Riley shook his head. "No, sir. Sorry."

The older man smiled. "Not your fault, son. Sounds like he got the better of you, that's all."

"That's certainly not all!" the Preceptor exclaimed. "Someone let that traitor Williams out of his cell and I want to know who!"

Riley shrugged, not trusting himself to answer. Further antagonizing the man probably wouldn't be the best course of action, no matter how badly he felt the urge to do so. Better to focus his attention on finding Cade before the others did.

Ferguson helped him to his feet and then addressed the group.

"Commander Williams couldn't have gotten far on his own," he began, "so if we work swiftly we should be able to apprehend him before too much time pa.s.ses." He turned to face Preceptor Ochoba. "Put a second detail around the Grand Master - I don't want Williams or anyone else taking advantage of the confusion to make another attempt on his life and then dispatch a couple of squads of men to search the commandery from top to bottom. If he's here, I want him found."

Riley shook his head. "If I know Cade, he's long gone already."

Ferguson turned to face him. "That's why I'm sending you to the airport. Keep an eye on the flights to Heathrow and New York and make sure that Williams doesn't slip out of the country."

Riley stared at him in surprise. "You want me to case the airport? That's the last place Cade would go. Without identification he's not going to get through security and he's smart enough to realize that he isn't going to be able to bluff his way onto an aircraft. No, he's far more likely to drive south, try to cross the border and get to one of the safehouses Echo maintains near the airport. That's where you need to send me!"

But Ferguson was shaking his head before Riley even finished. "You've just sustained a pretty severe blow to the head; I'm not sending you driving across the country quite yet."

He turned to Johannson. "Contact the London commandery and let them know what's going on. Have them send some men to the airport to watch the flights out. While their doing that, send another team south to the border. Perhaps we can catch him there before he crosses over."

The Preceptor nodded in agreement, but wasn't content to leave it there.

"Edinburgh's too big for Captain Riley to cover alone, especially if his injury winds up being serious. I'd like a squad of my men to accompany him; we'll have a much better chance of catching Commander Williams if he heads in that direction if we have more than one pair of eyes watching out for him."

The last thing Riley wanted was a set of Johannson's thugs tagging along with him but the Preceptor had phrased his request well. There wasn't any way for the Seneschal to turn him down without it looking suspicious, so Riley didn't voice any reservations when Ferguson agreed to the request moments later.

Satisfied that the proper measures had been taken care of, the group dispersed but not before Johannson shot a smug look in Riley's direction, which he ignored. He would ditch Johannson's goons at the airport and do what he needed to do, which was find Cade before any of the rest of them did.

Just before walking off, the Seneschal leaned over and said, "There's a package in my office for you. Be sure to pick it up before you leave for the airport."

Riley had no idea what package Ferguson was talking about, but he nodded nonetheless. He still thought casing the airport was a poor use of resources, but he'd been wrong before and if that's where the Seneschal wanted him, that's where he would go.

He just hoped it wouldn't turn out to be a colossal waste of time. Something told him they didn't have too much of that left.

Two hours after arriving at the Edinburgh airport, Cade was all but ready to admit defeat. He dropped onto one of the cushioned benches in the waiting area and considered his next move.

First he'd spent some time watching the new arrivals, looking for someone of his general size and build who was traveling alone and with whom he might be able trade places, willingly or not, to get through security. But all of those who were a reasonable match were traveling with at least one other individual, some with families even, and trying to take any of their places would be too difficult to pull off.

When he realized Plan A wasn't going to work he turned his attention to Plan B, which involved sneaking past security into the main concourse and finding a way to board the right aircraft without being seen. The problem was that all of the entrances were watched pretty extensively and he'd have to be dressed like a security agent to stand a chance of slipping thru.

That, of course, prompted the idea to s.n.a.t.c.h just such an individual when the opportunity presented itself. If he could find a security guard who was alone and roughly the right size, he could steal his uniform and use that to get through the security checkpoint.

It was a good plan except for the fact that the guards didn't go anywhere alone. They stayed in pairs, from the time they came on shift to the time they went off, even going to the restroom together. It was a far sight more effective than the security in the U.S., Cade noted, much to his disappointment. He watched various targets for more than an hour before giving up.

He wandered over to one of the long, padded benches in the waiting area near the Delta counter and sat down. Cade had been sitting there for only a few minutes when his attention was drawn to a nearby television screen set to CNN.

"...last night. Foster is a former Marine Recon sergeant who recently served two tours in Afghanistan, where he was wounded in a convoy attack.

"This makes the fourth former U.S. soldier abducted while undergoing medical care at a U.S. hospital and the FBI has been called in to help with the investigation. Sources close to the investigation claim that all four of the alleged victims are coma victims, though this has yet to be confirmed by hospital officials.

"Police are asking anyone with information that might help their investigation to call the task force hotline.

"And in other news, the New England Patriots have..."

Cade turned away, having no interest in the Patriots or football in general for that matter. The news report, limited thought it had been, had upset him.

What kind of sick b.a.s.t.a.r.d s.n.a.t.c.hes a coma victim right out of the hospital, for heaven's sake? And a soldier at that? Hadn't the guy's family suffered enough already?

He was shaking his head in disgust when a sudden sense of danger nearly overwhelmed him. Never one to ignore his instincts, he looked around as nonchalantly as he could and spotted two men moving through the lobby in his general direction. Both their heads were slowly swiveling back and forth as they walked, searching the crowd around them, clearly looking for someone. He didn't need to recognize them to know they were from the commandery and that they were looking for him. He was just surprised that there were only two of them.

Cade knew that if he stayed where he was it would only be a matter of moments before he was seen. He had no idea what they would do once they spotted him, but he was certain that a public scene was not going to help his situation. He needed to get all three of them out of sight and then deal with the problem as quickly and quietly as possible.

He got up from his seat and began walking away from the duo, keeping his pace steady and relaxed while surrept.i.tiously looking around him as he went. He found what he was looking for a few moments later.

Satisfied that all was in place for what he had in mind, Cade abruptly stopped walking, forcing those immediately behind him to b.u.mp into each other as they sought to avoid running him down. The unexpected commotion drew the attention of those following him and when Cade looked back over his shoulder he found the two men angling toward him, like sharks cutting through a school of minnows.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE.

Cade waited to make eye contact with one of the men who were following him and then, when he had, he quickly crossed the hallway and pushed through the entrance to the Employees Only restroom that he'd chosen for the coming confrontation.

It was a large restroom, as restrooms go, with sinks on one side and a row of six urinals followed by an equal numbers of stalls on the other. He got down on his hands and knees and looked beneath the row of stalls, noting that they were all empty. The sight made him grin; he'd gambled that the employee restroom would be far less frequented than the public one and his gamble had paid off. A little privacy was going to make what was to come much easier.

Cade moved to the fourth stall and slipped inside. Closing the door behind him, he stepped up onto the toilet seat and then squatted down so that his head wouldn't be visible over the top of the stall.

He was just in time. He heard the door to the bathroom open and then close, followed by the sound of footsteps approaching. For a moment Cade wondered if it might just be a random employee, but then the door to the first stall was kicked in with a bang and he knew his pursuers had taken the bait.

The second stall door went the way of the first and Cade carefully made note of the time that pa.s.sed between the first and second doors being kicked in. When the third door followed right on schedule, he knew he had them.

He counted it down in his head, then grabbed the side of the stall and lashed out with both legs simultaneously. The stall door slammed open and struck the man on the other side just as he raised his foot to kick it open, taking him completely by surprise. He flew over backward, striking his head on the sink behind him as he went down.

Cade charged out of the stall, ready to continue the attack, only to find his opponent already on the floor unconscious.

One down, he thought.

A glance to his right showed the other man headed in Cade's direction from where he'd been standing guarding the door. His opponent was younger, stronger, and quite possibly faster than he was, but the former Echo Team commander had the benefit of experience on his side. Never mind the inclination to end this as quickly as possible.

He let the other man close the distance between them and then, at the very last second, dropped below the knife strike aimed at his throat, letting it pa.s.s harmlessly over his head as he fell to his knees directly in front of the other man.

It was a move his opponent hadn't antic.i.p.ated and as a result it left him momentarily open to counter attack as his brain tried to catch up with what was going on in front of him.

Those split seconds felt like all the time in the world to Cade. He drove his fist upward in a savage upper cut that started near the floor and ended right in the middle of the guy's groin, twisting his fist sharply as the blow struck in order to deliver as much damage as possible.

The man mewled like a wet kitten and folded over to crash to the floor next to Cade. A sharp blow to the temple to put him out of his misery and it was all over.

The entire fight lasted less than a minute.

Cade climbed to his feet and searched the two unconscious men. He took the money and IDs from their wallets, but left the wallets themselves to make it seem as though the two men had been robbed. He didn't find any weapons, which was actually a relief; he wouldn't have felt right leaving them behind but getting caught with them would have been even worse. This way, he didn't have to worry about it.

He dragged the unconscious men into the handicapped stall at the end of the row and he dumped them in the corner beside the toilet. He locked the stall door and then slipped out beneath it. The men would be immediately obvious if anyone bent over to look into the stall, but he was betting that wouldn't happen for a little while at least. No one wanted to be caught looking under stalls in an airport restroom, not even the employees.

There was a "Closed for Maintenance" sign standing near the door and he took that with him as he exited the restroom. He shut the door and stood the sign in front of it, then turned to leave...

Only to find Riley standing there waiting for him.

"I'm on your side," Riley said quickly, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender.

Cade scowled. "Put your hands down, you idiot, before you attract attention!"

He grabbed Riley's upper arm and led him around the nearest corner.

"What are you doing here?"

"Saving your a.s.s," Riley replied, "Again."

Cade glanced around, making sure no one was paying them any more attention than usual. "I have the situation perfectly under control."

"Oh, really? So tell me, how were you planning on getting through security? Or getting on a flight, for that matter?"

Cade stared at him but didn't say anything.

"Right. Just as I thought," Riley said. He reached into his pocket, took out an envelope, and handed it to Cade. "Here. Take this."

Cade opened it and poured the contents a pa.s.sport and ticket, complete with baggage claim stub out into his hand.

"Where'd you get these?" he asked, as he opened up the pa.s.sport and stared at his own picture on the inside. The name on the doc.u.ment Gerald Swanson was an alias that he had used for Templar operations in the past.

"Courtesy of the Seneschal. Seems the old man has a soft spot for you. He was the one who told me where Johannson was keeping you."

Cade nodded, then caught his friend's gaze. "Look, I'm sorry I hit you. I wasn't sure..."

Riley waved it off, then pointed at the ticket. "That flight will get you into Heathrow. You'll have to make arrangements to wherever you're going from there. The less I know the better, so I'm not even going to ask."

"You heard about the charges then, I take it?"

"Yes, and before you say anything I know that they're bulls.h.i.t. If you stick around to fight them, I'm confident that you'd win, especially with the Seneschal on your side. But something tells me that you aren't going to do that."

"I can't," Cade said.

"Figured you'd say that."

Cade shrugged. "The truth is, I don't have a choice," he said wearily. "Something's coming; something really bad. I can feel it down in my very bones. If I don't rescue Gabrielle soon, it's going to be too late. I know it."

Riley shook his head. "What if it's already too late, man? What then?"

"I have to try. She's always been there for me, each and every time. She helped us recover the Spear. She got us out of Eden. h.e.l.l, she even led us right to the Adversary on the Isle of Sorrows! How could I possibly forsake her now when she needs me the most?"

"You can't," Riley said quietly. "I understand that now. I'm here, aren't I?"

"Yes, yes you are. And I appreciate that more than you know."

They were both silent for a moment, thinking about all that had happened to lead them to this point. Cade was suddenly overwhelmed with the sense that he would never seen his friend again. Through all the time they'd known each other, through all the dangers they'd faced together, he'd never been struck with such a feeling before. He found the timing to be unnerving, to say the least, and he shook it off, not wanting the negativity to impact what was ahead of him. He needed his A game and couldn't allow doubt to creep in.

You'll both be fine, he told himself.

Riley broke the silence first.

"Three of you walked into that bathroom and only one of you came out. My guess is those two idiots aren't going to stay unconscious forever, so you'd best get going. And don't forget to pick up your luggage; it seems you have a friend in the packing department."

"I owe you, man."

Echo's current leader smiled. "That you do. And don't think I won't collect."

The two men embraced and then Cade walked off, headed for the security checkpoint and his flight to London.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR.

The flight from Edinburgh to Heathrow was uneventful. Once in London, Cade was able to secure a ticket on a flight leaving for Venice just thirty minutes after the arrival of his first flight, limiting his time on the ground and thereby limiting his chances of being spotted by any of the Templar patrols that were sure to be roaming the airport. By the time he picked up the duffle bag that Riley had shipped as his luggage, the sun was just starting to slip below the horizon outside.

Cade caught a cab to a small hotel he'd stayed in before along the Ca.n.a.l Della Guidecca. Along the way, he broke the diplomatic seals that allowed the bag to pa.s.s through customs unchecked and then unzipped it. Inside were the weapons that had been taken from him at Rosslyn, including his sword case, a fresh set of civilian clothes, and an envelope containing a bundle of one hundred dollar bills plus a few loose twenties.

"Bless you, Riley," Cade said beneath his breath with a smile. He pulled out a couple of hundreds and the twenties; he'd use the former to pay for the hotel and the latter to square things with the driver when they arrived.

An hour later Cade stepped back out of the hotel having showered, shaved, and changed into the fresh set of clothes Riley had provided. He dumped the old clothes in the trash, but took the rest of his belongings with him. His plan was to get what he needed from the Forsaken One and head back to the States immediately. He was determined not to leave Gabrielle in the the Adversary's hands.

Of course, he had to find the Forsaken One first.

With his pistol now in a shoulder holster hidden beneath his jacket jacket and his sword stashed in the duffle bag he was carrying, Cade set off down the street in the direction of the ca.n.a.l. There was a line of water taxis waiting at the water's edge and he started with their operators, looking for one who would be willing to take him to the island of Povelgia.

To a man, they refused.

The first two operators laughed at him for even suggesting it. The third operator claimed that the island was haunted and that Cade was crazy for wanting to go there; no way would he set foot near the place and the same went for his boat. The fourth began cursing at him in Italian the moment he mentioned the island. By the time Cade reached the fifth captain a short portly fellow with a goatee standing there with cell phone in hand and threatening to call the police - Cade knew it was time to move on.

The situation repeated itself with the next two groups of operators, but at least he found a grizzled old fisherman willing to take him across the lagoon for five hundred dollars American. It was highway robbery, and the old coot knew it too, Cade could tell by the gleam in the man's eyes, but he would have paid double to get to the island as soon as possible.