Dennis Wheatley - Unholy Crusade

Alberuque halted for a moment to adjust his robe. The pilot quickly passed him and joined the group. It then divided, three on each side, and Adam saw that, while standing in a row, the bodies of the five had concealed the stone image of Chac Mool. It reposed there, silent but infinitely menacing, the head turned sideways, the knees and shoulders raised, waiting as of old to receive a sacrificial victim in its lap.

But there was no cleverly constructed dummy to be seen. The absence of one confirmed Adam's grim supposition that it had a only a figment of Alberuque's imagination, invented to disguise temporarily his intention to sacrifice a human victim. Walking past the sinister stone image, Adam advanced to the of the broad terrace and for some moments gazed down at silent crowd gathered below. He recalled his dream, in which had stood there before to be received and acclaimed as a Man God. In the moonlight the clothes of the people down there could not be distinguished, so they might just as well have been wearing cloaks with gaudy patterns that their ancestors had worn a thousand years earlier. The blur of upturned faces was the same. He decided that he must be dreaming again. It was absurd, fantastic, unbelievable, that there could really be a plot in this and age to destroy modern Mexico, with its booming Industry;, skyscrapers, achievements in science and art, magnificent motorways and broad minded government which was slowly, but surely, turning it into a Welfare State; to turn the clock back hundreds of years, leaving the country at the mercy of hordes of primitive Indians led by a handful of fanatics. The whole conception of such a revolution was hopeless: utterly impractical. It could be no more than an idea conjured up in a nightmare. He

must soon wake up in his bed at the El Presidents, or perhaps in London.

Like receiving a bucket of cold water in the face, he was brought back to earth by one of the priests handing him a microphone, a spotlight that completely blinded him being switched on from somewhere, and Alberuque's voice coming from within a few feet of his ear with the harshly whispered ultimatum, 'Now say your piece, and clearly; otherwise I'll smell out your woman, have her stripped naked and give her to Chac Mool.'

Although it was cold up there, beads of perspiration started out on Adam's forehead. He had played for time, had done his utmost to enable Hunterscombe to arrive before the assembly below dispersed, carrying his message, and the codeword was sent out that would inflame the whole country. How could he possibly send them away inspired to commit themselves to a ruthless civil war in which thousands of their kind and thousands of other entirely innocent people must be killed.

But if he refused, what of Chela? Strong as he was he could not hope to overcome the seven priests, and Alberuque was armed. The thought of her being murdered before his eyes was positively horrifying. He must continue to play for time. Even while he was speaking Hunterscombe might arrive.

Fearing that half measures would probably drive Alberuque into such a fury that to revenge himself he would carry out his threat and sacrifice Chela, Adam resisted the temptation to mumble and declaimed his speech in a loud voice. It was received by the crowds below with an awed murmur of appreciation.

The wave of sound had hardly subsided when Alberuque took the hand microphone from him and shouted into it

`Sons of Mexico! Rightful owners of its soil and silver. You have heard the Man God delegate temporal authority over you to me. There is one way only in which we can hope to triumph. It is by swift and ruthless action. The masters must be destroyed root and branch before they have time to organise against us. When you go forth from here, kill! kill! kill! Death to the descendants of the gachupines.'

As he paused, there came a thunderous burst of applause. The cheering lasted a good minute and it was only as it began to fade that Adam caught Chela's voice coming through it from behind him. She was shouting:

'No! What are you saying? No! No! No

Drowning her cries, Alberuque resumed his speech. `I call upon you now to witness the ancient ceremony of Elevation. The Man God has made his will known. As in the past he again ascends to

rejoin his Divine Brothers. The shedding of his blood will rejuvenate our nation.'

It had come the dread decree that Adam had been fearing ever since he had recognised Alberuque to be Itzechuatl. Yet still could hardly believe it possible that in this modern age such a thing could really happen. Even now, at the eleventh hour, he thought again that he must be suffering from a ghastly dream and, as is the way with nightmares, would wake at the critical moment find himself in bed, sweating but safe.

Fear for Chela had kept him obedient up to the moment of Alberuque's final sentence. The actual announcement that he was be the victim of the ritual murder put her out of danger. Suddenly he woke to the reality of his own peril. Alberuque was standing on his right and within a yard of him. Had his hands been free, he could easily have seized him and thrown him down the pyramid. But they were not. In his right hand he held the long staff of authority tipped with his cypher in jewels; in his left the shield from which dangled his plumed head dress. Letting fall his impedimenta, he thrust out his right hand to grab Alberuque. But the evil priest had anticipated that he would make a fight for his life, and had taken precautionary measures. Unseen by Adam, five of the other priests had closed in behind him. The second he moved, they flung themselves upon him, grabbing him round the neck and waist and by both arms. His only assets in a fight against such odds were his towering height and the powerful muscles in his big limbs; but although all men, the priests were muscular and, except for one, they re in the prime of life.

Exerting all his strength, he wrestled with them, striving to throw them off. As he did so, he caught a glimpse of Chela. The Tenth priest was holding her back from coming to his assistance. Through the almost deafening shouts of excitement that rose from crowd, he could hear her screaming at Alberuque:

'You cannot do this! You cannot! Oh, what have I done that this should happen? Holy Virgin, have pity. Save him! Save him!' Adam got an arm free and brought his clenched fist down on the head of one of the priests. The man fell like a pole axed ox. But another of them seized his arm again. With both arms held, body was vulnerable. One of the priests, lowering his head, ran in and butted him in the stomach. The blow winded him. The breath driven from his body, he doubled up. His limbs went slack. Seizing their advantage, the priests dragged him towards

Chac Mool.

Again he caught a glimpse of Chela. The priest was holding her

with her arms behind her back. She was struggling violently with him and still screaming, `Oh Lord, have mercy! Holy Mary intercede for me! Save him! Save him and I'll become your handmaiden. I have sinned; I know it! But I repent! I repent!'

It was then that Adam subconsciously became aware that new sounds were vibrating in the air. From overhead there came the roar of aircraft while the shouting of the crowd no longer held a note of fanatical elation; it had changed to pandemonium. Out of the night sky above the massed people, row after row of flares descended, dropped from fighter aircraft. Help had come, but too late; for aircraft could not rescue him.

Yet the thought that succour was so near lent him new strength, and he had got back his wind. Desperately he turned and twisted like Laocoon among the serpents. Snarling with fury, the four priests strove to force him down on to the Chac Mool. For a moment he let himself go limp, gave a terrific heave and broke free. But, as he jumped clear, the older priest tripped him. He went down heavily, hitting his head on the raised knees of the hideous idol. The blow did not knock him out, but he was momentarily blinded. Stars and whirling circles flashed before his eyes. Involuntarily his muscles slackened, and he was rendered temporarily helpless.