The Eye of Shiva

by Alex Lukeman

  Where was Afridi going?

  Stephanie came back into the room with two steaming cups. She handed one to Elizabeth.

  "Black, no sugar," she said.

  "Thanks." Elizabeth blew on the coffee and took a careful sip.

  "Do you think Ronnie is going to make it?" Stephanie asked.

  "He's tough. If anyone can survive that, he can."

  "Nick and Ronnie have been friends for a long time. If Ronnie dies..."

  She left the thought unfinished.

  "Let's not go there," Elizabeth said. "We have to wait and see if nature will do the job."

  Stephanie pointed at the screen. "They've turned onto the N5, headed for the Khyber Pass. The only place that road goes is Afghanistan."

  "As we thought."

  "Look at those guns. Why head into Afghanistan ready for a fight? Afridi is allied with the Taliban."

  "Not with all of them," Elizabeth said. "That area by the border is under the control of a group unfriendly to everyone. They're Shinwari. Afridi is Pashtun like them but it won't make any difference. He's not one of them."

  "Do we have any troops there?" Stephanie asked.

  "Not any more. Security was handed over to the Afghans months ago. It never was a safe area and no one has ever been able to pacify it. It's not that far from Kabul but it might as well be on the moon, in terms of control from the capitol."

  Elizabeth peered at the image. "What's he got in that last truck?"

  Stephanie made an adjustment and the satellite picture zoomed in on the vehicle.

  "Tools. Shovels, picks." Warning markings were visible on one of the boxes. "I think the crates are explosives."

  "Tools? Why would he take tools into Afghanistan?"

  "To dig something up?"

  "He could have hidden supplies across the border, but I don't know why he'd do that. His handlers in Pakistan wouldn't care what he stockpiled on their territory."

  "They're stopping," Stephanie said.

  The driver got out of the lead vehicle and walked to the side of the road and began relieving himself.

  "Men have it so damn easy," Stephanie said.

  CHAPTER 49

  Krivi and Rao sat in the back of a cafe in New Delhi. Krivi held a brown pill bottle in his right hand.

  "This is a new medication our laboratory has developed," Krivi said. "It is experimental, but we are seeing excellent results. It will stop further growth of the tumor."

  "Stop the growth?"

  "Animal results are very positive."

  "It hasn't been tested on humans?"

  "Does it matter?" Krivi said. "What have you got to lose?"

  "Give me the pills."

  Krivi set the bottle down on the table.

  "It may make you feel light-headed but the feeling will pass. Take four of them once a day for the next three days, then every other day. More will be delivered to you."

  "Thank you."

  "My sources say you were responsible for the riot in Srinagar," Krivi said. "Is it true?"

  "It wasn't difficult. Everyone was already on edge. I told the commander of the garrison I had definite intelligence the Muslims were going to riot after the evening prayer. I suggested he take strong measures to disperse the gathering."

  "It was well done." Krivi paused. "Have you decided on a plan?"

  "For the missiles? Not yet."

  "Remember, the codes are only good until the end of the month."

  Rao made a dismissive gesture. "There's still time."

  Krivi knew Rao was on edge. He needed a diversion to keep him busy until it was time to send the missile on its way.

  "Afridi has left his compound," Krivi said.

  Rao tensed at the mention of his enemy.

  "Where is he going?"

  "West, toward Afghanistan. He has a dozen men with him. What's interesting is that he has taken tools with him."

  "Tools?"

  "Shovels and picks, the kind of thing you need to dig. Do you remember when we first met at the temple?" Krivi said.

  "Of course."

  "I said that few dreamed of returning the Eye of Shiva to its rightful place."

  "Yes. I wondered how you knew I wanted that."

  "I think our enemy knows where part of the Mughal treasure is hidden and he's going after it. What if the Eye is part of that?"

  The Eye! Rao's heart skipped a beat.

  "It's possible," Rao said. His voice betrayed his excitement. "Afridi had gold coins, old ones. I wanted to find out where they came from before I killed him. I thought they might lead to the Eye. If it's there, we must recover it."

  Krivi nodded, looking serious. "It would be a great service to Lord Shiva."

  "I'll need his exact location."

  "When he gets to where he's going I'll be able to give it to you," Krivi said.

  "If he finds the Eye, I will take it from him. With his life."

  Rao's face was ugly with hatred. Krivi stood, clasped his hands together and bowed slightly.

  "Namaste," he said. "Wait for my call." He turned and left the cafe.

  Rao considered the problem. Only two things mattered. Retrieving the jewel, if it could be found, and killing Afridi. Once he knew where Afridi was he'd send Ijay after him. Ijay was still in Srinagar, waiting for instructions.

  Rao poured bottled water into a glass and took his first dose of the new medicine Krivi had brought.

  CHAPTER 50

  Stephanie and Elizabeth were in Steph's office when her computer beeped. "Cobra is using his phone," she said.

  She turned on the speaker. They listened to the call ringing. Someone answered. Rao began speaking.

  "Hindi, again," Elizabeth said.

  The conversation lasted about a minute. When it was over, Elizabeth called Nick.

  "Yes, Director."

  "Nick, Cobra just made a call. Put Selena on and I'll play it for her."

  "She's right here."

  Selena came on the line.

  "Cobra made a call," Elizabeth said. "I need you to tell us what he said."

  "Okay."

  Stephanie played the call.

  In Srinagar, Selena said, "Run it one more time."

  Stephanie did.

  "He's talking to the same man as before," Selena said, "Ijay. Is Afridi on the move?"

  "Yes."

  "Cobra is waiting to hear exactly where Afridi is going. Once he knows, he's sending Ijay after him."

  "Waiting to hear from whom?"

  "He didn't say."

  "What will he do if they catch him?" Elizabeth asked.

  "He didn't say that either. But my guess is he wants to kill him."

  "Let me speak with Nick."

  When Nick took the phone, Elizabeth said, "Afridi has left his compound. He's traveling in a convoy headed for Afghanistan. Selena will brief you on the call from Cobra. We'll watch Afridi from here. Once we know where he's going or what he's doing, I'll let you know. There's not much you can do at the moment."

  Nick said, "There are troops everywhere and the Indians are moving heavy armor. The desk clerk said that the roads out of town are packed with people leaving the city. What's happening?"

  "India and Pakistan are about to get into it," Elizabeth said. "It looks like the curtain's going up any time and Srinagar is stage center. War between those two always seems to kick off in Kashmir."

  "You know," Nick said, "when I was a kid I read about the Vale of Kashmir. It sounded like one of the most beautiful places in the world. Magical, like a fairy tale for real. I always wanted to go there."

  "Well," Elizabeth said, "it looks like you got your wish."

  "Yeah. But in the descriptions I read people were admiring the scenery, they weren't getting ready to kill each other."

  "Did you hook up with Langley's asset?"

  "Yes."

  "You don't sound enthusiastic."

  "He's an old guy," Nick said. "It's hard to think he'll be much use if we get into it with Afridi or anyo
ne else."

  "Hood says he's one of the best," Elizabeth said. "He got a Navy Cross in Vietnam. They almost gave him a CMO."

  "That makes me feel a lot better knowing that. You'd never guess by looking at him."

  "You know I don't like to tell you how to do your job," Elizabeth said.

  "That means you're about to," Nick said. "What is it?"

  "I want you to wait and see what happens between Cobra and Afridi. There's no need for you to get mixed up in the middle of that. One of them is going to come out on top. Wait and see which one and go from there."

  "Where is Afridi now?"

  Elizabeth looked at the monitor and the image of Afridi's convoy.

  "He's in the Khyber Pass, about to cross into Afghanistan."

  CHAPTER 51

  The Khyber Pass was a major gateway between West and East. The old Silk Road connecting the Mediterranean to China had come through the pass. Invading armies seeking to plunder the riches that lay beyond the snow-capped peaks had fought and died by the thousands in the narrow defile. In the days of Marco Polo and the trade caravans the route had been little more than a steep and difficult, rocky trail. Now there was a modern, blacktop highway. The camels had given way to trucks and armored personnel carriers.

  Afridi signaled a stop when they reached the summit. They were still five kilometers inside Pakistan. Around them the market center of Landi Khotal bustled with tradesmen and trucks bearing goods from both sides of the mountains. Merchants eyed the heavily armed pickups and gave them a wide berth.

  Afridi got out to stretch and look out over the view. The day was clear, the sky cloudless. A constant wind blew through the pass, bringing with it the smell of dust and spices and the passage of time. To the west, a long series of switchbacks descended to the brown landscape of the arid Lowyah Dakkah plain in Afghanistan. To the east, the plains of Peshawar were turning green after the passing of the monsoon rains.

  Afridi thought of his ancestors, warriors among the invading hoards from the west, a scourge upon the Hindu unbelievers.

  With God's help, I will raise a new scourge upon them, he thought.

  All that was needed was a spark to ignite the wrath of the faithful. That, and the weapons to arm them. The spark had been struck at the mosque in Srinagar. Afridi intended to fan it into flames. The weapons waited only for gold to buy them. Gold that lay in a forgotten canyon, mixed with the bones of elephants.

  After the men had refreshed themselves, Afridi ordered everyone back into the trucks. They headed toward Afghanistan.

  Once down from the pass, the convoy turned south and then back into the mountains, following the alternate route Afridi had taken on foot months before. An hour before dark, they arrived in the canyon where he'd found the coins.

  Everything was as it had been. The scar left by the landslide that sent the elephant to its doom was a gray line down the side of the mountain. At it's foot, the huge pile of rock and debris lay where it had fallen centuries ago.

  "Post sentries," Afridi said to Sayeed. "The Shinwari will know we're here. They need to see we're ready for them if they try anything."

  "The men are hungry."

  "Let them eat while it's still light. No fires. Split everyone into two groups. Feed one, while the rest stand guard. Then the other. We'll begin clearing the rocks tomorrow."

  "Insha'Allah," Sayeed said. He walked away and began giving the orders.

  Afridi sat down on a rock, took out a copy of the Qur'an and began reading. He didn't know he was being observed or he would have been less tranquil as he studied the Book.

  On the other side of the Khyber Pass in New Delhi, Rao's phone alerted him to a call.

  "I have Afridi's location," Krivi said. "He's just west of the Khyber Pass in Afghanistan, this side of Kabul."

  "What's he doing there?" Rao asked.

  "Nothing, yet. Setting up his camp. Do you have a satellite over the area?"

  Rao made a quick check. "Yes."

  Krivi gave Rao the coordinates.

  Rao brought the area up on his monitor. The light would soon be gone but there was still enough to see Afridi reading a book.

  "I see him," Rao said. Bile rose in his throat at the sight of his enemy.

  "Can you get to him there?"

  Rao thought about it. The only way was to send Ijay and the Leopards in by helicopter. It meant flying across Pakistan from Kashmir, through the mountain valleys. A night mission was bad enough in itself. With Islamabad alert on the eve of war, there was a high risk of failure. The chances were good Ijay would be intercepted.

  On the other hand, Ijay had one of only two Rudra attack helicopters modified with experimental stealth technology. Even the Americans didn't have anything like it. The technology was untested in combat, but field tests had gone well. If anyone could get through Pakistan's air defenses, Ijay could.

  Rao made up his mind. "Yes. I can get to him."

  "How can I help?" Krivi said.

  "You seem to have a lot of resources," Rao said.

  "A few."

  "My team will have to cross Pakistani air space. Can you distract their defenses tomorrow evening, if I tell you when?"

  "Where will the flight originate?"

  "From Poonch. It's near the border, west of Srinagar."

  "I'll see what I can do and call you back," Krivi said.

  Fifteen minutes later, Rao's phone rang.

  "You have a corridor one mile wide west of Poonch and across to Afghanistan from 2000 to 0600 tomorrow," Krivi said. "Tell your pilot to stay low and inside the corridor. He may still run into problems."

  "Good," Rao said. "That should be enough time."

  CHAPTER 52

  In the morning, Afridi set his men to work moving rocks. It was tedious, hard labor. After several hours had passed, Afridi was beginning to doubt there was more to find. Then one of the men shouted. He pointed at a large, yellowed bone in the debris. They found more bones and the remains of a wooden pack cradle, still tacked with rotted bits of leather. Then an iron box about a foot square.

  Afridi stood next to Sayeed, looking down at the box. His men gathered around him, waiting. A rusted lock held the top shut with a metal clasp. Afridi broke the lock away with the butt of his rifle. He lifted the lid.

  A collective gasp came from the men. The chest was filled with jewels that shone with brilliant colors in the bright morning sun.

  Sayeed sucked in his breath at the sight of so much wealth.

  "God is Great," he said.

  "Allah has blessed our cause," Afridi said. He looked at the sky. "Come, brothers, we must pray and give thanks."

  After the prayer, Afridi picked up the chest with the jewels and took it over to one of the trucks while the men continued digging. He sat on the worn seat in the cab and looked through the gems. Sunlight poured through the windshield onto the stones. Afridi had never seen such beauty. Diamonds. Sapphires as large as bird eggs. Stones of yellow, red, green and blue, rough cut and polished. At the bottom of the chest, buried under smaller stones, something glowed blood red. Afridi reached in and grasped it and took out a ruby so big he could barely get his fingers around it. It was as big as his palm, heavy in his hand. It swirled with color as it caught the rays of the sun, changing from a fiery glow to a deep red and back again.

  A jewel for a king, he thought. Or a caliph.

  In the next few hours they found the remains of two more beasts and six more of the iron chests. Two of the chests had broken open where they'd fallen and spilled hundreds of gold coins under the stones. Three other chests held shaped pieces of reddish gold set with precious stones.

  Afridi held one of the heavy pieces in his hands and hefted it. From the Peacock Throne, he thought. Enough gold to build an army.

  He kept the men working for the rest of the day but they found nothing more. Afridi called a halt to the digging. It was enough. It would soon be dark and the road was dangerous at night, plagued by bandits. Afridi decided to leave early th
e next morning. He called the men to him.

  Afridi went to each man and gave him ten gold coins. It was more wealth than any of them had ever seen or could hope to earn in three lifetimes. One coin would feed a family for a year or more, a village for many months. Any man would be tempted by such riches as they'd found. Afridi knew that a man who had riches was much less likely to give in to temptation.

  "God has said to be generous and to reward the worthy," Afridi said. "You are faithful men and you have earned this gift. We will take the rest and use it to bring death upon the infidels."

  His fighters shouted and brandished their rifles. "Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!"

  "Park the trucks facing out. Man the guns and post sentries," Afridi said to Sayeed. "Then we eat."

  "The men have worked hard," Sayeed said. "Hot food would be good and the night is cold."

  Afridi nodded. "Build a fire under that ledge." He pointed toward a nearby rocky overhang. "Not a big one."

  Sayeed said, "Do you expect trouble?".

  "Always. I don't think the tribesmen will do anything, not against those guns. If they were, we'd already know. I worry more about the American satellites."

  An hour later the camp was settled for the night. The men not standing guard sat around the small fire. The flames cast shadows and light against the canyon wall. The heat of the day faded and the temperature plummeted. Overhead, the sky was deep black and filled with stars.

  Afridi wrapped himself in his cloak and lay down on the hard earth, his rifle beside him. Once, when he was younger, the ground would have felt almost as soft as a bed, a place just to rest. But he was older now. It was a long time before he drifted into an uneasy doze.

  The sound of helicopter rotors drawing near woke him.

  Instantly, he was up and shouting. He grabbed his AK.

  "Wake up! Wake up!"

  The rotors became a roar overhead. The canyon floor flooded with bright, white light. Clouds of dust rose from the beating blades as a half dozen men dressed in black dropped on long lines into the clearing.