I let go and she collapsed instantly. I was diving over her, my hands reaching for the guard’s throat before he could bring his blade back. I dug in silently, quickly and efficiently.
He clawed at my hands for a moment but I had him solidly. His eyes bulged, his hands fell away and I lowered him to the ground, dropping him half-over the girl.
I’d guessed correctly.
She had set it up with one of the guards, and it didn’t take much imagination to see how she’d planned to have it work out.
He would have killed us both within moments. After that she would have started to scream the alarm. By the time anyone arrived at the scene we’d be two dead bodies, and both she and the guard would go up in El Ahmid’s eyes.
If she’d just led us to safety, there’d possibly be questions raised as to how I’d escaped. This way she could embellish the whole tiling with a story of how I’d slipped into the women’s quarters and snatched Marina out before her very eyes. She’d followed us downstairs and screamed the alarm, and it would be so neat and pat.
Only it hadn’t worked out that way, and I saw Marina staring transfixed at the two bodies. I scooped up the guard’s heavy double-edge sword and grabbed Marina’s hand, yanking her out of her shocked trance.
“This way,” I hissed, pulling her along.
“What happened?” she asked as we ran.
“Long story,” I smiled. “A case of attempted double-crossing, a technique that should never be tried by amateurs.”
We reached the stable and slipped inside. It was full of horses, and, as I expected, there were no two Arabians saddled and waiting.
I saddled up two of the nearest stallions, carefully opened the stable door and started out.
“Bend low in the saddle,” I said to Marina. “Make a small target of yourself and don’t gallop until I do. Then give it everything you’ve got and follow me.”
The big, arched entranceway was still open, one guard at each side of it. I walked the big, powerful stallion forward, letting him wheel around a few times on his own. Hunched low in the saddle, I knew the guards, at this distance, could see nothing more than a dark shape in the saddle. All they could make out were two horses and riders on them.
I edged the stallion toward the gate, keeping him at a frisky walk.
Marina was right behind me.
I played, it cool and edged up still further. Coming out of the stables as we had, they were regarding us with no more than casual interest. Had we been approaching from outside they’d have had us in their rifle sights by now.
I turned the stallion’s head toward the gate, looked back again to see that Marina was wheeling her horse in position, and dug my heels into his ribs. He flattened his ears back, leaped forward and took off like a desert windstorm.
I passed the two guards and was outside before they even got their rifles up. I was on my way down the steep path when I heard the sound of Marina’s voice.
I looked back and saw her toppling from the saddle, one of the guards hanging onto her.
He had thought quickly and had seen there wouldn’t be time for him to bring up his rifle and fire. He’d leaped forward, throwing himself at her as she rode past.
“Dammit!” I cursed, wheeling the stallion around.
I raced back and saw the one guard struggling with Marina. The other one, seeing me galloping back, tried to get his rifle up.
He never made it. I ran the stallion right at him and he had to leap aside. As he did so, I brought the double-edge sword down on his head. The thunking sound had the ring of utter finality to it.
The other one struggling with Marina threw her to the ground and brought his rifle around, but I was on him too fast.
I came down with the sword with all my strength.
He ducked it and I wheeled for another try but I saw he would have the rifle up to fire in a second.
I threw the sword, hard and down. It went into his chest like a lance.
Marina had mounted her horse before he hit the ground and we took off.
They’d be coming after us, but we had a head start and they’d have to get lucky to pick which of the many passes we’d chosen to take.
But I wasn’t about to take any chances. I kept up the breakneck pace until we were at the foot of the mountain range. We’d taken some perilously steep trails to cut down as straight as we could and now I halted at the edge of the Taza Gap.
To the east, the camel caravan would be approaching from Algeria or Southern Morocco. To the west of the gap, Tangiers and the American Consulate.
I dismounted and pulled Marina down beside me.
“You heard what El Ahmid is planning,” I told her. “He’s got to be stopped. I’m going to give you a secret code signal. You ride to Tangiers, don’t stop for anything, ride right to the American Consulate there. Give the code signal to him and ask him to call AXE headquarters for you. He’ll do it because of the code signal. When you get AXE headquarters, tell the person on the phone the whole story. Got that so far?”
She nodded and I went on.
