by Guillou, Sue
Taking care not to create any undue noise, they timed their approach by throwing a stone to create a distraction. When the three men turned their backs to identify the cause of the sound, Adam and Georgio snuck in behind a small overgrown building situated thirty feet from the required position. It created the perfect opportunity to study the challenge ahead and they quickly noted the three men relax after determining the noise did not pose any threat.
Despite his strict regime, Samuel had also provided the men with the protection of a portable shelter made of four retractable legs and a weatherproof canvas roof. It had the dual effect of keeping out the rain but also of lulling the men in a false feeling of security. Within moments they were busy chatting and lighting cigarettes.
It was time to strike.
Georgio looked at Adam as an unspoken understanding passed between them. Adam instantly realised that Georgio did not expect him to take the lead but to protect his back from any unexpected attack. He nodded in agreement.
His body was tense and his nerves on edge, but Adam felt clear of mind and prepared to do whatever he needed to assist Georgio. He sprang to his feet as Georgio leapt forward, targeting the man closest to him. The medium height, balding man did not even see it coming. With stealth-like ability of a man half his age, Georgio ran low to the ground, covering the thirty feet in a few leaps. He wrapped his thick arms around the man’s neck and snapped it in an instant.
In the moment it took for the two other men to realise their companion had died, Georgio had made a beeline for a tall, black-haired Asian. The benefit of surprise had been lost and the Asian reacted instinctively by swinging a left hook at Georgio. Georgio ducked and slammed a fist up into his unprotected rib cage. He gasped in surprise but returned the punch with his right fist. The rain was impeding Georgio’s efforts and he slipped when he attempted to return the attack, but he used his misadventure to his benefit. He slid along the ground, grabbing the man by his knees and pulling him down with him. They rolled over with Georgio eventually getting the upper hand and pinning the man beneath him.
The third man, of native American descent, dove for the twosome and managed to punch Georgio in his kidneys. Up until then, Adam had largely remained unnoticed which proved to his benefit. He knew he would not win in a fist fight, so he grabbed the first thing available to him – a rock – and whacked it over the head of his opponent. The man crumpled instantly along with his companion when Georgio slammed his fist into his upper jaw and temple, rendering him instantly unconscious.
‘Phew!’ exclaimed Georgio as they quickly pulled the men into a circle and sat them upright to create the effect that they were still in attendance. ‘It was a good thing we managed that without gunfire although anything would have been better than your girly rock throwing. Whatever happened to the manly fist fight?’
Adam grinned. ‘By the look of your developing bruises and my totally unwounded body, I’ll go the girly option anytime.’
Georgio grimaced and favoured his kidneys. ‘Okay, smart arse, you win.’
‘So, where from here?’ asked Adam.
‘We’re one step closer and if you look straight ahead, you can actually see the vehicle compound. The only thing I can envisage standing between us and our goal is the roving guards. See, there’s a group directly ahead, but if we stick to the left we should be able to pass them.’
Adam nodded. ‘What about Gillian?’
‘Let’s locate a vehicle first. I’ll hot-wire the car and you can go back for her,’ stated Georgio.
Adam did not reply. He was not keen on leaving without the protection of Georgio, but neither was he capable of starting a vehicle without the keys. He had no option but to agree.
They approached a vast open space and dodged the circle of light spilling out from the nearest lantern. Once again, the trees provided cover, but a zealous guard caught a slight movement from the corner of his eye and gestured in their direction. Adam quickly alerted Georgio who responded by pointing to the low-lying branches on the jungle boundary.
They ran and jumped with Adam gasping loudly as a large creature moved from behind them.
Georgio smirked in amusement but grew serious as the voices of the guards closed in on their position. They stopped three feet from their concealment.
‘There’s nothing here. It must have been an animal. After all, the forest is full of them,’ said a guard in a genial tone of voice that revealed his lack of belief in his companions.
‘Perhaps you’re right. Anyway, who would be stupid enough to be out here in the middle of night amid all this rain. What do you think Caton?’ asked a second deep-voiced youth.
‘Hmm … you can never be too careful,’ replied Caton with the authority of a superior. ‘I would prefer a thorough search,’ he insisted as they started to obey but were interrupted by a shout from the nearby tent calling them to a meeting.
Adam sighed in relief and turned to Georgio with a smile on his face but was met with a look of pure wrath. He shrank back in disbelief. He had seen Georgio with fury in his eyes before but nothing that matched the current hatred. Was it something he did? He had no idea. All he could do was wait and hope Georgio revealed his problems, which thankfully came sooner rather than later.
Georgio exploded with an array of expletives that would make any innocent person blush. ‘He was my friend, loyal to our troop and to Dale Bright. I can’t believe he’s a bloody traitor. It was Caton who led us to safety on two missions and we treated him like a brother, yet here he is, commanding that small group and clearly the one who helped Samuel capture Dale’s men. He placed the lives of all the men here in the hands of that monster. God help me if they are harmed because of his disloyal actions. I will kill him,’ his threat so easily voiced that Adam knew he was not joking.
Without adding to the conversation, Georgio got up and began to hurry towards the vehicles. The meeting provided a few minutes of safety and they quickly scanned the group of eleven vehicles. There were two small jeeps, three large people movers, one high-powered four-wheel drive and five four-wheel drive trucks used to transport all of the equipment used on site. The logical choice was one of the small jeeps which were perfectly situated furthest away from the main living areas. They chose the last one, which was unlocked.
‘Samuel must be feeling extremely secure, which makes me fear what might happen when he finds out we’ve infiltrated his camp. By observing the outer perimeter’s checks, I’d say you have ten minutes at best to fetch Gillian.’
Adam did not delay. He ran back as fast as his legs could take him, returning with Gillian in exactly ten minutes. It was fortuitous that the meeting had only just broken up and they made their escape under the cover of a sudden and well-timed thunderous storm that passed overhead.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
Gillian, Adam and Georgio sped along the road under the cover of darkness and a passing storm. They had been fortunate enough to make an easy getaway, but Georgio did not sit on his laurels. He pushed the little six cylinder vehicle to the full extent of its power, taking the bends like a formula one race car. Gillian gripped the panic handle as if her life depended on it, only looking back just long enough to see Adam puke in the back seat. She grimaced in disgust but was able to sympathise with him; Georgio was driving like a man possessed.
The bumps, twists and turns became an endless roller-coaster as the vehicle rose to the challenge, leaping the obstacles and tilting on two wheels to avoid the road blocks. Eventually Georgio slowed and Gillian let out a long sigh of relief. ‘What on earth was that?’
‘Just trying to get us as far away as possible,’ said Georgio.
‘Do you even know where we’re going?’ asked Gillian.
‘No, and I didn’t see any other roads, did you?’ said Georgio sheepishly.
‘Palenque is north of our position and from what I can gather, we are travelling north-east. We’ll miss it by miles at this rate,’ said Gillian as she took out a small travelling compass.
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‘The best way to get there is via the tourist route, but it is likely Samuel would have radioed ahead to warn any scouts of our escape. This is the first place they’ll look, leaving us little option but to find an alternative,’ she added as she produced a small but accurate map of the ancient Mayan trade routes. ‘If this map is correct, we must be less than half a mile away from the original Mayan roads.’
‘Yeah, 600 year old roads that have likely vanished by now,’ contributed Adam as he leant forward.
Gillian wrinkled up her nose. ‘Your breath smells of vomit.’
Adam sat back in his seat.
‘We’ve been lucky up until now, but if my ageing eyes are correct, I can see lights up ahead,’ said Georgio.
‘Me too,’ agreed Adam.
‘How far to this track?’
‘We should be almost on it,’ replied Gillian as Georgio swung immediately to the left. It was clear he was taking a risk, but he had calculated the distance between the oncoming vehicle and the time it would take to escape into the cover of the trees. He was left with no option but to hope Gillian was right.
Everyone held their breaths, fully expecting to dive over an unseen cliff or end up in an all too common quagmire, but the tyres held firm, striking a patch of dirt that had been compacted to concrete-like hardness after thousands of years of use.
‘You’re good, Gillian,’ congratulated Adam as she grinned with a contented smugness.
‘Yes, but we still have a long way to go,’ noted Georgio as the four-wheel drive battled through the trees like a bulldozer, occasionally grinding against a fallen tree and unseen rock. The rain had also begun to ease which assisted Georgio with determining the direction of the old path. He was only thankful that the Mayans were known for their large and exceptionally maintained roads. Although they did not have vehicles or beasts of burden, these roads provided each city with their livelihood. They were as important to their society as the temples and homes. Even after years of uninhibited jungle growth, the roads remained, assisted by the numerous animals that continued to use them long after the Mayan civilisation fell into disrepair.
Gillian purposely did not disrupt Georgio from his task, choosing to use the time constructively and uncover the final remaining clue.
‘Whilst we’ve got some time to kill, let’s get to work on this last clue.’ Her comments were met with silence and a lack of humour from Georgio who swerved to miss a wayward jaguar. His quick reaction and utter concentration saved them from catapulting down the ridge they were travelling over.
‘Okay. Now I have a few moments,’ Georgio grumbled as the terrain levelled.
‘Unfortunately I can’t read the second part of Kinix’s diary due to the lack of light, but I do recall him writing about a visit to Palenque,’ said Gillian.
‘I’m sure he visited Palenque many times throughout his life, so what makes this visit so special?’ queried Adam.
‘On his arrival at Palenque, Kinix was instantly recognised as the great healer of Tikal. His timing proved to be fortunate for the king, B’utz Aj Sak Chiik who was unwell and not expected to live. Kinix was able to heal him and extend his life for a further six months which ultimately led to his acceptance as an honored guest. During this time, Kinix also reunited the prince Ahkal Mo’Naab with his people and it was this that secured a permanent safe haven for him whenever he needed it. As the final clue is in Palenque, it makes sense that Kinix used these ties to go back and hide the final box,’ said Gillian.
‘And if we follow the same clues as we did with the last two locations, the painting will prove helpful in discovering the location,’ added Adam.
‘What paintings?’ queried Georgio.
‘I inherited three paintings, and the disk we initially thought was the key, from my grandparents. It turns out the paintings are vital in determining the locations of the hiding spots of Kinix’s clues,’ advised Adam.
‘That’s interesting, but I wonder how they ended up with your grandparents. From what I’ve heard about Kinix and the effort he’s gone to hide his secret, I find it hard to believe that he would hand out the disk and three paintings without a purpose. So, why you?’ questioned Georgio.
Adam remained silent. He had often considered the same question. With the many of millions of people on this planet, why him? How did plain old Adam Housner, a simple schoolteacher, end up tangled in the midst of a 1500 year old mystery. That was a mystery in itself.
‘So, what did the third painting show?’ asked Georgio as Gillian reached for the small brown leather satchel she had found in the storage cave in Tikal.
Adam searched the back seat and handed Gillian a small torch.
‘The drawing of the temple at Palenque clearly depicts the Olvidado Temple, but it is the painting that gives the clue.’ Gillian left it to Adam to continue.
‘I always found the final painting the most fascinating. Not only is it the most colourful, but the small man we believe is Kinix is squatting instead of standing as he is in the other two paintings. His robe is also more elaborate and although his facial features are not distinguishable, his general posture is considerably more apprehensive. It’s as if he had constipation.’ Adam chuckled, amused at the memory of the vision, that was not shared by either Georgio or Gillian.
They sat silently with a smirk on their faces, waiting for Adam to continue.
Sour buggers, he thought before commencing his story.
‘Anyway, Kinix was definitely pointing to the pyramid behind him but more towards the ground as distinct to the Pyramid of the Masks where he was indicating to a position further up the side,’ said Adam as Gillian interrupted.
‘And if I remember rightly, Temple Olvidado is not a pyramid like the others. It is an arched building that sits atop a stepped mound that belongs to the unexcavated Olvidado Group. It is the least known area of Palenque but was most likely to be the religious centre in 500 AD. It makes sense that this would be the correct temple, and the lack of side steps would definitely indicate a hidden room.’
‘Hidden room. No one said anything about a hidden room,’ said Adam, his voice resonating with confusion.
‘Yes, there was. It’s in the second diary,’ said Gillian. ‘Kinix makes mention of being given the honour of learning the secret sacrificial opening of the great temple for his sanctuary. This corresponds with your description of the painting. The drawing in the small diary also gives fuel to this argument. It shows the same temple.’
‘Okay, so it’s agreed. We are heading to the Olvidado Temple,’ said Georgio as the small jeep leapt over a tiny hump in the road and landed into a low-lying stream. Water flew everywhere and the occupants of the vehicle were tossed about like rubber dolls.
‘Shit,’ swore Georgio as he battled to steer the wayward vehicle in the right direction. With his arms straining and sweat pouring from his forehead, Georgio was the picture of intense concentration. Adam, on the other hand, prayed that the vehicle was well serviced and that the steering column would not buckle under the pressure.
Anxiety reigned supreme as the battle between the deceivingly fast-running stream and the small vehicle continued until the jeep spun sideways and started to drift. The engine roared to the full extent of its power and the small wheels battled to find firm ground. Georgio continued to accelerate, ensuring that he did not let the vehicle stall. The car behaved admirably, responding by finding a strip of gravel and taking full advantage of the temporary firmness. It lurched forward and seemingly grew wings as it threw itself up onto the far bank. Both Gillian and Adam cheered simultaneously and even Georgio couldn’t resist a grin of victory until a fast-travelling light took away all feelings of exhilaration.
‘What was that?’ asked Gillian as the light suddenly vanished.
‘Samuel,’ said Georgio as he veered to the right, down a barely visible track.
‘We are facing an impossible task. Three of us up against a group of trained mercenaries. He’ll kill us as soon as he has the
information he needs,’ said Adam.
‘Then we need to hope that either Dale makes a breakthrough and uncovers the identity of Samuel’s boss or we outwit him and make it back in time to save the archaeologists,’ muttered Georgio.
‘We simply cannot give up on Fred and Richard. If I don’t try my best to save Fred, I’ll never be able to live with myself,’ said Gillian angrily.
‘Don’t misunderstand me, Gillian. I have no intention of failing, but I do fear that we may be too late. I think we need to come to terms with the fact that it is likely we will lose them all,’ said Georgio as Adam could not resist squeezing Gillian comfortingly on the shoulder. Despite her lack of conversation about Fred, Adam knew that Gillian was extremely worried although he did admit to finding it a little odd that she spoke far more about Richard than her own fiancé. It was clear that she cared deeply for the older man as a father figure, but he wondered just how much Fred actually meant to her. Gillian was a strange enigma to him. She was very smart and beautiful, but there was also a coldness that he couldn’t quite place. Instinctively he felt that it would be a tough task to try to understand her.
Gillian patted Adam’s hand fondly, only interrupted when the mysterious light reappeared. At first it was nondescript, no more than an unidentified radiance that was neither threatening nor gloomy. Unfortunately it gradually closed in, travelling slightly faster than they were and in a direction that would clearly cross their path. Georgio tapped the steering wheel with unease as a frown appeared across his forehead. He automatically pushed the car to its limit, but the heavy jungle impeded his progress and the light encroached with infuriating ease.
‘He’s fast approaching,’ said Adam as he leant forward in the back seat.
‘It has to be Samuel or his men,’ said Gillian as Georgio nodded but did not reply.