The older man was stunned at first. But as he considered the possibility, ambition reared its head in the back of his thoughts. Sean made a good point. If the ark of Noah was real, and there were evidence, he would be one of the most renowned archaeologists in history. He would be famous the world over, able to write his own ticket no matter where he went. Speaking engagements, book deals, and anything he wanted would be there for the taking. Firth wasn’t a greedy man. He simply enjoyed the good things in life: nice cars, single malt scotch, and homes that catered to his particular tastes.
“Very well, Mr. Wyatt,” he agreed. “You make an excellent case. I will accompany you into the mountains. I hope the venture is not in vain.”
Sean shrugged, giving the professor a look of indignation. He wished he could just leave Firth in the pit or at worst, the next town. But he had a feeling that they might need the professor’s help again if they did find the Ark. Just to be safe, Sean wanted him along for the ride.
“Only one way to find out, Doc,” he replied and slapped the man on the shoulder. “Now, we should get going. If Lindsey is on his way to the ark, we will need to hurry to catch up.”
One by one, the group ascended the steep stairs, back up to the alcove on the side of the small chapel. Sarmen was waiting for them at the top with the same welcoming smile on his face.
“Did you find what you were looking for?” he asked in a hopeful voice.
Jabez nodded. “We think so, my friend. We will know soon enough.”
“Would you all like to stay for the afternoon meal?” the priest invited as he stepped through the archway and back into the main sanctuary of the chapel.
“Thank you,” Sean offered. “But we really have to get going. Maybe another time.”
“Very well,” the monk replied in the same, kind tone. “Please, let me know if I can be of any assistance in the future. And I would like to know what you find wherever this journey takes you.”
“We will, brother,” Jabez assured.
Sarmen turned to lead the way back towards the entrance when a splash of blood shot out of his upper back. He wavered for a moment before dropping to the floor in a heap.
Jabez’s face changed instantly to one of shock as he crouched down to check on his friend. Sean put his arms out wide, pressing the professor and Adriana backwards into the safety of the alcove. Shards of stone exploded off the wall just behind his head. For the moment, the Arab was protected by the rows of church pews as he knelt beside the priest.
A wet spot was forming around a hole in his dark robes, just above the right side of his chest. The smile that had seemed permanently on his face was now gone, replaced by a look of horror as he gasped for breath.
Jabez tried to comfort him as he hovered over. His face had become calm. “Relax, my old friend. Slow your breathing.” He placed his hand over the wound, feeling just inside of the robes with his fingers.
Another bullet smashed into the wall near the front of the presbytery. It was a few feet away from where Sean had taken cover at the edge of the alcove.
“How did they find us?” Adriana asked from just behind him. She had moved Firth back closer to the pit entrance in order to get a better view of what was going on.
Sean didn’t have the answer. “It has to be Lindsey’s people, right?”
“Who else would it be?” she replied with a question of her own as she removed a black, Springfield .40 caliber from the inside of her jacket.
Even under duress, the vision was somehow sexy to Sean. Seeing her standing there next to him, ready to unleash hell on their attackers, was strangely attractive. He shook off the thoughts and withdrew his own matching weapon.
“I see you went with the XD,” he said coolly.
“XDM,” she corrected.
He flashed his eyebrows at her, impressed. “It’s going to be tough for us to shoot through the door from here. One miss and we could send a bullet bouncing around in this place. We need to get to a better firing position.”
She nodded in agreement. “It is unfortunate there is no other way to get out of this place. If those are Lindsey’s men out there, they will have the entire building surrounded. I am not sure we have enough bullets for that kind of siege.”
Adriana brought up a good point. It was one he was already concerned about. There was a reprieve from the shooting for a moment. Sean figured the shooter didn’t have a clear target. Sarmen was coughing on the floor while Jabez tried to comfort him. The Arab’s hands were covered in blood.
The monk gathered his composure for a few seconds, long enough to gasp out a few short sentences. “There is a passageway, under the chapel. Under the altar.” His body racked with another fit of gurgled coughs. “It leads to the outside of the fortress walls.”
The priest’s eyes fixed onto the ceiling and never blinked again. Jabez was holding the man’s head that suddenly became heavy. He gently laid the monk’s head onto the floor and looked back at Sean, a fiercely angry expression on his face.
“They will pay for this,” he said in a trembling voice.
Sean nodded. “They will. But for now, we have to get out of here.” His eyes shot over to the altar in the center of the presbytery.
The object featured a cubed stone base that narrowed into a column, stretching up to an angled podium. It would take both of the men to move the thing, if they could move it at all. The bigger problem was that moving the altar would put them right into the sniper’s line of sight. It would be like shooting fish in a barrel in that position.
“We need to set up a barricade that will give us enough cover to get that thing out of the way.”
He glanced back down at the pew in the first row nearest to him. They had been bolted down, anchored into the stone floor with what he apprised to be one inch bolts. Last he checked, they hadn’t brought a wrench with them. Jabez noticed what he was looking at and produced his Desert Eagle .45 caliber from within the folds of his nomadic clothes.
“Don’t,” Sean stopped him. Jabez had pointed the barrel of his gun at the base of the pews. “You’ll send bullets everywhere. We need to find something else.” His eyes panned across the small sanctuary and found another alcove on the opposite side of the space. The pale light that poured into the dark cavity played on something that caught his attention. An old, wooden desk sat flush against the wall. It would be tight, but it might just give them enough protection from the hail of fire to get the altar moved out of the way.
“That will do,” he stated. Jabez’s eyes followed Sean’s across the room. He looked back over and gave a quick nod.
Sean turned to Adriana. “I need you lay down a little covering fire from behind that first pew.” He pointed over at the spot with his gun. “You wouldn’t mind would you?” he added a wry grin with the last question.
She responded in kind. “It would be my pleasure.” Adriana crouched down and crawled into position. She held the gun close to her face as she leaned up against the edge of the seat, looking back at Sean, waiting for his signal.
He readied himself to sprint across the front of the chapel in a pause of silence thick with anticipation. Then, he nodded quickly at her and darted across the floor. Simultaneously, she whirled around from her position and fired five shots through the chapel entrance. It wasn’t until after the second round left the barrel that she saw the sniper dressed in black, crouching on one knee in the fortress courtyard. Her first two shots kicked up dust around the man with the sound-suppressed assault rifle. The last three were closer but missed, crashing into the block wall behind him.