The Secret of Sinbad's Cave

  Chapter 10

  Cortez meets the Tiger Mask

  Cortez burst through the door. Headquarters was a place he’d been permitted to enter only once before. Drake was pacing at the far end of the room. He strode towards her. His eyes darted about, taking in the maps pinned to the walls, each adorned with arrows and coloured string. He stopped before a desk littered with papers.

  ‘The Protectors of the Valley are active,’ he growled. ‘The family chain is intact.’

  ‘They are not!’ screamed Drake. ‘It’s Abraham! It’s all coming from him.’

  ‘They have the Scarlet Eye of Ceylon.’

  She leant on the desk. ‘What? ’

  ‘Our informant told us it was in the Glowworm Cave, but the room was cleared out.’

  ‘Where is it now?’

  ‘At the farm,’ said the man. ‘It must be.’

  ‘Find out!’ commanded Drake. ‘We need it back. Both gems must be placed in the mask.’

  ‘Let me see it again,’ said Cortez.

  Drake frowned. ‘There's no need for that.’

  ‘Show me the mask,’ he demanded.

  ‘It is safe,’ said Drake.

  ‘I want to hold it,’ he said.

  Drake glared at him.

  ‘It’s here, isn’t it?’ said Cortez. ‘You never let it leave your side.’ He surveyed the room. It was full of treasures; the most valuable of them could be hidden anywhere.

  ‘It’s no use without the jewels,’ he said. ‘Show me, or once I find that chest, you’ll never see me again.’

  ‘I would find you,’ she said. ‘Within a week I would find you.’

  ‘Show me!’ he yelled, thumping his fist on the desk.

  ‘Fine!’ She pushed aside the papers, revealing the briefcase. The scratches from the Glowworm Cave encounter were obvious. Cortez felt his mouth begin to water. Drake unfastened the case, and drew aside a black velvet cover. Cortez gasped. The mask glowered up at him with such intensity that he stepped back. It was fiercely beautiful. He felt giddy, as if a spell hovered over it. He traced the empty eye sockets and marveled at their size. The gems they were looking for were huge.

  ‘I will find the jewels,’ he vowed. ‘The mask will be activated, and the secrets of the Ancients will be ours.’

  Drake smiled. ‘Good,’ she said. ‘The mask has a way of showing us our duty.’

  Cortez bowed deeply before the sightless tiger. He nodded to Drake and strode out of the room.

  Alone again, Drake wrapped the mask in its velvet cloak. Still smiling, she surveyed her headquarters with pride. These obstacles would be overcome. Cortez would do his part and be dealt with. Then the knowledge of the Ancients would be hers alone.