Carpathian (84 page)

“While taking our swim in the new river outside,” Jack said, “we came across Pete Golding and Ryan trying to break a swim record for speed. They’re outside with the remnants of a very strange group of funny-dressed Russians and Drake Andrews.”

Jack looked from Mikla to Carl and then back at Ben-Nevin.

“You have a lot to answer for, Colonel. I should probably let Ms. Korvesky return you to Israel, but that may cause some embarrassment for a few people, so it looks like things will be settled a little more quietly,” he said as he took a step forward.

“You may think you have stopped our faction for now, Major, but you have not. The truth of this place will come out. There is no stopping that now and then we will have the full power to bring the left-wing government down and replace it with those who know and understand the power of the past, and remember that we are God’s chosen ones.”

“I think you will find that scenario flawed somewhat,” Anya said. “And the name is Korvesky, and I am the queen of the Jeddah.”

Collins started forward but Carl reached out and took Collins’s shoulder and stilled him.

“Not this time, Jack. I insist on the honors, well, my friend here does at any rate.”

Ben-Nevin’s eyes went wide as Carl turned away with Jack and along with Anya left him alone with Mikla. The wolf didn’t move or make a sound. The beast suddenly stood on its hind feet and advanced in four long strides until its face was inches from Ben-Nevin. Mikla soon explained the real facts of life to the traitorous Ben-Nevin.

*   *   *

As Carl assisted Anya over the ruined casino wall he waited for Jack as the roar of Mikla was heard over the wind and thunder of the storm. Colonel Ben-Nevin had just learned the real magic of the Jeddah and why they had never been found—the Golia had always been there to protect them, just as Mikla was doing at that moment.

As Jack looked around him he saw what remained of his team and the night’s entertainment. They all turned when they heard someone splashing up behind them. Major Mendohlson was standing there as wet as everyone else and he wasn’t alone. The remnants of his team of fifty-six men were with him and Jack only counted thirty-two. Most were injured but at least they were alive. Collins nodded to his colleague and then watched as the Israeli approached. Anya and Carl joined them as the storm for the first time that night started to taper.

“Gentlemen, Major Korvesky,” Mendelsohn said, “as we have no way to get a dust-off from the area, I am placing me and my men into NATO protective custody until such time as we can be sent back to our country to face charges.”

Collins and Everett knew how the game was played. The Israeli government would never admit to authorizing the mission to destroy the City of Moses so they would have no choice but to hang the major and his team out to dry and call the action unauthorized.

Jack shook his head in understanding. “Major, we all may be headed for a Romanian jail, so why don’t we hang out a while and see what happens.”

“Yes, but if I may,” the major said and turned to face Sarah McIntire. “I overheard you earlier explaining the dynamics of the temple and the mountains and the castle’s engineering flaws. Can you assure me that whatever was buried inside that mountain is buried forever?”

Jack knew immediately what the major was referring to and decided to help Sarah.

“The last we saw, Stanus had the weapon, Major, what he did with it will be a mystery that went to the grave with him.”

“You mean that wolf?”

“Yeah, that guy,” Jack answered.

Carl took Anya by the hand and walked her a few steps away until they were well out from the rest of the survivors. They were now standing in the rain. Everett leaned over and kissed the new Gypsy queen and then just held her. As he did the thumping sound started from the sky and overrode the distant thunder. Carl looked up at the noise.

“What in the hell is that?” Mendenhall asked as he stopped applying the bandage to Ryan’s head.

“That’s the result of my phone call home. I see Virginia got through to the president, who in turn got the NATO commander in Cologne, Germany, to get us some transport in here. After all, we had a little problem with flooding ourselves.”

All eyes turned to a filthy Niles Compton and Alice Hamilton. They looked as if they had been through a blender. They heard the six Black Hawk helicopters of the 82nd Airborne Division as they made their way through the diminishing storm to what remained of the most expensive hotel and casino Eastern Europe had ever seen.

“And Mrs. Hamilton, I think I’ll sit out your next little foray into the world, this is rough,” Niles said as he sat hard on an overturned craps table and waited for the American Army to rescue them from what used to be known to the world as Transylvania. A place the Event Group would not soon forget.

*   *   *

The sun struggled to break through the early morning clouds as the first of the five Black Hawks lifted off carrying the more severely injured of the small group left near the hotel. With Dmitri Zallas missing the security element had deserted the property.

Jack was getting ready to send Mendohlson and his remaining Sayeret team to the next Black Hawk when they were approached by several men in the blue and black uniforms of the Romanian National Police. Collins exchanged looks with Everett when they saw that the police had come in force and most were already standing by two trucks that had been brought in to remove the major.

“I am Captain Ceustantz of the National Police, Major Mendohlson. I have been ordered to take you and your team into protective custody pending a hearing for illegally entering Romania to cause anarchy upon our citizens.”

Anya started to step forward to protest but Everett held her back with a shake of his head. It was no use getting herself arrested.

Mendohlson half bowed in compliance, letting the officer know that he would have no trouble with him or his men. He turned to face Anya and Everett and smiled.

“Major Korvesky, the best of luck to you in your new life. Captain,” Mendohlson held out his hand and Everett shook it. The major then turned to Jack and offered his hand. “Colonel, I recognized your name as soon as I heard it. I would someday like to see you in action against something other than creatures from a fairy tale and mobsters that fell out of a bad movie.”

“Someday soon, Major,” Jack said, taking the man’s hand and then shaking it. Collins watched the major leave and he was smiling as he wiped more mud from his face.

“What’s so funny, Colonel?” Mendenhall asked when he saw his boss looking at the two trucks and the policemen who assisted the major’s wounded and worn team into the back. The major turned and looked at Jack just as a large man with a barrel chest and police uniform stepped up to the major. They both were looking at the group of motley Americans. The big man smiled and waved as he helped the major into the back of the truck.

“I think we just saw Ms. Korvesky’s former boss,” Jack said as Anya stepped forward to view the scene better. Her mouth fell open as she was witnessing the impossible.

The second invasion of Romania was on as General Addy Shamni smiled and gave Anya a half salute. She saw a worn and weary Janos Vajic standing next to the general. And then to her shock she saw her grandmother’s body as it was loaded onto the truck. General Shamni walked toward the stunned group of Americans and up to Anya. He eyed Everett and gave him an appreciative nod of his head. The general then faced his former charge.

“Major, I am going home now and taking my sister with me. She can no longer remain here. She will be enshrined with every king and queen the Jeddah have ever known in Jerusalem with the rest of her kind. She will lie next to Kale, the Great One. She’s going home to a place denied to your tribe thirty-five hundred years ago. She’s coming home with me.” He leaned over and kissed Anya on the forehead. “Good-bye, niece.” General Shamni turned and walked out of the life of Anya Korvesky.

“I never knew before tonight,” she said as she watched the trucks with the counterfeit Romanian police drive away after rescuing their assault teams before the real police arrived.

“Well, it’s all over now,” Carl said as he knew his life was also never going to be the same after tonight.

*   *   *

Two hours later everyone was accounted for, including Denise Gilliam, who had ended up with the Israeli rescue force after Madam Korvesky died. She recounted how the old woman knew for a fact that her grandson was still inside Stanus. She then added what little she could to sustain the wolf’s life while he lay in wait inside the cable car. She was there just long enough for Marko, herself, and Stanus to send Dmitri Zallas off to the afterlife with an attitude adjustment.

The last of the Black Hawks started spooling up their twin turbo-driven engines. As the four-bladed rotors started to turn the Event Group loaded up.

Collins watched Charlie and Pete board after making sure Drake Andrews and his new band had made it safely aboard another Romanian helicopter. Jack then walked to the last Black Hawk where Sarah, Mendenhall, Niles, Alice, and Ryan were waiting with Denise Gilliam. Collins stepped aboard and then turned and waited for Carl. He was holding Anya and saying something to her, and then with a final kiss they parted. She never turned away from Everett’s back as he moved to join his friends. He made it to the doorway as the sharp whine of the Black Hawk’s twin engines started turning over. Carl stepped up to the doorway and looked at each face inside the chopper before his eyes settled on Jack and Sarah. He hesitated and then looked as if he wanted to say something.

“What are you doing, Captain?” Jack asked loudly as the engine noise built up to a deafening roar. Carl looked over at the colonel and they locked eyes. “Get the hell out of here.”

Everett looked from Jack to Niles, who nodded his head in understanding. Then he looked at a shocked Will Mendenhall and an even more stunned Jason Ryan. He smiled and then saluted his friends. He then saw Sarah, who was already tearing up and getting angry for doing so. He gave her a look that told her “thank you for everything.” All her hard work to get Carl back to living a real life again after the death of Lisa, his fiancée, had not been wasted. He kissed her. Then he leaned over and kissed Alice Hamilton on the cheek. He patted the burlap bag on the seat next to her and then winked. She smiled with tears in her eyes and found she couldn’t speak. Everett straightened and then held out his hand to Collins.

“Thanks, Jack, you’ll get my paperwork started, right?”

Jack Collins nodded that yes, he would get his retirement papers in order. He shook hands with his friend of eight years for the last time.

“Good luck, swabby, and take care of that girl. I understand she has some pretty rough in-laws that may not take to you.” He smiled and Everett followed suit. Their hands parted as the Black Hawk spun up in power and the wheels lifted free of the earth.

They all watched as Everett walked back and placed his arm around Anya as his friends flew away to the south over the remains of the Edge of the World.

Captain Carl Everett watched the U.S. Army Black Hawk until he couldn’t see it any longer. He then turned to Anya and together they walked away into their future.

EPILOGUE

PARTING

Hark, now hear the sailors cry

Smell the sea and feel the sky

Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic

—Van Morrison, “Into the Mystic”

EVENT GROUP COMPLEX, NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, NEVADA

The group that sat around the conference table was pretty much silent as the individual departments had been excused after their daily morning meeting, with the exception of Jack, Sarah, Will Mendenhall, Pete, and Charlie, Alice Hamilton, and Virginia Pollock. It had been two weeks since their return from Romania. Mendenhall, Sarah, and Ryan were still bandaged up in several places, but other than that the Event Group had come through the ordeal with minimum pain outside of Carl’s departure. They all sat around the conference table as Niles Compton stepped back to the table from his desk. He punched a button and the small screen next to his seat slid up from the table. Very soon after that the picture of their commander in chief appeared. The president nodded a greeting to all in the room.

“I believe you’re ready, Director Compton?” the president said into the screen. “Make it quick, I’ve got a meeting with the Israeli prime minister in ten minutes.”

“First off, I wanted only essential personnel to hear the forensic analysis of Alice’s find inside Madam Korvesky’s house. Alice, if you would.”

Alice, resplendent in a new knee-length blue dress and looking like her old self, stepped up to the large screen in the center of the room. She looked embarrassed.

“Europa, please present Slide 445789, Operation Grimm, on the screen, please.”

“Yes, Mrs. Hamilton.”

On the monitor what looked like six large chunks of stone of varying sizes were displayed on a stainless steel table. Alice allowed everyone to look them over.

“The stones were analyzed by our Nuclear Sciences Department and Virginia can validate all her findings. And they are extraordinary, I assure you. First, these were found stored inside an old chest that I am sure you are aware of. These were the only items prized by the Jeddah, and Madam Korvesky knew, or should I say sensed, that we would know what to do with them. These stone fragments were more valuable to them than the bodies of Moses and the other great Hebrew leaders, and far more than any of the spoils they collected during their Exodus from Egypt.”

“First of all, just what are they?” the president asked.

“Sarah, your report on the material, please,” Alice asked.

Sarah stood at her chair, noticing how silent Jack had been this morning and for the past for the past few days.

“The material was easy—granite, solid granite from the Arabian Peninsula. The manufacture concerning its attributes cannot however be verified.”

“What attributes?” Mendenhall asked and then quieted quickly when he forgot the president was listening in and he knew that the commander in chief liked asking the questions. But this time it looked like the president was uncomfortable in doing so.