Quest (Dane Maddock Adventures)

by David Wood

  “So what does it mean?” Tam looked and sounded impatient.

  “You like what you see, but not what you smell.” Dane said. “Sounds like we need to pick its nose.” He looked at Tam. “Go for it.”

  She smirked. “Scared to try it for yourself?”

  “Nope, but if I’m wrong, I don’t want to lose one of my people.”

  “Fine by me.” She strode over the skull and peered into the hole where the nose should be. “There’s a handhold in here.” She glanced up at the eye sockets and down at the gaping mouth. “Also one in each of the eyes, but not the mouth. That’s just a blank wall.” She looked back at Dane. “Mister Maddock, you had better be right about this.” Gingerly, she reached into the sinus cavity, set her jaw, and pulled.

  Nothing happened.

  Tam stepped back, hands on hips, looking at the skull like it was a man she’d just caught with another woman. And then a loud, creaking sound resonated above the sound of falling water, and with a scraping like the opening of a crypt, the wall at the back of the skull’s mouth slid down into the floor, revealing deep, impenetrable darkness behind it.

  A ragged cheer went up among the group. Dane grinned and tossed Tam a flashlight. “In you go.”

  They had to proceed on hands and knees through the mouth of the skull. On the other side, they could stand, though Bones and Willis had to duck down in places to keep from hitting their heads. The tunnel ascended at a steep angle, and Willis, his leg bleeding again, was forced to accept help as they made their way up.

  They reached a spot where the path leveled out and the way opened up into a large chamber. Standing before them were two statues: a horse and an elephant. Each stood about four feet tall at the shoulder. They could see no door, nor any other obvious means of egress.

  “Now this is a puzzler.” Dane scratched his chin. “What’s the second step, again?”

  “The vile Numidians,” Kaylin replied.

  “What else?” Tam turned to Kaylin with a quizzical look. “That can’t be all.”

  “That’s it.” Kaylin nodded insistently. “It was the easiest one to remember. Maddock has them written down if you want to double-check.”

  “No need,” Dane said. Something had clicked into place. “The Numidians were the finest cavalry in the ancient world. The horse would represent them.”

  “So who is the elephant?” Bones asked.

  “Carthage.” The more Dane thought about it, the more certain he was that he was correct. “Carthage was known for its elephant cavalry. It used the Numidian cavalry against Rome early in the Punic wars, but the Numidians later turned on them, and things went downhill from there. When you consider that Rome was the bitterest of Carthage’s enemies, the first clue also makes sense in that context.”

  “You think Kephises is a Punic city?” Kaylin suddenly gaped. “Remember what Wainwright said! Fawcett recognized some of the words the young man spoke as being Punic.”

  “It could be,” Tam mused. “They were descended from the Phoenicians, the greatest sailors of the ancient world. There are legends of the Phoenician sailors reaching the Americas. Perhaps the knowledge was preserved and passed down, and someone from Carthage came here.”

  “That’s how I see it,” Dane agreed.

  “So if these are cavalry mounts,” Tam said, “we hop on the back of Carthage’s finest.” She took two steps and sprang up onto the back of the elephant.

  “You see, Maddock?” Bones said. “I did the right thing keeping her around. She’s our very own canary in a coal mine.”

  His words were drowned out by a rumble as the elephant began to sink slowly into the floor. Tam’s eyes bulged, but she kept her seat. The girl was brave, no doubt. She disappeared from sight, and the rumbling ceased, leaving them standing in awed silence.

  “You can come down!” Tam called. “There’s another passage heading back from here.”

  Matt went down first, and he and Bones helped Willis down. Willis grumbled and cursed the whole way, but did not refuse the assistance. When the last person had climbed down, they took a minute to bandage up his wound again. As they were working, the elephant suddenly rose back up and locked into place with a loud clack, closing them in the tunnel. They could see now that it was supported by a rectangular block of stone.

  “How do we get back out?” Kaylin looked the column up and down with nervous eyes.

  “We’ll figure it out. Don’t worry.” Dane gave her hand a quick squeeze. “Time to move on.”

  “This can’t be right. Tam lied to me.” Kennedy hated to admit he’d been duped, but there was no hiding it from the others. “When I find her, I’ll kill her.”

  “Where do you think she is?” Smithson tapped the trigger of his F88 as if he, too, was eager to dispose of the woman. The three ScanoGen agents were still alive, and had managed to meet up with Kennedy. He’d had doubts about their loyalties, as Tam had hand-picked them for a the mission, but they were all ex-military, and not inclined to take orders from a civilian, even if that civilian was Salvatore Scano’s favored son, or daughter, as it were.

  “I don’t know, but the mission remains our top priority. We won’t seek her out, but should we come across her, your orders are to shoot on sight. Anyone have a problem with that?” No one spoke. “Good. Our first order of business is to find the last landmark, and then see if this Path of Five Steps is for real. I’ll bet we find Broderick somewhere along the way.”

  “Sir, I saw her headed in the direction of the waterfall.” Wesley was the youngest of the group, and a bit too eager, but he wasn’t stupid. “Should we try there?”

  “That’s as good an idea as any. Remember to keep an eye out for Dane Maddock and whoever he brought along. Don’t underestimate him or his companions. They know what they’re doing.”

  “Same orders as with Broderick?” Brown, a big, red haired brute with a southern twang, grinned.

  “Correct. Shoot on sight. But do it right, gentlemen. You are professionals. We want every man, and woman, in their party dead.”

  He bit the inside of his jaw, relishing the pain and the taste of blood. It always whetted his appetite for action. Despite all that had gone wrong on this mission, it felt good to be back in the field, ready to kill if necessary. And now, with Maddock and Bonebrake on the prowl, he had additional targets. Eliminating them would be a pleasure.

  Chapter 25

  They came to a fork where the passageway to the left was guarded by lions carved in the walls on either side, while wolves stood sentinel on either side of the passage on the right. Dane grinned. He doubted he even needed the clue for this one.

  “Time for the third step,” Kaylin said. “Rome is forever cursed.”

  “There’s got to be more,” Matt objected. “You know, something about wolves and lions. This is crap! If we go down the wrong tunnel, we don’t know what’s going to happen.”

  “Don’t worry. I got this one.” Tam smiled, and Dane could tell she was thinking the same thing he was thinking. “Romulus and Remus were the founders of Rome. They were abandoned as babies and…”

  “…nursed by a mother wolf!” Kaylin exclaimed. “So it’s a choice between the African lion and the Roman wolf.”

  “No choice at all, really.” Tam smiled and took the passage on the left.

  The way continued upward in a steep ascent. They must be nearing the top by now, Dane thought. Just then, the tunnel leveled out, but after only a few paces, Tam stopped and put her hands out.

  “Wait!” she snapped. “I think we’ve come to the next step.” She shone her light across the floor. It was made up of square tiles, five wide and at least twenty deep. Each tile had a symbol engraved on it.

  “Too far to jump across,” Bones observed, walking right up to the edge and looking things over. “Bummer. That would simplify things.”

  “This step is an odd one.” Kaylin knelt down in front of the tiles. “Walk safely across the moon.”

  “None of them look like the
moon to me,” Bones mused. “They aren’t even round.”

  “I actually know something about this one from a religions course I took in college.” Kaylin bit her lip, like she always did when she was deepest in thought. “At least, I think I do. I’d hate to be wrong.”

  “Your guess is better than anything else we have to go on,” Dane said. “What are you thinking?”

  “The main deities of the Punics were the god Ba’al and the goddess Tanit. I remember her symbol because I thought it looked like an angel without wings.” She pointed to one of the tiles.

  “It also looks like an ankh,” Tam added, “except for that strange thing at the top.”

  “Exactly.” Kaylin’s voice grew stronger as she warmed to her subject. “That’s the moon clue, I think. Tanit is the moon goddess, and that symbol is a crescent moon!” She looked up at Dane with a hopeful expression. “What do you think?”

  “Makes sense to me. Anyone else have a better idea, or another suggestion?” He looked around, but the others shook their heads.

  “Alrighty then.” Tam rose to her feet with a sigh of resignation. “I hope you’re right.”

  “Wait a minute. You’ve taken enough risks. It’s my turn.” Dane took of his pack and handed it to Bones.

  “No way, Maddock.” Bones shoved the pack back into his arms. “We need you. I’ll do it.”

  “We’re all needed, Bones. I’m going.”

  “I’ll go,” Kaylin interrupted. “I’m sure if I just keep to the tiles, I’ll be fine. Besides, I’m the most expendable one here.”

  “You are not,” Dane said.

  “Excuse me.” Tam moved between them. “How about I just go, while you and your girlfriend argue?”

  “She’s not my girlfriend,” Dane muttered.

  “Really?” Tam raised her eyebrows. “She’s cute. You should go for it.”

  “That’s what I keep telling him,” Bones chimed in. “But does he listen? Not a chance. He’s all about figuring women out instead of just chilling and having a good time.”

  “You two both suck.” Dane looked at Bones. “Give Tam back her dazzle gun.”

  “Are you sure?” Bones and Tam said at the same time.

  “No, but let’s do it anyway.” Bones unslung the gun from his shoulder and handed it to Tam. “You’ve done everything we’ve asked, and you could have easily stolen Kaylin’s gun or her knife when she knelt down beside you just now.”

  “You would have shot me.” Tam didn’t look or sound accusatory, but spoke in a matter-of-fact manner.

  “Yep, and I still will if you try anything, but I believe Bones is right about you. You didn’t kill Andy, when it would have been easier to do so, and that says a lot. Besides, we’re coming up on the final step, and we don’t know what’s waiting for us. You need a way to defend yourself.”

  “Thanks.” They shook hands and she looked at him with a solemn expression. “I want to finish this as much as you do, and I give you my word. I’m not against you.”

  “We’ll see,” Dane said. “Now, I don’t care what anyone says. I’m taking the lead on this one.”

  He focused on each tile, choosing those carved with the Tanit symbol. He could not let go of the thought that these tiles were probably more than two thousand years old. It would be just his luck to be the one under whom they finally broke. One step, then the next. Each stride was uncomfortably long—just enough to make it difficult to maintain his balance. The third tile shifted as he put his weight down, and he froze.

  “Hurry up, Maddock!” Willis shouted. “Even the army boy could go faster than that.”

  Dane kept his eyes on the tiles and saluted his friend with an upraised middle finger. When he finally stepped off the last tile, everyone cheered him with sarcastic applause.

  Willis had been resting up, and he went across next. He had been weak and wobbly on his feet, but you couldn’t tell it from the confident manner with which he crossed the tiles, each foot firmly set in its proper place. Dane breathed a sigh of relief when Willis was finally across. The others followed in short order, with Bones last.

  “Glad you could join us,” Dane joked as Bones made a mocking bow.

  “I just scouted ahead,” Tam said from behind Dane. “It looks like the fifth step is just around that corner.”

  Dane couldn’t help but smile. “We’re there!”

  Kennedy stood and stared at the two paths— the lions on one side, the wolves on the other. This clue had him stumped, though he hated to admit it.

  “What did the girl say, again?” Smithson asked. “Something about Rome?”

  “Rome is forever glorious.”

  “Well, that’s easy, then. The lions, the arena, gladiators. We go that way.” Smithson gestured to the tunnel guarded by the lions.

  “Perhaps, but the wolf is associated with the founding of Rome. Also, the first clue was anti-Roman, saying their funeral pyres were perfume.”

  “Maybe they’re burning the bodies of their enemies,” Wesley suggested.

  Kennedy thought about it. He couldn’t wait too long. Maddock was out there somewhere, and so was Tam. The longer he stood here thinking, they were either gaining on him, or perhaps extending their lead if they had managed to get in ahead of him. Furthermore, indecisiveness instilled no confidence in those who followed you.

  “Let’s go with the wolves,” he finally said. “But keep your eyes open and stay close to one another.”

  Wesley took the lead, his eagerness tempered only by Kennedy’s order to remain close together. He stalked between the wolf carvings, their bared fangs seeming to portend doom. He had taken only six steps when the floor gave way beneath him. Wesley cried out in surprise as he plunged downward. Kennedy dove forward and grabbed his collar a split-second before Smithson and Brown grabbed Wesley by the arms. A good thing, too, else Wesley’s weight would have dragged Kennedy down as well. They hauled the shaken man out of the pit.

  “I guess it was the lion,” Kennedy said, massaging his shoulder and staring down into the dark hole which had no visible bottom. Now he really wanted to kill Tamara Broderick and Dane Maddock.

  Dane rounded the corner to find that the passageway ended at a wall carved with a landscape. To the left was a lake, at the center a field, and a wooded ridgeline to the right. An iron ring set in a round plug hung below each image. On the floor in front of each, a seam outlined a six foot square, perhaps a pair of trap doors. A similar outline in the ceiling above each indicated something else potentially dangerous. He had visions of the floor dropping out from underneath him, or a giant block turning him into strawberry jam. He’d better interpret the last clue correctly.

  “Here lies victory.” He stared at the image until the edges blurred, and the water seemed to ripple. There wasn’t any battle going on in the carving. What could it mean?

  “If it was me, I’d take the high ground,” Bones said. “Of course, they’re probably looking for something a little more ‘out there’ than simple strategy.”

  “I think you’ve hit it on the head.” Dane smiled as the pieces came together. “Before the Romans destroyed them, Carthage’s two greatest military victories were at Cannae and at Lake Trasimene. At Trasimene, they trapped the Roman forces between a ridge line and the lake, and slaughtered them. Some tried to escape by way of the lake and were also cut down. At Cannae, they pinned them against a river, and the slaughter was even worse. The Punic forces gradually gave way until the Romans were stretched out all along the river, and then the cavalry came down from the high ground, encircled, and slaughtered them. Rome’s force was so large, and their defeat so complete, that they say many of the soldiers were just waiting to be killed when the forces of Carthage finally cut through the outer ranks to get to them. They even found Roman soldiers who had grown tired of waiting for the inevitable and had buried their heads in the dirt and suffocated themselves.

  “That’s crazy, dude.” Bones shook his head. “So no safety on the low ground or in the water.�
��

  “Here goes nothing.” Dane stepped onto the square in front of the mountains and took hold of the cold, iron ring. He took a deep breath, turned and winked at Kaylin, and pulled.

  The plug slowly gave way and, when it was extended about six inches, it stopped with a loud clunk. The floor began to vibrate and Dane tensed, but nothing dropped out from beneath him, nor did anything come crashing down. Instead, the block on which he was standing sank slowly down into the floor. Sheer, dark stone slipped past, and a new passageway rose up before him. He smelled fresh air, saw a glimmer of light, and he knew they had made it.

  When the remainder of the group had reached the bottom, they all stared in silence toward the end of the tunnel, which was partially obscured by hanging vines and low-growing flora. The question seemed to hang in the air. What would they find on the other side?

  Chapter 26

  Dane stepped through the curtain of vines and into the late afternoon sun, then stopped in stunned amazement. Below him stretched a valley teeming with life. A stream ran down the center, wending its way between cultivated gardens on one side and orchards on the other. Giant kapok trees were scattered here and there among the fields. He could see people tending to the crops, but none of this was what shocked him. At the far end of the valley, beyond the orchards and cultivated fields, the jungle grew wild in a thick, dark, tangle, and rising up behind it stood a pyramid. Its dark, weathered stone speaking of age and mystery. Trees and plants had rooted in various places on its surface as the jungle struggled to claim it. What was a pyramid doing in this part of the world?

  “Mayan?” Tam asked, staring at it in confusion. “But it couldn’t be. This is the wrong place for it.”

  “Right.” Dane continued to stare at the pyramid. It bore some resemblance to Mayan architecture, but something wasn’t quite right about it. Something about the angles gave it a different feel than the Mayan pyramids he had seen. “It almost looks like it has some Incan influence, or something, doesn’t it?”