Chapter Seventeen

Eve woke to the utter darkness of the grave.

“John,” she whispered.

No answer. Just a smothering silence.

She rolled onto her hands and knees. Something stung her eyes and she reached up and found her forehead wet. With blood. She must have hit it as she fell. She wiped her eyes and stayed still for a moment, panting.

What the hell?

There had been a second explosion. Closer this time. She had no doubt that John had saved her life. If he hadn’t warned her, then thrown her backwards toward the relative safety of the chamber, she’d be dead. Not that it was likely to make a difference. The first explosion had come from close to the entrance. She was guessing it was blocked. And she was stuck in her own underground tomb. She waited for the panic to take her, but her mind remained calm and clear.

And slowly another emotion crept over her. Anger.

She was damned if she was going to just lay down and die.

Pushing herself to her feet, she held her arms out in front of her, taking slow steps until her fingertips brushed the rock of the walls. Then keeping the contact, she shuffled her way around the chamber. She scuffled the floor with her feet as she walked, hoping to find the torch, but nothing. Finally, her fingers touched space; the entrance to a tunnel. By the height and width she could tell it was the one they had entered by. The air had been relatively clear in the chamber, here it was clogged with dust that filled her nostrils and mouth. She coughed, pulled up her jumper to cover her face, and edged forward. She’d only gone a few feet when her way was blocked by rocks.

She ran her hands over them, reaching to the top, hoping for a gap she could squeeze herself though, but there was no way past.

“John,” she shouted. But there was no reply. She hadn’t expected one. He’d been right behind her. He must have been caught in the fall and she bit back a sob.

She backed up into the chamber and sat for a moment. She still had her backpack and she slipped it off her shoulder, found the bottle of water and sipped it, clearing the rock dust from her throat.

There was one other way out of here.

Had Yuri made it or was he caught in a rockfall somewhere? Or wedged into a narrow tunnel, unable to move. She needed to find him. And of course there was still the Spirit Banner.

Though a lot of good it would do either of them if the entrance was blocked. All the same it was better than just sitting in the darkness waiting to die. And Zach was out there somewhere. Things weren’t totally without hope. Unless Zach was responsible for this. And if that was the case, she had to get out of here, find him and…

First, she searched every bit of the floor, but her torch was gone for good. She must have dropped it as she ran and it was under the rocks. With John.

She gave up and went back to feeling the walls until she found the second tunnel, lower and narrower, but the air was clear. She didn’t give herself time to think, to panic, just crouched down and entered. Strangely, she found it less scary in the darkness. She passed the place where her panic attack had stopped her last time.

Yuri must have come this way. He was bigger than her. If he could pass, then so could she. She was crawling now, on her hands and knees, then wriggling, pushing her rucksack into the darkness ahead of her. Maybe she’d taken a wrong turn. She didn’t think the map had shown any turns, but perhaps she was wrong. Could she have she missed a tunnel? She’d been telling herself Yuri had made it this far and beyond, but maybe he hadn’t. Maybe he’d gone a different way. And she couldn’t turn. All she could do was keep going forward until she could go no farther.

She laid her head against the rock floor and rested, eyes pricking. She didn’t want to die here. She wanted to see her children again. She’d been so selfish, leaving them to go after a stupid adventure. Would Noah look after them, give them the love they needed? Tell them she’d had to try to mend herself. That she hadn’t been able to go on as she was. Noah would understand. He’d always been able to understand; he just hadn’t been able to fix her. No, she’d needed to do that. Except she’d failed.

But not yet. She gritted her teeth and raised her head. Something was different.

The darkness was not so intense. Somewhere up ahead, a light was shining.

She dragged herself on, the light brightening, and she could make out the rock walls around her and over her. The tunnel widened and she was crawling. Finally, it came to an opening, and she pulled herself over the edge, dropping to the floor of a second chamber. Picking herself up, she looked around. Her gaze fixed on Yuri where he sat, back leaning against the wall, watching her. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again as she noticed the pistol resting on his lap.

She wiped her hands down the legs of her pants, then rubbed at her eyes. “What’s going on?”

“I could hear you crawling through the tunnels. I couldn’t believe you were still alive. You’re tenacious, I’ll give you that. Just won’t give up.” He raised the pistol, and every muscle tensed, but he just waved it at the other side of the cave. “But in the end, I beat you to it.”

She turned slowly. Something lay on the floor across the chamber. She gave Yuri a brief glance, but he didn’t move, and she crossed to stand over the form.

Her eyes widened and she went still. For a moment she forgot everything, the gun, the explosions, John…

A skeleton still wrapped in the remains of his clothes. Lying straight out, hands on his chest. And at his side, a spear.

Her skin tingled, as she dropped to her knees.

The wooden shaft was as long as the man was tall, the blade a dull gray metal, with coarse black hairs wrapped around the shaft beneath the tip.

Reaching out a trembling hand, she reverently stroked the wooden shaft, ran her fingers through the coarse hair.

This spear had led Genghis Khan into battle. He’d held it in his hands.

The spear will point the way.

Remembering the words of the old monk, she looked around, took note of where the spear lay in relation to the two tunnels that entered the chamber. That would enable her to pinpoint the direction. Or would, if she ever got out of here.

A noise behind her made her turn. Yuri had risen to his feet, the pistol dangling from his hand.

Mouth dry, she licked her lips. “Is that what this is about? You wanted to beat me to the prize?” She eyed the pistol, her heart rate faster as adrenaline kicked in. “We can share it. Or you can make the announcement yourself. I don’t mind.”

He raised the pistol, aimed it at her chest, and every muscle locked tight. “Haven’t you worked it out yet?”

“You set the explosions?”

He nodded. “There is no way out. I’ve blocked the entrance. It was the only way I could be sure that nobody would ever find the spear. It stays here.”

“But so will we. Neither of us will get out.”

“That’s a price I’m willing to pay. To keep the secret of the tomb.”

Shit.

She saw it now. Something must have shown in her eyes, because he gave her a small, rueful smile, the pistol never wavering. “You’ve worked it out?”

“You’re a Darkhat.”

“Born and bred and trained to keep the secret of the tomb. I’ve been your shadow for years. Ever since it became clear you were a danger.”

“I’m not a danger. Just let me go. I’ll forget I ever saw this.”

“There’s no point, the place is sealed. No one is getting out. Besides, you’ve seen it now, and you’d take that knowledge with you. And I know you, the tomb calls to you. It’s a pity. I really like you.” His features hardened. “And over and over I gave you the chance to walk away. I even faked the attack outside the hotel so you would see the danger and leave. But you wouldn’t listen. So intent on your personal path to glory.”

“It wasn’t glory I wanted. Just the truth.”

“The truth isn’t yours.” He sounded angry now, but then the hard lines smoothed away and he smiled. The expression sent a chill through her. He was a zealot. A true believer and beyond any rational thought. “I know how scared you are of the dark. So I’ll make this quick for you.”

I don’t want it quick.

His finger tightened on the trigger. The loud roar of the shot filled the chamber as she dived to the left. The bullet slammed into her side, the force knocking her over, hurling her onto the skeleton of the Buddhist monk.

She lay unmoving as footsteps headed toward her. Keeping her body still, she slid her hand over the rock, her fingers feeling for the shaft of the spear. She sensed as Yuri stood over her, his breaths harsh and loud in the confines of the cavern, and she held her own breath, feigning death. Closing her eyes, she pictured the wide blue skies.

A hand gripped her arm, turning her over as her fingers grasped the wooden shaft. She lunged upward and forward, finding strength she didn’t know she had, feeling the resistance as the spear met the body of the man. She shoved harder, and it slid in with ease.

She stared up into his face—wide-eyed, mouth gaping. Then he collapsed on top of her, the weight forcing her down.

And she lay beneath him as hot blood soaked her clothes, the spear still clasped in her hand.