Knocked back a step by another strike that landed on her shoulder, she tripped over the snake she'd just killed and almost went down.
Rhett shouted, but she couldn't tell if it was for her or someone else.
Catching her balance, she staggered upright, taking another swing at the persistent cobra closing in. It swerved, hissed, and struck. A scream ripped from her throat when it seemed like the snake would get her right in the face; turning her head, she felt the snap against her collarbone, the fangs unable to penetrate the armor.
Close. Too close.
She slapped at the snake with her free hand, then cut the dagger the other way, battling to get it far enough back to kill.
Her blade sliced its head clean off.
Breathing hard, she stopped to take stock of the situation; Dracht fought three near the gold throne; Rhett had a coil of cobra bodies at his feet and took down yet another with his sword, face a mask of concentration, sweat flying off his brow.
Alex, Christian and Dragar were nowhere to be seen. Minna was still missing.
Just as she started to dart a look toward the rooftops, Khyamaeus and another Fallen landed with an earth shaking crash on the ground not ten steps away.
Snarling, cutting, swinging, fighting to the death.
†
Five feet. She had maybe five feet between her and the edge of the cliff. Minna, half crouched in a defensive posture, wasn't sure how much longer she could fend the snakes off. Eight were dead; nine more slithered, hissing, over and around each other in a half circle designed to keep her trapped with no where to run. The sword in her hand dripped with cobra blood and more of it spattered her cheek. Beyond the swaying heads of the snakes, she could see Dragar, Christian and Alex struggling through their own battles, sometimes taking a strike against their armor.
Alexandra shouted encouragement at her. Of course Alex would. Not just shouts but demands to beat the snakes back, that her and Dragar and Christian were right there. They were coming.
Minna refocused on the snakes in front of her. One struck from her left; she spun low, slicing with the sword. Like it knew she would do just that, it swerved out of the way while another clipped her thigh from the right.
It hit the armor—what a life saver it had been so far—only succeeding in putting her balance off for a moment or two. The snakes seemed wary of the reach of the sword, looming in and out when her attention skipped away. Always fast in reflex, she beat them back time and again, until there was no more room to parry and move.
Rain pattered down, a light spill from the heavens. Then it turned into a downpour. None of the cobras so much as flinched or took their attention off her. Nothing would deter them, nothing would stand in their way of taking her down.
One struck for her foot; the fangs didn't penetrate the leather of her boots. It was too thick and the fangs, larger than any she'd ever seen, not big enough to get through. Minna knew the arcane markings across the arch of the boot had something to do with it. She cut the sword the other direction, letting the footwear deflect the bite, sure that another snake meant to take advantage of a possible distraction.
She cut another one in half; at the same time, she felt a bang against her shoulder from another, the tiny scales on her armored shirt protecting her skin if not the force of the strike. Staggering to the left, instead of backward, she swung left, and right, quick flashes of the blade that drove the snakes away by three feet.
“Minna, Minna!” Alex shouted. She was engaged with three cobras of her own, battling with the same intensity as she was.
Minna caught a glance of Dragar at the same time he looked at her; never before had she felt icy dread like she felt right then. It threatened to slow her down, interrupt her concentration. There was just something in the look they exchanged. A knowing. An understanding. Apologies.
She'd duped him at the gas station, left him while his back had been turned.
There wasn't any defiance or accusation; it was deeper than that. A sensation of goodbye, a lifetime of laughter and sorrow and discovery all rolled into a meeting of eyes.
Minna had the odd sensation of her entire life flashing by in a heartbeat. Of all the triumphs and tragedies, the losses and the renewals, the endurance, acceptance and exploration that made up the centuries between birth—and death.
She had the oddest sensation that they all knew her time was near. It was why Alex sounded so frantic and desperate. It was why Christian cursed under his breath. And that gleam in Dragar's dark eyes that said he would see her again. Somewhere in that flicker-flash second of understanding, she realized she knew it, too.
Two cobras struck simultaneously; one got her arm, the other hit her side. She might not win this war, but she wouldn't go out without a fight.
It wasn't, and never had been, her way to give up.
Stumbling, she swung the sword she'd taken off the Servant in the bailey at the castle, hacking and slashing two more cobras. Fangs sank into the soft spot between her thigh and knee, where the armor didn't cover the material of the pants, delivering a burning dose of venom.
Minna went to a knee amidst a chorused shout of her name.
Fangs sank into the juncture of her shoulder and throat; another bite hit on her hip. She killed one more as heat unfurled through her veins. Her responses slowed down.
Evelyn's voice joined the urgent cries: Minna! Minna! No!
She caught a glimpse of her younger sister, face stunned, eyes wide, mouth a shocked 'o' at the scene. Minna met Evelyn's eyes and smiled. A don't worry for me, I'll see you again smile that faded as the world did around her.
It blackened from the edges of her vision, the red of the roof on the temple vibrant against the gray sky until it too dulled into the monochrome theme.
A snake struck.
And another. One hit, one miss.
Stabs and punctures, burning, burning, burning.
Sinking to a hip, the sword fell out of her fingers. She couldn't feel her feet, her legs, her lips.
Minna!
Her cheek hit the wet ground, arms limp at her sides, the rain bouncing off the dirt. Sounds vanished and silence took over. Images blurred, dimmer and dimmer, until there was only a pinprick in the center.
Then darkness.
Chapter Thirteen
Watching the death of a beloved sister was the hardest thing Evelyn ever endured. Into the rain and chaos, she saw Minna fall under the relentless strikes of the cobras.
They were everywhere, circling Alex and Dragar and Christian.
Rhett and Dracht had their own to deal with while Khyamaeus warred with his brethren, an unholy battle of swords and fists and other phenomenon she couldn't put a name to.
But it was this, right here, seeing the light go out of Minna's eyes that wreaked the most havoc. It injected ill timed fury; she ran forward with the sword arcing and slicing, cutting off cobra heads and separating bodies. Taking strikes that the armor deflected, she beat back the slithery, menacing snakes until the remaining lay dead at her feet.
Dropping the sword, she ran to Minna, turning her gently. Lashes open, her sightless eyes stared up at the sky, seeing another realm they both knew existed. She was up there with the rest of them now, looking down in her scrupulous, scrutinizing way, probably chastising her for wasting time with a corpse instead of looking over her shoulder for enemies.
Ever practical, that was her Minna.
A sob caught in her throat and she tipped her forehead against Minna's cooling, pale cheek, letting her tears mix with the rain.
The hell with the Seals and the apocalypse and the Cobras. This battle was too big for them all, too impossible to win.
They were all going to die for nothing.
Death exacerbated her pessimism and she refused to let go when Alex came over, hugging her around the shoulders, trying to pull her off.
“Ev! She's gone. We can't stay here.”
“Let go. Don't you even care, Alex? Don't you care that she's gone?�
� Uncontrolled, her anger lashed out at her only remaining sibling.
“Get up. You know I do. Of course I do.” Alex drug her up by both arms, clamping her hands on either shoulder to brace her.
Evelyn stood, staring at Alex through the rain. Behind them the Yangtze meandered through the steep, broad gorge, carrying the extra rainwater along its winding path. Dragar and Christian, slayer of beasts, victorious in their battles, hovered somewhere in periphery. Blurry figures in their celestial armor, grit and whiskers, swords hanging from their hands.
Dead snakes littered the ground, twisting and twined, heads laying here, tails over there. Beauty surrounded death in the shape of the hedges, grass, gardens and the temple itself, defying the ugliness of it, standing firm and relentless.
Wet, bedraggled, black hair laying in wet coils around her shoulders, Alex searched her eyes. Evelyn knew she needed to say something. Anything. Relieve Alex's mind, her concerns, let her know she was all right. Overwhelmed, tired, Evelyn didn't have the heart to argue with the only sister she had left.
Out of all of them, twenty-two sisters, now there was just she and Alex. She realized some of the droplets down Alex's cheeks weren't raindrops, but tears, and that broke through her stupor.
They hugged each other, Evelyn giving in to grief and Alex fighting it off. Alex's way wasn't to mourn in the midst of danger; she would grieve later, in private, where no one else would see.
Evelyn didn't care who saw, or who heard. She'd never been good at this part, the death and saying goodbye. Alex crooned for a moment and pet a hand down her drenched hair, then brought her back to reality in the way Alex knew best.
“We gotta go check on Rhett and Dracht, Ev. They could still be in danger.”
Rhett and Dracht. She'd almost forgotten there were other fights still raging somewhere. Gathering herself, she leaned back and let Alex go.
Dragar and Christian were already gone.
Alexandra bent down to remove the pouch at Minna's waist that held the Seals, and attached it to her own. “Let's go.”
Evelyn glanced at Minna once more before Alex took her and pulled her toward the temple.
Evelyn only hoped they didn't find more bodies inside.
†
Sweat ran into his eyes and he shook it away with a jerk of his head. Rhett stepped off the body of a cobra, the head flung far in another direction, sword bloody from the swath he'd cut through them. The gold throne stood directly behind him but he didn't reach for the Seal yet, too wary that they'd be set upon the moment he took his eyes off the scene.
Dracht, breathing hard, stared around the courtyard as if he expected more, or another round of creatures.
Khyamaeus stalked toward them, a single, blood soaked arrow clutched in his hand. He had wounds on his face and his hands and one of his legs bled from a spot between armor coverage. Beyond, the thick body of the Fallen he'd defeated lay half on and half off a cobbled walkway.
“Are there more?” Rhett asked bluntly.
“Fallen? No. We need to get the others and leave. Right now,” Khyamaeus said.
“Why? What's wrong?” Dracht cast another wary look around the courtyard.
“Because this is a trap. They knew we were coming. Let's get out of here.” Khyamaeus started to turn away but Rhett caught his elbow.
“How do you know it's a trap?”
Khyamaeus stopped and turned just his head, peering at Rhett with one gray eye. “There is only one Fallen here and they've left serpents to guard the Seal. Any second, they're going to strike in a bigger way. A final way to get us all at the same time. Now move!”
Rhett released him. He veered away to the gold throne, snatching the intact Seal off the smooth seat.
It looked whole and complete with no cracks or breaks.
Overhead, the sky growled with thunder.
He needed to find Evelyn, make sure she was all right. The last he'd seen, she darted into the temple for reasons unknown.
Tucking the stiff corners of the page around the Seal, Rhett fell into step behind Dracht, breaking into a run once they hit the walkway.
“Evelyn!” He shouted her name.
Before the echo of it could die out, he saw his father, Christian, Alex and Evelyn run into the courtyard from the same archway they'd run out of earlier. There was a grim look about his dad and his brother that instantly set him on edge, and when he saw the look on Evelyn's face, he knew it was bad.
Shit. Where was Minna?
All it took was a glance at Evelyn's eyes and the misery there to understand they'd lost one of the girls. He could read the expression of grief and mourning like an open book. Rhett cut through part of the foliage, loped over a hedge and made it to her side just as Khyamaeus started shouting.
An electric buzz, a brilliant flash of white and heat, obliterated sight, senses and hearing.
The lightning struck right in the middle of the courtyard, sizzling the very air, so charged with energy that it blew Rhett sideways into Evelyn. She stumbled over a trimmed bush and down onto a knee.
He nearly got stabbed with the sword she had in her hand, managing to twist aside at the last possible second. Another flash of lightning hit the temple roof, sending tile shattering in every direction. Shards rained down and he covered Evelyn with his body, taking the brunt of the explosion with his armor.
A quick check showed him Alex sustained an injury to her face by the way she cupped a hand over her cheek and staggered blindly—jesus, don't let it be her eye—in Dracht's wake. Dragar took cover behind a statue while Christian picked a sharp shard out of his hand.
The sensation in the air made Rhett's hair stand on end.
He knew the Fallen were capable of unique and deadly skills, but to corral lightning was beyond his comprehension. Although Ashrael had warned them, it took seeing to believe.
The blinding light only lasted a second each time, leaving his vision blotted with white spots and a tingling sensation on his skin. Gathering Evelyn up, he encouraged her to run toward the main archway into the temple.
Thunder cracked hard, seeming to shake the very ground, setting leaves and bushes to trembling. Evelyn jumped over a bench, the sword clanging against the side, regaining her footing to go forward when he caught her and righted her balance.
Dracht used the shield to protect him and Alex from another bolt that hit the temple, deflecting shrapnel that would have otherwise penetrated their skin.
Alex made some sort of agonized noise that Rhett never heard her make and sent up another prayer that she hadn't sustained a direct hit to her eye.
Rhett hustled Evelyn inside with the others, glancing up to see two holes in the roof. The floor had been damaged by the strikes, scorch marks stretching out in all directions. Thunder shook the walls, making smaller pieces of the roof tile fall in. Rhett arched his shield over Evelyn's head, herding her to the front doors after checking to make sure everyone else was with them.
Khyamaeus was already outside, running for the cover of the brush. He must not be immune to the lightning anymore than they were. A powerful burst hit the breezeway roof just as they crossed it, forcing him to push Evelyn to the ground. Half the awning collapsed, stressing the struts and bolts, the wood shrieking a warning.
“Go, go, go!” Dragar shouted behind him.
Christian shoved at his back, urging him on.
Rhett collected Evelyn off the ground and brought her forward with him, scrambling down the steps while another brace gave way. Christian used his shield over their heads when another bolt hit the building, spraying debris in a wide arc.
In periphery, he saw his father go down. “Christian!”
“I got it, you take her!” Christian veered away to go help Dragar, who lurched to his feet, took two limping steps, then straightened his stride out.
They ran en masse for the trees and shrubs, metal clanking, hell breaking loose in their wake. Rain made the ground slick and Rhett slipped twice. Evelyn stumbled three times. Passage th
rough the trees was more treacherous going back than coming, and he resorted to having Evelyn run behind him so he could slash some of the branches out of the way with the sword.
Ahead through the leaves, he saw Khyamaeus heading for open ground and the road.
Evelyn started shouting about Minna, that they had to go back for Minna, couldn't leave her there at the edge of the cliff. Rhett understood it must be hard, knew it sucked to have to abandon the corpse and run, but he wasn't going back. Not with the thunder and lightning, not with the temple about to collapse in on itself.
Just as he started shouting behind him, negating her demands, a titanic flash blazed down. It hit the earth like a bomb, throwing them all to the ground. Rhett cracked his chin on the top of the shield; blood spurted out from the wound, spraying the Templar cross and his sword.
Rhett had no time to consider his own injury, which was nothing more than a gash. The shaking ground ripped open behind them, rending with an ear splitting roar. He reached behind him as the earth trembled, snagging Evelyn with an ungentle grip.
Trees leaned, beams cracked, and the sacred temple tilted as a chunk of land half the size of a football field gave way.
“Run!” Rhett shoved Evelyn in front of him, demanding she go.
And she did.
He sprinted behind her, glancing back only once to make sure the others were coming. Their faces reflected the grim knowledge that they might all be sucked into the slide along with the temple. Running for their lives, they tore along the little secret path until they broke open onto flat land.
A hundred feet to the plane.
Roman had moved the jet as close as he could and had taxied around the opposite direction for take off. Rhett could see him waving, eyes wide at whatever was happening behind them, urging them all on. He disappeared inside when Khyamaeus hit the stairs, vaulting up all at once.
Huge chunks of earth tumbled into the gorge along with the temple; the structure came apart like a toy, bits of shattered roof flying everywhere, the walls caving in or blowing outward.
He saw the maw widening, swallowing more grass, more trees, a hungry beast of a hole heading their way. Evelyn scrambled up the stairs, a keening noise spilling from her lips.
Daughters of Eve Collection (Books 1, 2 & 3) Page 61
