The last kingdom, p.35
The Last Kingdom, page 35
Chapter 78
COTTON SETTLED INTO HIS SEAT ABOARD THE HELICOPTER, WHICH came with a luxurious cabin large enough to accommodate not only him, but the duke, Ming, and Fenn. The two black hoods with guns had stayed behind, Fenn taking over armed guard duty during the flight. But the threat to Dianne McCarter still loomed with Ming having to check in every hour. Regardless, he planned on being a good boy, since he had to see if the thirty-two-letter cipher led to pay dirt.
THRO UGHT HEVE NUSM OUNT TOTH ERED OUBT
The first thing he’d noticed was the message had been conceived in English. So he’d fashioned his joke of a message in English too. Before he confronted Fenn earlier he’d mentally sorted the eight sets of four letters into words.
THROUGH THE VENUS MOUNT TO THE REDOUBT
Which he’d finally told to Fenn, who seemed to instantly understand its significance. Once Fenn conferred with the Neuschwanstein’s curator, he’d become convinced where they needed to go.
Linderhof.
Which sat about an hour’s drive away.
By helicopter? Twenty minutes tops.
He sat back in the leather. Fatigue underlay his tension, but that was nothing new. He’d learned long ago how to deal with fear and apprehension. Ming was the only pro here. Fenn thought himself comfortable with the gun, but he doubted he knew what to do with it when the chips were down. Surely the guy felt emboldened after getting the jump on him back in the study. But he’d intentionally not resisted and allowed that to happen.
Which had got him here.
“Let me guess,” he said over the rotors. “This ride is courtesy of the People’s Republic?”
Ming smiled. “Of course.”
The Chinese had taken control. Koger? That was the remaining mystery. He’d heard several shots while they were leaving and wondered if that was good or bad. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done about it.
Koger was on his own.
* * *
DERRICK SAT IN THE BACKSEAT WITH HIS NEW BEST FRIEND, TONI Sims, formerly of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, now attached to the National Security Council, on special assignment for the White House.
Will wonders never cease?
Luke had found him at Neuschwanstein below the castle where Fenn had parked earlier. They’d descended from the craggy mount and found the highway south into Austria, which offered the fastest route east back into Germany and to Linderhof. They’d left the injured driver at one of the hotels. Trinity had called in the injury and people were dispatched from Munich to come and get him. Now, with Luke driving, and Trinity in the front passenger’s seat, the four of them were headed straight for trouble. Trinity had insisted on coming, pulling rank, which he’d thought a bad idea. But, as usual, TOO did what she wanted. Luke reported what happened on the road and the two dead Chinese. He had to assume more assets were nearby.
“How far?” he asked.
“The blue dot on the phone says thirty minutes,” Trinity said.
He did not regret killing Knight or Rife. Quite the contrary. They both deserved to die. Especially Rife. Arrogant bastard actually thought he could take him. A lot of people had made that mistake.
But his ribs still hurt.
Screw the pain.
Focus.
“What do we know about Linderhof?” he asked them.
* * *
LUKE KEPT HIS EYES FOCUSED AHEAD AND WOUND THE CAR THROUGH the tight turns characteristic of Alpine roads. Luckily, this one had been cleared by a plow, the asphalt only dusted with fresh snow, the edges piled high with the day’s remnants. He was going as fast as he could, realizing that Malone was bare-ass-to-the-wind, without backup. Trinity and Koger had filled in the information gaps. Two of the Scythe were dead and the Chinese were full-on, finally making no secret of their involvement. Contrary to the movies, intelligence services did not routinely kill each other’s assets. It happened. Sure. But only in the most extreme of circumstances.
Clearly, this situation had evolved to the extreme.
And Pappy was in trouble.
He whipped the car hard right and took the turn a little faster than he should have. The back end swerved, but he steered in the opposite direction and regained control. Thank the lord for the Blue Ridge mountains, which had roads just like this.
“We’re looking for the Venus Grotto,” Koger said. “I was told it’s behind the castle.”
Trinity was working on her phone.
“I have a schematic of the grounds,” she said, “from the castle’s website. When we get close, I can direct us.”
“That helicopter is going to get there a lot faster,” Luke said, keeping his eyes locked out the windshield.
“Malone’s a pro,” Koger said. “He can handle himself.”
He shook his head. “I still don’t like it.”
“Neither do I.”
“If they’re headed to Linderhof,” Trinity said, “that means Malone solved the cipher. The other two of Ludwig II’s castles figured into the hunt, so it makes sense this one would also be included. I checked. That chopper handles four passengers and a pilot. My guess is the two with the guns didn’t make the trip.”
He agreed with that assumption.
“But there still could be assets all around,” Toni said.
“Damn right,” Luke added.
“If I know Maloney,” Derrick said, “he’s got things under control. It’s just that nobody else knows it.”
Or at least he kept telling himself that.
“That would be Pappy,” Luke said.
“Does anyone call this man by his name?” Trinity asked.
“What fun would that be?” Luke said. “He might actually think we like him.”
“How much farther?” Koger asked.
“Five minutes less than the last time I told you,” Trinity said.
Chapter 79
COTTON GLANCED OUT THE HELICOPTER’S SIDE WINDOW AND SPOTTED Linderhof below. They’d taken a circuitous route, surely to avoid the high peaks that surrounded them, most stretching up hundreds of feet. The pilot seemed skillful, weaving a path over the valleys, then up and over some of the more respectable foothills. It had taken a little longer to get here than he’d first thought. He figured the flying distance had been about fifteen miles. The driving distance? Thirty miles, at least. But none of that was in a straight line. Lots of curves and zigzags. Probably forty minutes to an hour to make the drive. His hope was that Koger had dealt with whatever had been sent his way, then learned from the curator where they’d gone. That’s what he would have done if the roles were reversed. So he had to assume the big man was on his way.
If not, then this was going to be his party alone.
He knew a little about Linderhof. The compact palace was Ludwig’s version of the Trianon at Versailles, a favorite of Marie Antoinette. Not a replica, more another re-imagining. A rococo jewel, richly articulated by windows, balconies, banded pilasters, wrought iron, gilt, and crowns, all standing atop a lower story of rusticated blocks enclosed by a balustrade. Like at Neuschwanstein, floodlights illuminated the exterior, the white walls sparkling in the night. It sat off by itself, in peaceful repose, secluded in the alpine foothills among acres of trees, parklands, and gardens, miles away from any town. It had been Ludwig’s favorite and the king had spent a lot of time there. The only one of his projects to come to completion. Though, to Ludwig, nothing was ever really finished.
The chopper touched down in a small clearing about a hundred yards from the palace. He’d noticed nothing but black as far as he could see on the way down. Which meant they were alone. Except for two guys waiting beyond the wash of the blades. Not Fenn’s brothers. These were Chinese operatives, each toting an automatic rifle. The chopper’s rotor wound down and they exited out into the cold. A profound silence once again overtook them, broken only by a frigid breeze.
“These men are here to make sure you behave,” Ming said. “I have more on the way.”
“As do I,” Fenn said.
All good to know.
“Where are we to go?” Ming asked.
Fenn pointed off toward the north and the palace. “It’s beyond there, up on the hill. The Venus Grotto.”
“How do you know this is the right place?” Cotton tried.
“We just do,” Albert said.
“There are cameras and security inside the palace,” Fenn said. “Nothing much outside. No on-site security people, either, this time of year. We have the place to ourselves.”
Also good to know.
So far he’d bought nearly an hour in time.
Was it enough?
* * *
DERRICK STUDIED TONI SIM’S PHONE, WHICH, LIKE TRINITY’S IN THE front seat, displayed a schematic for the grounds at Linderhof. About a hundred and twenty acres. That’s a lot of real estate. Plenty of buildings, too, scattered all around. The curator said they were headed to the Venus Grotto, which, according to the map, sat at the extreme north edge of the property. It had been excavated out of the ground, watercourses altered, then a structure formed from iron, cement, and brown linen, the interior walls coated in antimony to simulate glittering stones. The layout had been modeled after a famous grotto on Capri, complete with an underground lake into which a waterfall emptied. The first electrical service in Bavaria had been installed inside to power a prismatic array of red, green, yellow, and blue lights that cast more of the illusion.
Sounded weird and expensive.
“What are they after there?” he asked himself.
“Malone had to lead them,” Trinity said from the front seat.
“Thank you for those words of wisdom,” he said. “They aren’t much help. But I’m so glad we have them.”
“You feel better insulting me?” she asked.
“I’ll feel better when we’re there. This isn’t an office in DC or a Langley briefing room. This is friggin’ real, and somebody’s butt is on the line.”
“I appreciate the reminder. I forgot about that.”
He told himself to lighten up. He knew TOO cared about the people who worked for her. But he felt so damn helpless. He should not have gone after Rife. That was a personal payback, which had left Malone exposed.
But it had to be done.
“We’re almost there,” Luke said.
Outside it was nearly pitch-black, only the scarcest of lights breaking the darkness. They were deeper into the Alps with their combination of highs and lows, speeding through one of the valleys toward some nineteenth-century castle built by a guy that many people called mad.
Looking for a hundred-and-twenty-year-old deed.
The whole thing sounded nuts.
He studied the schematic again. “We need to avoid the main entrance. There’s a road that parallels the northern perimeter of the property that’s close to the grotto.”
“I already have it,” Trinity said. “That’s where we’re headed.”
He caught her tone. Cut me some slack. I’m worried too. And, I’m thinking. “You forgive an old fool for being a prick?”
“I can take a hit,” she made clear.
“I know you can. I just shouldn’t add ’em on.”
* * *
COTTON HAD BEEN LED AT GUNPOINT ACROSS THE DARKENED grounds, through a trellis-walk devoid of plants to an open park, then up an incline, the going slowed by Ming and his cane. Everything was dusted with snow, all of the statuary and fountains boxed off with plywood for the winter. They’d followed a graveled path to a paved one. The presence of two trained assets added an extra element of risk to this endeavor. What had someone once said? Gut instinct is your greatest critic. Listen to it.
Oh, yeah.
He was listening.
“Ludwig II called this place meicost ettal,” Fenn said. “It’s an anagram of L’etat c’est moi. I am the state. He had such a sense of irony.”
“He was a man ahead of his time,” Albert added. “I’ve always found it gratifying how so many people admire him today.”
Lots of ambition surrounded him. Ludwig’s palace. China’s drive to dominate the world. The duke wanting a crown and kingdom.
“So you’re the kingmaker?” he asked Fenn.
“If that is what you want to call me.”
“He has been a good friend to my family,” Albert said. “Without his resources we would not be here.”
“And your brother?” Cotton asked.
“He gets peace,” Albert said.
They turned on the path and kept walking through the cold. Light snow fell in scattered flakes. Here he was again, taking chances, playing the odds, challenging the risks. He’d taken those for God and country, for his son, Cassiopeia, his dead friend Henrik Thorvaldsen, even his ex-wife. This time it was for Stephanie Nelle, whether she wanted his help or not.
So, in a sense, he and Fenn were similar.
Both were trying to elevate someone else.
But something didn’t sit right. The Chinese rarely showed their hand. They were notorious for staying in the shadows. Yet here they were, front and center. Taking point on this advance into the unknown. No doubt existed that he’d be killed once the information he gave had been verified.
Ming stopped for a moment and made a call to his men bird-dogging Dianne McCarter, telling them all was good here.
So he’d bought another hour.
And he planned to make the most of it.
“There it is,” Fenn said, pointing. “The Venus Grotto.”
But he also saw something else.
Two more men with guns.
Standing guard. Waiting.
Great.
The odds just got even worse.
Chapter 80
LUKE FOLLOWED THE DIRECTIONS DORNER PROVIDED, NAVIGATING the darkened highways through two well-lit intersections and finally coming to a driveway that led to a closed gate. He stopped the car. In the wash of the headlights he saw the flimsy fenced panel was padlocked with a chain.
“We don’t have time for niceties,” Koger said.
He shifted the car into reverse, backing up enough to give him a solid head start to gain speed. He’d busted down his fair share of barriers as a teenager. No sense allowing some gate to ruin a good time. He popped the gearshift back into drive and floored the accelerator. The car lurched forward and he sped straight ahead, ramming the front bumper into the gate, exploding it outward. Pretty damn flimsy, if he did say so himself. He’d destroyed a lot sturdier.
He brought the car to a stop. “That made noise.”
They’d not seen the helicopter on the ride in, which meant it was already on the ground.
“How far are we from the grotto?” Toni asked.
“A few hundred yards,” Dorner said.
Koger popped open the rear door. “We walk from here.”
They all climbed out into the cold.
“What do we have?” Luke asked. “Two guns?”
He knew Dorner had one, minus a few rounds, and Koger had mentioned he was armed, though he’d used some of his bullets too.
“Open the trunk,” Dorner said.
He pushed the trunk release on the key fob. They walked around to the illuminated compartment and saw an array of weapons.
“I wasn’t sure what you might need,” Dorner said. “So I brought an assortment, with ammunition.”
“I doubly take back all the bad things I’ve ever said about you,” Derrick told her, reaching for a rifle.
* * *
COTTON STARED AHEAD IN THE DARK AND SAW NOTHING BUT TREES, rock, and bushes. One small section was illuminated by the amber glow of a pole light. Above that was something even more out of place. A steel structure, held aloft by tall girded struts that acted as some sort of temporary roof.
“Fortunate for us,” Fenn said, “the grotto is undergoing an extensive, multi-year restoration. The structure was built to keep the rain and snow out while they work. There have been a multitude of leaks in the grotto ceiling, ruining the inside. Finally, the government did something.”
“How lucky,” Cotton said.
“Come now, Herr Malone, isn’t this exciting?” Fenn said. “We may be about to solve a long-standing mystery, one that might reveal something extraordinary.”
He pointed at Ming. “Something that could also alter the balance of power in the world.”
“Let us not be overly dramatic,” Ming said. “Rare earths are plentiful throughout the world.”
Cotton chuckled. “Of course, years ago, with your government cutting prices to the bone, you shut down every other major producer in the world. It would take billions to reopen those mines and compete with China.”
“Seems to me all of that is just a by-product of a free market. I believe you Americans call it capitalism.”
“We actually call it predatory pricing and monopolization. It’s illegal.” He pointed ahead. “Can we get this over with?”
A sound broke the silence. Like a crash. Away, but not that far.
Ming seemed bothered and looked at Fenn. “Was that your men arriving?”
“Possible.”
Ming pointed at two of his men with guns. “Investigate. It sounded like it was on the property.”
The men hustled off into the night.
Following the paved path that led past the grotto.
Fenn motioned ahead. “Shall we?”
* * *
LUKE CARRIED BOTH AN AUTOMATIC RIFLE AND A SIDEARM. TONI and Derrick were likewise double armed. Dorner? She seemed content with one pistol, and he wondered if she knew how to use it. Crashing through that gate had generated plenty of noise to disturb this gigantic bowl of quiet. They were advancing down a paved path that led deeper into the forested grounds. On their left a building appeared, marked by a sign as the Moorish Kiosk. Lights burned near it, illuminating what looked like a miniature mosque, complete with a gilded dome. Snow clung to the evergreens all around like frosting. They kept moving, flanked out on the path. Luke led the way on the right, Toni behind him. Koger and Dorner on the left.
