‘Perhaps they are not stopping,’ said Tova, again sounding unconvinced by her own suggestion.
Nina shook her head. ‘They’ll have had access to satellite maps, just like us. They probably think it’ll be easier to reach Valhalla if they go farther upriver and double back.’ She turned to Eddie. ‘What do we do?’
‘They might not have seen the snowmobiles,’ he said, ‘so there’s a chance they don’t know we’re here. If they don’t…’ A moment of thought, then he jogged to a nearby tree and jumped to grab a large branch, pulling until it snapped from the trunk. ‘There’s some rocks overlooking the entrance, over there,’ he said, pointing to a spot about a hundred metres west of the barrow. ‘Get behind ’em and stay low.’
‘What are you going to do?’ demanded Kagan.
‘Cover our tracks. I’ll come up after you when I’m done.’ Hefting the branch over one shoulder, he returned to the entrance as Nina and the others headed for the rocks.
Before long, the rumble of engines cut out. Nina checked her map; from the direction of the sound, the vehicles had probably stopped on flatter ground about half a mile to the north. Assuming that Berkeley had accurately pinpointed Valhalla’s location, that meant Hoyt’s forces were only around fifteen minutes away on foot.
She looked over her cover at the mound. Eddie was using the evergreen’s branch like a carpet sweeper, swinging it from side to side as he paced backwards along the group’s tracks to brush away their footsteps. But it did not take much effort to spot that something had disturbed the snow, even if the bootprints themselves were no longer clear. If Hoyt’s team spent any time searching the area, the game would be up.
Eddie finally backed to the top of the depression. He swept over the tracks at the slope’s brow, then yomped to the others. ‘Did the best I could, but it’s not great,’ he said. ‘Any sign of ’em?’
Kagan had produced a compact set of binoculars and was scanning the trees to the north. ‘No, but I do not think they can be far away now.’
‘Yeah, I know. Unless they all get eaten by a troll.’ Tova managed a small smile at Eddie’s joke.
Silence descended once more. Minutes passed. Tension rose amongst the little group. The arrival of the intruders was inevitable — it was just a question of when, and from where…
‘I see them,’ Kagan hissed, locking his binoculars on a particular spot. ‘About a hundred and fifty metres.’
Nina picked out new colours amongst the white and brown and green. Men in bulky winter gear, most with hoods up to protect their heads from the cold, were tramping through the forest.
Coming towards them. Berkeley’s deductions had been accurate.
Kagan kept watching. ‘I count… nineteen, maybe twenty.’
‘Let me look,’ said Eddie. Kagan gave him the binoculars. ‘I see Hoyt — and Berkeley. He’s got a GPS or something, he’s checking it… he just pointed at the mound.’ He passed them back to the Russian and opened his coat to draw the Wildey. ‘Just want it ready,’ he told the concerned women. ‘I’m not going to start shooting. Yet.’
Voices reached them as Hoyt’s team drew closer. Berkeley led the way, wearing a bright yellow padded jacket that stood out from his more muted companions. Behind him was Hoyt, hood down and a cigarette between his lips. A P90 sub-machine gun was slung over his shoulder. Most of the other men were similarly armed.
‘Pity you didn’t bring that sniper rifle,’ Eddie told Kagan. He watched as the rest of the group followed Berkeley through the snow. The archaeologist divided his attention between the GPS and his surroundings — then lowered the device and broke into a clumsy jog, pointing excitedly at the ashes.
‘This is it!’ he called. ‘Look at the trees!’ He reached the mound and glanced around, then spotted the cutting at the foot of the tilted tree. ‘Over here!’
Eddie drew in an anxious breath, his hand tightening around the gun. ‘If they see our footprints, we’re in deep shit. We’ll have to run for the waterfall and try to get back to the snowmobiles.’
Nina felt a chill that no amount of warm clothing could prevent as Berkeley reached the trench and hopped down into it. Hoyt did the same, waiting for an unarmed man, face hidden by his hood, to join him before heading for the darkened opening.
They reached the brushed snow above the edge of the trench…
And continued past it. The prospect of discovering what lay in the darkness was too enticing to resist. A couple of the other mercenaries followed them, the remainder spreading out around the foot of the mound. Cigarettes were lit, food and drink produced from pockets and packs.
‘They don’t know we’re here,’ said Nina with relief. ‘They aren’t expecting trouble.’
‘Maybe not, but they’re still ready for it,’ Eddie replied. He borrowed the binoculars again. Flickers of light came from the darkness as Berkeley shone a torch over the lead barrier. ‘Okay, they’re having a look at the doors… Berkeley’s checking out that slot.’
‘Let me see,’ Nina demanded, plucking the binoculars from his hands. He made a ‘tchah!’ sound, but she ignored it, intent on discovering what was going on below. Berkeley continued his examination of the slot, then, after exchanging words with Hoyt and the other man, signalled to one of the armed mercenaries in the trench behind them. ‘Now what’s he doing… Oh, crap.’
‘What is it?’ asked Tova.
‘He’s got the sun compasses!’ The mercenary took a box from his backpack, the two dark stone discs inside. Berkeley extracted them and, with great care, brought them together back-to-back. He flinched as they suddenly clapped against each other with a clink that was audible even from her hiding place. ‘They are magnetic — he’s just fitted them together. And I was right, they’re exactly the same size as the slot. Dammit, they really are a key!’
She watched helplessly as Hoyt shone the light on the opening in the door and Berkeley, looking extremely pleased with himself, gently eased the combined compasses into it as if inserting a coin into a slot machine. ‘He’s putting it in, and…’
‘And?’ prompted Eddie after a few seconds.
‘And nothing!’ Nina exclaimed. Berkeley’s expression slipped to annoyance, then confusion. He used his fingertips to edge the disc back out, then tried again with more force. ‘It’s not doing anything.’
Another attempt had the same lack of result. Frustrated, Berkeley removed the compasses, holding them as he began an animated discussion with Hoyt and his companion. It went on for a good minute, the archaeologist repeatedly gesturing at the doors and becoming visibly more dismayed each time.
‘He’s really not happy,’ Nina reported. ‘I think Hoyt wants to bust the doors open.’
‘But — but that will destroy the site,’ Tova protested.
‘I don’t think he cares,’ said Eddie.
The group looked on from their hiding place as Berkeley reluctantly caved in to Hoyt and his companion, and called out to the mercenaries. A man whom Nina recognised as one of the team from the Norwegian lake flicked away a cigarette and picked up a large case he had brought, taking it into the trench. ‘Son of a…’ she spluttered when she saw what was inside.
‘What is it? Kagan asked.
‘It’s a chainsaw! They’re going to open the doors with a frickin’ chainsaw!’
Eddie chuckled humourlessly. ‘Now that’s my kind of archaeology.’ Both women glared at him. ‘Joking, obviously. Well, mostly.’
Nina scowled, then looked back through the binoculars. Berkeley aimed his light at the doors, pointing to a particular spot. The man with the chainsaw nodded and pulled the cord to start it. The machine’s snarl shattered the quiet, a few birds that had been roosting nearby taking panicked flight.