The Illuminati Sanctum (The Relic Hunters 6) by David Leadbeater (best mobile ebook reader .txt) 📕

Bodie and Jemma scrambled back through the hole and crouched to either side in silence, waiting.

“Where is Linus?” someone asked.

Bodie sensed the Hoods come to a stop right next to him, on the other side of the tunnel. He crouched even lower in the darkness, holding his breath.

“He was here.” The second man shouted for the missing Hood, growing increasingly exasperated.

“Maybe they called him topside.”

“Maybe. Or he needed a comfort break.” The voice dripped with sarcasm.

“Yeah, let’s just get out of here.”

Bodie waited, holding a hand up in Jemma’s direction until the sound of footsteps vanished. Then, quickly, he climbed back through the hole and flicked his flashlight on, illuminating their way down. Jemma again squeezed past to lead the way. Less than a minute later they emerged into the cave’s lowest room.

Bodie paused, amazed.

Painted figures adorned every inch of the cave walls, ceiling and floor. Series of masked figures, some religiously dressed, others wearing the garb of dancers, surrounded by decorations, garlands and ornaments. It was a lively assortment, some dating back nine or ten thousand years. According to Lucie, there were about fifteen thousand paintings down here.

Bodie could easily believe it. The spectacle stopped him in his tracks, driving all other considerations away.

Jemma nodded in appreciation. “I love it, but we have to move.”

Bodie knew it. A crunch was coming, a crunch when the Hoods would realize one of their brethren was missing.

Which drew his attention to the center of the lower cave. The Hoods had committed a sacrilege there, defacing and drilling right through one of the paintings to get their ore. Jemma knelt down in the shale, grabbed a small trowel from her backpack and shoveled some of the loose stone into a zip-lock plastic bag. The whole process took less than a minute and then she was standing, taking a last look around the incredible cave.

Bodie gazed up at the ceiling, amazed to find the head of a crocodile gazing back down at him. The artwork was representative and concise. Around the crocodile he saw antelopes and herds of cattle. Men with spears, hunting. The sheer density of the paintings and carvings, the endless canvas of what ancient humans considered of utmost importance, was awe-inspiring.

“Come on.” Jemma pulled at his arm. “They can’t be far from the entrance now.”

Bodie nodded, turning and shining his flashlight ahead. Together they ran for the tunnel and started back up toward the surface.

For the first time, Bodie thought: How the hell are we gonna get past them?

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

Running hard, they sacrificed stealth for speed, and raced for the exit. Jemma dropped behind as Bodie took the lead, passing through the tunnels as fast as they could. Both flashlights were on full beam and, only minutes after they started, they caught sight of the exit.

Bodie slowed and stowed his flashlight. Daylight flooded into the cave ahead. There were no lurking tell-tale shapes, so the two of them walked boldly to the exit and peered out. To their left, they could see the chopper, but there was no sign of Cassidy or Yasmine. The two Hoods who’d been in the cave were approaching the bird while the guards they’d left behind raised their hands to shade their eyes form the sun and asked questions.

“Crap,” Jemma said.

“Yeah, they’re wondering where Linus is.” Bodie cursed. “We’re seconds too late to escape cleanly.”

As if to prove his statement all four men turned back to stare at the cave. Their body language was obvious. All four were wondering what could have happened to their colleague.

Bodie called Cassidy. “You guys okay?”

“We’re good.” The reply was clipped, suggesting she and Yasmine were watching the scene.

“We’re at the entrance. Could do with a distraction.”

“Right. Lucie’s been banging on about those caves for the last fifteen minutes. I’m tempted to throw her at them. Look out, it’s gonna be big and noisy.”

Bodie took a breath and waved Jemma back from the entrance.

A sudden burst of gunfire echoed around the site. Bullets rattled off the helicopter’s frame.

Bodie glanced out to see the three Hoods and two guards scatter and take cover. One guard dropped his weapon as he was hit in the arm. The Hood carrying the thick canvas bag with the ore sample collapsed to the floor face down as a bullet ricocheted off the chopper and burst through his neck.

Without pause, Bodie grabbed Jemma and raced out of the cave, darting left and heading for the top of the hill. The Hoods and guards were pinned down, but one still managed to get a shot off. The bullet glanced off a nearby rock, shattering it into particles that shot through the air. Bodie ground his teeth together as two grazed his right shoulder.

He staggered. “Shit, that hurt.”

Jemma hauled at him, urging him on. Yasmine, Cassidy and Lucie were still firing from cover, targeting the helicopter as much as the Illuminati soldiers. On reflection, it was a good idea. If the Hoods got airborne, they would have a deadly advantage over them.

Bodie hit the top of the hill and dropped to his stomach. Jemma was at his side. They spun around and looked back down into the valley. The Hoods were pinned down, scrambling backward from the chopper. The wounded guard was dead, leaving a lone sentry crouched under the bulbous cockpit. As Bodie watched, the windshield shattered, showering the man with glass.

“Now what?” Jemma asked.

It was a fair question. Yes, they had escaped the cave, but their transport was a way off. Perhaps the Hoods were expecting them to go for the chopper, which was a fair plan but Bodie then had another idea.

You can’t do that.

But it was their best way forward, and the only way to slow the Illuminati