“Her home,” Mike said, indicating Shalira.
Everett sniffed and dropped into pidgin Mahjundan. “Sorry, lady, but from my standpoint, this place is no picnic.”
The princess didn’t seem offended. “I understand.”
“You must have passed the storeroom door on your way to us,” Mike said. “The priests stashed our stuff in a room along the main corridor right outside the chamber with the big statue.”
“Ugliest thing I ever saw in twenty years of service.” Johnny actually shook himself, like a dog shedding water. “Creature from someone's worst nightmare. Thing's eyes follow you. Like—like a Mawreg.” Johnny and Shalira exchanged an odd glance, piquing Mike’s curiosity, but he decided now wasn’t the time to ask questions.
“Exactly. I'm supposed to be its breakfast. Got any water?” Taking the canteen his cousin offered, Mike drank a few swallows to ease his parched throat. Then he poured some into his hand and swiped across his forehead, wiping the area dry with the tail end of his uniform shirt. In the process he was able to remove most of the symbol the late Three Feathers had marked him with.
Saium stuck his head in the half-open door. “Are we moving out soon?” Seeing what Mike was doing, Saium came inside, holding his hand out for the canteen. “Excellent idea, Major, remove the vestiges of the evil magic.” He cleansed his own forehead of the red dust in two swipes. Then he offered the canteen to Everett.
“No more guards here in the temple at night, maybe a few scholarly priests. I like those odds,” Mike said, rolling his shoulders, stopping halfway through the gesture as his range of motion was curtailed by the broken ribs. “Let's get our gear. Any other exits from this place?”
“I didn’t see any, and believe me, I didn’t miss anything. Walking straight up the damn pyramid in the moonlight wasn’t my idea of a stealthy approach to a rescue operation.” Johnny frowned. “Too much talk. We’re tempting the Lords of Space by lingering here, let’s move.”
Moving Shalira behind him, Mike checked the hall. He indicated for Johnny to take point, since he had the only blaster. The sergeant led the others along the corridor in single file. Counting doors under his breath, Mike stopped at the one he’d marked in his mind's eye as the storeroom the high priest had opened earlier.
“No key,” he said. “Nothing for it but to blast the mechanism.” He stepped aside and gestured to Johnny.
The Mark 27’s signature whine echoed loudly in the narrow confines of the stone corridor. The lock melted away in about thirty seconds and Mike was able to swing the door open. Shepherding his party into the room, he drew the door partially closed in the best attempt at concealment they could make under the circumstances.
Saium had brought the lit torches with him.
“Lords of Space, can you believe this?” Johnny took a torch from the old guardsman, raising it high to illuminate the storehouse. The room held tumbled piles of gold, jewelry, lengths of fine fabric, elaborately carved statues, bottles and containers of what could be wine or spices. Totally incongruous in this hoard, several black packs with the modest Sectors logo sat in a heap off to the side, close to the door. Johnny let out a long, low whistle. “These guys keep house like my mother! Major packrats.”
Mike laughed as he moved forward to examine the pile of bags thrown on top of yet more treasures. “Well, at least your mom knows where to find her things.” Squatting, he frowned, moving the kit bags aside. “These are ours, not Everett’s, and one’s missing.”
“Maybe the villagers kept it, hoping for a little bit of treasure,” Shalira said. “I heard them arguing about turning us and the entire set of spoils over to the priests. They wanted to keep some for themselves.”
“As long as we have the uplink device to call for transport out of here, we’ll be fine,” Mike said. “If that’s gone, the situation gets dicey. Let’s see if the other blasters are in here, maybe the local guns. We need firepower.”
The three Sectors operators knelt beside the black bags and began doling out blasters and other bits of equipment among themselves. Johnny switched on a powerful light and set it on the floor by his knee, casting the entire room into view.
“I don't think we want anything out of here other than our own stuff,” Mike said, glancing around. “The Nathlemeru extorted all of this from people, tortured and killed innocent victims to acquire this treasure. It's tainted.”
“Bad luck,” agreed Johnny, tossing a blaster from the pack over to Mike.
“I for one don't want anything from this damn planet,” Everett said. He kicked a small golden pot by his foot for emphasis. It rolled away from him, spilling some thick, highly scented oil over the floor. “Just to leave it behind in my rear vids as I head back to civilization.” He checked the settings on the blaster handed to him and then headed for the door. “I’ll keep watch while you finish up, but we need to move, sir.”
“Saium, come get a blaster,” Johnny said, pulling a spare from the bag. “Your Highness, you want my gun?”
“You can give me a weapon, but I’m not likely to be much of a shooter,” she said. “No rush.”
While the men divided the weapons, Shalira sank onto a nearby chest and leaned against the wall, wrapping her arms around herself. She tried to block the vision of Ishtananga dying at her feet. Sometimes sight isn’t such a blessing. Now wasn’t the time to break apart and give in to the emotions battering at her mind. They weren’t safe yet.
Opening her eyes, she glanced at her companions in time to intercept a worried look from Mike. Straightening her back, unclasping her arms, she nodded and made herself smile. He had enough to deal with at the moment without adding her state of mind to his fears. She’d manage whatever was thrown at them next. Mike returned his attention to the matters under discussion and she rose to her feet. Suddenly she had the overwhelming need to be in motion, ready for action.
Shalira paced along the edge of the treasure hoard, somewhat impressed by the sheer volume, but not overly, considering the vaults of jewels and gold owned by her father. Shivering, she took a step away from the pile, overwhelmed again by the price paid in human lives to amass all this wealth for the uncaring god.
No, Mike was right. She wanted nothing from this place except to leave it as rapidly as possible. What was taking the men so long?
Turning to walk back to them, she paused, feeling as if someone or something had brushed her arm. Heart pounding, she stared around, but there was no one else in the room. Foolish, she chided herself. Everett, the new soldier, was rising to leave the room, a blaster clutched purposefully in his hand. Encouraged they’d be on their way soon, she took one step and froze. Something tugged at her, pulled on every fiber of her being. It was as if each cell in her body was inexorably drawn to a lodestone the way iron filings fly to a magnet.
Pivoting slowly on her heel, she ignored a remark directed to her by Mike. Facing into the depths of the chamber, she tried to figure out what had this hold on her. Almost unconsciously she was putting one foot in front of the other, walking into the mess, clambering heedlessly over treacherous piles of coins, gems, statues, slipping and sliding, but always moving forward in obedience to the force pulling her. With no thought of resisting now, Shalira gave in to the will ensnaring her, only raising one hand for a moment to caress the locket of Pavmiraia, silently breathing a prayer for protection.
Blinking, she focused on what had to be the object she sought and eagerly started forward again.
Mike was at her elbow, holding her in place. “Sweetheart, what is it? What are you looking for?” He gazed at the accumulated loot with a frown.
She balanced precariously on top of the loose pile of treasures. Annoyed, she yanked herself free, nearly toppling down the pile of loot. She crooked her finger at him even as the hoard under her feet threatened to collapse. “Come help me.”
He hesitated. “We don’t have time.”
Driven by the need to possess the item calling to her, she stepped further into the room, an
d answered him over her shoulder. “I’m not leaving without this, so either help me yourself or send Saium to aid me.”
Seeming curious to see what could have possibly skewed her priorities so badly all of the sudden, what could make her forget the need for immediate escape, Mike joined her, crushing small valuables under his space boots. She fell to her knees, tugging to free the object she sought from a tangle of other golden debris. He was just in time to catch her as the prize broke free and Shalira toppled over with a small scream.
For one precious moment, she cradled her find in her arms. Cold flooded her body as she touched the treasure. She closed her eyes, overwhelmed by a vision of warriors fighting, then the scene of a man dressed in an ancient version of the Mahjundan emperor’s armor, on his knees, pleading for his life before knives plunged into him—
She recoiled, gasping, yet clung to the item she’d salvaged.
Mike grabbed her with one arm, blaster out and ready to cut down whoever or whatever had frightened her. Voice shaking, he said, “Sweetheart, what’s the matter? I don’t see anything here but loot. What’s got you so upset? Talk to me.”
.Leaning into his reassuring warmth, she opened her eyes, finding the visions and the unbreakable pull were gone. “Do you know what this is?” she said, holding her treasure out to him.
He took an impatient glance at it as he steadied her on her feet, before executing a perfect double take. She was cradling a faceted purple stone as big as his fist, in a golden setting bracketed by two solid gold cherindors, wings spread. The gem was set into the top of a dark wooden staff, which ended in a jagged mass of splinters.
“Impressive. How the hell did you see this one object in the midst of all the loot, and what makes it such a big deal?”
“It’s the most sought after item in all of Mahjundar, the Scepter of the Lost Emperor,” Shalira said. “It called to me.”
Eyes narrowed, Mike touched one wing with the tip of his finger. “So they killed your ancestor and tossed his scepter into this pile of loot?”
“Apparently.” She gave a bitter laugh, remembering stories she’d been told as a child. “So much for all the gallant legends of how he threw it in the Suaga with his dying breath to keep the Nathlemeru from stealing it. Just now I was given a vision of him offering the scepter to the priests, in return for sparing his life, right before they cut his heart out.”
Mike frowned, seeming troubled. He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand, as if to reassure himself she was all right. “Channeling the power again, sweetheart? I think this is a dangerous place to open yourself to unknown influences.” Staring around the room, he said, “Probably a lot of tragedy and horror associated with all this loot.”
Relieved that he didn’t question her ability, she nevertheless corrected him on one detail. “The scepter called to me. I’m not sure why. It never would have occurred to me to search for it in this trove otherwise.”
“I’m not sure I like that aspect of the recovery necessarily, but we can sort it out later, in a safer place. We’ve got to move. There’s nothing else you need to find?”
Shaking her head, she got a better grip on the scepter.
“Good,” Mike said, leading her from the stack of boxes and furniture.
Everett stuck his head in the door. “We’re out of time, sir. Lot of yelling going on at the other end. We gotta find another way out.”
Ignoring the surge of pain from his ribs, holding Shalira’s hand, Mike was at the door in a few steps, joining Johnny and Saium. The sergeant edged out into the hall, blaster drawn. Mike followed, setting the princess on her feet in the corridor. Saium acted as rearguard. Mike could hear for himself the shouts Everett mentioned. Frustrated at the lost advantage, he said, “We’re cut off. And as soon as someone takes charge over there in the other wing, they’ll come running to check on us. Let’s move, people.” Mike gestured to Johnny. “Take point. We need to know what we’re heading into.”
“I’m on it.” Johnny broke into a full run, disappearing around the curving corridor.
“Everett, back him up,” Mike ordered. “Saium, you’re the rear guard.”
Renewed yelling broke out behind them and he tried to ignore his aching ribs, move faster. Saium half turned as he ran, firing the unfamiliar blaster over his shoulder at the newly arrived enemy. From behind, several poorly aimed arrows flickered past Mike, striking the stone walls and falling to the floor. Ahead there was the sudden buzz of blasters and a yell choked off in mid cry.
As Mike followed the curve of the featureless, white stone corridor, he found Johnny and Everett shoving a dead or dying local out of the way so they could pull a heavy pair of doors shut. Behind him, Saium fired his blaster on full power at whoever was coming to investigate. Making a mental note to instruct Saium later on saving blaster charges, Mike pushed the princess ahead of him and through the steadily closing gap between the thick, metal clad wooden doors. Saium squeaked through sideways at the last second and the two Sectors operators dropped a massive iron crossbar into place, sealing the opening as arrows bounced off the door.
CHAPTER TEN
Breathing hard, leaning on the wall because inhaling was like a knife in his rib cage, Mike assessed the room they were in, pleased to find it a good place to defend. There were no other entrances and no windows. The door was stout and made of some iron-hard wood, no metal cladding on this side. Still, with enough time, it could probably be burnt down or smashed through. Hopefully we won’t be here long enough.
As if reading his mind, Johnny pounded one fist on the door. “This’ll hold for a while. Guess the astronomers liked their privacy. But we gotta figure on the enemy breaking in sooner or later.”
“Didn’t Ishtananga say there were two priests on duty?” Mike asked Shalira.
Drawing in huge breaths, chest heaving, she nodded.
Mike issued crisp orders. “Johnny, see who or what’s above us. We need the high ground. And find the other guy.”
The sergeant nodded and cautiously ascended the stone steps, pressing himself against the wall as he climbed, weapon at the ready. A moment later he yelled, “Secure. Found our missing priest. He’s no threat.”
Mike looked at his newest recruit. “Everett, guard the door. Sing out if they make any progress on breaking through.”
The other man nodded, flicking a casual salute. “Don’t forget about me when the extraction ship arrives.”
“No way, you’re what this mission’s all about.” Clapping him on the shoulder, Mike moved to the stairs Johnny had recently climbed. Saium followed him, with Shalira on his heels, still clutching her ancestor’s bejeweled scepter. Johnny tied the last knot on makeshift ropes restraining an unconscious man as Mike arrived on the second floor. Rising, retrieving his blaster, the sergeant said, “I barely tapped him. I think he fainted, to tell you the truth. Going to explore the next floor now.”
“Yeah, make sure we don’t have any other company in here.” Scanning the chamber, Mike realized a feast had been laid out on a table close to the far wall, under a tapestry depicting men and women dancing while off to the side someone was stretched on an altar, about to die. Mike yanked the offending wall decoration down with a curse before perusing the crowded tabletop. “Guess they were planning an early morning feast after they took their star sightings.” Glancing at Shalira, who had sunk on to a low couch close to the stairs, “Want something? You should eat while we have a lull. Keep your strength up.”
“I’m a little hungry,” Shalira admitted. Leaving the scepter on the couch, she joined him, filling a woven, leaf-shaped plate with fruit and a roll. “Saium?”
He shook his head, remaining at the top of the stairs, weapon at the ready.
Space boots clattering on the stone stairs, Johnny re-entered the room. “Two more levels, then the building’s open to the sky. We’re above the roof of the main temple complex. No other way in or out of this tower except for the big door below,” he said. “Unless you want to take the
scenic route straight down the sheer cliff face.”
Mike shook his head. “Only as a last resort.” His cousin nodded in mutual understanding of his unspoken vow not to allow the Nathlemeru a second chance at capturing them. “Any signs of activity on the temple roof?”
“No. It may take them some time to think of attacking us from there. Third level of this tower gets even smaller, with another trapdoor and a shielded balcony. There’s a spiral staircase going from the balcony around the outside of the tower to the roof. Funny design.”
Mike considered. “Sounds like a good place to survive a siege, although I’m not planning to linger. Any cover on the temple roof for them to attack from?”
“Nothing but red clay tiles. Hadn’t we better get a move on, call for extraction? I’m not any too happy about only having one door between us and them.” Johnny snagged a piece of fruit and took a big bite. “Nice of them to provide us with breakfast.”
Mike rubbed his eyes for a minute. “You’re right about calling for extraction. The gear’s in our bags on the first level.”
Johnny flung out a hand to stop Mike from moving toward the stairs. “You sit, rest those broken ribs. Enjoy the lull, like you told the princess a minute ago. I’ll get the stuff and give Everett a quick sitrep.”
When his cousin returned moments later, Mike left Saium with Shalira. Taking the curiously designed spiral staircase on the outside for the last section of the climb, the two operators ascended to the top of the tower. Johnny carried one of the black kit bags. Mike eyed the surroundings with satisfaction as they emerged into the pale dawn. “Signal ought to make it out of here clear. Nice of the Nathlemeru to build us a good platform. Things could get kinda dicey otherwise.” Taking a second, he walked the perimeter, whistling at the sheer drop down the side of the mountain plateau the temple was sitting on. The ground far below was lost in mist. Exchanging glances with Johnny, he said, “Not a very appealing escape route.”
Mission To Mahjundar (A Sectors SF Romance) Page 24
