The Sacred Vault

‘Hugo?’ whispered Nina, confused. ‘What is this, Mercenaries Reunited?’

He shushed her. ‘So where’s Slumdog Billionaire and his wife?’

The comment amused Zec. ‘They are in one of the helicopters. I think they will also be surprised to see you.’ He ordered the other mercenaries to continue searching the Vault, then gestured for the prisoners to pick up Kit and take him to the entrance.

‘What are you doing?’ Nina quietly demanded as the armed men ushered them along. ‘He’s the asshole who kidnapped me - why are you being all buddy-buddy with him?’

‘’Cause if I hadn’t been, we’d all be dead,’ Eddie replied. ‘Keeping him talking was the only way to keep us alive.’

Her face brightened. ‘You’ve got a plan, right? Tell me you’ve got a plan.’

‘Er . . . only if you count “see if something good happens before we get shot”.’

‘Riiiight . . .’ she said, hope fading as quickly as it had risen. ‘I was after something a bit more, y’know, specific.’

They reached the ramp, Nina glancing at the chest containing the Shiva-Vedas. The mercenaries obviously had no idea of its significance, but Khoil would be unlikely to overlook it. Was there any way they could hide it from him?

Zec brought them to the end of the ramp, where they lowered Kit so he could sit with his back against it. His men held them at gunpoint for several minutes while the other mercenaries continued their sweep of the cavern. Eventually they returned, reporting that there was nobody else alive. The Bosnian relayed this over his radio headset. ‘The Khoils are on their way,’ he told Nina and Eddie. Outside, the red and white helicopter flew up the valley.

‘I can’t wait,’ Nina said sourly. The bodies of the guardians were scattered nearby, rivulets of blood congealing on the floor, and even though she was trying not to look at them, just the awareness of the bullet-torn corpses was making her feel sick.

Eddie was looking at them, though; more specifically, at their weapons. Most of the fallen swords were too far away, but there was a long-bladed dagger that had ended up only a few feet from the stone ramp. With a distraction, he might be able to reach it and stab one of the mercenaries, giving him a chance to grab a gun . . .

He noticed Girilal watching him, the yogi following his gaze to the dagger. The realisation that the holy man knew what he was planning was somehow unsettling. He turned away, keeping the knife in the edge of his vision.

More snow blew through the doors. A figure was lowered into view: Tandon. Unlike the mercenaries, he was not rappelling, but being winched down in a harness. Zec signalled to two of his men, who hurried out and pulled him on to the ledge. They unfastened the harness, which quickly rose out of sight as the winch line was wound back in. A short time later it returned, now bearing the giant bearded form of Mahajan. The two bodyguards took up positions awaiting the arrival of a third person.

Pramesh Khoil.

His two servants quickly freed him from the harness. He brushed himself down, then entered the Vault. His triumphant march broke step when he saw who was waiting inside. ‘Dr Wilde,’ he said, the flat voice not quite concealing his surprise. ‘And Mr Chase. The recurring bugs in my otherwise flawless program.’

‘I told you knowledge and experience are more useful than any computer,’ Nina replied. ‘You’re too late - the Shiva-Vedas are already gone. The IHA airlifted them out of here.’

A smug smile crossed the plump face. ‘I think not. Until now, the weather conditions were too severe - and the only helicopters that have entered the airspace are mine. Where are they?’ He received no answer. ‘No matter. We will find them.’ He took in the vastness of the Vault, eyes widening. ‘It is here, it really exists . . .’

‘Sounds like you had some doubts,’ said Nina.

‘The failure to find anything at Mount Kailash was becoming a concern, yes.’

‘So what brought you here?’

Another smile. ‘Ironically, you did. Or more accurately, Mr Jindal did,’ Khoil continued, indicating the startled Kit, ‘and his mobile phone. My people learned that you had left Delhi, and that made me wonder: where had you gone? So I had my telecoms company track his phone through the cellular network, and discovered he had gone to Gaurikund. The only possible reason for you to go there was if you believed you had located the Vault. Once I put that new information into Qexia, everything made sense. I feel slightly foolish for not having thought of the connection to Mount Kedarnath sooner.’

‘Garbage in, garbage out,’ said Nina scathingly. ‘You were acting on bad data. That’s what happens when you rely on technology.’

‘Yet it was technology that allowed me to find you. And the Vault.’ The wind rose again, and he turned to see Vanita being winched down, Tandon and Mahajan helping her on to the ledge.

‘Great, she’s here. Now the party can start,’ Eddie muttered.

Khoil was about to say something in defence of his wife when he noticed Girilal, who had been standing behind Shankarpa, for the first time. ‘A Pashupati?’ he said, intrigued.

‘Girilal Mitra, at your service!’ said the old man, his voice shifting conspicuously back to the manic singsong. He danced round his son to meet Khoil. Zec and some of the mercenaries aimed their guns at him, but Khoil waved them down. ‘So you are Mr Khoil, the computer man.’

‘I am, yes.’

‘Ha!’ Girilal leaned on his stick, staring disapprovingly at the billionaire. ‘You are a very bad person.’

To Nina’s surprise, Khoil seemed stung by the allegation. ‘No! I am a loyal servant of Lord Shiva, like you. I am doing his will.’

‘And is this his will?’ asked Girilal, waving a hand at the bodies.

‘Why would one of his loyal servants kill his other loyal servants, hmm?’

‘A true servant of Shiva would know that death is of no consequence,’ proclaimed Vanita loudly, striding into the chamber with Mahajan and Tandon. She was wrapped in layers of cold-weather clothing, and seemed decidedly annoyed to be there, not even giving the wonders of the Vault a second glance. ‘Especially when it will help end the Kali Yuga. Now, where are the Vedas?’ She gave Nina an icy look. ‘I assume she knows.’

‘They are here somewhere, my beloved,’ Khoil assured her.

‘Somewhere is not good enough. Find them, now!’

Khoil turned back to Girilal. ‘I have no quarrel with a holy man. Do you know where to find the Vedas? If you tell me, I will let you go free.’

‘And what about my friends?’ Girilal countered. ‘Will they go free too?’

‘I am afraid that will not be possible.’

‘Ha!’ snorted Girilal, banging down his stick. ‘You are a bad man. Very bad.’ He waved a dismissive hand. ‘Shiva wants nothing to do with you. And nor do I.’ Ignoring their guns, he shuffled past the mercenaries and sat huffily on the ramp, facing away from Khoil.

Zec glanced questioningly at his employer, but Khoil, seeming genuinely startled by the yogi’s rejection, shook his head. ‘Search the Vault. Find the Vedas.’

‘What do they look like?’ Zec asked.

‘According to the text from Atlantis, they are stone tablets with text in Vedic Sanskrit. They will probably be in a container for protection, a box or chest.’

Zec and all but two of the mercenaries spread out to begin their search. ‘You’ll never find them,’ said Nina as Vanita began to pace impatiently, her husband looking up in fascination at the vimana. ‘It’s a big cave, and they could be absolutely anywh—’

‘Found them,’ called Zec from beside the ramp.

‘God damn it!’

Zec and another man brought the chest to the Khoils and opened it. ‘These are them, yes?’ he asked.

Khoil, hands shaking in excitement, carefully lifted out one of the tablets and examined the ancient text. ‘Yes,’ he breathed. ‘The Shiva-Vedas! The words of Lord Shiva himself.’ He looked at Vanita, the light of the zealot in his eyes. ‘We have them! We will wipe away the corruption of the Kali Yuga. A new age - and we will create it.’ He delicately replaced the tablet in the rack, then closed the lid. ‘Chapal, Dhiren! Prepare it for transport.’

The two bodyguards came to him as the mercenaries returned. Mahajan carried a backpack, from which he