several large cogs. ‘I need something to jam up the works. A stone, or a metal bar, something like that.’
A quick search by Shankarpa’s men produced a thick iron rod from one of the siege machines. It was tossed down the passage with a clang. Eddie jammed it between the teeth of the cogs, then experimentally put his weight on the floor beneath the foot. There was another clang as the bar was slammed between the cogs when they tried to turn, but it held firm. After a few moments, the mechanism reset.
He leaned under the foot and waved. ‘Okay. Who wants a look?’
Shankarpa was first, cautiously advancing down the passage. The statue’s arms jerked, but again the metal rod held everything in check. Nina followed.
‘Check it out,’ said Eddie as they crawled through the entrance. He illuminated the chest. ‘You think Shiva’s diary’s inside?’
Shankarpa was too overawed to respond to Eddie’s lack of respect. He went to the chest, hands hovering just above the lid as if afraid to touch it, then looked back at Nina. For the first time, he seemed unsure of himself. ‘What should I do?’
‘Open it,’ Nina told him. ‘If the Shiva-Vedas are inside, we need to know - so we can decide how to protect them.’
He nodded, about to raise the lid - but again couldn’t bring himself to touch the box. ‘I . . . I can’t do it,’ he said. ‘I do not know if I am worthy—’
‘Oh, give it ’ere,’ Eddie snapped, flipping the chest open.
Shankarpa flinched back, and Nina glared at her husband. ‘Eddie!’
‘What? You said we needed to get a move on. Now, what’s inside?’ He held up the torch.
At first glance, the contents seemed almost unworthy of the effort and danger endured to find them. The interior was like a rack, metal dividers separating and supporting a row of stone tablets, each the size of a large hardback book, about half an inch thick. There were perhaps forty in all.
But Nina knew that they represented an incredible archaeological find, the ancient wonders in the cavern outside nothing more than baubles compared to the intellectual treasure in the box. While she didn’t personally believe they had been written by an actual god, the tablets were an account of a civilisation every bit as ancient as that of the Atlanteans - and one of the foundations of a religion that, unlike that of the long-lost race, was still alive and well today.
Delicately, she lifted out a tablet, finding text inscribed on both sides: Vedic Sanskrit, a language with which she had only a passing familiarity. She turned one face towards Shankarpa. ‘Can you read it?’
Awe returned to his face. ‘Yes. Yes! It . . . it
Nina carefully returned the tablet to its place. Shankarpa eagerly gestured for her to remove another, but she shook her head. ‘We need to decide what to do with them. Pramesh and Vanita Khoil know where the lost valley is - so they’ll be coming. No matter what happens, we have to keep them from getting hold of the Vedas. Is there anywhere else you could hide them?’
‘There are some caves to the northeast. But I don’t know how safe they would be - they are not deep. If a storm hit . . .’
She put a hand on his arm; Shankarpa reacted to the touch with surprise. ‘Look, I know you still don’t exactly trust me, and I can understand that. But if you let me, I can take the Vedas somewhere completely safe - the Khoils won’t be able to steal them. It’s what I do, it’s the IHA’s mission: to find ancient treasures, and to protect them for the benefit of all humanity. Your father believes in me. Will you?’
Shankarpa looked between her and the chest, frowning . . . then coming to a decision. ‘You think we will not be able to stop these people?’
‘They’ll come in force,’ Eddie told him. ‘And they’ll kill every man here if you get in their way. There’s how many of you, twenty-odd? The Khoils’ll probably bring that many - and they’ll all have machine guns.’
‘Please,’ said Nina. ‘The IHA can protect the Vedas. You and the other guardians might be able to slow down the Khoils . . . but you won’t be able to stop them.’
The Indian made a little noise of self-disgust. ‘All right. I will let you take them to a safe place. But I will come with you.’
‘First, let’s start thinking about how we’re going to get them out of here.’ She closed the lid. ‘Eddie, can you help him move it?’
‘Great,’ he sighed. ‘Halfway up a mountain, cut up by a killer statue and squashed by a giant foot, and I still have to cart boxes around for you.’
Nina sheepishly regarded his torn sleeve. ‘Oh. Right. I forgot. Sorry.’
‘It’s okay. ’Cause it’s you, I’ll do it as a favour. Although I might want you to do something in return when we get back home.’ He grinned lecherously. ‘Maybe involving props.’
‘
‘What are you talking about?’ demanded the impatient Shankarpa.
‘Absolutely nothing,’ Nina told him as she took the torch. ‘Okay. Now, both of you, lift it up. Make sure you support it from underneath.’
They obeyed, Shankarpa taking hold of the chest before giving Nina an outraged look. ‘Wait, you do not give me orders! I am the leader here!’
‘This is what happens once you let a woman into your men-only club,’ Eddie said. ‘Next thing, it’ll be frilly bedclothes and putting the toilet seat down.’
‘Just move the thing,’ Nina snapped as she crawled back out. Eddie and Shankarpa carefully raised the chest and manoeuvred it to the passage. There was just enough room for it to fit beneath the giant stone foot, though the elephant legs scraped the floor as it was eased through.
Once both men were clear, they brought it into the cavern proper. Shankarpa gave an order to two of his men, who reverently carried the chest towards the doors. ‘They will take it down to the ground,’ he told Nina.
She indicated the other items around them. ‘What about everything else?’
‘We will close the Vault. Now that we know how to open the lock, I will decide what to do later. For now, we leave.’
Eddie crouched beside Kit. ‘How’s the leg? Think you can walk on it?’
‘I don’t think I’ll be able to get back down the ridge,’ he admitted. ‘But there’s a cell phone mast at Gaurikund - when you get into phone range, you can call Interpol and get them to send a helicopter.’
‘We’ll be able to take the Vedas as well,’ said Nina. ‘If we contact the Indian government, they can arrange security.’
‘Sounds good to me,’ said Eddie. He motioned to Girilal to help him lift Kit.
The Interpol agent gasped in pain, but managed a strained ‘I’m okay,’ as they supported him. Everyone followed the men carrying the chest. ‘I’ll give you my superior’s number. He’ll be able to—’
Eddie stopped suddenly. ‘Wait!’
‘What is it?’ asked Nina.
The echoing thud of rotor blades answered her question. Not one set: several.
The Khoils had found them.
26
‘Keep hold of Kit!’ Eddie ordered Girilal as he ran for the doors. The other guardians were already sprinting for the entrance to investigate.
Nina went after them. ‘What do we do? It’ll take ages to get the chest out of the valley!’
‘I don’t think we’ll even get the chance - no, get back!’ he shouted at the men ahead of him.
Too late. The noise of the blades got louder, pounding subsonic thumps that they could feel as much as hear - but it was another, more deadly sound that made Eddie throw Nina into the cover of one of the ancient war machines. A machine gun opened fire, tracer rounds searing through the open doors. Gouts of blood burst from the guardians’ bodies as the gunner sent a stream of death into the Vault.
Shankarpa flung himself back as bullets cracked into the stone floor. He scrambled to join Nina and Eddie behind the solid, spiky roller of the
