Indiana Jones & the Peril at Delphi

He turned his head and saw a pair of black shoes. He looked up. But it wasn't the guard. It was Nikos.

The kid quickly loosened the rope on his wrists and removed the gag. 'The guard,' Indy whispered.

'Don't worry. I took care of him,' Nikos said, holding up a club.

Indy rose to his feet, and grinned as he brushed himself off. 'How did you know I was here?'

'I didn't until I saw the soldier at the door. I came looking for you because I saw Colonel Mandraki taking your friends into the back door of the hotel and up the stairs. There's a soldier guarding them in one of the

rooms.

Just then Indy heard the click of a gun being cocked. He looked up to see Mandraki's rugged face glaring at him, a sneer curled on his lips. He was aiming a revolver at him. 'You going somewhere, Jones?'

Indy kept his eyes on the gun, and remained silent. The last thing he wanted to do was antagonize this man, who no doubt would pull the trigger without a second thought.

Mandraki looked over at Nikos. 'Get back to that hotel

and stay there,' he said through gritted teeth. 'If you say a word to anyone, I'll kill him. Then I'll come after you.'

Nikos glanced once at Indy, then hurried away.

'I don't like killing children, Jones, but I will if I have to. It's up to you, you know.'

'I don't know what you mean.'

Mandraki's smile was sinister. 'You're going to do what I say or the kid and your two friends die.'

'What do you want me to do?'

'There's going to be an accident. The king is going to fall into the crevice after the vapors rise. You're going to give him some help with a little push.'

Like hell I am, Indy thought. 'What if he doesn't want to walk into the vapors?'

'He will, because you're going to tell him how the vapors cured your injuries, and that you believe it will help any ailments he might have. He has a bad hip. He's gone to doctors all over the world, but he's still in pain. He'll want to try the vapors. I guarantee it.'

Indy didn't know what to say. He had to find a way to stop Mandraki.

'If you attempt to warn the king, I will kill you instant ly. Remember that. But if you cooperate in this accident, you and your friends will be allowed to leave the country right away. Do you understand?'

Indy didn't believe him. Not for a second. Mandraki tossed a cloth bag to Indy. 'Get in the hut and change your clothes. We want you to look presentable for the king.'

And then he smiled broadly and laughed.

A stray thought crossed Indy's mind at that moment. If the eagle was his protector, he wasn't doing a very good job.

19

Entrancing Tales

From his position on a jut of rock at the base of the mountain slope beyond Apollo's Temple, Panos gazed across the ruins toward a cluster of people gathered on the roadway near the entrance. The king had not arrived, but he would at any time. It was after eleven and the vapors would rise at 11:41.

'Let's go,' Grigoris said. 'We can get closer.'

Panos shook his head. 'Plenty of time.'

As always, Grigoris was in a rush. But this morning he was also in a sudden, dark mood. When Panos arrived here half an hour ago, Grigoris had spilled his tale of woe from last night. He had listened, glanced at his son's laceless boots, and shrugged. It didn't matter, he told him. What he meant was that Jones didn't matter. Not any more. He'd seen two of Mandraki's soldiers march the three outsiders down from the mountain. They were not going to present any more problems.

'Look there.' Grigoris's finger jabbed toward the road just as Panos saw a large motorcar stop near the entrance. The king had arrived. He watched as a man in a suit stepped out of the front seat of the car and opened the back door. A moment later, a tall, grey-haired man was helped from the back seat of the car. He wore a safari outfit like so many of the foreigners who came to Delphi, and for a moment Panos didn't recognize him. But there was no doubt from the show of deference by the others that he was the king. Just the sight of the man who ruled his country left Panos feeling awed.

He recalled now what Belecamus had told him as she escorted him out of the workshop. He was still puzzled by it. The king was in danger, and the danger was nearby, she'd said. Had that been Pythia speaking, or Belecamus, or both? It was confusing.

He motioned to Grigoris, and they moved down the trail until they were just outside the ruins. They waited behind a hummock of trees less than fifty yards from the pillars. They'd gone as far as they dared, and now they watched as the group neared the temple.

Panos focused his attention on the king. He felt his heart pounding. He knew a monumental event was about to happen. History. For once it wasn't in the past. It was happening right here and now, an important historical event that affected the world. He was seeing it; he would be part of it.

Belecamus was on one side of the king, Mandraki on the other. He didn't like the way the colonel seemed to lead the procession, as if he were in charge. And why was Doumas hanging back like a fool?

Then Panos drew in a sharp breath as he realized Jones was among the group. What was he doing there? It didn't make sense.

Even from this distance, he sensed the danger, a dark presence that chilled him. It must be Jones. But if Jones were free, Mandraki had allowed it. Suddenly, he knew the colonel was the true source of danger. He was going to assassinate the king, and somehow use Jones to do it.

He couldn't let it take place. Not today of all days. Not here in Delphi. So much was at stake. He glanced at Grigoris and saw the hate in his eyes and knew that he too had recognized Jones. 'Father, do you see—'

'Yes, now listen closely to me. Don't do anything until I tell you. The timing must be right.'

Grigoris stared at Jones and slowly nodded. When he spoke, it was without conviction. 'I understand.

We are here, and that will be enough.'

Grigoris was repeating Panos's own words. But now Panos wasn't so sure they were true.

Doumas followed the king's entourage through the ruins as Belecamus alternated between gloating about her days as Delphi's chief archaeologist and pointing out the dam ages created by the earthquake. Maybe no one else thought she was gloating, but her hubris was obvious to him. He was well aware of the extent of her work, and the limits of it. Nothing would please him more than seeing her leave Delphi and never return, at least not while he was in charge of the ruins.

This would definitely not be the way he would present Delphi to the king. What the hell did Mandraki know? There was no reason for him to be at the king's side. Then there was Jones. Probably the only reason he was still alive was that the king had requested his attendance, and Belecamus didn't want anyone asking questions.

But he looked like a lunatic. The pants he wore were too short, and the shirt too baggy. His shoes were covered with mud. If it had been any other place than the ruins, he wouldn't be allowed near the king. And it wasn't only his clothes. He dragged along as if he hadn't slept for days. What the hell had he been doing since he'd run off with Doumas's carriage?

As they approached the temple, Belecamus was talking about the crevice. She was making much of the fact that the vapors were similar to the historical accounts of the mephitic vapors of Apollo's Oracle. She even tossed in a mythological reference calling the vapors ichor, the life-force of the gods. Doumas almost laughed. He'd never

heard her speak of Delphi in such romantic terms. Must be Jones's influence, he thought.

'And what effects do these vapors have on someone who inhales them?' the king inquired as he limped ahead.

'All we can say for certain is that they don't seem to cause any ill effects. There may be a feeling of well- being, but that could just be psychological. However, I should say that Mr. Jones has other ideas, which he can tell you about later, if you're interested. He seems to think they have a healing effect.'

Very clever, Doumas thought. She was overlooking what had happened to her, probably because she thought it would sound too unprofessional to say that she had been overcome by the vapors and had acted oddly for a