Last time Bill collected Anatoly and two other agents from an airstrip in Austria and they began the final part of their journey to the valley.

Chapter 8

Soon they were coming into land at the valley that Philip pointed out. The silence when the engines were killed was almost deafening. The agents, seat belts off, guns out, waited to see if any if the men Philip had told them about came running out.

After a moment, when no one came to see about the noise, the agents then pushed open the doors and dropped to the ground silently. Anatoly gripped his gun as he landed and waited on tenterhooks for his orders from Bill.

Bill left the controls of the plane and climbed out, with Philip following him, and issued his orders, “Scatter, search down here, keep your eyes open for anyone higher up.”

Like the well-practised agents they were they fanned out, keeping their eyes peeled. Nothing stirred. The air was still, everything was still and almost unnaturally so.

Anatoly picked his way up a slope and had just caught sight of a distant building of some sound before a cry went up. One of his colleagues had found something. Clutching his weapon he hurried back the way he had come to see Smith leading a dishevelled man across to Bill.

On Bill’s orders Smith took the man over to a wooden hut and locked him in, pocketing the key. He winked at Anatoly as he returned to the group. “Better luck next time, Petrov.”

“There are still seven men to be accounted for,” Bill was saying. “Right. Well, now – we’d better set off to these treasure caves. Look out, men, in case there’s any ambush. We don’t want to be shot up without warning.”

The men, nodded, Bill directing the men in line with Philip’s instructions from behind. Anatoly was moving stealthily bringing up the rear, not wanting to take a chance that someone might still be down below.

They passed several burnt out homes and a half-burnt cowshed. It was eerie, how deserted the place was. The mountains loomed high all around, making the space feel quite enclosed despite being several miles across.

They marvelled at the waterfall when they reached it. Anatoly was sure he’d never seen such a large one, nor one that spouted so suddenly from inside the rock. He listened as Philip described the route they would take, explaining how they had followed Otto Engler’s map. It took them above the waterfall, on rather a precipitous path, then down the other side to where a curiously bent birch-tree stood.

“The next part’s a bit rough going,” Philip said apologetically. He hadn’t exaggerated, Bill thought as they scrambled along a cliffside, using bushes and trees as hand-holds for at least twenty minutes, until they came to a smooth expanse of black rock, and then on to a tiny burbling spring. From there they could easily see the rock that looked like a human figure, and Bill had them all hunker down. They watched for a few minutes, four men using field-glasses to scan all around as they had been doing for the whole journey.

“Not a soul,” Thompson reported, stowing his glasses back on his kit belt.

“Where are they all?” Anatoly dared to wonder out loud as they all prepared to set off again. “I was expecting this place to be swarming with men.”

“They must all be inside the treasure caves still,” Bill said. “But I don’t like it either. Let’s keep a low profile anyway, we’ve no idea when they might reappear. Can you see the entrance from here, Philip?”

Philip squinted at the rocky cliff, lined with shelves of rock. “I can’t make it out from here, but it’s about halfway up.” In ones and twos the men crept closer and closer to the strange statue-like rock, all on high alert. Bill had Philip wedged between himself and another burly man, ready to shove him to the ground if necessary.

“The cave’s just there,” Philip pointed as soon as they were close enough. They all looked up, several guns pointing in the same direction.

“All right,” Bill said in a low voice. “Anders, Patterson, Ainsley, I want you down here covering us as we climb up.”

“Shall I go first? I think I’d better!” Philip asked Bill as Anatoly readied himself next to Bill, his gun cocked in the same direction as everyone else’s wondering what was going to happen next. This place was giving him the the chills, it was too quiet.

“I don’t think so,” Bill said firmly. “I’m not having you climb up first and have your head blown off if there’s someone just inside. You can wait down here, and I’ll give you the signal when it’s safe to come up.”

“Oh, but Bill!” Philip grumbled as Anatoly moved forward and muttered to Bill;

“Should I lead the way, sir? That way you are less likely to get injured if they are waiting for us, or there is a trap.”

Bill cast an eye over Anatoly, and thought for a moment. It was a dangerous thing to do, to go up first and pop one’s head over the ledge. On the plus side Anatoly had quick reactions and could make the climb no problem. On the down side, he was still young and inexperienced.

“I want two of you to go up together, a little way ahead of the rest of us,” he said at last. Stop as near the cave as you can, and listen for anyone waiting. Thompson, you and Petrov can be up front on this one. Petrov, you’re to wait for Thompson’s say so before making any moves. Got that?”

Anatoly nodded, a little disgruntled on the inside, but mature and well trained enough not to argue with Bill at this point. He could risk himself being sent back to the plane if he played up. He waited for Thompson to nod his head and then they two of them moved forward to the ledge.

At the last moment they tucked their guns back into their holsters to leave both hands free for climbing, and relying on their colleagues to provide cover, they began to climb. It hadn’t looked a particularly long way from the ground, but it was a considerable climb. Both men were hot and sweating by the time they pulled themselves up to the penultimate ledge below the cave, a low whistle from the ground warning them they had reached the last safe spot.

They could hear the rest of the men climbing up below them, small rocks skittering down as they were knocked or broke away from the main cliff. Thompson peeled one hand from where it was clinging on and motioned for silence.

A cool breeze ruffled Anatoly’s curls as they waited, ears straining for any sound inside. All he could hear was the pounding of his own heart. Apparently Thompson couldn’t hear anything untoward either, as a moment later he gave the signal and they heaved themselves up and over onto the wide ledge.

To be continued…

Previously Bill went up to Gairdon to collect Philip, and then they set off in a plane to Austria.

Chapter 7

Almost trembling with excitement Anatoly packed his things, paid the landlady and went to see if he could catch a lift out of  town in the right direction with some of the farmers moving about after delivering their wares to the scattered villages.

He managed to find himself a lift in the right direction and paid the farmer handsomely when he was taken as far as possible. He slipped down off the cart, checked his compass and set off at a fast walk towards where he knew the airfield was.

He was the first one to arrive, and he settled down in a corner, to have a rest and wait for Bill’s planes to land and the other agents who could make it to the allotted meeting point, to join him.

From the message he had received he was expecting Bill to arrive by four, four-thirty at the latest. He wasn’t too concerned when it reached five pm, but when the clocked ticked on to six he was slightly worried. Two other agents had arrived by then, and they sat together pensively, wondering what had happened to the promised pick-up.

“Do you think they will come?” Anatoly asked.

Thompson shrugged laconically. “Might have been a change of plan. Maybe they decided to head straight to the valley instead of wasting time diverting to get us. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

“We’ve got a wireless set up,” Smith reminded him. “A message will come through sooner or later. Hopefully sooner, I’ve been bored out of my mind this past week. I could do with some action even if it’s just making our way back home.”

Anatoly nodded though he began chewing on his thumb nail. He didn’t want to tell the others what he had found out, in case Bill didn’t want it shared. He got up after a moment and wandered around the hanger for a moment, his nervous energy getting the better of him. As he went to the front of the hanger he thought he heard the sound of an approaching engine.

His heart rate picked up as he scanned the sky, spotting the white underbelly of a plane. He watched it circle lower, shading his eyes from the sun which was sliding down in the sky. As it approached for its landing he caught sight of the insignia on the tail, the markings on the sides, and realised that it was not Bill’s plane.

Smith wandered over, taking out a cigarette. “Is it the boss?” he asked, as he lit his cigarette, and offered Anatoly the box.

“No,” Anatoly replied despondently, taking a cigarette. He stuck it in his mouth and then took the box of matches, striking one and holding it to the end of the cigarette until it caught. Shaking the match out he discarded it and handed the box back. They turned away as the plane touched down, heading back to their little corner. “I wish I knew what was going on,” Anatoly said. They were under instruction to only radio in at their prescribed times unless there was an emergency or information of utmost importance had come up.

“Don’t we all, mate,” Smith replied. “The boss’ll have his reasons for leaving us high and dry. We’ll get orders eventually.”

Anatoly nodded and sucked on the cigarette. “I wonder if there is any food in this place,” he added as his stomach rumbled. “I was in such a rush to get here, I forgot to pick up supplies.”

They managed to scrounge a meal from the hut, but it wasn’t up to much, and they bedded down for the night amongst some bushes near the perimeter fence, taking it in turns to keep watch although they knew a plane coming in to land would wake them.

In the morning the rose, washed and shaved as best they could at the cold water tap outside and resumed waiting.

A small plane landed just past eight, and they kept well back out of the way. And finally, at half-past nine, two medium aeroplanes with a familiar look circled, and came into land.

The door to the nearest plane was flung open and the stairs lowered. They watched keenly as Bill appeared in the doorway and stepped out.

“Smith. Thompson,” he said, nodding at the two men. “Petrov.” He nodded at Anatoly too.

“Ready to go?”

“Yes, sir!” they all replied, knowing better than to ask why they were so late. The just crossed the tarmac quickly and boarded the plane. There were five other agents on board, Bill making up the sixth as he re-entered the plane and raised the stairs again.

Anatoly was surprised to see Philip Mannering aboard, his hair tousled and clothes untidy. “Philip,” he said, nodding by way of greeting.

“Anatoly,” Philip replied with a grin. “Ready for some action?”

“Always,” Anatoly replied. He thought about sitting next to Philip but decided against it. He was already seen as the baby of the SIS and didn’t need to cement that reputation by chatting away to a fourteen year old.

“Well, gentlemen,” Bill said above the engine as it started up. “Shall we get this done?”

To be continued…

Last time Bill arrived in Gairdon to hear Philip’s startling tale of their time in the Valley of Adventure.

Chapter 6

After talking to Bill on Tuesday evening, Anatoly had decided it was time to move his digs before he drew attention to himself. He walked to the next village a few miles away, but close enough to keep an ear out for any news of the missing man.

He put his bags down in the room he had just acquired from the stern looking Austrian woman downstairs and moved to the window. He screwed his mouth up as he eyed up the tall looking tree just outside his window and knew that he would have to get up the tree to attach the aerial for his portable radio. He would have to do it under cover of darkness so as not to draw any unwanted attention.

He swung himself away from the window, moved his bags, put the few clothes he carried with him in the chest of drawers provided and set out his wash bag on the washstand. He lay down on his bed, and took out his notebook to try and make sense of all the facts as he knew them, running around his head.

The light began to fade, and he allowed himself to wander out of the room in search of some food, beer and gossip. He listened intently to all the gossip around him as he ate in the local pub, and noticed that he was being given a wide berth. That changed and his presence was accepted when he brought the bar a round. Anatoly didn’t get any new information but now he had a foothold in the local community, which was an important part of his job.

Back in his room, Anatoly collected the aerial and cable for his radio, propped open his window and slipped back out of the house before the landlady could catch him. He put the aerial in his pocket and began to climb the tree. He went as high up as he could and settled himself against a hefty branch to install the aerial and secure it to the tree. This took him a few minutes.

Running the cable through his fingers, he began to climb down, but when he was level with his bedroom window, he threw the cable through it with a master shot. He gave himself a metaphorical pat on the back and then began to shin down the tree and back into the house. With that done he knew he could turn in for the night.

In the morning he tuned his radio, and sat back waiting for his check in from London. When the communication came Anatoly was surprised not to be talking to Bill and even more surprised to be told that one of the children had turned up in Scotland. Anatoly was totally stunned, he had thought he was hot on the trail of the children. He was told to stand by for a messages for orders on his next move.

Disheartened, he signed off and slumped on the bed. The message Anatoly received later that day buoyed him considerably, however. He was to make his way to a small airfield some thirty miles north, where he would be picked up by Bill and some other agents, and then fly on to the mysterious valley he had been hearing about.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Bill drove himself and Philip to the air strip first thing the next morning, glad that the weather had settled. It was perfect flying weather now, though they would have to hope that it stayed that way across the continent. The forecasts had seemed all right, at least.

The drive was not a long one but he used the few minutes to pick Philip’s brain again, trying to build a better mental picture of the layout of the valley and the treasure caves. He had Philip wait in the car once they got to the air strip, refusing to let him out of his sight as he ran his final checks on personnel and equipment. When he was satisfied he fetched Philip and personally escorted him to his aeroplane.

“I’m not a child,” Philip grumbled.

“No, but I’m not risking you being spirited away again,” Bill replied. “Your mother would absolutely murder me.”

Up in the air Bill let his two best pilots take the controls, freeing him up to re-run all his plans in his head. The priority was safely retrieving the children, after that they would aim to apprehend Juan, Pepi and any of their comrades. Only then could they think about liberating the treasure, and ensuring its safe delivery to Julius Muller.

“Just to remind everyone, the children’s safety is our top priority, followed by the old couple in the caves,” he said aloud. “I do not want them caught in the crossfire. We’ll get the five of them first, and if that means any of the crooks slipping past you then so be it. We can do what we can to round them up later. Is that clear?”

There were a few slightly disgruntled faces but everyone responded in the affirmative. Philip waited until the murmurs of ‘Yes, sir,’ and ‘yes, boss’, had died down before he spoke up.

“Don’t forget Kiki, Bill.”

Bill pinched the bridge of his nose. “There’ll be a parrot around somewhere too,” he added to his men. “If you could avoid injury to her, that would be appreciated.”

That raised a few smirks, but they nodded all the same.

“We’re coming near to our pick-up point,” the pilot called back to Bill after they had been in the air some time.

“Take us down, then,” Bill said. “We’ll give our people until 10, then we’ll have to get on regardless of who has or hasn’t shown.”

To be continued…