Tarina pulled a robe over her uniform and made sure the hood was up to block her face.
“Now what do we do?” asked Katin.
“We need to get out of the city before any Chosen soldiers arrive,” replied Tarina.
“What about your friend? We can’t leave her.”
“There’s no time to look for her. She’ll be okay if she can find a place to hide until our forces get here.”
“And if she can’t?”
“Then she’s on her own.” Tarina despised the sound of the words the second they left her mouth, but she had no choice. They had to get away. She pointed down the tunnel and began to jog.
“Where’d they go?” said Sheridan, looking up from the arena floor at the scene of mayhem and destruction, desperate to see if Tarina was still alive.
“I lost them after the second missile strike,” responded Cole. “Mike, we’ve got to go before the drones begin targeting us.”
Sheridan nodded and sprinted for an open door. They ran into a small changing room with a closed door on the far end. Crouched in a corner was a scared Kurgan, shaking like a leaf in a storm. Cole yanked open the door and peered outside. The hallway was empty. Before leaving the room, the two Marines found and helped themselves to some dirty clothes, swords, and a couple of throwing daggers.
“We need to find our friends and the siblings and then get the hell out of here,” said Sheridan.
“You won’t get any argument out of me,” replied Cole.
They ran the length of the darkened corridor until it came to another door. Cole tried it and found it was locked. He gritted his teeth, brought up his right leg, and smashed it against the door, breaking it wide open.
Sheridan was about to dash through the open door when a horde of frightened Kurgans ran past, fleeing the arena.
In the crush of Kurgans, Katin’s grip on her brother’s hand began to slip away. Katin desperately tried to get a better hold on her brother when she was hit hard from behind. In an instant, she lost her grip.
“Kobak!” screamed Katin as he disappeared among the terrified crowd.
She turned to stop, but couldn’t. There would be no respite until they burst free from the overcrowded tunnel into the city’s central courtyard.
Sheridan and Cole followed the last of the panicked spectators into the passageway. Both men struggled to find their friends among the wave of Kurgans running for safety.
“Alan, help me!” screamed Kobak from somewhere inside the panicked mass.
Without hesitating, Cole threw himself into the surging crowd, pulling Kurgans aside as he fought to find the young prince.
Sheridan saw his friend disappear into the throng and ran after him. He had barely gone five paces when a child tripped and fell to the ground. She let out a terrified cry and brought up her arm to protect her head. Sheridan pushed an inebriated Kurgan out of the way just before he stepped on the child. He scooped her up in his arms and kept running. He could see light flooding in from the exit.
Sheridan spotted a female Kurgan calling out for her child. The girl in Sheridan’s arms raised her head and called back. He turned on his heel and handed off the child without stopping. Sheridan jumped up onto a cart and scanned the crowd, frantic to find his friends. Unable to spot them, he cursed his luck and prepared to carry on after the mob when Sheridan heard several engines approaching from behind. He turned his head as four Kurgan Army hoverbikes flew over the fleeing mass, firing indiscriminately into the crowd. Sheridan drew his sword, leaped down from the cart, and sprinted after the hoverbikes.
Chapter 19
Cole pushed on, manhandling anyone who got in his way. He could see Kobak only a few meters away, struggling to remain on his feet.
“Move!” snarled Cole, pushing a guard to one side so he could reach the prince.
“Alan!” cried out Kobak, taking Cole’s hand in his.
Cole pulled Kobak toward him, and in one fluid motion, threw him up onto his back. “Hold on,” said Cole in Kurgan.
Kobak wrapped his arms tight around Cole’s neck and held on for dear life.
The crowd began to split apart. Cole spotted a tunnel entrance leading inside the tall central pyramid and sprinted for the opening. Two guards lay by the door. Blood trickled out from underneath their shattered bodies. When Cole and Kobak were less than ten meters from the entrance, a burst of gunfire struck the ground right in front of them, sending plumes of dirt into the air. Cole glanced over his shoulder and swore as a hoverbike flew past them. He dug deep and sprinted the last few paces in record time. Cole kept going until they were deep inside the pyramid. After a few seconds, he slowed down and began to walk.
“We’re safe,” said Cole, lowering Kobak to the floor. Cole wiped the sweat from his face, bent over, and placed his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.
The ominous sound of automatic gunfire echoed down the tunnel. Kobak flinched and moved behind Cole.
“Where’s your sister?” asked Cole, hoping his Kurgan could be understood.
Kobak pointed down the corridor.
“Was she with the two human women?”
The young prince scrunched up his face as he tried to understand what Cole had asked. A second later he nodded.
“We’ll have to assume they’re safe,” said Cole to himself. He looked down at the frightened prince and said, “You, on the other hand, are not. Come on, let’s find a way out of this city before more soldiers arrive and make it impossible for us to get away.”
“Alan, I’m scared,” said Kobak.
Cole caught the gist of what the prince was saying and nodded. “So am I.”
Hand in hand, the two fugitives walked down the dimly lit tunnel, looking for a passageway to safety.
Tarina skidded to a halt and spun around. She looked at the faces of the Kurgans as they ran past her, hoping to spot either of the siblings. “Katin, where are you?” she cried.
Suddenly, a burst of fire from one of the bikes tore through the body of a guard standing nearby, sending him to the ground at Tarina’s feet. She crouched down and grabbed one of the dead soldier’s knives and prepared to defend herself.
The hoverbike landed. A Chosen warrior climbed off the bike, drew his pistol, and aimed it at Tarina. “You, you’re not Kurgan! Drop the knife and stand up with your hands in the air.”
So much for my disguise, thought Tarina. She tossed the blade aside and slowly stood up.
“You’re one of the Terran females we’re looking for, aren’t you?” asked the soldier as he walked toward Tarina.
“Maybe,” Tarina replied, defiantly.
“Where is Prince Kobak hiding?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re lying,” yelled the soldier. “Tell me where he is, or I’ll kill you.”
Tarina raised her head and stared into the cold, dark eyes of the Chosen soldier about to kill her. “I told you, I don’t know where he is.”
The guard lowered his pistol and aimed at her right knee. He smiled and said, “I sure hope pain is something you enjoy.”
“I don’t think so,” said Sheridan, lopping the soldier’s head off with his sword. Blood gushed like a fountain as the decapitated body fell to the ground.
Tarina’s heart soared at the sight of her husband. She threw her arms around him and pulled him close. “Michael, I thought I’d lost you.”
“Not today,” he replied, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Come on, we’ve got to find everyone else.”
“I think Alan has Kobak. I lost sight of Katin when we reached the courtyard.”
“Where’s Wendy?” asked Sheridan.
Tarina bit her lip. “I’m not sure. She fell into a hole in the arena created by one of the missile strikes. We didn’t have time to look for her.”
Sheridan squeezed Tarina’s hand. “I’m sure she’ll be all right. Let’s take everything we can from this dead soldier and get moving.”
They hurried to strip the dea
d man of his pistol, rifle, and all the ammunition they could find.
A woman’s scream pierced the air.
The hair on the back of Tarina’s neck stood straight up. She looked over and saw Katin pinned against a wall by four city guards.
“Michael,” said Tarina, pointing over at Katin.
Sheridan brought up his stolen rifle to his shoulder and walked toward the attackers. As each guard presented enough of a target, he coldly shot them down, one by one.
Tarina ran past her husband and took Katin in her arms. “Are you okay?”
“I am now,” replied Katin, glancing down at the dead Kurgans. “They recognized me from the arena and wanted to hand me over to the Chosen soldiers.”
“You’re safe with us.”
Katin looked around. Fear filled her eyes. “Where’s Kobak?”
“Alan’s got him.”
Katin raised her hands. “Praise the Lord Kurgan for keeping him safe.”
“Ladies, we need to get a move on before the dead Chosen soldier’s companions notice him missing and come to see what happened to him,” said Sheridan.
“What do you suggest?” said Tarina.
“By the looks of things, most of the town’s inhabitants are making for the lake. I say we join them and try to blend in as best we can.”
“I agree,” said Katin. “I’m sure Captain Cole will find a way to escape the city with my brother. We need to follow these people to safety and then begin our search for Kobak from there.”
“Okay then, it’s settled,” said Sheridan. “Let’s get moving.”
With their hoods pulled up and their stolen weapons hidden as best they could under their clothes, the three fugitives joined the exodus of scared Kurgans fleeing the city.
Chapter 20
General Kordus walked down the ramp of his shuttle and out onto the open field. He had been waiting his entire life for a moment such as this. The fate of the empire and his family would soon be decided, and he didn’t intend to fail. An aide hovered nearby, recording the moment for posterity. Behind him, the remainder of his Chosen soldiers rushed to disembark from their transport ship and form up under their Kurgan officers.
A young lieutenant came sharply to attention and bowed before Kordus. “Sir, if you’ll follow me, I can take you to the tactical operations center.”
Kordus brought up an ivory baton to the side of his head, returning the junior officer’s compliment. “Lead on.”
Set up in an abandoned building on the outskirts of the city, the TOC was jam-packed with duty officers sitting behind computers and comms systems. A screen hung from the roof showing his unit’s disposition. Colonel Keel, Kordus’ executive officer, greeted him at the entrance to the command post.
“Sir, everything has gone according to your plan,” said Keel. “As soon as we landed I dispatched reconnaissance platoon to find the traitors.”
“Any luck?” asked Kordus.
“Yes and no.”
Kordus clenched his baton tight in his hands. “What do you mean by that, Colonel?”
“We located Kobak and his sister and tried to eliminate them with a missile strike. Before the drone operator could react, the siblings were hauled from their seats and dragged away to safety.”
Kordus ground his pointed teeth. “Where are they now?”
“I’m not sure. When the missiles exploded, the people in the city panicked and fled for their lives, making it impossible to keep visual contact on the two traitors.”
“Where is the drone operator who missed killing Kobak?”
Keel snapped to attention. “Sir, I had him shot as an example to the others that you would not tolerate failure.”
Kordus nodded. “Good thinking. You saved me from doing exactly the same thing. I take it by these symbols on the screen you have recce platoon inside the city looking for the criminals?”
“Yes, sir. However, the city is too big for such a small organization. I would recommend that two of our three rifle companies be dispatched immediately to help in the search.”
“Do it, and let the company commanders know that mercy is not to be shown to these native savages. They will turn over Kobak to us, or they will pay the consequences.”
“I will pass your orders right away, sir.”
Kordus studied the screen for a moment. “Colonel, ensure that the coordinates for all the major landmarks in the city are shared with our heavy mortar platoon and our ships still in orbit. If these peasants show any sign of resistance, I want their city turned into rubble.”
“I thought you would want that done and already gave the order. The fire support team is inputting the required information into their targeting computers as we speak.”
“Colonel, in a matter of hours, when this simple operation is wrapped up, and I am named the new heir to the throne of the Kurgan Empire, your efforts here today will not go unrewarded.”
Keel bowed. “I serve the empire.”
“You do indeed.”
Chapter 21
The further they walked inside the pyramid, the cooler it became, and Cole was thankful for the respite. Torches affixed to the walls lit up the passageway as it bent down slightly before coming to a set of steep stairs cut into the rock leading deep underground.
“I take it you didn’t take ancient Kurgan pyramid building at school?” said Cole to Kobak, who looked up at him unable to fully comprehend the question. “Don’t worry, I’m sure my Kurgan will get better or your English will. Either way, for now, we’ve got to keep our conversations between us as simple as possible.”
Kobak shrugged. Cole’s Kurgan was worse than he thought.
“Come on,” said Cole, taking the first step on the stairs. The staircase led to another tunnel which stretched out as far as the eye could see. Cole reached out and took a torch off the wall. “I sure as hell hope this doesn’t come out in a dead end,” said Cole under his breath.
With his sword in one hand and the torch in the other, Cole walked down the long, dank corridor. He swore when they came to an unlit flight of stairs. “Where does this thing go? The center of the moon?”
Kobak tapped Cole on the back.
“What’s up?” asked Cole.
“Alan, I don’t like the dark,” said Kobak, peering into the unwelcoming darkness. “Can we go back?”
Cole placed a hand on the young prince’s shoulder. He could see the fear in the young Kurgan’s eyes. “I’m sorry, but we have to keep going.”
Kobak looked down. “I wish my sister was here.”
“So do I,” replied Cole, honestly. “But she’s not, so we need to look after one another. Okay?”
Kobak nodded.
“In for a penny, in for a pound,” said Cole as he stepped down the stairs. The passage came out into a large room with a stone sarcophagus inside of it. Gold, precious stones, and ornamental weapons were stacked neatly against the wall.
“A king?” said Kobak, looking at the casket.
“Perhaps. Your guess is as good as mine. I suspect we’re somewhere we shouldn’t be. Let’s keep moving.” Cole’s torch lit up several Kurgan skeletons laying on the floor. He broke out in a cold sweat when he spotted metal darts among the remains. Cole gently moved Kobak behind him.
“What’s wrong?” asked the prince.
“The room is booby trapped to stop thieves from stealing any of the dead king’s valuables.”
Kobak grew nervous. “Did you say there are traps?”
“Yes. In the walls. I think.”
“What are we going to do?”
“I’m not sure. Give me a second to think.” Cole looked at the floor and saw there were symbols carved into each of the tiles. He asked Kobak, “Do you recognize any of these symbols?”
Kobak popped his head around Cole so he could see. “Some of them are similar to the ones on my father’s scepter.”
Cole understood the word scepter. “Which ones?”
“The tiles with the serpents and the tiles wit
h the stars on them.”
“And you’re sure you’ve never seen the other symbols before?”
“Positive.”
Cole looked over his shoulder and pointed. “Reach back and hand me that spear resting on the wall by the door.”
Kobak turned around, took hold of the spear, and gave it to Cole.
Cole gave his torch to Kobak, reached over, and placed the tip of the spear on one of the stones with a serpent on it, and pushed down.
The stone didn’t budge.
“Okay, that looks safe,” said Cole. “Now to try a stone with a star on it.”
As before, the tile remained where it was.
Cole tensed as he pushed down on a stone with the carving of a half-moon on it. The tile dropped an inch. With a loud whoosh, a dart shot from a hole in the far wall, embedding itself into a wooden box on the other side of the chamber.
“I guess we know which ones are safe to step on,” said Cole to Kobak. “Stay close and only place your feet where I do.”
With as much care as he could, Cole raised his right foot and put it on a tile with a serpent on it. When it took his weight, he looked for a star and moved his other foot there. Kobak copied him. Tile by tile, they moved across the deadly floor until they were nearing the far side.
“Look, Alan,” said Kobak, pointing over at a closed door.
Cole made his way over and pulled on the door handle. It was no surprise the door was locked. “Here, hold this,” said Cole, handing Kobak the torch. He bent down and examined the lock for a minute before drawing one of his throwing daggers from behind his back and inserting the tip of the blade into the lock.
“Will this work?” asked Kobak.
“We’ll soon find out,” replied Cole, jiggling the knife back and forth, trying to pick the lock. Sweat formed on Cole’s brow and leaked down his face. He placed an ear against the metal lock and listened as the knife caught the tumblers and moved them aside. With a loud click, the door popped open. Cole let out his breath, took the torch from Kobak, and peered behind the door. As he suspected, there was another long, dark passageway.
Crimson Fire (The Kurgan War Book 8) Page 10
