,’ gasped Lee.
‘I can’t just leave you,’ protested Alec.
‘Yes, you can. GO!’ Lee was waving him away.
Ariadne grabbed Alec’s arm. ‘Come on,’ she cried urgently. ‘It’s not safe here.’
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