[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.They were ravenous, bloodthirsty creatures, driven by the thrill of the hunt.He bolted for the final tunnel, hoping to use their aggression against them.They don’t know about the sinkhole.They won’t be expecting it.* * *Cobb heard his name as McNutt sprinted past him in the flooded cistern, but he wasn’t able to respond.He was far too busy holding his breath.The tip of his gun emerged from the black water like a periscope, waiting for the enemy to cross his path – literally cross his path because he was hiding next to the only bridge that connected the entrance to the cistern and the exit on the far wall.Cobb’s lungs began to burn, but he remained hidden.His trigger finger quivered in anticipation.A moment later, the assassins burst into the chamber.They spotted McNutt up ahead and continued their chase, realizing that he had only one avenue of escape.They were so intent on catching him that they failed to consider the possibility of an ambush.The mistake cost them their lives.Cobb rose from the depths like a leviathan.With fire in his lungs and ice in his veins, he calmly zeroed in on his targets.Three shots boomed in the cistern.Three splashes soon followed.Each marked a watery grave.28Now it was Sarah’s turn to stare at the wall in disbelief.If Jasmine’s interpretation was correct, they knew how, when, and why Alexander’s tomb had left the city.Someone had smuggled it out without anyone knowing.Sarah then studied the multitude of supports that kept the tunnel’s roof from caving in.The level of reinforcement made a lot more sense now that she understood the true purpose of the tunnel.It was built to transport the world’s most precious cargo.Jasmine continued her explanation.‘I’m not trying to make light of the situation or overlook the number of lives that were lost, but the smugglers couldn’t have hoped for a better tragedy.A tsunami was the perfect cover.’‘What do you mean by that?’‘First,’ she said, ‘the ground started to rumble as the aftershocks reached the Egyptian coast.It didn’t have the impact of a full-blown earthquake, but the tremors would have been enough to get everyone’s attention.’Sarah smiled, knowing what was to come: another one of Jasmine’s history lessons.But unlike most of her previous tales, Sarah was actually looking forward to it.Jasmine did not disappoint.‘You have to understand the setting.The religious views of the Roman Empire were in disarray.Emperor Constantine had pushed toward Christianity, but there were still a great many people who resisted the conversion.Chief among them was Emperor Julian, one of Constantine’s successors.In fact, in the era preceding the tsunami, Julian made every effort to renew the polytheistic belief system.He quickly replaced the so-called corrupt administration that Constantine had left behind and vowed to return the empire to the glory it once knew.After Julian’s death, his successors once again stressed Christian ideals, but there were many in the general public who were firmly rooted in the old beliefs.’Sarah understood her point.‘Those who believed in the pantheon of Roman gods would have seen the earthquake as a sign of divine intervention.They would have believed that the gods were angered by the adoption of Christianity, and the earthquake was proof of the gods’ displeasure.Maybe even a warning of things to come.’‘Exactly,’ Jasmine replied.‘And after the gods grabbed their attention by shaking the earth, they proved their glorious power by drawing back the waters of the sea.It’s said that creatures and ships alike were stranded in the muck as the water receded all along the coast.Then as thousands gathered to marvel at the sight, the gods buried them all with a surge of water large enough to flood the desert.’‘Like Moses and the Red Sea,’ Sarah offered.‘In the wake of the tragedy, no one really cared about Alexander’s tomb.There were more important things to worry about, like fresh water and food.Furthermore, the disappearance of the body could be attributed to the flood.No one – not even the emperor himself – could challenge the assertion that the tomb was buried under rubble somewhere in the city or swept out to sea entirely.Besides, those in power had to worry about reconstructing the city and tempering the religious turmoil [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]