Page 144 of The Last Kingdom

LUKE FOLLOWED THE DIRECTIONS DORNER PROVIDED, NAVIGATINGthe darkened highways through two well-lit intersections and finally coming to a driveway that led to a closed gate. He stopped the car. In the wash of the headlights he saw the flimsy fenced panel was padlocked with a chain.

“We don’t have time for niceties,” Koger said.

He shifted the car into reverse, backing up enough to give him a solid head start to gain speed. He’d busted down his fair share of barriers as a teenager. No sense allowing some gate to ruin a good time. He popped the gearshift back into drive and floored the accelerator. The car lurched forward and he sped straight ahead, ramming the front bumper into the gate, exploding it outward. Pretty damn flimsy, if he did say so himself. He’d destroyed a lot sturdier.

He brought the car to a stop. “That made noise.”

They’d not seen the helicopter on the ride in, which meant it was already on the ground.

“How far are we from the grotto?” Toni asked.

“A few hundred yards,” Dorner said.

Koger popped open the rear door. “We walk from here.”

They all climbed out into the cold.

“What do we have?” Luke asked. “Two guns?”

He knew Dorner had one, minus a few rounds, and Koger had mentioned he was armed, though he’d used some of his bullets too.

“Open the trunk,” Dorner said.

He pushed the trunk release on the key fob. They walked around to the illuminated compartment and saw an array of weapons.

“I wasn’t sure what you might need,” Dorner said. “So I brought an assortment, with ammunition.”

“I doubly take back all the bad things I’ve ever said about you,” Derrick told her, reaching for a rifle.

* * *

COTTON STARED AHEAD IN THE DARK AND SAW NOTHING BUT TREES,rock, and bushes. One small section was illuminated by the amber glow of a pole light. Above that was something even more out of place. A steel structure, held aloft by tall girded struts that acted as some sort of temporary roof.

“Fortunate for us,” Fenn said, “the grotto is undergoing an extensive, multi-year restoration. The structure was built to keep the rain and snow out while they work. There have been a multitude of leaks in the grotto ceiling, ruining the inside. Finally, the government did something.”

“How lucky,” Cotton said.

“Come now, Herr Malone, isn’t this exciting?” Fenn said. “We may be about to solve a long-standing mystery, one that might reveal something extraordinary.”

He pointed at Ming. “Something that could also alter the balance of power in the world.”

“Let us not be overly dramatic,” Ming said. “Rare earths are plentiful throughout the world.”

Cotton chuckled. “Of course, years ago, with your government cutting prices to the bone, you shut down every other major producer in the world. It would take billions to reopen those mines and compete with China.”

“Seems to me all of that is just a by-product of a free market. I believe you Americans call it capitalism.”

“We actually call it predatory pricing and monopolization. It’s illegal.” He pointed ahead. “Can we get this over with?”

A sound broke the silence. Like a crash. Away, but not that far.

Ming seemed bothered and looked at Fenn. “Was that your men arriving?”

“Possible.”

Ming pointed at two of his men with guns. “Investigate. It sounded like it was on the property.”

The men hustled off into the night.

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