by Rob Jones
Eir’s Hall turned out to be a modest affair but no different from the other chambers and halls they had seen since their arrival in Valhalla. There was a statue of the goddess at the far end, looming peacefully above a generous hoard of belongings and tributes. It was surrounded at its base by a ring of green and white candles, unlit and standing silent sentry in the ecclesiastical reverence of the icy chamber.
Acutely aware that Ryan’s time was rapidly running out, Lea began her search for the magical Eirflower. She had only her father’s rough sketch to go on, and fighting back the urge to ask how he knew of its existence, she moved with speed and diligence through the articles strewn around the chamber.
She lifted a bag of silver coins from its place on the floor beside the statue, sure that she had uncovered the resting place of the ancient flower. She found nothing but dust and continued her search.
Lea grew more anxious with each passing second as she rummaged around the chamber in the gloom. Everything in here was lit a ghostly green color by the glow stick she had placed at the pedestal of Eir’s statue. There was no danger of it burning out – it was brand new and would last for hours – but the idea of Leon Smets creeping up behind her in the dark was a persistent fear she couldn’t shake off.
She checked her watch and knew that time was running out fast. She had seen the gunshot wounds when Scarlet had lifted Ryan’s t-shirt, torn into his stomach in three savage punch-holes. She had watched men bleed to death in the desert in her time in the army and had a pretty good idea that Ryan was on borrowed time.
Then, in the green luminescent glow of the stick, she lifted an enormous golden feast plate to find a low, wooden chest tucked out of sight around the rear of the statue. She lifted the lid and the chest creaked open like an old Brigantine weathering a vicious squall, but inside she found what she was looking for.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
“You get anything?”
Scarlet was staring up at Lea with a look of grave concern on her face. She was still holding Ryan’s head in her lap but now he was unconscious and as pale as a ghost.
“I think so, yes.”
Lea dropped to her knees and showed Scarlet the Eirflower. It shimmered in the darkness of the hall.
“What the hell is that?” Scarlet said eyeing the strange flower with contempt.
“The Eirflower. According to Dad’s research, the goddess of healing used it in some kind of ritual to cure the gods when they fell ill.”
“But Ryan isn’t a god.”
Lea looked at her. “It’s all we have, Scarlet.”
Scarlet nodded in response. “And how does it work?”
“According to Dad’s notes, the eirflower ritual involved making it into some kind of wine or tea.”
“Excellent,” Scarlet said with a palpable absence of enthusiasm. “I’ll just put the kettle on while you open the Hobnobs. I thought I saw a packet behind that boulder.”
“No time for your attitude right now, Scarlet. Obviously we can’t make a sodding tea out of it, but the point is it was imbibed by the person requiring the ritual. Dad also says the consumption of the eirflower was accompanied by a sacred promise to take better care of your health and live a healthier life.”
“Seriously?”
“That’s the way Eir did business, apparently.”
“I can accept that. My life moved into the Twilight Zone a long time ago.”
Lea plucked a petal from the glistening flower and swallowed with anticipation as she pushed the flower inside Ryan’s lips. “We promise Ryan will live a healthier life.”
“And stop wanking,” Scarlet said.
Lea shot a sharp glance at her. “Oh for fuck’s sake, Scarlet! Can’t you see he’s dying?”
“You don’t have to tell me, darling. I’ve been the one sitting with him while you were digging the garden for this petunia. It’s just my way of dealing with shitty situations.”
“I’m sorry.”
“How’s he doing?”
They both turned to see Hawke. He was jogging to a stop a few yards behind them and now crouching down beside Ryan.
“We don’t know,” Lea said. “I’ve given him a sacred healing flower. It used to keep the gods alive when they were injured so we’re keeping our fingers crossed.”
“And we had to pray that he would live a healthier life,” Scarlet said sarcastically. “Apparently it helps.”
“What about Her Nibs?” Lea asked.
“She was squeezed for time,” Hawke said. “So she won’t be bothering us again.”
Then they heard the sound of Ryan coughing – gently at first and then more loudly. Some color had begun to bring his face back to life, and his eyes began to blink open.
“Ryan?”
“I… where…?”
“Don’t talk,” Lea said, pushing his hair away from his face. “We gave you a magical healing flower and it looks like it’s working.
Scarlet leaned forward, her voice suddenly serious. “But only on the condition that you stop wan…”
Suddenly a savage explosion ripped through the other end of the cave system, nearly knocking them over. Chunks of rock crumbled away from the roof of the Hall and fell to the floor with a mighty smack.
“Sala’s revenge,” Hawke said. “That little bastard Smets must have hit the timer.”
“We have to get out of here!” Scarlet said. “If that thing blows the rocks down between us and the sub we’re all dead.”
Another explosion tore through the cavern, this time bringing down tons of rocks and blocking the tunnel between the fleeing ECHO team and the subs in the first cave.
Hawke raised an eyebrow. “You were saying?”
While aware of the explosions and the conversation between Hawke and Scarlet, Lea’s mind was still focussed on Ryan. She watched in awe as the bullet holes in his stomach began to fade and heal over, almost like watching a wound heal on fast-forward.
“That’s what it looked like when we gave you the elixir back in the Tomb of Eternity,” Hawke said, placing his hand on her shoulder. “But not as fast.”
Lea stared at the process in amazement. “So whatever’s in this flower must have similar qualities to the elixir.”
“Which is why we’ll be taking the flower back to Elysium for analysis,” Scarlet said, turning to Ryan. “How’s the patient?”
“I’m feeling much better,” he said, while still obviously weak. “Another kiss from you should see me right.” He pouted at her and closed his eyes.
“In your dreams, boy.”
“Ah – but what dreams…”
“Urghh!”
“Okay,” Hawke said firmly. “Time for us to get out of here. Ryan – can you walk?”
Ryan nodded. “I think so, but I’ll need help.”
“Good job you’ve got your mates here then,” Hawke said, helping the younger man to his feet. “Let’s get back to the lake.”
“Great plan,” Lea said. “The only problem being the hundreds of tons of rock that are now in our way.”
“Not a problem,” Ryan said quietly. “But we’re going to need the Tyrfing.”
“The what?” Scarlet said.
“The Tyrfing,” Ryan repeated. “It’s a magical sword…” he stopped and opened his eyes wide. “I don’t know what’s going on inside me right now but it feels…weird.”
“The sword, Ryan,” Lea said. “Focus on the sword.”
“Ah yes – the Tyrfing. It’s a magical sword mentioned in what’s called the Tyrfing Cycle. Svafrlami was none other than Odin’s grandson, and after trapping Dvalinn and Durin, the two dwarves, inside their cave…”
“Are you going to recite the whole of Lord of the Rings?” Scarlet asked impatiently. “Because if you are we really don’t have time and I don’t see the relevance.”
“It’s not the Lord of the Rings, it’s Norse mythology, which means it’s real, and the relevance is that Odin’s grandson ordered the dwarves to forge him a sword that cou
ld cut through iron and stone – capiche?”
Scarlet gave him a look. “I think I preferred it when you were unconscious.”
“And how do we recognize this sword?” Hawke asked.
“Luckily, neither Sala nor Victoria got around to swiping it – it’s over there!”
Ryan pointed a trembling finger to a heavy sword leaning against a pile of gold coins.
Hawke snatched it up and weighed it in his hands. “Pretty solid piece of kit.”
He stepped over to the fallen rocks and swung the sword above his head, preparing to strike the rock. It made a whistling sound as it cut through the air.
“By the Power of Grayskull!” Scarlet shouted.
Hawke lowered the sword and gave her a look. “Really? Now?”
“Sorry. It’s a problem I’m working on. Ask Lea.”
Hawke shook his head and swung the sword again, this time bringing it crashing into the newly fallen rocks. They burst apart as if he had shelled them with a heavy-duty mortar cannon. He swung again and a third time, each time smashing his way deeper into the rock, then with the final swing the rock-face burst open and water rushed through the crack into the cave.
“Ah…”
Rapidly the tunnel flooded with water.
“What is it with you and water, Joe?” Scarlet asked as she desperately clung on to a rock.
“What do you mean?”
“Wherever you go there always seems to be an increased risk of getting caught in a flooded cave.”
“Rubbish!”
“It is not rubbish. If Sammy Cahn were writing lyrics for you instead of Sinatra we’d all be walking around singing Come Drown with Me.”
“You know what, Cairo?” Hawke said, pushing water out of his eyes, “If you were twice as funny as you think you are, you’d still be absolutely and totally not funny.”
“Hey!” Lea snapped. “Maybe a little more looking for an escape route and a little less hilarious banter?”
“Hilarious?” Ryan said. “I’ve seen more hilarious documentaries on the bubonic plague.” He tried to laugh at his own joke but the pains in his arm and stomach brought him up hard with a wheezing cry.
“Don’t you start, you pathetic little ferret!” Scarlet said.
“Hey! I am not pathetic!”
“Everyone, can it!” Hawke said. “Lea’s right – we need to focus on getting out of here… I think I see a way!”
With the torrent of spray in his face, Hawke strained to climb through the waterfall and clamber up inside the narrow fissure at the top of the cave. Looking into the rushing water he could just make out the vague but indisputable pattern of very dim lights up ahead. “Must be the glow sticks in the cavern with the subs,” he said.
Hawke pulled himself up and through the narrow crack, straining his eyes to find an exit from the chamber. Forcing himself through the water he pushed his head out the other side and saw the Triton sitting innocuously in the water.
“All right!” he called back. “Follow me – we’re back in the first cave with the subs. This water is draining out of the lake.”
They followed behind him and found themselves in the large cave at the start of the complex. Sure enough – there was the Triton.
They moved over to it as fast as they could go while carrying Ryan.
“We have a problem,” Scarlet said, looking above her head. As she spoke an enormous crack appeared in the roof and a massive jet of water rushed down into the cavern. “Just like Sala threatened – the place is flooding with sea water!”
The crack grew wider and the water increased in velocity. Now it was up to their knees and rising fast.
Hawke looked at the water rapidly approaching his waist. “We have lots of problems Cairo. Tell me yours.”
“The Triton’s full of Victoria’s loot. It’s gold, Joe. It weighs a ton and we haven’t got time to unload it. There’s only room for two people in here.”
Hawke thought fast. “Not a problem – you and Ryan take it and Lea and I will take the Migaloo.”
“I thought Victoria said that needed a crew?” Ryan said.
“Nah, she was talking out of her arse.”
“Great plan,” Scarlet said. “Except I don’t know how to drive the Triton.”
Hawke shook his head. “SAS…” He climbed inside and activated the Triton, quickly explaining how to control it. “It’s simple, and we don’t have time to piss about so hurry up!”
“I saw a TV show on this,” Ryan said. “I know what to do.”
“God help us,” Scarlet muttered.
They climbed inside and Scarlet gripped the controls as Ryan closed the hatch and sealed it. Hawke and Lea watched it slip beneath the surface of the underground lake and then they swam toward the Migaloo.
*
Scarlet followed Hawke’s instructions to the letter. She had never piloted a Triton or any other kind of mini-sub before and knew this wasn’t the time to screw things up. It was, he had explained, only a case of steering the thing through the tunnel with the diving planes and horizontal rudders and then blowing the seawater out of the ballast tanks with compressed air when you wanted to surface. He had shown her how to do that and it seemed simple enough, she hoped. That plus Ryan’s helpful Discovery Channel contributions meant they were able to make their way to safety.
She steered the small sub through the tunnel and finally she saw what passed for daylight in this part of the world. In her excitement, she over-steered a shallow bend in the tunnel and grated the side of the sub along the rock. A terrible, ear-piercing screeching sound filled the tiny cabin.
“Women drivers…”
Scarlet looked at Ryan. “What did you just say?”
Ryan swallowed. “Um, that you’re a first-rate submariner and thanks for saving my life.”
Scarlet’s scowl turned to a smirk. “That’s what I thought.”
On the surface now, she brought the machine to a stop and called into Elysium to report. Eden was briefing Ben and Lexi on Mexico, but Alex was there to take the call.
The line was crackly but the message easily understood. Vincent Reno was out of his operation and he’d regained consciousness.
“I knew the old bastard would pull through,” Scarlet said, relieved.
Alex smiled and continued. “You might also like to tell Hawke that I have it on very good authority that the British Foreign Secretary will be publicly announcing his retirement in a few days’ time.”
Scarlet took a moment to digest the news. She knew what this would mean for Hawke. “Matheson’s bailing out, eh?”
“Yes, and I know Joe has some unfinished business with him.”
You can say that again, she thought. “I’ll pass it on when they catch up with us, Alex.”
Scarlet ended the call and sighed.
“All good?” Ryan asked.
“That depends on who you are,” Scarlet said.
Ryan looked confused. “What do you mean?”
“Matheson’s retiring.”
“Ah.”
“Exactly.”
Scarlet put a call through to Trond and arranged for him to fly out and pick them up, then she opened the hatch and stood with her upper body out in the fresh air.
“So what now?” Ryan asked.
“I’m going to smoke a cigarette,” she said. “And then count my gold.”
“You mean our gold.”
She smiled and dragged on the cigarette. “Yes, of course I do.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Barents Sea
A few minutes later Hawke was taking Sala’s luxury submarine-yacht to the surface when an idea crossed his mind. He stopped at periscope depth and swivelled the lens towards the west. According to the GPS they were now sailing north from Finnmark.
“What is it?” Lea asked, concerned. “Not more trouble?”
“Not at all,” he said. “Just checking up on the Triton. I spy a rigid inflatable making its way over to them. Looks like it’s full of
Norwegian sailors – hope they survive Cairo.”
Lea rolled her eyes. “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, give him a submarine and he’s got to play U-Boat captain for a week.”
Hawke swung the periscope up and turned to Lea. “Talking of a week, at this rate we’re only seven days’ sailing from the North Pole.”
“You can’t be serious!”
“Sure, why not?”
“Because Ryan says there’s a massive hole there leading to the center of the earth.”
“You’re kidding?”
Lea shrugged her shoulders. “If not that, think of the others – they’ll be worried sick! They’ll think we got caught in the cave system and risk their bloody lives trying to get us out.”
Hawke thought this was a pretty solid point, so he asked Lea to radio the Norwegians and let Scarlet know they were both fine and had decided to take a few days out. Scarlet, Hawke suggested with a grin, could pass the time counting the gold coins with Ryan and if that failed to amuse her there were always the Norwegian sailors.
As Lea made the call, Hawke set the autopilot and dried his hair with one of Sala’s monogrammed towels. Then he turned the radio on and the plush cabin was filled with the sound of 1970s easy listening. “I see they’re bang up to date in this part of the world.” He started to go through the galley in search of something that seemed to elude him.
Lea switched off the radio and joined him. “What are you looking for?”
“Just a little something to set the mood.” He smiled broadly and nodded his head in appreciation. “Ah – I knew old Sala was a man of discerning taste.”
“What is it?”
Hawke turned around with a bottle of champagne. “A 1998 Clos d’Ambonnay, chilled to perfection. He must have been saving it in anticipation of discovering the golden apples and all those divine weapons.”
“And instead he got turned into fertilizer. Go figure.”
“Shame to let it go to waste though.”
