Chapter 45 - The Price of Freedom
We moved through the darkness by memory and touch, our fingers skimming along the cold, porous calcium of the bone walls. Clara led the way with Maya, while I brought up the rear, Lily firmly held in my grip.
Behind us, the sweep of halogen beams painted grotesque, elongated shadows against the crypt walls.
"Split into pairs," a voice barked in German—Arthur's foreign mercenaries. "Thermal imaging is useless down here, the walls are too damp. Use motion sensors. The package must be retrieved intact."
Suddenly, Lily's foot caught on a broken flagstone. She tumbled forward with a sharp gasp, her knee striking an iron grate on the floor with a hollow, ringing clang.
"Over there! Sector four!"
Instantly, two beams of blinding light snapped directly onto our position.
"Run!" I roared, shoving Clara and the girls forward into the narrow entrance of the aqueduct conduit.
I spun around, drawing my own firearm—a compact semi-automatic taken from the dead guard at the wharf. I fired three shots into the glare of the flashlights. A scream echoed through the vault as the lead mercenary collapsed, clutching his shattered clavicle. The second operative dove behind an ossuary pillar, his weapon barking in controlled bursts.
Rounds ricocheted wildly off the stone arches. A shard of splintered granite sliced across my temple, warm blood immediately pouring down the side of my face, stinging my left eye.
"Julian!" Clara screamed from the tunnel entrance.
"Go! Get them to the sluice gate!" I shouted back, returning fire until my slide locked back on an empty chamber.
I dropped the empty magazine, reaching into my pocket for a spare, but my fingers found only empty fabric. I was out.
From behind the stone pillars, Arthur stepped into the flashlight beam. He wasn't wearing a helmet or body armor; he walked with the arrogance of a king inspecting his domain. Behind him stood four heavily armed operatives, their weapons leveled squarely at my chest.
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"A noble effort, Julian," Arthur said softly, his voice echoing smoothly down the corridor of skulls. "You always were the protector. But chivalry is an archaic virtue. It gets men killed."
He raised his silver pistol, aligning the sights between my eyes. "Step away from the conduit, Julian. Step away, and I will make your death quick."
