“Are you trying to distract me?”
“Who?” Drake bent down to kiss her. “Me?”
The sudden knock at the door was like a grenade going off. Drake felt his heart leap into his mouth. Alicia was off her chair and taking cover just as a familiar voice rang out.
“You decent?”
“Smyth? What the fuck do you want?”
“We have a problem. Main room—two minutes.”
Alicia wrenched the door open, sparing Drake no embarrassment, but Smyth was already gone, knocking hard on the next door.
Drake dressed quickly and followed Alicia to the meeting room. Most of the crew were already assembled, and within minutes the rest had joined them.
Hayden addressed the team.
“Lauren has taken off. Sometime during the night. We don’t know how far away she is or how she’s traveling.”
Drake was surprised but spoke up immediately. “Bus station is a short walk.”
“Tried it,” Smyth said. “The first bus left two hours ago. We can catch up pretty easily.”
Drake saw where this was going. “You want to catch her? Bring her back? And then what?”
Smyth stared as if he didn’t understand the question. “What are you talking about?”
“She hasn’t been kidnapped,” Hayden said softly. “She wasn’t coerced. Lauren left of her own free will. Do you want to be the one that makes her come back?”
Smyth bristled. “Well, well, yeah. If I have to. She can’t . . . she can’t just . . .” He ran out of steam.
“First of all,” Mai said. “Are we sure she left of her own accord?”
Hayden shrugged. “Her room’s tidy. Nothing amiss. Her luggage is all gone. Why would anyone just take Lauren? Oh, and we found this note.”
She placed an A4 sheet on the table, on which were written just a few lines.
Don’t come after me. I’ll be in touch. It’s my turn now.
Smyth looked away. Drake felt a rush of admiration for the New Yorker. “She’s going to help us. Like she said—don’t underestimate what she can do.”
The team sat down, reflecting on what Lauren might have to endure. The outcome was entirely unknown, and she knew it.
“We should leave this place,” Mai said. “Today.”
“Sprite’s right,” Alicia said instantly, then. “Whoa, what did I just say?”
“Alicia,” Mai glared at her. “We’ve been working together for what: five years now? And before that, on occasion. You really need to come up with a new and improved name.”
“I do? Well, here’s a few that roll right off the tip of my tongue—”
“Before we get to that,” Drake hastily interrupted. “Shall we start packing? We should put a fair distance between us and Transylvania over the next few days.”
Smyth looked unhappy. Hayden reminded him that Lauren was going to volunteer all the information. Hopefully Crowe would get involved.
Hopefully, they could trust Crowe.
Either way, they were in Lauren Fox’s hands for a while now.
Drake walked over and took his first proper look out of the window that morning. The night mist had cleared away to reveal a rolling valley, dotted by trees and small houses, bright colors against the green and brown of nature. The skies were covered with gray clouds and a light drizzle greeted the rising dawn. People were moving out there, going about their business. Since they had chosen a guesthouse right on the edge of town they could see for miles—at least in two directions. The shambling old place also had the advantage of several egress and exit points.
“Meet at the cars in an hour?” he suggested.
A muted chorus of agreement met his ears. The team were rising when there came one more loud knock at the door.
Drake couldn’t help but glance at Smyth.
“Don’t look at me,” the angry soldier snapped.
Hayden sprang to the side of the door; Mai sidling to the other side. Kinimaka took cover behind the sofa and then started to shout: “Who is it?” his head visible just above the cushions.
Hayden waved him down. They shouldn’t reveal themselves yet.
Drake and the others edged to the sides of the room. No sound was heard inside or outside, and of course, there was a rear exit. Yorgi was already there, inching the door open a crack and Kenzie was right at his side.
The Israeli signaled that they keep quiet. Most of them rolled eyes back at her. Dahl was at her shoulder and then the three of them were gone.
Drake waited, imagining them creeping around the side of the house, vigilant in every direction. It shouldn’t take long . . .
Another knock. Of course, anyone seeking to do them harm wouldn’t be knocking, but it could be some kind of diversion. They could take nothing for granted.
“Hold it!” Kenzie’s voice, commanding and harsh.
“Not a problem. Just don’t shoot.”
Drake frowned. That voice sounded familiar.
Alicia narrowed her eyes, staring at the front door. “I’m sure—”
“What do you want?” Kenzie asked. “Best be quick, old man. I haven’t killed anyone for a week.”
“I want you to take it easy,” the familiar voice said. “And I want Drake and Alicia to get their arses out here.”
“Bloody hell,” Drake said. “I’d know that voice anywhere. Eventually.”
Alicia used the comms system to stand Kenzie down in her unique manner. “Put it away, bitch.”
Drake walked straight to the door and pulled it open. “Michael Crouch,” he said. “Been a while, mate. How did you manage to find us?”
His old boss grinned. “You know me. Contacts everywhere. I don’t like to reveal my secrets.”
They dragged him inside, confronted him gravely. “This time,” Dahl said, “you do.”
“Alicia here—” the Englishman shrugged “—I have her personal number of course, for getting in touch when we need her help. I simply tracked it.”
To a person, the entire team turned to stare at the blond woman.
“Are you kidding?” Drake said.
“What?” Alicia protested. “Only the chosen few have access to my personal number. Do you have it, Smyth? Kenzie? Mai? No, I rest my case.”
“And what if they’d kidnapped this Crouch person?” Kenzie asked, staring at Alicia.
Drake managed to stifle a laugh. Alicia did no such thing. “Don’t be a fool.”
Crouch maneuvered his way to the center of the room. Though absent from their small circle for some time, Crouch had previously worked alongside them and separately with Alicia. His loyalty was absolute and unquestioned and it was a testament to the allegiance and trust he inspired that everyone in the room simply stood and listened to what he had to say.
“I need your help.”
“That’s easier said than done . . .” Hayden spoke fast and then deliberately let the sentence hang.
“I know your situation. I know what happened. Well . . . I’ve chosen to believe a certain one of the conflicting reports—let’s put it that way. Someone across the pond is seriously pissed at you, my friends, and that needs taking care of.”
“Is that why you’re here?” Kinimaka asked.
“No. My mission is much more important.”
Drake blinked. “What could be more important than unravelling a conspiracy that may stretch all the way to the President?” he asked.
“Egypt,” Crouch said.
“Egypt?”
“Yeah, sandy place with a big river running through it. Turn left at the top of Saudi.”
“All right, I know where Egypt is,” Drake said. “What’s the problem?”
Crouch reached for a glass of water, settling himself on one of the room’s long, sagging sofas. “I wouldn’t bother you if it weren’t vital. And I do believe you’ll hate what I have to say.” He took a breath and another gulp of water.
“An ancient Egyptian tomb is about to be unsealed and unveiled to the public. Barely dis
turbed by the authorities except to make it safe, it will be unveiled with everything in-situ. The Egyptians are billing the event as top-level, all sorts of socialites, celebrities and well-known figures are attending. They’re going to feed it across the Internet for maximum exposure.”
Drake sighed. “And that’s a problem why?”
Alicia smirked. “You weren’t invited?”
Even Crouch cracked a smile. “Well, no. But that’s not the worst of it. They will unveil that tomb and then they will go inside. They’re planning to unseal an inner chamber on the night itself to ramp up the drama of it all.”
Hayden shifted on her feet. “I still don’t see where we come in.”
“It’s the first seal,” Crouch said with some fear in his voice. “And when the first seal is broken the curse is unleashed.”
“What curse?” Alicia looked around. “Is this something to do with a bloody mummy?”
“What are you looking for, Michael?” Mai wondered.
Alicia spoke first: “You know, the usual. Scarabs. Dead things wrapped in bandages. I don’t like the sound of where this is going.”
Dahl leaned over to whisper. “But can it be worse than sleeping just a few miles from Dracula’s castle?”
“Shut the hell up.”
“Listen.” Crouch sounded genuinely shaken, which surprised Drake. He’d rarely seen his old boss so anxious.
“The curse simply points us toward the final seal, of which there are seven. All the seals need to be broken, but the seventh is literally—Armageddon. The problem is—” he gulped more water “—as explained, when they break the first seal the whole thing is going to play out, right down to the wire, right down to the seventh seal.”
“You’re talking an ancient Egyptian curse?” Hayden said doubtfully. “Kinda like Tutankhamen? They say his tomb was cursed.”
“No,” Crouch said. “Nothing like that. I’m not talking about a curse as described by Hollywood or sensationalist press. This curse is very, very real, and very, very deadly. Believe me when I say I need you on this. I need the best. Anything less . . .” he sighed and looked out the window.
“And we’re doomed.”
CHAPTER THREE
“Hold on, hold on,” Dahl said. “I think this needs a little more explaining before we start purchasing plane tickets, don’t you?”
Crouch nodded quickly. “Apologies, I’m very conscious of the time constraints. Of course, we’re still learning about ancient Egypt, still discovering old scrolls and hieroglyphics and, in some cases, still trying to decipher an archaic language. Every day springs a new surprise. The amount of warnings, curses and caveats out there are enough to fill a library. We all know this supernatural stuff is pure bollocks.” He paused. “Except Alicia, naturally, but a curse can have dozens of connotations. It could be a warning intended to help explorers; it could be a mischievous riddle; it could be part of a map that helps locate something carefully hidden from grave robbers. It all falls under the general label of ‘curse.’”
Alicia put her feet up. “Can someone make the popcorn? I’m enjoying listening to Dad ramble on.”
Crouch ignored her. “Luckily, you all know my lifelong passion for investigating ancient relics. My job—” he glanced at Drake “—with the SAS and other regiments got in the way for thirty years, but since I left the Army I have been thrown headlong into quite a few adventures.”
“Yeah,” Alicia said wistfully. “And most of them were cool.”
Drake knew she was thinking about her last op as part of the Gold Team, where Zack Healey had been killed. The young man’s death haunted her daily and, though she bore no guilt, a part of her had died that day too. Drake saw the same look in Michael Crouch’s eyes. He cleared his throat gently. “Understood mate, we know you’re one of the best in the world at this kind of stuff.”
“Well, thanks. I try to keep abreast of everything that is happening in the relic hunter world.” He shrugged. “What else do I have to do? Leads spring up weekly, but most of them pan out to nothing. Less than nothing.” He gave another shrug. “They’re a waste of time. But the curse associated with the Tomb of Amenhotep has existed for centuries along with uncountable others, not particularly famous but prominent enough to make certain people in certain circles take notice. Now, when the tomb was found and the unveiling announced I naturally sat forward and took notes.”
“What makes you believe it’s real?” Hayden asked, still unconvinced.
“It may not be,” Crouch said. “But if this is the first seal and, inside, there’s something that points toward a second—are you willing to take that chance?”
“I dunno,” Kenzie said. “What is this curse?”
Crouch spoke from memory. “Translated into modern English it reads: Find the seven seals for seven tombs and settle the fate of men. Follow the lost symbol that entombs the Ancient Doomsday Machine. Break the seven seals of Egypt and start the End of Times.”
“Crap,” Drake said, shaking his head. “Even cast out as we are we still end up in the middle of it.”
“I wouldn’t have sought you out now, traveled all this way, if it weren’t vital.”
“I know that,” Drake said. “But you’re still playing a hunch.”
“There’s no gray area here,” Crouch insisted. “The texts clearly state that the Tomb of Amenhotep guards the first seal. Nobody knew of this tomb until quite recently. The fact that we now know it exists gives credibility to the text and the seven seals curse.”
“But an ancient doomsday machine?” Dahl said. “Come on, man.”
Crouch shrugged. “I’ve seen less believable theories proved true. And so have you. I’m convinced we have to be there at the unveiling and get a look at this tomb before anyone else. We don’t know what we’re looking for, we don’t know what we’ll find there, but it’s the ‘better safe than sorry’ principle I’m convinced we should follow.”
“It may not even exist,” Kenzie protested softly. “And you want all of us to walk right in there?”
“I don’t know you,” Crouch studied the Israeli. “But I assume since you’re here, you’re good. I believe we—”
“Sorry,” Alicia suddenly interrupted. “We forgot to introduce you. Kenzie, this is Michael Crouch, ex-SAS and Ninth Division commander. Michael, this is Bridget McKenzie, Dahl’s new whore.”
The Swede closed his eyes in resignation. Kenzie watched his reaction and then added no more. Crouch shook his head at Alicia.
“Still good at making friends, I see. As I was saying, I believe we need the whole team in place, ready, in case the so-called curse proves to be true. You can be assured there will be others present and prepared to hunt for this doomsday machine. You can be assured there will be corrupt organizations represented, with similar orders. Our enemies will be crawling all over this, folks. I think we need to look sharp about it too.”
“You don’t want to chance it that someone ancient planted a series of clues that leads to a terrible, hidden power,” Hayden said. “I get that, and understand. But still . . . it’s a risk. Even government-sanctioned SPEAR might not have been sent to this party.”
“It’s true,” Mai said as Yorgi nodded. “Sometimes, we do find it hard to play well with others.”
“Yeah, but that’s because the others are assholes,” Smyth growled. “All of ’em.”
Mai nodded her agreement. “I do have a question for you, Michael. You say when the seal is broken we will find a clue to the second seal. How do we find the first seal?”
“It’s part of the curse. ‘Follow the lost symbol that entombs the Ancient Doomsday Machine.’ It’s saying the seals are the way to the machine, they entomb it. You have to break them all to find it.”
“And the lost symbol?” Kinimaka asked.
“The most famous lost symbol of all time. Of all Egypt and quite possibly of the whole world. That is my guess.”
Alicia grumbled. “Okay, just imagine for one second that I’m dumb.
True, it’s a tough job, but I’m sitting here trying to think of the most famous lost symbol of all time—” she shrugged “—and I’m coming up with a blank.”
Surprisingly, nobody agreed with her. Drake saw even Kenzie was stumped. “Come on, Michael. What’s the most famous lost symbol of Egypt?”
His ex-boss smiled. “Oh, if we weren’t in such a hurry,” he said. “I could have so much fun with this. Of course, it is the golden capstone that should top the Pyramid of Giza, which in itself is one of the most important and famous symbols in the world.”
“Last surviving wonder of the world,” Kenzie said.
Alicia tapped the arm of the sofa. “Until recently. I heard on the news they found another.”
“None of that really matters,” Crouch broke through. “The Pyramid of Giza is one of the most geometrically flawless structures ever built. Countless men and women have devoted their entire careers to studying it. But to newcomers, or if you look at a photo, one thing is plainly obvious. It has no top.”
Drake sipped at a bottle of water and checked to make sure Kinimaka and Smyth were ready to check the perimeter. Hayden gave them a nod and they were out the door. No point playing the odds now.
Crouch continued. “It’s the most famous missing treasure of Planet Earth.”
Alicia coughed. “Now hold on a minute—”
“This month at least,” Crouch amended with a small smile. “But the Giza capstone was reputed to be made of solid gold. Of course, it may have been looted; it may never have existed; it may be lying in a rich man’s collection somewhere or even buried under tons of sand. In truth, the pyramid is a thirteen-acre, six-million-ton puzzle; larger than life and impossibly perfect.”
“Looted?” Kenzie asked. “How on earth would anyone ever accomplish that?”
Alicia stared. “You’re the expert. You tell us.”
“But of course she is right.” Crouch nodded. “The capstone would have weighed many tons, even if it was smaller than many think. You see, I believe not only capstone is missing but several more layers of stones. It would have stood six to nine meters high atop the Giza pyramid . . .” He let that sink in for a while.
“Isn’t the capstone one of the most important parts of a pyramid?” Dahl asked.
The Seven Seals of Egypt (Matt Drake Book 17) Page 2