Malone stared down at Pau, who was helping free each brick. An idea of what to do came to him in an instant. Pau glanced up and the look on the older man’s face confirmed that he’d determined their next move as well.
“That’s scary,” Malone said. “I’m actually starting to think like you.”
Pau grinned. “I can’t see where that is a bad thing.”
TANG FOLLOWED A RED CARPET THAT FORMED A PATH UP A short set of stone risers into the brick-and-glass building that encased Pit 3. He’d been informed that the hall had been cleared and all exits were manned with guards. He’d brought two men with him, both brothers of the
“No one leaves this building,” he barked out as he stepped past three of the museum guards at the main doors.
Viktor Tomas waited inside.
“You did well,” he said to Viktor.
“Delivered, as promised.”
The excavated pit spread out before him. He approached the catwalk railing, pointed down, then turned to the two brothers, “Assume a position just outside that gash.”
He watched as they hustled down a ladder, drew their weapons, and hugged the earthen wall on either side of the portal into Qin Shi’s imperial library.
He handed Viktor his gun. “Finish the task. Now.”
Viktor gripped the pistol and climbed down the ladder, approaching the two men, who stood ready to attack.
“Pau Wen,” Tang called out. “The building is sealed.”
No one replied.
“You are under arrest.” His voice echoed through the interior, masked by the
Still no reply.
He motioned for Viktor to advance inside.
The two brothers moved with caution, glancing around the portal’s edge, testing the situation, then rushed into the blackness, followed by Viktor.
He waited for the soft
Viktor reappeared. “You should come down.”
He did not like the quizzical tone in the man’s voice.
He descended the ladder and entered the chamber. Just as he suspected, a charred smell of ash filled the musty air. Not a single silk or bamboo strip remained, only the three stone tables, the room not all that different from two days ago—except for two things.
In the floor, two sets of bricks had been removed, exposing openings about a meter square each, on opposite sides of the room.
He stared into them.
They dropped about two meters into the earth.
But which one had they taken?
FIFTY-FIVE
MALONE REALIZED THAT THEIR TRICK, IN EXPOSING BOTH OPENINGS, would only momentarily slow down any pursuers. But every second they could gain counted.
Another problem was more immediate.
He wasn’t fond of tight, underground spaces, though he seemed to find himself inside them more often than he wished. He knew Cassiopeia did not suffer from the same discomfort, so she led the way, plunging through the coal-black darkness, the beam of her flashlight illuminating only a few feet ahead.
They walked without a sound, their entrance point now a hundred yards behind them, negotiating sharp turns that had gone first left then right. The floor, which carried a slight upward slope, was brick-paved, similar to Pit 3, the walls and roof cut stone.
“This was part of the drainage that protected the tomb from groundwater,” Pau whispered. “The turns are meant to slow any water that might accumulate, the rise making it difficult for the water to encroach. Behind these walls is poured bronze to add another layer of protection. They were quite ingenious.”
“And where does this lead?” Malone asked.
“Straight to the tomb, and the secret entrance used by the builders.”
Malone recalled the distance from the museum to the tomb mound—about half a mile, he’d estimated from the air. But that was in a straight line, which this tunnel wasn’t.
His anxiety amplified.
Cassiopeia stopped and glanced back toward him. Her eyes asked if he was okay, and he motioned for them to head on.
They passed offshoots, dark doorways to the left and the right. Eight so far. He also noticed characters etched beside the portals, more Chinese numbers. Pau explained that the tunnels accommodated runoff, taking as much water as possible away from the tomb, allowing seepage back into the ground. Similar to a drain field for a septic tank, Malone thought.
“The numbers beside each portal, they’re significant?” he asked.
“Critical,” Pau said. “Take the wrong one and you may never get out of here.”
TANG WAS NOT IN THE MOOD FOR TRICKS.
He stared at the holes in the floor and ordered, “Both of you stand guard. Don’t leave this room unattended. If any foreigner emerges from those holes, shoot them.”
They nodded their assent.
He motioned for Viktor to come with him.
Time to deal with Ni Yong.
