The Last Odyssey (Sigma Force #15) - James Rollins Page 0,143

“To the boat,” she urged.

With the deadly horde momentarily distracted, they needed to reach the cruiser. They fled through the edge of the burning forest, paralleling the tiny tributary, using the smoke and the roar of the flames to hide their passage.

When they reached the cruiser, Elena gasped and turned back upstream.

“What’s wrong?” Charlie asked.

She pointed. “The keys . . . Monsignor Roe had them.”

“Mon Dieu,” Charlie exclaimed and hopped aboard. “You don’t think I have a spare set? What sort of captain do you think I am?”

Elena followed her aboard.

A damned good one.

46

June 26, 8:13 P.M. WEST

High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

Six minutes or less . . .

Gray needed every second to pull this off.

The group hit the throne room at a full sprint. Even Kowalski had regained his footing, running on adrenaline, though shaky. Still, he hauled his AA-12 with him, holding on to it with white knuckles.

Maria hovered close at his side, Mac on his other.

Bailey caught up with Gray. “Where are you—?”

Gunfire exploded across the throne room, chattering across their path. Ten yards to the right, a figure hid in a side passage, down on a knee, weapon raised at them.

As they all skidded to a stop in the middle of the room, the sniper—a woman—called to them, “Where is the exit? Tell me now!”

Gray knew it was this question that had kept her from shooting them outright. She needed a way out of here as much as they did.

Kowalski sneered. “Nehir . . .”

The big man lifted his weapon, reacting with raw fury.

To discourage him, she fired again, closer to the group. Mac yelped and toppled to the side, his leg giving way as a round struck him in the foot. Blood sprayed across the stone floor.

Seichan used the distraction to whip around and fling Aggie through the air at the sniper. Caught by surprise, the monkey screeched like a banshee, arms flailing in the air. Equally caught off guard—and clearly already tense and spooked by what she must have survived to get here—Nehir fell backward, firing wildly at the monkey but missing in her panic.

Kowalski dropped to a knee and unloaded a barrage of FRAG-12 rounds into the side passage. The explosive shells boomed and rattled there, filling the space with smoke and fire.

He shifted ahead to reposition, but Gray followed and pushed the big weapon aside, discouraging Kowalski from shooting again. They might need that firepower later, and they were down to the last drum magazine.

Besides, Seichan was already moving, SIG in hand. She swept through the billow of smoke and out the other side. She gave a shake of her head with a frown.

Nehir had vanished.

Gray checked his watch. Five minutes. They had no time to hunt the woman down. He looked over to Mac.

The man wore a pained expression. “I can hop.”

Maria already had an arm around his waist. “I got him.”

Gray pointed to the exit. “Move it.”

Seichan paused long enough to retrieve Aggie. The monkey looked pissed and scared. She extended an arm. “Sorry about that, little one,” she said in the same soothing tones she used with Jack.

Aggie chirped, still plainly irritated, but he leaped, scampered up her arm to her shoulder, and hugged close to her cheek.

Gray led the way toward the exit, praying they still had enough time.

“Where are we going?” Bailey pressed.

Gray had no time to explain and pointed back at the thrones as they left the hall. “The answer’s back there.”

Hopefully I’m right.

8:14 P.M.

Nehir dragged her broken leg down the hall of the castle. Her femur stuck through the fabric. Blood trailed behind her. She kept one hand on a wall and shuffled deeper into the palace, seeking the comfort of shadows to hide in.

The only reason she was still alive was a combination of instinct and Kevlar. She had leaped away at the last moment when the American had fired at her. Still, a shell had burst too close, with enough force to shatter her leg. She lost her weapon, but adrenaline kept her moving. First crawling, then eventually standing.

She finally found a dark enough place to collapse, where no fiery torches burned. Along the way, she had noted that the golden flames in the bronze brands along the walls had grown ever smaller, feebler, as if about to be snuffed out.

She didn’t know why.

Didn’t care.

She sank with her back to the wall, appreciating the cooler darkness. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back. Time skipped a beat as she briefly passed out. A