the way ahead. By moving along the rooftops, they would be able to stay above the water and make their way down to the helicopter. He still had the case containing the statues; he checked that it was securely closed, then took the lead across the ruins.
On the plaza, Gurov and Krikorian had broken off from their checks at the sound of the explosion and rumble of water, but neither had been able to figure out what was happening – until the wave burst over the buildings above. Gurov gaped at the oncoming deluge, then scrambled down to the open rear cockpit. ‘I’ll start it up!’ he yelled at Krikorian. ‘You shut the hatch!’ The Russian had opened an inspection panel to access the gunship’s engines. Krikorian climbed up, slamming it closed and fumbling with the locking bolts as the wavefront swept across the plaza, churning against the Hind’s landing gear.
The tsunami swept Eddie and Osterhagen all the way round the chamber’s curved inner wall, slamming them against the Punchaco. Eddie gripped the enormous gold disc’s thick edge with one hand, the other clawing for a hold before finding purchase on the sun god’s open mouth. ‘Hang on to me!’ he yelled. Osterhagen clung to his waist. The water level was rising rapidly in the confined space, more surging in every second—
The wall beneath the window cracked – and broke apart.
Eddie almost lost his grip under the powerful suction of water rushing out through the new hole. It cascaded on to the buildings below, sweeping the broken stones with it – and exposing something beneath them.
From the palace roof, Nina watched the spreading waters, conflicted. The rocket launcher, now slung over her shoulder, had given Eddie and the others a chance of escape – but they were still in danger. She could see Macy fearfully climbing a building, cut off by the torrent, but the rest of the explorers were out of sight. And the ruins themselves were under threat; as she watched, a wall crumbled behind Macy like a sandcastle in a rising tide.
The palace itself trembled under her feet. She spun in alarm. The building was taking the full force of the escaping water – and a chunk of its rear wall collapsed in a waterlogged implosion. Pillars toppled like dominoes, a chain reaction of disintegrating masonry advancing on her—
She screamed and made a running jump off the roof just as it broke apart, landing painfully on a lower wall. Spray and froth crashed over her. She gasped for breath, then looked back at the fallen section . . .
Her pain and fear disappeared, replaced by utter amazement.
Pachac had been right. There was more gold hidden in the ancient city. Quite literally – behind the carefully interlocked stones from which the palace was built, she saw the unmistakable sheen of precious metal, cast into rectangular slabs. The Incas had kept more than the Punchaco hidden from the Spanish, an unimaginable fortune concealed inside the walls. Despite her precarious situation, she actually laughed in genuine delight.
In the temple, Eddie had made a similar discovery. ‘Doc!’ he shouted. ‘Look at the wall!’
Osterhagen found secure footing. He turned – and gasped. Jutting from the edges of the jagged hole were large golden bricks, gleaming in the daylight coming through the cave mouth. ‘The city of gold!’ he cried. ‘It’s true, the legend is true!’
Suddenly, the light became brighter.
The advancing wave hit the great defensive wall. The reservoir was filled in a moment, a huge backwash exploding into the air as the drainage holes were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of water. More plunged down the shaft, sweeping away the bodies of Pachac’s men, but even this was not enough to relieve the pressure.
A huge section of the wall bulged outwards – and toppled with a cacophonous boom. The water rushed down its new escape route, sweeping over the rubble into the drained pool outside. The river channel that had carried away the overflow filled again, a tidal surge charging through the jungle towards the valley.
Almost as if satisfied with its destructive efforts, the flow of water began to ease. Most of the underground reserve had now drained away. The roar fell to a rumbling growl.
Stikes, climbing down to another rooftop, heard the change and looked up the slope. The torrent’s fury was dying. There was still a lot of water gushing through the streets, but no longer with deadly force.
That didn’t alter his objective. Plenty of damage had already been inflicted