Andy McDermott - The Midas Legacy

Her niece was no fool, though. It was obvious from their bruises and cuts that the trip had been eventful. ‘Sooo,’ Holly said, lips pursed, ‘are you going to tell me what happened? Or do I just need to go on to Google and look for anything that exploded in Nepal recently?’

‘Yeah, things weren’t as simple as I’d hoped,’ Nina admitted as Eddie picked up Macy and kissed her. ‘But we’re back home now, so everything’s good. Really!’ she added, seeing the younger woman’s sceptical expression.

‘Was everything all right here?’ Eddie asked.

Holly nodded. ‘Macy was brilliant. I took her out to do things every day, and we had a great time.’

‘You managed okay with only having a three-year-old for company?’ said Nina.

She smiled. ‘I didn’t throw any wild parties after I put her to bed, if that’s what you were wondering.’

The doorbell rang. Nina went to the intercom to be told that there was a courier downstairs. ‘They’re certainly efficient,’ she said after buzzing him in. ‘Holly, I don’t want to seem as if I’m throwing you out, but Eddie and I would like some time with Macy, if that’s okay?’

‘I can take a hint,’ the younger woman said with a grin. ‘No problem.’

The courier arrived, bearing a box inside a sealed plastic anti-tamper envelope emblazoned with United Nations diplomatic logos. Nina signed for it, then she, Eddie and Macy said their goodbyes to Holly. She departed, leaving the family alone. ‘What’s that?’ Macy asked as Nina put the package on her desk. ‘Is it a present?’

‘It’s just something for Mommy’s work,’ Nina told her, to the child’s disappointment. ‘Listen, shall we have some food, then you and Daddy can go somewhere cool together?’

Macy looked stricken. ‘What about you? You only just got home…’

‘I’ve got to talk to someone about Nepal.’

‘Can’t it wait?’ said Eddie.

Nina detected his undertone of aggravation, but did not let it change her mind. ‘The sooner I get some answers about that,’ she indicated the package, ‘the sooner we can get back to normal. There’s only one person who can give me those answers.’ Her face hardened. ‘And she’d better have them.’

‘Nina, hello,’ said Olivia. ‘I’m so glad to see you again.’ Nina showed her into the living room, the old woman’s eyes immediately going to the now-unwrapped box on the coffee table. ‘Where are Eddie and Macy?’

‘Out,’ Nina replied. ‘I wanted to have a private conversation.’

Olivia picked up on her frosty air. ‘Am I to assume that it might get rather… intense?’

‘That’s one way of putting it. Take a seat.’

The old woman made a show of carefully lowering herself into the armchair. ‘You know, you really are so much like Laura. She used to have exactly the same tone when she was angry with me.’

‘I’m not angry,’ said Nina. ‘Not yet.’ She sat facing Olivia across the table. ‘We’ll just see how things develop, shall we?’

Olivia gazed at the box. ‘That’s something you brought back from Nepal, I assume.’ Nina nodded. ‘Then… you went to Detsen monastery? You found the Midas Cave?’

‘We found it, yeah.’

‘And you went inside?’ Even though Nina was sure she was well practised at displaying only the emotions she wished to present to the world, Olivia couldn’t contain her rising excitement.

‘We did. And we found this.’ She lifted the lid and took out the heavy crystalline sphere, placing it on the table between them.

Her guest stared at it, rapt. ‘The Crucible…’

‘So it’s more than just a name to you,’ said Nina accusingly. ‘You know what it is.’

‘Of course. Tobias Garde described it.’

Her eyes narrowed. ‘And you know what it does .’

There was no attempt to prevaricate. ‘Yes, I do,’ Olivia replied. ‘It turns mercury into gold.’

‘You knew that the whole time — and you didn’t tell me?’

‘Would it have affected your decision to search for the cave?’

‘It might!’

‘Then you know why I kept it from you.’

Nina stared at her, aghast. ‘So you used me? This whole thing was all about gold ?’

‘It was about much more than that,’ Olivia insisted. ‘You might think that I used you, but I did it for the best of intentions. I did it for my family. For you . And for Macy.’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘The Midas Cave gave us our family’s legacy. Tobias discovered it; his fortune was the gold he was given from it. That fortune has been passed down through the generations, but nothing lasts for ever. Now that you’ve found the cave and the Crucible, though, it can be restored.’

Nina fixed her with a sardonic look. ‘That might be harder than you think.’

‘Why?’

‘The cave’s been destroyed.’

Olivia sat bolt upright, shocked. ‘ What? ’

‘Someone knew I was going to Nepal to look for it — they knew I was going to Dragon Mountain. We were attacked.’

‘By whom?’

‘A team of mercenaries. They killed some of the monks, and nearly me and Eddie too. They also took the other Crucible, the big one.’ Nina watched her grandmother’s response closely; there was no surprise at the revelation of a second artefact. ‘One of their helicopters crashed and collapsed the cave entrance.’

‘My God.’ Olivia regarded the crystal, then looked up at Nina. ‘I’m glad you’re both all right.’

‘We nearly weren’t. And I’m glad you remembered to be sympathetic, however belatedly.’

‘This is not my fault!’ she protested.

‘Then whose is it? Whoever sent those men not only knew about the Midas Cave, they knew about the Crucibles, plural. Which is more than I did, or Mom.’ An unpleasant thought came to her. ‘ Did Mom know? What the Crucibles were, I mean. The name was in her notes, but there was never any explanation of what it meant. I’d thought that was because she didn’t know, but now I’m wondering if it’s because she did .’

Olivia was silent for a moment before answering. ‘She knew the Crucible was part of the process of how the cave created gold. Beyond that… no, no she didn’t. I hadn’t told her, because there was no need for her to know at the time. But,’ she went on, more urgently, ‘that’s not important right now. Who were these mercenaries? Who hired them?’

‘I don’t know,’ said Nina. ‘They were Nepali, but the leader was a man called Axelos.’

‘That isn’t a name I recognise, I’m afraid.’

‘Did you think you might?’

‘It was possible. You see, our family isn’t the only one that made its fortune from the Midas Cave. Tobias Garde’s companions shared the gold with him, and passed it down to their descendants too.’

‘You think one of them sent the mercenaries?’

‘I can’t imagine that they would, but…’ She lightly chewed her bottom lip, deep in thought. ‘Nina, it’s time you learned the full truth about your mother’s past — your family’s past.’

Nina leaned towards her. ‘I’m listening.’

‘Not here, not from me alone.’ Olivia hesitated, apparently making a big decision. ‘You need to meet the other members of the Midas Legacy.’

Eddie peered out of the descending airliner’s window at the raw, rugged landscape below. At this time of year the Icelandic lowlands were thawing, but the higher ground in the distance was still an unbroken vista of white. ‘Can’t believe I agreed to this,’ he grumbled. ‘We get back from Nepal, and the next day we’re off to bloody Iceland!’