The Arkana Mysteries Boxed Set

by N. S. Wikarski

  The gunman proceeded to tie Erik’s and Griffin’s hands behind their backs and forced them roughly to sit against the wall. The loud discussion continued. Cassie guessed that the Arabs were trying to decide what to do with the intruders.

  She backed away from the scene, moving as silently as she could to the entrance to the cave. Once outside, she leaned against the mountain and tried to calm her breathing. She was shaking as the images she’d just seen filled her head. She tried to push the memories out of her mind, but they were quickly replaced by even more terrible images conjured by her imagination. Tears of helplessness and frustration spilled down her cheeks at the thought of the fate that might be in store for Erik and Griffin. She’d never felt more vulnerable and useless in her entire life. Not even after Sybil died. This was ten times worse—out here alone in the desert, stranded on a mountain in the dark. John was too far away. By the time she found him and the two of them returned, her friends might be dead. She could feel herself going into a downward spiral of despair until she mentally slammed on the brakes.

  Shaking her head angrily to clear her thoughts, she swiped at her wet eyes with the sleeves of her jacket. Her teammates needed her help, not her tears. She had to think of a plan. She had to think of it right now. But what could she do alone?

  Chapter 43—Two’s Company

  “Goddam boots ain’t made for walkin’!” Hunt stopped for the tenth time that night to shake sand and pebbles out of his cowboy boots.

  Daniel gave a long-suffering sigh. “Mr. Hunt, if you’d done as I suggested, you would have changed into more appropriate footwear before starting our climb.”

  The cowboy pretended not to hear the admonishment. “Your daddy ain’t payin’ me enough to put up with this. No, sir!” Hunt replaced his boot and stomped a few times to make sure all the pebbles were out. He looked up at the night sky, illuminated by a full moon. “Leastways, we don’t need to carry no lanterns.”

  “Yes,” the scion agreed. “Climbing a mountain at night is a risky venture. The moonlight affords some assistance.” He hesitated. “Of course, we might have made quicker progress if you’d allowed me to bring Brother Mohammed. He knows these trails.”

  Hunt swung around to face him. “I told you, boy. I ain’t goin’ for a midnight stroll with no Ayyy-rab. Feller’s bound to knife us both in the back.”

  “He would do no such thing!”

  “Better safe than sorry, I always say. Let him earn his keep guardin’ our tent. That’s what them Ayyy-rabs is good at. Squattin’ in front of tents. And that’s another thing. Why in blazes couldn’t we stay at a proper hotel? I seen a nice one just down the road from here.”

  “I had no objection, but Brother Mohammed took a vow.”

  “What? Not to sleep someplace that’s got running water?”

  “No. He believes it would be blasphemous to sleep under the same roof as the Fallen.”

  “He’s sleepin’ under the same roof with me so what’s the diff?”

  “Yes, but your presence is sanctioned by me.”

  “Sure wish it wasn’t,” Hunt muttered. “Campin’ in the desert when there’s a proper hotel right down the road. I ain’t never heard the like!” The cowboy squinted up at the mountainside. “How much further?”

  “We’re almost there. The cave with the lily carving is about halfway up the mountain.”

  “Explain to me again why we didn’t just snag the doodad this afternoon when we was here the first time?”

  “How do you think it would look, Mr. Hunt, for foreign tourists to come down the mountain carrying a priceless artifact? And what if somebody saw us trying to open that panel in the roof of the cave? This mountain is filled with sightseers during the day. If one of them chanced to explore that cavern and caught us, they might have reported us to the local authorities.”

  “I’d of taken care of them.”

  “Yes, I’m sure you would,” Daniel murmured. “In a way guaranteed to draw even more attention to our presence.”

  “We better wrap this up tonight, boy. I’ve gone so long without a drink my liver is startin’ to think my throat’s been cut.”

  “I agree that the sooner we find the artifact and leave the country, the better I’ll feel.”

  “We there yet?” Hunt asked again, being intentionally irritating.

  Daniel ran his hand along a section of rock that curved inward. “I believe so. This must be it.”

  “Wait a minute.” Hunt laid a warning hand on his arm. “You hear that?”

  They both paused for several seconds. The night was perfectly still except for a soft breeze whispering through the crevices in the mountainside.

  “I didn’t hear anything.” Daniel moved forward and squeezed himself through the opening.

  Hunt followed. He was halfway through when he heard the distinct sound of pebbles tumbling down the mountainside above him. He stopped dead in his tracks. His instincts kicked into high alert. He poked his head inside the cave where Daniel was waiting for him. “You go along and wait for me by that lily rock. I want to check around out here for a couple minutes.”

  Daniel nodded and switched on his flashlight. He disappeared around a bend in the cave wall.

  Hunt eased himself silently out the cave entrance. He became still and listened again. He could feel there was something out here. Or somebody. His eyes were drawn to a boulder slightly above and to one side of the cave entrance. That’s where he thought the pebbles fell. Maybe just an animal shaking something loose? Maybe something more. He looked ruefully at his boots. They weren’t made for climbing either. He grabbed the section of rock directly above his head. He was about to hoist himself up to investigate further when something made him freeze in his tracks.

  He could hear shouting coming from inside the cave. It wasn’t Daniel’s voice. It was some foreign lingo. What the hell was going on in there? He abandoned his search and slipped noiselessly back inside. Hugging the wall, he slid along the corridor until he could see light radiating from somewhere ahead of him—that and the sound of several voices raised in anger. He recognized Daniel’s voice in the mix. He was speaking that outlandish gibberish. His voice had a pleading tone. The other voices weren’t buying it. They were still yelling.

  Eventually, Hunt was crouched just outside the range of their lanterns. He hazarded a glimpse around the corner and gawked in amazement at what he saw. It wasn’t the four towel-heads, two of them sporting AK-47s. It wasn’t Daniel cowering on his knees in front of the guns. It was the other two—the ghosts. Leroy wasn’t good with names, but their faces seemed awfully familiar. He was staring right at two men he’d killed in a cave on Crete. They were buried in a landslide along with Miz Sybil’s little sister Cassie. Of course, the blond one escaped, but he died later in Turkey. Leroy saw him go over a cliff with his own eyes. So, what was he seeing now?

  The ghosts were tied up, slumped on the ground. Blondie had a cut lip. Probably from mouthing off when he should have stayed quiet. Leroy squinted hard, trying to clear his vision. Nope, they were still there even after he blinked a few more times. So, what did it mean? He remembered the preacher’s boy freaking out while they were in Spain. Daniel had kept insisting that at least one of the ghosts was still alive. So, the little runt had been right after all.

  Leroy decided to backburner the mystery of the ghosts while he figured out what to do about the problem at hand. It wouldn’t sit well with the old man if Hunt came back with a corpse and no artifact. The cowboy would be fired for sure, and that would queer his chances of snatching the doodads later on. As distasteful as the idea was, he had to figure out a way to rescue Daniel.

  He backed out of the cave slowly and quietly, the way he’d come in. He slipped through the entrance and stood there in the cool night air gazing vacantly over the desert below. He didn’t really register the moonlight or his surroundings because he was lost in thought. He was racking his brain for a way to get Daniel out of there, and i
t made his head ache. Strategy had never been his strong point. He preferred to let other people shout the orders. His talent lay in execution. He grinned fleetingly at the word play. How was he going to pull this off?

  He drew out the pistol in his shoulder holster but immediately slid it back into place. It wouldn’t do any good to go in guns a-blazing. Much as the cowboy would have liked to eliminate the relic thieves and the rag-heads with a few well-placed bullets, it was too risky. In the cross-fire, there was a chance Daniel could get shot. Seeing as how he was the boy’s bodyguard, that scenario might be hard to explain to his old man.

  Leroy took off his hat and wiped his forehead. He was sweating in spite of the evening chill because the effort to think under pressure was costing him. Part of his brain registered a noise behind him. The other part of his brain was stuck on hold trying to figure out a rescue plan. Both parts of his brain went into shock as eight million volts of electricity surged through the back of his neck and dropped him to the ground like a pole-axed steer.

  Chapter 44—The Odd Couple

  Hunt lay flat on his back. His neck felt like it had been stung by ten thousand bees. He couldn’t stand. Hell, he couldn’t move—at least not voluntarily. His muscles were doing the cha-cha all on their own just the same. A bright light was shining into his eyes. He guessed that one of the gunmen had got the drop on him. He couldn’t see how though. He’d been standing right at the mouth of the cave. He’d have noticed anybody coming through that opening. A voice spoke in a whisper right next to his ear.

  “I know you can hear me.”

  The sound of that voice gave him an even bigger shock than the voltage that was still making his muscles twitch. It was a girl. And she was speaking American English. Then she did something that almost made his heart stop altogether. She shone the flashlight on her own face.

  “Remember me? We always meet by flashlight, don’t we?”

  He couldn’t form words, but his brain was screaming her name. “Cassie!” Ghost number three had just showed up to join the party, and it wasn’t even Halloween.

  She rifled through his jacket and drew out his pistol. She pointed it directly at his face. For a second, he was sure she was going to pull the trigger.

  “You know, I have fantasies sometimes.” Her voice sounded chummy and conversational. “It’s strange, but this is almost like one of them. Me holding a gun on you. My voice saying, ‘This is for Sybil’ just before I spatter your brains all over the place.”

  If he could have shut his eyes, he would have, but they continued to stare at her.

  The girl sighed. “It’s lucky for you that I only fantasize about things like that. It’s lucky for you that I actually have a conscience. Not like you. I know if the tables were turned, you wouldn’t think twice about shooting me in the face. You’ve already tried to kill me once.” She slipped the gun into her waistband. “Enough small talk, don’t you think?” She laid the flashlight down on the ground beside him where it could illuminate his face. “Here’s what makes this your luckiest day ever. Right now, I need your help.”

  He was sure the electricity had damaged his hearing. What was she saying?

  “You’ve probably already noticed that two of my friends are inside that cave. By now I’m guessing that they’ve got your precious Daniel too. So, it’s in our best interest to work together to get them out of there. Here’s the deal. You help me rescue them, and I’ll give you the artifact.”

  He could feel his eyes widen with surprise.

  She must have noticed his reaction. “That’s right. You heard me. We got here first and found it. My friends sent me away to find a hiding place just before they got jumped. They don’t even know where I hid it which makes me, for the time being, your new BFF. Like I said, I’ll give you the relic, no strings attached, after you help me rescue them. Do we have a deal? Blink once. I’ll take that as a yes.”

  Leroy was beginning to regain some command of his muscles. He concentrated fiercely and blinked.

  The girl nodded. “Good.” She dragged him over to the side of the trail and propped him up like a ragdoll. It was humiliating.

  Then she crouched down next to him and said, “It’ll take a few more minutes for you to recover. I’ll hold onto this for insurance.” She patted his gun which was still wedged into her jeans. “Just listen. Here’s the plan.”

  ***

  Leroy slid cautiously back inside the cave. He had to admit that the little gal had a good head on her shoulders. Too good. She still had his gun, and she was using him as bait. He lumbered down the passage making no attempt to be stealthy. A bull moose might have been quieter. He stopped at the bend just outside the circle of lantern light. Nobody was talking.

  In a loud voice, he said, “Now what in blazes is goin’ on here?” As he expected, the monkey chatter boiled up right away. Somebody started yelling commands. Leroy could hear one set of footsteps light out in his direction. He took to his heels. The pair of footsteps behind him must have heard him. Its owner shouted something which probably meant “Stop, or I’ll shoot.”

  Hunt didn’t stop. He kept on running—all the way to the blind curve just before the entrance to the cave. He dove into the shadows. The gunman pulled up short before going outside. He hesitated just long enough for Leroy to reach out and get a headlock on him. Little Miss Cassie did the rest. She stunned the fool into next Friday.

  The two of them dragged him off to the side, behind the curve in the wall.

  “We can tie him up once we free the others,” Miss Cassie said. “I gave him a long enough jolt that he should be out for at least half an hour.”

  The girl grabbed the AK-47 which Leroy had been thoughtless enough to prop against the wall. She slung it over her shoulder.

  “Now that’s gratitude,” Leroy complained in a hurt whisper. “I help you take that feller down, and you leave me defenseless?”

  In the darkness, he could hear her give a bitter chuckle. “You, defenseless? That’s a good one.”

  “Honey, you’re only gonna end up hurtin’ yerself. I bet you dollars to donuts you don’t even know how to shoot that thing.”

  “Do you really want to put your theory to the test?” she hissed back, pointing the assault rifle at his chest.

  Leroy raised his hands and sighed in resignation. “Not at this particular moment, no.”

  She nodded and lowered the weapon.

  “Now what?” he asked.

  “Now we wait.”

  Once again, the little gal’s plan was right on the money. It only took another five minutes before the rest of the Ali Babas got nervous. Sure enough, they sent out another one of their crew to investigate. A second pair of feet could be heard approaching. Their owner was moving stealthier. He wasn’t coming at a gallop. Hunt and Miss Cassie crouched down behind the blind curve.

  The second gunman walked right past them. He had a flashlight, but it was pointed straight at the entrance where he must have figured his buddy had gone out. He was just about to climb out himself when the two of them jumped him. The tussle ended the same way as the first. They parked his body right next to his amigo.

  This time, Hunt grabbed the second AK-47. “Now that’s better,” he said. “I felt nekked without a shootin’ piece.”

  “We wouldn’t want that,” the girl murmured under her breath. “The nekked part, I mean.”

  “Gal, I’m takin’ a shine to you,” Hunt said approvingly. “You got spunk. If we was on the same side, I’d have half a mind to take you out on the town and show you a good time.”

  Miss Cassie whispered, “We wouldn’t want that either!” She peeked around the curve to make sure nobody else was coming their way. “Coast is clear. Let’s go.”

  They moved on tip-toe back down the familiar passage to where the lanterns still glowed. Hunt could detect a nervous undercurrent to the silence. The towel-heads probably figured something had gone wrong. They’d figured right.

 
The girl tugged at his sleeve. That was the signal.

  The two of them rushed into the lantern light, each one pointing an AK-47 at the hostiles.

  “Reach for the sky!” Leroy shouted. Apparently, that was a command that could be understood in any language. Two pairs of brown-skinned hands shot up in the air.

  Miss Cassie bent down and started untying her friends. “Relax guys. The cavalry has arrived!”

  Chapter 45—Underhanded

  “Are you both alright?” Cassie asked worriedly, undoing the knots that bound her teammates’ hands.

  “Tip top,” Griffin said with relief.

  She stared at Erik’s face with concern. “What about you?”

  He grimaced, wiping the blood off his swollen lip. “Fine. Just a cultural misunderstanding.” He paused then added, “Am I ever glad to see you.”

  They smiled at each other, neither speaking for a moment.

  Griffin cleared his throat. “A-hem. Excuse me, but we have a situation here that requires all our attention.”

  His teammates hastily stood up.

  All three of them turned to stare at Hunt who still held the Arabs at gunpoint. “Would y’all mind untying Brother Dan’l? My hands are a mite full here.”

  Cassie walked toward the scion.

  Erik grabbed her arm. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “I made a deal.” She sighed, trying to look regretful. “Hunt helped me, and I promised him the relic.”

  “You mean the—"

  Cassie knew what Erik was about to say and she cut him short. “That’s right. The relic we nicked right before you guys got jumped. I hid it just like you told me to do.” She gave him a tiny warning shake of her head.

  “Oh, yeah. Right.” He made a big show of irritation. “After all we went through to get that thing. Way to go, toots. Give away the grand prize!”