The Mayan Priest Read Online Free

heels. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed that he had stumbled to the surface as she had feared.
    Gillian sprinted to the Lost World Temple, desperate to find somewhere she could stop for a moment to clear her mind and formulate a plan. She quickly located a crumbling arch that had fallen into three pieces, creating a small alcove that was only about waist height. It was just below Samuel’s line of vision, so she hoped he would pass by without looking. Gillian ducked in and held her breath until she saw his enormous feet lumber past a few short seconds later. She exhaled quietly.
    Sighing in relief, Gillian’s frantic mind explored every escape scenario, eventually locating and dropping the word ‘mobile phone’ into her consciousness.
    ‘Damn bloody fool,’ she swore silently. She had taken her mobile phone with her, turning it off and depositing it into her pocket when she had boarded the airplane. She could not believe she had forgotten about it.
    Gillian hastily located the old Nokia inside her thin cotton vest and turned it on only to be met with a beep and the symbol for low battery. Fury welled up inside her at her own stupidity. She guessed that there was only enough power for one call and with luck eventually falling her way and the phone registering adequate reception, Gillian dialled her father’s work. It was a long shot, but she hoped he could pull some strings to help her.
    Praying he was at his desk, Gillian looked out of her hiding spot and saw Samuel come to an abrupt halt. He had realised she was no longer in front of him and the innocent look of puzzlement transformed instantly to fury at the realisation that he had been duped. Gillian had to get out of there and quick.
    She scrambled to her feet with her phone plastered to her ear and sprinted out into the open. She heard her father answer her call, but she ignored him for a moment whilst she got her bearings and raced across to the Central Acropolis. She fervently hoped it was inundated with tourists.
    ‘Dad … I need help … my friends are in danger and I’m being chased!’ she screamed as she pushed her toned legs to the limit ¬¬– ducking, weaving, jumping every obstacle in her path. She was pleased that she was supremely fit, but the effort at being forced to take two steps for Samuel’s one drained her, and with this heat, she was unsure how long she could keep it up.
    ‘Where are you!’ Dale yelled, his deep voice tense and worried.
    ‘Tikal … Guatemala,’ Gillian replied as the phone dropped out. She desperately hoped that her father had understood the message.
    General Dale Bright had been sitting in his office sipping a cup of strong black coffee and reading the report from the latest reconnaissance mission when his office phone buzzed repeatedly. He was tempted to ignore it, but a quick look at the caller ID screen conveyed his daughter’s number in a highlighted orange. He picked up the phone immediately. It was not unusual for her to call; in fact, they spoke on a regular basis, but it was abnormal for her to ask for assistance. It was for this very reason that he knew her life was threatened.
    Dale swung into action. He checked his schedule and noted that he was expecting a group of eleven men to return that afternoon from Campeche, Mexico. They were the closest to Tikal and probably his only viable option. The UH-60 Black Hawk they were flying had a top speed of 115 miles per hour which meant that they could reach Tikal in about an hour and a half. He hoped that was soon enough.
    Dale picked up the radio and called Georgio Catalino. They had known each other since the Vietnam War in 1970 when the helicopter piloted by the small Greek had received a direct shot through the windshield, rendering Georgio comatose. Despite being a foot soldier and having no training in flight, Dale took the controls and flew Georgio back to base, saving his life. They had kept in contact ever since.
    ‘We’re on schedule, Dale.