by David Wood
Think, Dima. There’s got to be something you can do.
But what? There would be no miracle this time. Bones couldn’t use his stone to call in another pride of lions. And then it struck her. There was another stone within her grasp. She only required the courage to stand and take it.
Trembling from head to foot, she climbed to her feet and felt for the trident. Her hands found something stringy and her stomach twisted in revulsion as her fingers tangled in Noah’s hair. Focusing, she felt along his leathery corpse until she felt cool metal. The trident!
She tugged at it, but it wouldn’t come free. Even from the grave Noah would not relinquish his prize so easily. She pulled again, and it slid and inch, but no farther.
“No, no, no.” She slid her hands down the length of the metal shaft until she found one of Noah’s hands. “So…very…gross,” she muttered as, one at a time, she pried his fingers back until they snapped. She repeated the operation with his other hand and drew the trident free.
Down below, bullets still flew. The men who attacked them hadn’t made it past the ark yet. Maddock and Bones were putting up one heck of a fight.
“This had better work.”
She closed her eyes and pressed her palm down on the point of the stone.
Tyson sprang to the side and rolled as the sharp crack of breaking rock reverberated through the air all around him. He looked up, straining to see in the darkness. Another crack, and then another. What was that? Were the walls coming down on them?
The floor beneath him shook as loud, booming thuds echoed around the room. Those weren’t gunshots; they were deep, thunderous sounds that shook him to his core.
One of his men screamed, the sound dying in a wet squelch.
More bursts of gunfire, but the shots were no longer aimed at the ark.
“What are you doing?” he shouted.
A headlamp flicked on, and in the glow, he recognized Ahmed. Idiot! He’d be dead in an instant.
But no shot came. Were Maddock and Bonebrake out of ammunition? Perhaps it was time to rally the men for an all-out charge.
And then the beam of Ahmed’s lamp, bouncing wildly about the cavern, fell on an ungodly sight.
Three stone giants moved slowly, inexorably toward a cluster of Tyson’s men. They were hideously human in their general form, but their bodies were featureless stacks of shifting stones. The mercenaries gave way, blazing away with their automatic rifles as they drew back from the monstrosities, but the bullets pinged harmlessly off the giants.
As Tyson’s men continued to fire in vain at the oncoming creatures, a single shot rang out from atop the ark and one of the men fell. So the enemy wasn’t out of the fight just yet.
Tyson fired off a single burst in the direction of the shooter, though he knew it would be too late to hit his target. The emergence of the giants had dulled his senses and slowed his reaction time. He had to do something to pull his men together.
In the middle of the chamber, Ahmed suddenly found a measure of reckless courage. He let loose a cry of rage, punctuated with a burst of gunfire, and charged the giants. It was a heroic sight, to be sure.
Until one of the giants stepped forward and brought his hands together, crushing Ahmed’s skull like a grape.
That did it. The men scattered. A few turned on their headlamps and ran for it, barreling down the passageway that led out, the giants in steady pursuit.
When the last stone man disappeared into the tunnel, all fell silent.
Tyson sat motionless, focusing his thoughts. He knew only a couple of his men had fled down the tunnel. By his calculations, he had five remaining. More than enough to finish the job.
“The giants are gone!” he shouted. “Charge the ark!”
Chapter 47
The cavern was quiet. Too quiet. Maddock knew all the Trident’s men had not fled when the Watchers came to life. The rest were still here, hunkered down, waiting to resume the assault.
That was not good. Up to this point their attack had been disorganized, and that had worked to his and Bones’ advantage. The men had been too fearful for their own lives, too cognizant of their own mortality, to commit to full-out onslaught. They had moved around, putting a heap of bullets in the air, hoping to take him and Bones out without fully engaging. Now, with their ammunition dwindling, a full-scale attack would put an end to things.
“I’m out,” Bones whispered from somewhere close by. “Got any ideas?”
“The giants are gone!” a voice rang out. “Charge the ark!”
“That’s it,” Bones said. “Dima, can you bring them back?”
“I couldn’t control them,” came her frightened voice. “I’m sorry. The stone was so powerful. It was just too much for me.”
The stone! Perhaps it wasn’t over yet.
“Bones, take my Walther. I’ve got four bullets left.” Maddock held the weapon out in the direction of Bones’ voice and felt his friend’s hand close on it.
“What have you got up your sleeve?” Bones asked.
“A Hail Mary.”
Maddock ducked as the Trident’s men opened fire again. He dug into his pocket and took out his Noah Stone, the Templar Stone, and pressed it hard into his palm.
From his spot in the bow of the ark, he reached out with his thoughts, searching for water.
It was all around them. It flowed through tiny cracks in the stone up above, seeping down into the pools they had seen before. It moved downward to an underground river far below them. It was there if Maddock could only make use of it.
He tuned out the sounds of battle, trusting Bones to keep them alive just a little bit longer, and concentrated with all his might.
Pressure, like invisible hands, closed in on him. His head spun as the breath was slowly squeezed from his body. He felt the water, he called to it, but would it heed him as it had done for Noah so many thousands of years ago?
More gunshots, more footsteps coming closer. Time had almost run out.
It began with a trickle.
A few fat drops fell on his face. All around came the drip drop of falling water, quickly rising to a thunderous crescendo like a thousand storms.
Confused shouts rose from the attackers, followed by a sharp command to keep going.
Maddock opened his eyes.
A lightning-sharp crackle split the air as the ceiling shattered and a torrent like waterfall gushed down from above.
The bullets stopped flying. Lights flickered on as the surviving men tried to comprehend what was happening. Nearby, Bones had dropped the Walter and was struggling to crawl back toward the stone steps atop which Dima waited. Beneath him the mountain of wood that was the remains of the ark shifted as, piece by piece, the surging waters began to carry it away.
Down in the chamber below, Maddock sensed the pool rising, slowly filling the massive space, spinning in a wicked maelstrom. The Trident’s men were now in full retreat. Maddock watched the bobbing lights as some ran and some were swept toward the whirling maw down below. Beneath his feet, the ark began to break apart and he felt himself falling.
“Maddock, you’ve got to stop it!” Bones called above din.
“I know!” he shouted. But could he?
Once again he pressed the stone into his hand, letting the blood flow across its smooth surface. Once again, he reached out with everything he had, everything he was, and found the water. This time, he pushed back against the surging force of nature.
It was like trying to hold back the tide. Pushed forward by its natural momentum and drawn along by the hands of gravity, the water above them continued to pour down upon them. Maddock’s mind was battered by the resistance to his efforts as surely as the falling water pounded his body. The ark continued to crumble and he fell hard, and began to slide. It was hopeless. He couldn’t overcome the force of nature.
But the stone could. He needed to find another way.
He couldn’t close the broken ceiling above them, but perhaps he could redirect the flow.
He cast his mind out, following the water through the twists and turns as it flowed through the broken magma, through the bedrock, and back to its source in the lake far above them.
Find another way.
The lava tubes! The mountain was filled with them. With the full force of his will he drove the water toward the hollow spaces beneath Ol Doinyo Lengai. He pressed it into the tiniest fissures, through the soft earth, through the tiniest crevasses.
As he pushed, the pressure seemed to rebound on him tenfold. He stopped sliding across the floor, held fast by an unseen force. Water sluiced over and around him filling his mouth and nostrils. Heavy planks from the shattered ark pounded his body. He struggled for breath, fought to push the water from his lungs, but he could not.
If these are my last moments on earth, I’m going to make them count.
He poured his last drops of strength and will, paltry as they were, into the effort.
And he felt it.
At its headway, the water broke through. It poured into the lava tubes and flowed back into the heart of the volcano, boiling, hissing, and steaming as it met the inferno deep in the heart of the earth. Fire and water, forever at war.
The downpour abated, slowing to a steady drizzle. Maddock rolled over, pushed himself up onto all fours, and vomited a small pond onto the smooth stone. He sucked in a deep, wet breath, relishing the sweet oxygen that filled his lungs. Slowly, the pressure subsided, the fatigue drained away, and he staggered to his feet.
The ark was gone. All that remained was a tangle of wood partially blocking the passageway through which they had come. He turned around, eyes searching for Bones, and spotted him standing at the base of the steps, looking up.
Maddock took one step and then froze.
Tyson stood in the alcove where Noah’s body lay. He had one arm around Dima’s waist and a gun pressed to her temple.
“It’s over,” Tyson said. “Give me the stones.”
Chapter 48
“Give me the stones,” Tyson repeated. He had tossed his headlamp aside, and it lay at his feet, shining up and casting him in sinister shadow. His eyes gleamed with a zeal bordering on madness. “They rightfully belong to the Trident. Hand them over now.”
“We’re not giving you anything,” Maddock said.
Tyson’s laugh chilled his marrow.
“You will give them to me, voluntarily or otherwise. I have enough bullets to finish the three of you.” He twisted the gun, grinding the barrel into Dima’s head for emphasis. “Starting with her.”
“You think you’re that good?” Maddock began to slowly move forward, mind racing, hoping to find a way out of this.
“I don’t have to be good to put a bullet in Zafrini’s brain. And unless you’ve grown wings, neither of you can make it up the steps in time to stop me.” He sneered, baring his straight white teeth. “The way I see it, you have two options: give me the stones and I let the three of you walk away; or watch Zafrini die, after which I will kill you and take the stones. Make up your mind quickly. My offer expires in about ten seconds.”
An icy certainty, colder than the water that still rained down from the ceiling, enveloped Maddock. There would be no diverting Tyson from his course. He would kill Dima without a moment’s hesitation.
“What’s to stop you from killing us once you have the stones?” he asked.
“Nothing. But I assure you, I only want the stones. Once I have them, you will be as insects to me. Sometimes an insect gets crushed beneath the boot, but often they scurry away into the holes from which they came. I am offering you that chance.”
“Don’t do it,” Dima said. “This is all my fault. I should have destroyed that page the moment I got it.”
“No,” Bones said. “They still would have come looking for this.” He took out his family’s Noah Stone and held it up.
“I mean it!” Dima shouted. “If the Trident gets the stones, who knows what they’ll do? They might destroy the world with them, for all we know.”
This time, Tyson’s laugh held a touch of mirth. “Destroy the world? The stones are not weapons of mass destruction. I thought you were an expert, but you know nothing.” He looked down at Bones. “Last chance. Bring the stones, lay them on the top step, and back away.”
“You’ll let her go?” Bones asked.
“Of course. She’s useless to me.”
Bones turned to Maddock. “Give it to me.”
“Bones, I…”
“Give it to me, Maddock.” He lowered his voice. “I can’t let her die.”
There was such pain in his friend’s voice that Maddock couldn’t possibly say no. Besides, Tyson was correct—they had no choice. He searched Bones’ eyes for any indication that he had a plan, but all Maddock saw there was desperation.
Maddock handed the Templar Stone to Bones and turned his eyes toward Tyson. Disgust filled every fiber of his being. He hated losing, and even more, he hated giving up. There had to be something he could do.
Bones made his way up the steps, hands held out at his sides, moving slowly to show he wasn’t about to try anything stupid.
“That’s far enough,” Tyson said when Bones neared the top. “Put them down and back away.”
Maddock could tell it was costing his friend everything to comply. If Maddock hated surrender, Bones despised it. Maddock moved to the base of the steps to stand behind Bones.
“Send Dima down to us and we’ll leave,” he said.
“In a moment.” Tyson shoved Dima to the ground, took three steps forward, and scooped up the stones. He returned to the top of the stairs and stood gazing down at the body of Noah. Dima sat nearby, frozen in fear.
“The trident,” Tyson said, raising the golden weapon aloft. “With this we shall once again claim the power of Poseidon himself!”
“Poseidon! Are you saying Noah was the Greek god of the sea?” Maddock asked, their perilous situation momentarily forgotten in light of Tyson’s bizarre statement.
Tyson’s lips curled in a sneer. “Simple man. Poseidon is much older, much greater than any of the so-called patriarchs of the Bible. The trident, the vessel for his power, was lost ages ago, long before the fall of Atlantis. It fell into the hands of Noah, and he abused that same power.”
“What are you talking about?” Dima rose to her feet and inched toward the steps, keeping as far from Tyson as possible. “He used the stones to do God’s bidding.”
“That is the story you’ve been told, but it is a lie. Noah thought himself better than those around him, believed his line purer. He committed genocide, used the power of the stones to purge his lands and begin again. The power of earth, water, and life.” He held up the other two stones.
“That’s crap,” Bones said.
“Believe anything you like. The trident is the ultimate power. Look at it.” He held the weapon high. “The power of three, the Trinity itself, sprang from the loins of the trident. Even the holy menorah is the offspring of this, the earth’s greatest force. And now you shall witness its power for yourself.”
“No!” Dima shouted. “Bringing the stones together means death. The Book of Noah said so.”
“Another lie, spread by Noah himself to prevent anyone else from daring to harness the power. His son, the ancestor of my leader, tried to take it for himself but failed. Now the power is mine.”
“You can’t.” Dima snatched at the trident, but Tyson batted her hand aside and gave her a shove, sending her tumbling to the ground.
“Dima!” Bones mounted the stairs but Tyson quickly drew his pistol and trained it on Bones.
“Stop.”
Bones froze, hands in the air.
“It would be a shame if I killed you all before you saw the true power of the trident.” He took one of the Noah Stones and slid it into one of the trident’s empty tines. It clicked into place with a metallic hum.
“Please, I’m begging you,” Dima said. “You don’t know what it might do. You’ll kill us all.”
“I
know exactly what it will do. It will bring us one step closer to harnessing the power of the ancient world.” With a smile, he clicked the final stone into place.
Chapter 49
Maddock shielded his eyes as brilliant light erupted from the trident. He staggered backward, regained his balance, and dared an upward glance.
Tyson stood in a nimbus of gold, head thrown back in ecstasy, the trident upraised in his clenched fist.
“I can feel it!” he cried. “It is so…” Whatever it was, the words escaped him. He turned slowly on the spot, enraptured by the power of the shining artifact of another world.
Dima scrambled down the steps and hurled herself into Bones’ arms. “Isn’t there anything we can do?” she gasped.
“Let’s just get the hell out of here.” Bones turned and headed for the door.
“Stop!” Tyson’s voice was a thunderclap that shook the chamber. “You will stay and witness my glory.”
He loomed over them like the Greek god he so ardently worshiped. The golden light began to creep along his arm. Where it touched him, flecks of gold like tiny stars shone in his dark skin. “Yes! Come to me, Poseidon. Bestow upon me your power.”
“If I had even one bullet left, I’d shoot him,” Bones growled.
As the light continued to consume Tyson, sparks began to fly from the points of the trident. They shot up to the ceiling and clung there. Soon the sparkling light danced all over the cavern, sizzling where it touched the still-falling drops of water.
“This place is changing,” Tyson boomed. “It will be my throne room. From here shall the Trident rule.”
“His throne room?” Dima said. “That thing is doing something to his brain.”
“I think he was already unhinged,” Bones said softly. “Dima, why don’t you see if you can slip out of here? Maddock and I distract him. Don’t worry, we’ll catch up with you as soon as we can.”