the other man rambled on.
“ The Fuhrer must live! ”
“ Wait a minute. You think, ” he tried to recall what Adler had told them about the Magi legend, “ the myrrh will bring back a guy who ’ s been dead for more than a half-century? ”
The two men exchanged furtive glances, and Dane ’ s heart skipped a beat.
“ No way! ” It couldn ’ t possibly be true.
Ulrich clearly realized he had said too much. His face reddened, but his eyes burned with righteous anger.
“ It doesn ’ t matter anyway. I don ’ t have it. ”
“ Do not play with us. ” Niklas sounded stern, but Dane could see in his eyes that the man knew something was amiss. “ Give it to us now. ”
“ It ’ s gone. If you didn ’ t take it, someone else must have. ” He raised his hands a little higher. “ Search me if you want. Heck, look down in the well. The stone that covered its hiding place is still lying there. ”
The men exchanged looks. Niklas nodded, and Ulrich approached Dane. Pistol in one hand, he gave Dane a light pat-down with the other. Dane breathed a sigh of relief that the man had skulls on his mind. Otherwise, Ulrich might have given him a more thorough pat-down and discovered the Heckler & Koch USP he had lost in Paderborn and Dane had recovered. Satisfied Dane did not have the skull, Uhlrich pushed Dane in Niklas ’ s direction and leaned over the edge of the well to look inside.
Dane wouldn ’ t get a better chance than this. He pretended to stumble forward, then lashed out with a right cross that caught Niklas on the chin. It was a quick, clean blow that sent the surprised man stumbling backward. Turning around and drawing the HK-USP, Dane clubbed the unsuspecting Uhlrich across the back of the head, and then leapt to the side as bullets flew.
Niklas ’ s shots tore through the space Dane had occupied a moment before. Two bullets ricocheted off the old well, but the third caught the slumping Uhlrich in the back, and he slid to the ground, leaving a smear of blood on the weathered stone.
Dane rolled to his feet and pumped two rounds into Niklas ’ s gut. No hired thug could outshoot a SEAL. He would have put another in the man ’ s head to finish the job, but he hoped to get a few questions answered first.
He kept his gun trained on Niklas , but there was no need. The man had dropped his weapon and now held his arms pressed to his ruined belly as if he could hold the life in. He looked up at Dane, his eyes glassy with disbelief.
“ Help me, ” he gasped.
Dane had seen enough wounds to know there was no hope for Niklas . He had minutes left, if that. “ The only thing that can help you right now is to make things right with your maker if you believe in one. ”
“ Of course I believe. ” Niklas closed his eyes and let his head fall back. “ I work for Him. ”
“ Who do you work for? ”
“ Heilig Herrschaft. ” His voice was already fading.
“ What is that? ”
“ The Holy Dominion. ” He groaned and shuddered. “ Hurts. ”
Dane felt numb. “ Are you connected to the Dominion in America? ”
“ America. ” Niklas managed a weak laugh, and b loody froth oozed from the corners of his mouth . “ So young a nation and so limited in their vision. The same is true for our Herrschaft brethren there. ” He coughed weakly.
“ Do you have any idea who took the last skull? ”
Niklas ’ s eyes sprang open, and for a moment he seemed fully alert. “ Issachar! ” he hissed.
Dane could not hide his shock. Stunned, he wobbled to his feet and took a step back. “ What did you say? ”
“ Issachar. That is the name of the American the Herrschaft put above us. He must have betrayed us and taken the skull for himself. ” The sudden burst of life was already dissipating, but Dane understood the man ’ s final words. “ Kill him. ” And then he was gone.
He dumped the bodies in to the well and tossed in some branches and snow to hide the bodies. He figured it wouldn ’ t take
“ The Fuhrer must live! ”
“ Wait a minute. You think, ” he tried to recall what Adler had told them about the Magi legend, “ the myrrh will bring back a guy who ’ s been dead for more than a half-century? ”
The two men exchanged furtive glances, and Dane ’ s heart skipped a beat.
“ No way! ” It couldn ’ t possibly be true.
Ulrich clearly realized he had said too much. His face reddened, but his eyes burned with righteous anger.
“ It doesn ’ t matter anyway. I don ’ t have it. ”
“ Do not play with us. ” Niklas sounded stern, but Dane could see in his eyes that the man knew something was amiss. “ Give it to us now. ”
“ It ’ s gone. If you didn ’ t take it, someone else must have. ” He raised his hands a little higher. “ Search me if you want. Heck, look down in the well. The stone that covered its hiding place is still lying there. ”
The men exchanged looks. Niklas nodded, and Ulrich approached Dane. Pistol in one hand, he gave Dane a light pat-down with the other. Dane breathed a sigh of relief that the man had skulls on his mind. Otherwise, Ulrich might have given him a more thorough pat-down and discovered the Heckler & Koch USP he had lost in Paderborn and Dane had recovered. Satisfied Dane did not have the skull, Uhlrich pushed Dane in Niklas ’ s direction and leaned over the edge of the well to look inside.
Dane wouldn ’ t get a better chance than this. He pretended to stumble forward, then lashed out with a right cross that caught Niklas on the chin. It was a quick, clean blow that sent the surprised man stumbling backward. Turning around and drawing the HK-USP, Dane clubbed the unsuspecting Uhlrich across the back of the head, and then leapt to the side as bullets flew.
Niklas ’ s shots tore through the space Dane had occupied a moment before. Two bullets ricocheted off the old well, but the third caught the slumping Uhlrich in the back, and he slid to the ground, leaving a smear of blood on the weathered stone.
Dane rolled to his feet and pumped two rounds into Niklas ’ s gut. No hired thug could outshoot a SEAL. He would have put another in the man ’ s head to finish the job, but he hoped to get a few questions answered first.
He kept his gun trained on Niklas , but there was no need. The man had dropped his weapon and now held his arms pressed to his ruined belly as if he could hold the life in. He looked up at Dane, his eyes glassy with disbelief.
“ Help me, ” he gasped.
Dane had seen enough wounds to know there was no hope for Niklas . He had minutes left, if that. “ The only thing that can help you right now is to make things right with your maker if you believe in one. ”
“ Of course I believe. ” Niklas closed his eyes and let his head fall back. “ I work for Him. ”
“ Who do you work for? ”
“ Heilig Herrschaft. ” His voice was already fading.
“ What is that? ”
“ The Holy Dominion. ” He groaned and shuddered. “ Hurts. ”
Dane felt numb. “ Are you connected to the Dominion in America? ”
“ America. ” Niklas managed a weak laugh, and b loody froth oozed from the corners of his mouth . “ So young a nation and so limited in their vision. The same is true for our Herrschaft brethren there. ” He coughed weakly.
“ Do you have any idea who took the last skull? ”
Niklas ’ s eyes sprang open, and for a moment he seemed fully alert. “ Issachar! ” he hissed.
Dane could not hide his shock. Stunned, he wobbled to his feet and took a step back. “ What did you say? ”
“ Issachar. That is the name of the American the Herrschaft put above us. He must have betrayed us and taken the skull for himself. ” The sudden burst of life was already dissipating, but Dane understood the man ’ s final words. “ Kill him. ” And then he was gone.
He dumped the bodies in to the well and tossed in some branches and snow to hide the bodies. He figured it wouldn ’ t take
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