The Lost Throne paj-7

by Chris Kuzneski

  “I think I can handle it.”

  “For the next few minutes, can you do me a small favor?”

  She nodded. “Sure. What did you have in mind?”

  Payne pulled out the gun they had taken from Petros. “Can you carry this for me?”

  She stared at the weapon with disdain in her eyes.

  “Listen,” he said, “I know you’re not comfortable with guns. Up until now I haven’t given you one because I’ve seen the way you’ve looked at mine. But here’s the problem. For the next few minutes, our numbers will be cut in half. If we’re going to be attacked, this is where they’re going to do it. Tactically speaking, I need to do whatever I can to strengthen our odds. That means I need everyone to be armed.”

  “Well,” she said, “since you put it like that, how can a gal resist?”

  Apollo knew he was outnumbered. His scout had warned him of that. But the beauty of his plan-which was similar to King Leonidas’s tactic to hold off thousands of Persians in the Battle of Thermopylae-was that he wouldn’t have to fight all his opponents at once. He would wait until their numbers were divided, then he would attack.

  Instead of five against three, he would fight them three against three.

  Then he would pick off the others when they rushed into the fray.

  The gap in the stone face was about three feet wide. During rain-storms, water gushed through the chasm like a waterfall. Over the years, it had smoothed the rock and made it slick. Traction was difficult to find. The angle of the hillside wasn’t particularly steep, so ropes and anchors weren’t needed. Still, in order to climb the fifteen feet to the next ridge, they needed to concentrate.

  For a large man, Payne was unbelievably nimble. Most Special Forces officers were small and wiry, soldiers who could run forever and hide in the blink of an eye, yet somehow Payne was able to keep up with them. In fact, he did more than that; he surpassed his peers by matching their agility and endurance and adding a brute strength that none of them possessed.

  It was one of the reasons he had been asked to lead the MANIACs.

  They were a special group, and Payne was the best of the best.

  Using his hands and feet to climb, he scurried up the rock with ease. He dropped his pack on the ridge, and then scanned the nearby trees. With gun raised, he stared into the darkness, listening for the crack of a branch or anything else that seemed out of place.

  But the area seemed deserted.

  “Let’s go,” he said to his friends, who were waiting down below.

  Dial was up second. He grimaced in pain as he used his arms to assist with the climb. Though his ribs were tender to the touch, they weren’t broken and weren’t going to stop him. Ten seconds later, he was crouching next to his friend on top of the ridge.

  “Next,” he said to Allison.

  She nodded and tucked the gun into her belt, nervous about the task at hand. Unlike the men, who had all been trained in one service academy or another, she had no experience with climbing-unless she counted gym class in junior high. She was in good shape from her frequent jogs around the Stanford campus, but this was something new to her.

  Rock climbing in the dark simply wasn’t offered at her local health club.

  While Dial stood guard, Payne kept his focus on Allison. In his hands, he held a thick tree limb that he had found nearby on the ground. If she struggled during her ascent, she could grab hold of it, and he could pull her up. “Don’t stop. Just keep moving forward.”

  She followed his instructions, churning one leg after the other, using her hands to steady herself against the side of the chasm, never pausing to think. Her foot slipped once on the slick surface, but she maintained her balance with her arms and made it to the top without help.

  “That was fun,” she said with a smile.

  “I’m glad,” Payne said. “Now stand over there so Marcus can take his turn.”

  Allison nodded and shuffled off to the side.

  A moment later, the Spartans started their attack.

  72

  Allison saw the Spartan before anyone else. He burst from the trees, twenty feet away from her. His shield was in one hand, his sword in the other. Since her gun was still tucked in her belt, she did the only thing she could think of. She screamed as loudly as she could.

  Payne whirled in her direction and spotted the Spartan who was sprinting at them. Unable to pull his gun in time, Payne stepped in front of Allison and lowered his shoulder, hoping to duck under the Spartan’s shield. A moment before impact, Payne arched his back as if he was going to tackle him. But instead of wrapping his arms, he thrust his shoulders upward, slamming the tree branch that he still held into his opponent’s legs. The force, coupled with the Spartan’s momentum, launched the soldier high into the air and over the edge of the ridge.

  Jones, who had heard Allison’s scream, was on full alert when the Spartan took flight. Like a superhero out of control, the Spartan crashed into a nearby tree and landed roughly on the ground as his helmet bounced down the hill.

  But Jones showed no sympathy for him.

  He stood over him and ended his life with a bullet between the eyes.

  Meanwhile, on the ridge above, the other two Spartans charged into battle. Both of them had learned from the hoplite’s mistake, so they approached quickly yet under control. Shields in front of them, swords ready to strike, prepared to fight to the death.

  Ready for a challenge, Apollo went after Payne. During the past few minutes, he had watched Payne and knew he was their leader. They were roughly the same size and build, and both of them moved with dexterity. The main difference was in their training.

  Apollo had learned his skills from the greatest warrior culture of all time.

  His opponent had not.

  In Apollo’s mind, the outcome was all but decided.

  Before Payne could recover from the previous assault, Apollo was upon him. Using his shield as a battering ram, he launched himself into Payne, knocking him onto his back. Payne skidded to a halt a few feet short of the chasm. A second later, Apollo was above him, swinging his sword as hard as he could. Somehow, through it all, Payne had held on to the tree limb. It was sturdy and knotted with age. He lifted it above his chest just in time to stop the path of the blade.

  A mighty thump echoed through the night as the wood splintered from the force.

  The unexpected block left the Spartan off balance. His weight was leaning forward, and his stride was too wide. Payne spotted the flaw and quickly took advantage. With a sweep of his feet, he knocked Apollo to the ground and rolled on top of him. The limb that had once been whole was now in two pieces. Payne dropped one and used the other like a crazed drummer. Time after time, he pounded on his opponent’s head and face, trying to beat him to death.

  But the Spartan’s helmet held firm.

  Though he was dazed, years of training told Apollo what to do. With all his strength, he used his hips to thrust upward, bucking Payne into the air. The maneuver worked better than he could have imagined. The slope of the hill coupled with the edge of the ridge cost Payne his advantage. One moment he was pummeling the Spartan, the next he was tumbling down the chasm, losing chunks of skin as he bounced between the narrow rocks.

  With a loud thud, Payne hit the ground below.

  Andropoulos reached down to help him, but his hand was pushed away.

  Payne simply said, “That son of a bitch!”

  Then, riding a burst of rage, he scurried back up the chasm.

  Ready for round two.

  Dial had his own battle to worry about. He had turned toward Allison when she screamed, which had allowed the other Spartan to slip in behind him.

  Sword raised high, the Spartan was set to strike when Dial heard the clanging of armor. Instinctively, he dropped to his knees as the Spartan’s blade whizzed overhead. Momentum carried the warrior forward, but he remained balanced and under control. Planting his front foot and turning, he put himself into position to swing again.
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br />   Dial lifted his gun and got off a single shot that was deflected by the Spartan’s shield. A moment later he used his shield as a weapon, slamming it against the side of Dial’s head.

  Stunned by the blow, Dial slumped to the ground.

  Blood oozed from a gash on his cheek as he tried to regain his senses.

  But the Spartan wouldn’t allow it. Even in the darkness, he recognized the dazed look in his opponent’s eyes. He knew it was time to finish him off.

  With that in mind, the Spartan lifted his sword and prepared to strike.

  After knocking Payne down the chasm, Apollo grinned in triumph. His opponent had been a worthy adversary, but like all the others before him, he had been vanquished.

  Rising to his feet, Apollo searched the ridge for his next victim.

  Only one person was not engaged in battle.

  The woman.

  The thought of fighting her disgusted him. His ancestors never had to deal with women on the battlefield, since they were all forced to stay at home. In his mind, they were good for only one thing: breeding. That had always been the Spartans’ stance on women. Mothers were loved. Wives were tolerated. And girls were a wasted opportunity to have had a son.

  Still, in this day and age of modern weaponry, he knew women could be dangerous. They could pull a trigger just as easily as a man. Therefore, she couldn’t be overlooked.

  She would be treated like all the others.

  She would have to be killed at once.

  Dial was dazed from the blow to his head, but somehow his instincts took over.

  As the Spartan raised his sword, Dial raised his gun and fired two quick shots, just over the top of the shield. The first bullet hit the Spartan in his collarbone, shattering it with a sickening snap. The next one struck him right in the mouth. Teeth cracked like crushed ice and embedded themselves in the lining of his throat as the bullet tore through the back of his neck.

  This wasn’t the movies, so the Spartan didn’t fly ten feet backward and die quietly.

  Instead, he slumped forward on top of Dial, pinning him to the ground. The whole time the Spartan was spitting and gurgling and trying to breathe, and Dial was trapped underneath.

  For the next twelve seconds, he listened to the man choking on his own blood until Dial was able to squirm away. Once he did, he fired his weapon again and ended the Spartan’s life.

  Allison watched in horror as Payne tumbled down the chasm. A moment earlier, he had stepped in front of her and saved her from the muscular Spartan.

  Now he was gone, she was alone, and Apollo was closing in.

  Things did not look promising.

  The last time she had fired a gun was at a summer carnival. And it hadn’t even been a real gun. It had been an air rifle in one of those stupid games where the goal was to win a prize.

  Other than that, she had no experience with weapons.

  She just didn’t like them. In fact, she hated the damn things.

  But in this situation, she realized her gun was her new best friend.

  Grabbing it from her belt, she pointed it at Apollo, who crouched low in the darkness. He held his shield in front of him, giving her nothing to aim at. All she could see was the tip of his sword and the red plume of horsehair that stood above his helmet.

  Still, she knew she shouldn’t wait for him to get any closer.

  So Allison pulled the trigger.

  The gun roared, and when it did, it jerked wildly in her hand. The bullet sailed high and wide, nowhere near her target-a common mistake for an amateur.

  Undaunted, she squeezed the trigger a second time but with a similar result.

  She wasn’t even close.

  Apollo smirked at her incompetence and raised his sword behind him.

  With a mighty swing, he used the broadside of his blade to knock the weapon from her hand. Metal hit metal with a loud clang, and the gun bounced harmlessly to the ground.

  “Stupid whore,” he growled in Laconian.

  Then he lifted his sword again.

  Payne scurried up the chasm like a wild animal. Blood dripping, muscles straining, fueled by pure adrenaline. His friends were in danger, and that was unacceptable.

  At the top of the ridge, he glanced to his right and realized Dial was safe.

  Spinning quickly, he searched for Allison and saw Apollo primed to strike. The Spartan leader was positioned perfectly. His shield protected everything from his knees to his nose. His helmet covered his head, and his greaves guarded his shins. The only gaps in his armor were the slits for his eyes and the sandals on his feet.

  For Payne, it was a simple decision. He took the easiest shot available.

  Aiming low, he fired three times at Apollo’s feet. The first round missed in the darkness, but the second and third shots hit their targets. The muscular Spartan refused to scream as he fell to the ground in agony. When he did, his shield dipped ever so slightly, and Payne took full advantage.

  He steadied his weapon and squeezed the trigger with one thought in mind.

  This Spartan needed to die.

  73

  After the battle, Payne and Jones looked at the map and determined the cave was less than thirty minutes away. That is, if the map was accurate. The truth was they weren’t sure how Schliemann knew about the treasure’s location. That hadn’t been revealed during their research. Still, they knew that Richard Byrd and the person who’d had him killed believed in the treasure. Apparently so did the Spartans-although all of them had died before they could be interrogated.

  The group continued on in silence, some of them nursing their wounds. Dial held a cloth against his right cheek, which had been gashed by a Spartan shield. His ribs and back throbbed as well, but he never complained. Neither did Payne, who had a wide assortment of cuts and bruises from his tumble off the ridge. But as things stood, he’d fared a lot better than the men he had defeated.

  As they climbed higher, Payne noticed a distinct change in the scenery. Trees were far less frequent, and flowers were virtually nonexistent. The same with grass and weeds. In a matter of hours, they had gone from the lush surroundings of the Aegean to a stark landscape reminiscent of the moon. Everywhere he looked he saw rocks and craters and few signs of life.

  No wonder the Greeks chose this spot to hide a treasure.

  There was no reason to come up here, except to get away from the world.

  “Jon,” Allison called from behind.

  Payne stopped and turned around. She was pointing at a spot to the east.

  “Is that a cave?” she asked.

  Payne shined his flashlight in that direction. From where he was, he couldn’t be sure. But it certainly looked like one. “Wait here. I’ll go check.”

  “Hold on,” Jones said from the rear of the group. “I’m coming with you.”

  Payne smirked and waited for Jones. “How’d I know you’d want to come?”

  “If you think I’m going to let you discover this alone, you’re crazy.”

  “Wait,” Allison said. “I’m coming, too.”

  Payne lowered his head in defeat. “Fine! Everyone can come. The more the merrier.”

  Dial smiled and patted Payne on his shoulder. “I’m glad to hear you say that. I was beginning to feel left out.”

  Andropoulos nodded his head. “Me too.”

  Payne laughed at their enthusiasm. No one had talked in several minutes, now everyone was begging to be included. Then again, he could hardly blame them.

  He was also excited about the possibilities.

  “Hey, Marcus,” Payne said. “You’re Greek, right?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “What type of animals might live up here?”

  “Wolves.”

  Payne nodded. “That’s what I thought. Everyone stay alert.”

  The group moved in unison, each of them searching the surrounding rocks for any sign of trouble. Above them to their left, they could see the towering peaks of Mount Athos in the pale moonlight. To their rig
ht was the steep slope that they had just conquered. Payne tried to imagine a forty-foot statue being hauled up the mountainside by the Ancient Greeks. It seemed unlikely. Then again, modern-day historians still don’t know how the Egyptians moved the massive stones that were used to build the Pyramids. So anything was possible.

  Well, almost anything.

  Because the closer Payne got to the cave, the more confident he became that the lost throne was not inside. It couldn’t be. At least not in one piece. Simple geometry assured him of that.

  The mouth of the cave was roughly five feet wide and six feet tall. To get through the narrow opening, Payne had to duck down so he wouldn’t hit his head on the jagged rock above. Before entering, he shined his light into the interior and saw nothing but darkness.

  No walls. No ceiling. Nothing but empty space.

  It gave him hope that the cave opened wider.

  Taking a deep breath, he crossed the threshold, wondering what he might find inside. He hoped it wouldn’t be similar to the last cave he had explored, which had been on Jeju, a tiny island in South Korea. The U.S. Army had asked him and Jones to investigate the disappearance of an ex-MANIAC, and when they arrived at the scene, the entire cavern had been bathed in blood. The stench of decomposition had lingered on their skin and hair for nearly a week.

  Shining his light along the ground, he noticed a thin layer of gray dust. He crouched down and touched it with his fingers. It was coarse and similar in color to the natural stone.

  “What is it?” Allison whispered.

  “I don’t know. It almost feels like-”

  Payne stopped and signaled for everyone to be quiet. Suddenly, the dust’s composition was less important than what he had noticed in its surface. A set of footprints.

  He crouched lower and examined them. They were human and pointing forward. The person’s stride had been short and was accompanied by a secondary pattern on the left. It was circular and infrequent. Something man-made. Perhaps a walking stick. Or a spear. Payne couldn’t tell for sure. But he was certain of one thing: there were no tracks going out.