The Last Odyssey (Sigma Force #15) - James Rollins Page 0,141

was sheened with sweat, smeared with ash. Tears trailed through them, likely only partly due to the sting of the smoke.

“This way,” Charlie urged, tugging her toward where the smoke looked thinner, where the forest was darker.

Elena tripped and staggered alongside her.

Not going to make it.

Then suddenly the trees fell away to both sides. The sun, still cloaked by a layer of smoke overhead, shone brightly.

Elena searched around and immediately knew where she was.

Oh no.

She stared up at the stratified cliff face, at the blasted mouth of a cave a short distance up. It was where everyone had gone, vanished to who knew where.

Elena’s feet slowed.

She did not want to follow.

But Charlie left her no choice and clutched Elena’s hand even harder. “We need to get out of sight.”

Tugged along, Elena realized Charlie was right. With the forest behind them on fire and the river surely watched, they needed to hide, to regroup, to think of some way out of this mess.

Charlie let go of her hand when they reached the cliff face and began to crawl up—then the rock exploded over her, blasted by a line of gunfire strafing above her head.

Charlie ducked and leaped back down, joining Elena on the ground. They both put their backs to the rock. From around the corner of the burning forest, coming up the tiny stream where Charlie’s cruiser was beached, Kadir stepped into view, a black armored figure with his rifle raised.

After forcing them here, he had come for the kill.

Charlie tried to step toward the flames and smoke, but Kadir fired at her toes, driving her back to the wall. He marched toward them, closing the distance, making escape even more impossible.

Behind him, another figure appeared.

Monsignor Roe hobbled after Kadir, having followed him from the boat. A white bandage wrapped his upper thigh, stanching where Charlie had shot him during their escape attempt. The priest’s countenance was dark, his eyes burning with both pain and fury.

Kadir stopped in front of them with his back to the flaming forest.

Roe called over. “Just kill them both!”

Kadir showed no emotion. As dead-eyed as ever, he simply centered his rifle at Charlie and fired.

8:09 P.M.

Nehir hid alongside the gold stairs that led up to the castle. She sheltered behind a one-story home. Across the steps, Ahmad and the last remaining Son did the same. It had taken them too long to cross the breadth of the city, cautiously sticking to shadows, avoiding any of the fiery hunters, waiting for them to pass.

But Allah smiled upon her and rewarded her caution.

She leaned out enough to catch a glimpse of the palace façade thirty yards above her position. She dared go no closer. Large shapes stirred up there, shrouded in cloaks of smoke, stirring with deeper flames. A spindly-legged spider, as tall as a bus, stalked across the gates, stepping around and over others of its brethren. A smaller figure of a glowing bronze warrior with a helmet stepped to the top of the stairs.

She willed it to stay there—and Allah heard her silent prayer.

The warrior turned and vanished back into the smoke.

Behind Nehir, she heard a faint whistling laugh, so soft she wasn’t sure she had heard it. Still, it set her hairs on end. She pulled back into her hiding place and searched around her. Nothing. She glanced over to Ahmad, who still looked toward the palace, plainly having not heard anything. Nehir shook her head and rubbed an ear that still buzzed from all the grenade blasts and rifle fire.

She dropped her hand.

Enough.

She focused back to the task at hand. She and the others needed to get into that castle—either to follow her adversaries to some back door out of here or to hunt them down and exact her revenge.

Hopefully, both.

She firmed her hold on her rifle.

Nehir caught Ahmad’s attention and signaled him. Her second-in-command turned to whisper in the ear of the man behind him. The other nodded and stepped back, a grenade already in hand. He retreated far enough for a clear throw—not toward the palace but past it. The goal was to use the blast to lure the fiery guardians away from the gold gate.

The Son stared at her, waiting for her final signal.

She gave it.

He reached his arm far back—then screamed.

Something smoldering and hidden back there lunged up in a sudden burst of fire and smoke. It snapped at the Son’s outstretched arm, swallowing it whole, ripping it off at the shoulder. Blood spewed high as the man fell