Labyrinth

Fairclough regarded him. “I had the maze built because I didn’t trust the security systems everyone else uses. Electronics can be defeated. Ciphers and codes don’t matter a whit to me. But genuine ingenuity is a prize I value above all else. Needless to say, most of the ruffians who would steal the book don’t possess even a fraction of it.”

Greene started forward. “Keep the insults up, old man, and I’ll—”

“Kill me?” Fairclough laughed. “Seems to me you’re already doing that, you ignorant pup. Now be quiet while I talk to this wonderful woman here.”

Greene looked as if he might be tempted to hit Fairclough.

Annja held up her hand. “All right, so what’s the deal with the maze? Do I just go down there and find my way to the center of it to retrieve the book?”

“That would be too easy,” Fairclough said. “I had to make it difficult to discover and even tougher to get through.”

“So, what happens when I get in there?”

Fairclough looked pained and glanced at the IV drip as if aware his time was very possibly fleeting. “There are puzzles you’ll need to figure out.”

“Puzzles?”

“Challenges,” Fairclough clarified. “Think of them that way. They’re tests, of course, and unfortunately the penalties for failing them are rather…absolute.”

“Absolute? What does that mean? Deadly?”

Fairclough nodded. A wave of pain washed over his face. “I’m sorry for putting you through this, Annja. You don’t deserve it.

“I had wanted to warn you that the copy of this book exists—because of your understanding of Egyptian history—but I never expected…”

“I won’t argue that point,” Annja said. “Can’t you just shut the thing down?” she asked.

“No.” Fairclough’s voice sounded weaker. “For reasons that will become obvious once you enter the maze.”

Annja looked skeptical. “You’re not giving me much to go on here.”

“I know, and I’m sorry.”

“How do I get into the maze?”

Fairclough coughed. “There is an entrance in the barn behind the third horse stall. I don’t have horses any longer, but I’ve kept the barn there. I don’t think you’ll have any trouble finding your way in.”

“All right.” Annja sighed. “But listen, couldn’t you just give me the answers to the challenges?”

But Fairclough’s eyes rolled back in his head. Greene felt his neck for a pulse. “He’s passed out. Probably from the pain.”

“Can’t you reduce it?” She chafed the old man’s hand.

Greene shrugged. “Well, yeah, I could. But why would I?”

“So I can get more answers out of him. So I can have a better shot at finding your precious book.”

Greene smiled. “He told you what you needed to know.”

“Hardly. I’ve got a really bad feeling about this thing. ‘Reasons that will become obvious once you’re in the maze’? I mean, what’s that about?”

Greene shook his head. “I don’t know and I don’t really care. But you’d better get going.”

Jonas came back into the room. He glanced at Fairclough. “He pass out from the pain again?”

“Seems to have,” Greene said. “You know the old coot has himself a maze underneath this place?”

Jonas stepped back. “For real? That’s pretty wild.”

“You two should come with me,” she said. “That way, when the maze kills you, I’ll only have to deal with Kessel when I come back up with the book.”

Jonas laughed. “Man, you’re funny, Annja. I like the way you unload those barbed comments like that. It’s kinda hot.”

“You’re a buffoon.” She looked at Greene. “Let me guess—you’re going to stay up here while I do all the work, right?”

“Well, I need to be here and so does Jonas so he can monitor our patient.” He smirked. “However, since you seem to have developed a liking for Kessel, you’ll be glad to know he’s going with you.”

Annja’s brows furrowed. “He’ll get in my way.”

“I doubt it. I think you might find him useful.”

“How so?”

“I suppose it depends on what sort of challenges Fairclough has put into the maze, but Kessel is incredibly strong and adept at killing things. If you come across guard dogs for example, he can dispatch them quickly.”

“You know this for a fact?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve come across attack dogs, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Fine,” Annja said. “The sooner I get down there, the better. I want to go home and forget this day ever happened.”

Greene smiled. “And I want that book. You’d do well to remember that when you start thinking about getting the better of Kessel. I’ve already instructed him to simply kill you if you give him reason to suspect anything is amiss, and try to get the book himself.”

“He wouldn’t find it without me.”

Greene shrugged. “I wouldn’t be so cavalier. Kessel is remarkably intelligent. Just because he doesn’t have a tongue doesn’t mean he can’t read. And he reads a lot. Last year he read several hundred books on a wide range of topics.”

“So, what you’re saying is he’s not just a mean-looking killer. There’s a real intellect behind all that brawn.”

“Exactly.”

Annja smirked. “Yeah, well, we’ll see if you’re right.”

“Yes, we will.”

Annja studied Fairclough in the bed. He hadn’t shown signs of coming back around. Jonas followed her gaze and sighed.

“The pain takes him after a while. One of the symptoms of this particular toxin. He’ll be out for a good long time.”