Camilla looked at her husband with contempt. Others may not have noticed, but Zane did. It was obvious leaving them in the pit hadn’t been her idea.
“Forgive me for not trusting your ability to predict the future,” Zane said. “Your record isn’t very good so far.”
Roger glowered at him. “Oh, you’ll die. And I’m going to be there to enjoy it.”
“We’ll all be there to enjoy it,” Viktor said.
“I hope you’ll forgive me, but I’ve already made other plans.” Zane gave him a quick wink.
Viktor laughed. “All eight of you have an appointment with death.” He looked at Carmen again. “Or maybe seven if this one calms down.”
“You son of a…” Zane surged forward, but was pushed back again.
“I think I’d rather die.” Carmen sneered.
“Playing hard to get.” Viktor tapped her nose with a finger. “That’s fine, I’m an acquired taste.”
“You’re a sick bastard,” Carmen said.
“Sick? Maybe a little.” He held her gaze. “But I know what I like.”
“And I know what I don’t like.”
Before Viktor could respond, a member of his council came up and whispered in his ear. When he finished, Viktor looked at the Lawsons. “The preparatory prayers are now complete. Come.”
As Roger and Camilla moved off toward the gate, Viktor addressed his followers. “It is time to enter the holy place. Prepare yourselves.”
Viktor joined the Lawsons at the back of the alcove. He said something to Roger, who signaled two guards who were standing guard over a large black case. After shouldering their rifles, they picked up the case and followed him to a stone obelisk at the right of the cave mouth. Zane hadn’t noticed the obelisk before. It looked like a miniature version of the one at the Vatican. There was something etched on its surface, although he couldn’t tell what it was.
Roger opened the case and carefully removed something. Zane squinted. The relic. After examining it for a moment, Lawson crossed to the obelisk. Although his body blocked the view, it seemed as though he pressed it into the pillar.
Amanda leaned closer to Zane. “The key.”
A moment later, the obelisk began to shine. A gasp ran through the crowd. Something was happening. Roger backed away. A kaleidoscope of colors came out of the obelisk, exotic hues of blue and brown. A few were unlike any Zane had ever seen. Despite the sinister purpose, he found the mosaic beautiful beyond comprehension. It was as though the luminescence shone out of heaven itself.
Fascinated by the sight, Zane remembered the photograph of the relic and the precious jewels encrusting its surface. Those same stones lit with brilliance.
“My heavens,” Amanda said.
A loud hum echoed across the alcove. The ground shook, causing the guards to lift their rifles.
“The gate… it’s moving,” Amanda said.
The black wall covering the cave mouth slid slowly to the left as the relic opened the gate. Viktor and Roger approached with flashlights, waving the beams around in the dark interior. The crowd gasped as the rock walls of a cave came into view. While hard to see, the floor seemed to run downward at a steep pitch.
This might be the distraction they were looking for. Zane shifted his focus to their immediate surroundings. Two guards stood about five yards away, their attention focused on what was happening at the gate. It was exactly what he’d hoped. Now, if they could just get out of their cuffs…
Suddenly, Zane remembered something. It seemed so obvious he was shocked he hadn’t thought of it before. He got everyone’s attention and indicated they should move closer. Once they were gathered around, he looked at Keiko. “I assume you’ll have no trouble breaking your cuffs.”
“Already done, sir.” Keiko held out her unencumbered hands. “I snapped them off the minute we were put against the wall.”
“Excellent.” If the situation weren’t so serious, he would’ve laughed. “Listen up. We need to make our move now.”
The guards still faced the opposite direction, so Zane whispered a brief set of instructions. When he finished, he signaled Keiko to begin unfastening their cuffs. She did as instructed, snapping the plastic ties one by one. A minute later, they were all free.
“Keep your hands positioned as though you’re still tied up,” Zane whispered. If this had all happened in broad daylight, his plan would have little chance of succeeding. But here in the darkness was a different story. In fact, Zane liked their chances better now than he did before they were captured. For one, they were closer to their comrades. Two, the guards in front of them were turned in the other direction. The primary issue now was execution.
Zane signaled Keiko to take action. After a brief check of the area, she stepped from the wall and slipped up behind the nearest guard. Thankfully, the darkness helped mask her movement. With the speed of a jungle cat, she clamped a hand over his mouth with one hand, while delivering a crushing blow to his head with the other. As he sank to the ground, she took the rifle from his hands. She unleashed a spray of bullets, mowing down all the guards in the vicinity.
The sound of gunfire triggered the pandemonium Zane had hoped for. The crowd yelled and screamed. Some ran. Viktor, Roger, and Camilla came out of the cave, clueless as to what was going on.
On cue, Zane and Carmen grabbed the rifles off the dead guards and ran behind a row of massive stalagmites. With two quick shots, they blew out the lamps. The only source of light was the relic, and its radiance only extended for a few feet.
A few seconds later, Emily and Amanda arrived at the stalagmites with the captives. Keiko scooted over and began snapping off the zip ties that bound Pratt and Reid.
“Just those two,” Zane yelled. “Leave the other one tied up for now.”
“Where are Viktor and the others?” Carmen yelled.
Zane looked toward the cave mouth. The three no longer stood there. “I don’t know. We’ll worry about them later.”
Some of the guards had finally figured out what was going on and were firing on their position. It wouldn’t be long until the rest joined in.
“Give me a gun.” Pratt pulled off the hood.
Carmen nodded toward one on the ground.
Zane fired a few shots then stopped to assess the situation. He had hoped the crowd would scatter in every direction, allowing them to sneak out in all the confusion. Instead, most had retreated back toward the city, and the guards were now setting up a perimeter along a row of boulders and stalagmites at the alcove’s opening. Essentially, they were being trapped. That meant there was only one thing that would keep them alive.
Zane turned to the others. “We’re going into the cave.”
“I don’t think we can make it,” Pratt said.
“If we stay here, we die,” Zane said.
“Zane’s right,” Carmen said. “We’re cornered like rats, and our ammo won’t last forever. They probably have enough ammo to last all night.”
Zane laid out how they were going to reach the gate. First, they would lay down a brief round of covering fire. Once cover was established, they would all sprint to the cave. Keiko would take the third captive, carrying him if necessary. Zane still didn’t know who he was, nor did he have time to figure it out. If they all survived, they could worry about that later.
After he finished, everyone nodded in understanding.
“Let’s do it,” Reid said.
Zane gave the signal. Those with guns rose and squeezed their triggers, sending a spray of bullets across the stalagmites where the guards were hidden. As expected, heads ducked out of sight. It was the result they were hoping for. Everyone rose in unison. Keiko grabbed the captive, while everyone else sprinted off. Zane couldn’t resist stealing a glance at the lighted relic as he passed by. If anything, the radiance seemed even more beautiful up close.