Steve Berry - The Alexandria Link

“Unless you’re in this rat maze.”

They kept moving forward through the puzzle of passageways, misleading corridors, and dead ends. The time and energy required to construct the tunnels staggered Malone’s imagination. But the Guardians had been at their task for two-thousand-plus years-plenty of time to be both innovative and thorough.

Seven more junctions appeared and he was pleased to see that each time a letter from the arbor appeared above a door. He kept his gun ready but heard nothing ahead of them. Each juncture contained a different marvel of hieroglyphs, cartouches, alphabet engravings, and cuneiform symbols.

Past the seventh intersection and into another tunnel, he knew that the final path lay ahead.

They turned a corner, and the light from the exit ahead was clearly brighter than the other junctures. McCollum could be there waiting, so he positioned Pam behind him and crept forward.

At the end, he stayed in the shadows and peered inside.

The room was large, maybe forty feet square, with overhead chandeliers. The walls towered twenty feet and were covered in mosaic maps. Egypt. Palestine. Jerusalem. Mesopotamia. The Mediterranean. Detail was minimal, coastlines tapered off into the unknown, and the writing was in Greek, Arabic, and Hebrew. On the opposite wall were seven more doors. The one with the letter M above it surely opened into the library itself.

They stepped inside the chamber.

“Welcome, Mr. Malone,” a male voice said.

Two men took form from the darkness of one of the other doorways. One was the Guardian whom McCollum had earlier held at gunpoint, minus his straw hat. The other was Adam from Haddad’s apartment and the monastery in Lisbon.

Malone aimed his weapon.

Neither the Guardian nor Adam moved. Both men simply stared at him with concerned expressions.

“I’m not your enemy,” Adam said.

“How did you find us?” Pam asked.

“I didn’t. You found me.”

Malone thought about how the man standing across from him had gunned down George Haddad. Then he noticed that Adam was dressed similarly to the younger Guardian-baggy pants, cloak tucked into his waistband, rope belt, and sandals.

Neither man was armed.

He lowered his gun.

“You’re a Guardian?” he asked Adam.

“A faithful servant.”

“Why did you kill George Haddad?”

“I didn’t.”

Movement behind the two men caught Malone’s attention. He saw a third figure step from the doorway.

Eve from Haddad’s apartment. Alive and well.

“Mr. Malone,” she said. “I’m the assistant librarian and we owe you an explanation, but it must be quick.”

He kept his composure.

“We were there in London to create an illusion. It was imperative that you continue forward, and the Librarian believed the ruse was the best way to accomplish that goal.”

“The Librarian?”

She nodded. “He leads us. We aren’t many, but have always been enough to protect this place. Many Guardians have served. I’m sure you saw their bones in the church. But the world is changing. It’s becoming increasingly difficult for us to continue our mission. We are about to be without funds, and our recruitment, of late, has been dismal. Then there is the threat.”

He waited for her to explain.

“For the past several years someone has been seeking us. They’ve even involved governments. The incident five years ago with George Haddad-where you were able to secret him away-left an invitee both known and exposed. That has never happened before. All the invitees from the past kept their pledge of secrecy, save one-Thomas Bainbridge. We’re fortunate, though, in that his transgression proved useful. Your quest was made possible by Bainbridge’s lack of character.”

“You knew we were coming?” Pam asked.

“Most of your journey was stimulated by us, except that the Israelis have been quite aggressive in trying to find you. Even the Americans were involved. But it seems for different reasons. Everyone was willing to bargain us away. The Librarian decided to set into motion events that we controlled, ones that could lead the relevant players straight here.”

“How is that possible?” he asked.

“You’re here, aren’t you?”

“We were in London,” Adam said, “to move you. We used some theatrical special effects to convince you of the shootings.” Adam faced Pam. “Shooting you was an accident. I didn’t expect you to be outside.”

“That makes two of us,” Malone said. But there was something else. He faced Eve. “George shot you. I took his gun. It was loaded with live ammunition.”

“Yes, thank goodness he has good aim. I’m still sore, but the vest did its job.”

“We went to Lisbon,” Adam said, “to keep you moving forward, along with diverting the Israelis. We needed the three of you to come here alone. The others, in the abbey, were part of a Mossad assassination unit. But you eliminated them.”

Malone glanced at Pam. “Looks like you definitely weren’t the only one played.”

“The man who came here with you is named Dominick Sabre,” Eve said, “though his birth name is James McCollum. He works for an organization known as the Order of the Golden Fleece. He’s come to take the library.”

“And I brought him,” Malone said.

“No,” Adam said. “ We allowed you to bring him.”

“Where is this Librarian?” Pam asked.

Adam motioned at the doorways. “In there. He went with Sabre. At gunpoint.”

“Cotton,” Pam said. “You realize what they’re saying? If Eve wasn’t killed then-”

“The Librarian is George Haddad.”

Eve nodded, tears forming in her eyes. “He’s going to die.”

“He’s taken Sabre inside,” the younger Guardian said, “knowing that he will not return.”

“How does he know that?” Malone asked.

“Either the Order or Sabre wants this site for themselves. Which one? That remains to be seen. But we will all be killed, regardless. Since we’re but a few, that will not be difficult to accomplish.”

“No weapons in this place?”

Adam shook his head. “Not allowed here.”

“Is what’s back there worth dying for?” Pam asked.

“Without question,” Adam said.

Malone knew what was happening. “Your Librarian was responsible for the death of a Guardian long ago. He thinks his death will be an atonement for that sin.”

“I know,” Eve said. “This morning he watched as you parachuted and knew this was his final day. He told me what he had to do.” She stepped forward. Tears now streaked her cheeks. “He said you would stop what was happening. So save him. He need not die. Save us all.”

Malone faced the doorway marked M and gripped the gun tight. He dropped his pack to the floor and told Pam, “Stay here.”

“No,” she said. “I’m going.”

He faced her. This woman, whom he’d both loved and hated, seemed, like Haddad, at a crossroads herself.

“I want to help,” she said.

He had no idea what would happen in there. “Gary needs at least one parent.”

Her gaze locked on him. “That old man needs us, too.”

MARYLAND

STEPHANIE LISTENED TO FOX NEWS RADIO. THE CAR BOMBING had been reported, the vehicle’s registration run, and Daley identified. Patrons inside the restaurant had corroborated his physical identification, along with describing a woman who’d been sitting with him. Witnesses had told how the woman and another dark-skinned female fled the scene before police arrived.

Not surprisingly, no press reported that armed men had been found dead a few miles from the scene of the explosion. The Secret Service’s cleanup had been fast and thorough.