Cassie raised the field glasses, scanning the distance until she brought the object into focus. “Rats! It’s Daniel and his evil sidekick.”
“Is anyone else with them?” Griffin asked.
“Just the two of them and the boatman.”
“We must go faster,” Rou muttered. She crept toward the prow to have a discussion in the local dialect with the man rowing their boat. It went on for several minutes.
Cassie watched the boatman’s expression. He seemed mildly surprised and made protests, but eventually gave a nod of grudging consent.
Rou moved back toward the others. “Rinchen, you row too.”
The agent carefully balanced his weight as he stepped over Griffin and Cassie to change seats with Rou. The boatman handed him an oar. It took a few minutes for the two men to synchronize their movements but soon their craft began to gain speed.
“Too bad there’s not a second set of oars,” Griffin remarked. “I could have lent a hand as well.”
“I promised the owner we would pay double to get across the lake fast,” Rou informed them. “At first, he said we are on vacation and should relax. Then I told him we are meeting friends at the Goddess Cave and must not be late.”
Griffin’s startled expression mirrored Cassie’s own surprise at Rou’s resourcefulness. The Pythia said, “You really do think fast on your feet. Your grandfather was right.”
The girl appeared not to have heard her. She’d reclaimed the binoculars and was keeping tabs on their enemies. After a few moments, she concluded, “I do not think they have seen us. They would need spy glasses for that.”
The combined rowing power of the boatman and Rinchen allowed them to pull ahead of the other skiff. As a result, they arrived in Nisai Village first. The minute the boat touched the dock, they all clambered off while Rou handed the owner a wad of bills. They didn’t wait to receive his thanks as they dashed off toward the cableway.
All the way up the mountain, they uneasily charted their enemies’ progress across the water. When they disembarked at the Buddhist temple, Rou used her binoculars to scan the area below.
“They are on the chair lift now,” she reported.
“We won’t have enough time!” Griffin exclaimed in dismay.
“Guys, we have to try anyway. If they see that hole in the wall, we’re done for.” Cassie made a dash up the stairs to the cave entrance with the others following.
***
Daniel trudged up the stone stairway leading to Gemu Goddess Cave.
Ahead of him, Leroy Hunt was voicing a steady stream of complaints. “‘Kingdom Of Women’, my ass! There ain’t no truth in advertisin’. Where’s all the loose females who live in these parts? That’s what I’d like to know. Ever since I got here, I been waitin’ for a proposition to do the horizontal bop with somebody of the feminine persuasion. And I’m still waitin’!” He paused to curse under his breath and kick a rock out of his path. “And here’s another thing. It sure would be nice for a change to go on a junket that don’t wreck my boots.”
“Shhh!” Daniel cautioned.
“Look around, son. Ain’t nobody hereabouts for miles.”
The Scion paused to listen. “I don’t like this. I can’t help feeling that someone is watching us. Perhaps we should have brought Brother Yu along with us to the cave.”
The cowboy swung around on the stairs to stare down at him. “Brother Yu drove us here. He’s got his orders to sit tight at the hotel and watch out for them three suspicious characters in case they’re followin’ us. That’s as much as he needs to know about this salvage operation. The less folks that know, the less I’ll have to kill later.”
Daniel solemnly regarded his companion. “I wish I could believe you were joking.”
The cowboy resumed his upward march. “It’s bad enough we had a third party drive us here at all.”
“Do you really think you could have managed some of those hairpin curves yourself?” the Scion challenged.
“I reckon not,” the cowboy admitted. “Between loose gravel and switchback trails for hours on end, it was like to make a feller dizzy. All I can say is Yu better be keepin’ a sharp eye for them three thieves in case they’re down in the village.”
Daniel, who hadn’t been listening closely to Hunt’s rant, paused in bafflement. “How am I supposed to do that when I’m up here on the mountain?”
Hunt stopped cold, trying to process the question. Once more he turned toward Daniel. “Not you. I said Yu!”
“What?”
The cowboy rubbed the back of his neck in irritation. “Lord Almighty! This ain’t no time to play ‘Who’s On First’.”
Daniel squinted up at him uncomprehendingly.
“Never mind, son.” Hunt waved his arm wearily. “Tryin’ to explain would only give me a worse brain cramp than I already got.”
The two climbed onward in silence until they reached the cave entrance. Once there, they paused just inside the doorway to catch their breaths. Without warning, a dark shape hurtled forward, attempting to dart between them and escape.
Daniel was caught off guard but Hunt’s reflexes were lightning-quick. He grabbed the runner by the shoulders.
“Now hold on there. It ain’t polite to shove folks. Where I come from a body says ‘Excuse me’ when they—” The rest of the sentence died in his throat.
The light streaming in from the cave entrance revealed a face that Daniel knew all too well. “Great God in heaven!” he exclaimed.
“Well, well.” Hunt chuckled and tightened his grip. “If it ain’t little Miss Cassie.”
“Oh crap!” the female thief muttered.
The cowboy drew one arm across her windpipe and pulled out his pistol with the other. Then he pressed the gun against her temple. “Brother Dan’l, would you kindly search this gal for bug zappers? I ain’t fallin’ for one of her tricks again.”
The Scion complied. “Sorry,” he whispered apologetically as he patted her down. He then made a thorough search of her backpack. “She isn’t carrying a stun gun, Mr. Hunt. No weapons of any kind.”
“Gettin’ cocky, ain’t we?” the cowboy remarked to his captive. “You figure I’m so toothless that you don’t need to pack no heat? Pride surely goeth before a fall.”
“You ought to know considering the number of times I’ve dropped you like a sack of dirt!” Cassie grumbled.
Ignoring the comment, Hunt continued. “Where’s your friends? Blondie and the Limey.”
“They’re not here. I’m working this job alone,” the young woman replied sullenly.
“Now how come I got trouble believin’ that?” The cowboy’s tone was sarcastic.
“I told you, I’m alone!”
“No, she isn’t.” Another voice emerged from the shadows along the side wall of the cave.
“Well, well. If it ain’t the Limey.” Hunt’s voice held a note of wonder. “This surely is my lucky day.”
“The name is Griffin actually. Please do try to remember it in future.” Although he advanced forward a few feet, he took care to remain blanketed in shadow.
“So where’s Blondie?”
“Otherwise occupied,” came the impassive reply. “Only two of us will be pummeling you today.”
Daniel fancied he could see the glint of a gold object in the thief’s hand.
“Let her go,” Griffin commanded.
“Boy, I tell you what. If brains was leather, you ain’t got enough to make a saddle for a junebug. Can’t you see my gun pointed at her head?”
Griffin allowed his hands to emerge briefly into the light. “And can’t you see my gun pointed at your artifact?”
Daniel gasped.
Hunt guffawed. “What you fixin’ to do? Kill it deader?”
“I intend to kill your quest. Right here. Right now. Gold is a surprisingly soft metal. A bullet fired at close range will obliterate the inscription entirely.”
“Mr. Hunt!” Daniel thundered, sounding very much like the Diviner him
self. “Lower your weapon this instant. Don’t you understand? We need the lettering on that artifact to find the Sage Stone. Without it, we’re finished.”
The cowboy remained motionless, apparently judging whether he had a clear enough shot to dispatch the thief before the relic could be destroyed.
“I’m prepared to offer you a trade,” Griffin continued. “You may have the artifact if you let Cassie go.”
“Griffin, no!” she shouted. “We worked so hard to find it!”
“Hush, love,” he replied softly. “It’s nothing compared to your life. Let them have it.”
Daniel noticed the female thief’s eyebrows shoot upward in surprise but she lapsed into silence.
“Your terms are acceptable,” the Scion concurred.
“Like hell they are!” Hunt objected.
“Mr. Hunt, if you refuse to obey me, be assured this will be the last job you ever do for the Nephilim.” Daniel’s voice contained a steely resolve that brooked no opposition.
His words had a curious effect on the cowboy. For whatever reason, Hunt flinched as if he’d been struck. His hand wavered and he lowered the gun.
“Release my associate and give her your pistol,” Griffin ordered, still keeping to the shadows so Hunt couldn’t get a bead on him.
“I ain’t givin’ her the chance to shoot me with my own gun,” the cowboy protested.
“Unlike you, Cassie and I aren’t murderers. We simply want your weapon to guarantee that you don’t shoot us in the back as we make our escape.”
“Do as he says,” the Scion ordered.
Hunt remained frozen.
“Now!”
The cowboy grudgingly released his stranglehold on Cassie and handed her his gun.
Griffin finally stepped into the light.
Cassie retrieved her backpack and ran to stand beside him, taking care to keep the gun pointed at Hunt.
“You’ll have to allow us twenty minutes’ head start,” Griffin told Daniel. “Agreed?”
“You have my word,” the Scion assented. “We won’t leave this place for twenty minutes.”
Hunt snorted in disgust but held his tongue.
Griffin handed Cassie the artifact and, with a look of deep regret, she brought it to Daniel. “What a waste,” she murmured dolefully.
Giving the cowboy a wide berth, the two thieves scuttled out of the cave.
“See you at the finish line,” Cassie called back before darting out of sight.
Hunt made a move toward the entrance. “What you waitin’ for, boy?”
Daniel hastily put the artifact on the ground and rushed forward to block his exit. “Didn’t you hear me promise them twenty minutes’ head start?”
“I don’t recollect hearin’ no such thing. Feller stole my pistol and I mean to get it back.” Hunt was on the point of shoving Daniel aside when a noise made him freeze in his tracks.
Voices were approaching rapidly. It sounded like a heated conversation in Chinese between two people.
The men exchanged baffled looked.
“Must be tourists,” Hunt speculated.
Before they could decide what to do, a young couple entered the cave arguing vehemently. They paused, silhouetted in the doorway. The male pointed at what appeared to be a map. The female shook her head and uttered a string of protests.
They both ended their conversation abruptly when they noticed the Westerners.
“Harro.” The young woman smiled cheerfully. Her accent was very thick.
The young man bobbed his head and murmured, “Ni hao.”
Daniel assumed this must be a greeting in Chinese. “Hello,” he responded awkwardly.
“Howdy,” Hunt said, tipping his hat.
The newcomers were instantly attracted to the cowboy’s Stetson. They flanked him, pointing and smiling at his head, all the while chattering rapidly in their native language.
Hunt seemed pleased by the stir he was creating. He smiled down at them benevolently.
“Prease?” The young woman peered up at him beseechingly. “You show us.” She said several more words to her companion in Chinese and he unfolded the map he was carrying.
Thrusting it in front of Hunt’s face, he asked, “Where we?”
The cowboy squinted at it, trying to get his bearings. “OK, my little yella buddy. Let’s see what you got here.” He took the map with both hands, scrutinizing it intently.
In a motion so quick that Daniel could barely register what had happened, the young woman jammed a small object against Hunt’s leg. He convulsed and immediately collapsed in a heap on the ground.
The Scion gaped in shock. The young man whipped a gun out of his jacket. In an accent even thicker than the woman’s, he said, “Money! You give!”
Daniel had no difficulty translating that these were bandits who preyed on tourists. This isolated cave was the perfect location for a hold-up. He took out his wallet and handed it over.
The young man rifled through the contents, taking only the cash and leaving the credit cards. Daniel hoped the bandit wouldn’t look deeper into the cave and notice the gold statue lying on the ground a few feet behind him. He moved slightly to block the bandit’s view. He needn’t have worried. The man was intent on counting the cash.
Meanwhile, the female bandit was rooting through Hunt’s wallet. The cowboy had been reduced to an inert lump on the floor of the cave. He twitched periodically. She too removed only the cash, taking nothing else. Then she stood up and said something to her companion in Chinese.
The two of them advanced toward Daniel. He warily stepped back a few paces.
The woman lunged in close to his face and spoke in a tense whisper. “You go to porice?” She made a slashing motion across her throat and gave a wicked grin. “You dead men!”
Still pointing his gun at Daniel, the male bandit backed toward the entrance. The female ducked behind him.
The Scion could hear their triumphant laughter as they ran down the stairway, presumably to some secret lair on the mountainside. Daniel dropped to the ground in a stupor, almost afraid to breathe while he waited for Hunt to recover.
***
Half an hour later, the cowboy stirred to life. He sat up, rubbing his head. “What the hell happened?”
Daniel regarded him gloomily. “We were robbed. They took all our cash.”
Hunt cursed loudly. “Goddam it! If’n I get bug-zapped by one more tiny female, I’m swearin’ off women for life!” He crawled on all fours to retrieve his hat then, swaying slightly, he stood upright. “When I catch up with them bandits,” he snarled ominously.
“They threatened to kill us if we notify the police or try to pursue them.”
“That don’t scare me none.” Hunt dusted off his jacket with offended dignity.
“We have no time for vengeance, Mr. Hunt. Our mission has been accomplished.”
The cowboy seemed perplexed. “You mean they didn’t grab the doodad?”
“I don’t think they saw it.” Daniel rose and retrieved the artifact.
Hunt walked over to study their latest find. “Well, ain’t that somethin’.” His tone bordered on reverence. “You think it might fetch a good price?”
“My father has no interest in selling it,” Daniel replied inexpressively. “Still, it would be worth a king’s ransom if he did.”
“I’ll surely bear that in mind.”
Daniel peeped anxiously at the cave entrance. “Given the value of the artifact we’re carrying, I don’t believe it’s safe for us to linger here. This region is obviously infested with scoundrels.”
Surprisingly, Hunt didn’t contradict him. “We best saddle up and hit the dusty trail before sundown. We need to get this little dingus locked up someplace safe.”
The Scion treated him to a puzzled look. “So you’ve lost interest in pursuing the bandits?”
Hunt shrugged. “All they got is chump change. We’re walkin’ away with the jackpot.”
“True enough.”
&n
bsp; The two men exited the cave and made for the chair lift station.
“We still have a few hours of daylight left,” Daniel remarked distractedly while scanning the path ahead for lurking assailants.
“I bet Yu can get us back to the big city in two shakes.”
“No, I can’t. I wouldn’t try driving these treacherous mountain roads during the day much less after dark,” the Scion objected.
Hunt groaned. “This day ain’t never gonna end!”
Chapter 36—Scene Stealers
Cassie and Griffin stared worriedly across the table at one another in Cassie’s hotel room.
“I hope they’re alright,” the Pythia remarked. “It’s been hours.”
A quiet tap on the door made them both jump.
Griffin rose to answer.
Rou and Rinchen entered the room exuberantly.
“All is well!” the girl announced.
Cassie stood up and let out a deep sigh. “Don’t scare us like that. We’ve been biting our nails about you ever since we left the mountain.”
“Rou and I wanted to make sure they got on the road,” Rinchen explained. “We rented an electric scooter in Nisai and rode over to the village where they’re staying. Then we staked out their hotel.” He chuckled. “Just like you thought, their driver loaded up their bags and off they went.”
Rou giggled as well. “The one you call Daniel seemed nervous as he got into the car. The one called Hunt looked very sour.”
“We must have really thrown a scare into them.”
“This is hardly a laughing matter,” Griffin rebuked them solemnly.
“Why didn’t you call?” Cassie demanded. “It’s not like the villages don’t have cell service.”
Rinchen regarded them both with wry amusement. “You do realize we’re all about the same age, give or take five years, but you two are carrying on like fretful parents.”
“That’s because when it comes to the Nephilim, we’ve got what amounts to decades of experience over you both,” Cassie retorted.
“You truly have no idea what they’re capable of,” the Scrivener added. “We’ve seen things...”
“I get it.” Rinchen raised his hands in surrender.
Secrets Of The Serpent's Heart (The Arkana Archaeology Mystery Series Book 6) Page 20
