“Pyramid?” Logan asked, seeing it almost immediately after speaking the word.

  From their angle, all they could see was the open jaws of the ancient Nsanga, but once they moved to the left and headed around the back side, they understood what Fitz meant. Bursting through the long-dead dragon’s side was a short, ten-step Egyptian-style pyramid. Even from their current distance, Logan could see the creature’s broken spine.

  Nasty way to die, he thought, seeing Fitz emerge from within the lizard’s ribs. He took the steps two at a time, hopping down them like a jubilant child, meeting them below.

  “Found a nice hiding spot,” Fitz explained, grabbing hold of Logan’s right arm as Zeus clung to his left. “The BFG doesn’t seem to fancy himself this spot. It saw me enter and sneered but didn’t give chase.”

  “Well,” Zeus said, sniffing the air and recoiling, “that’s one reason. Smells like—”

  “Death,” Fitz interrupted, “I know. But Fayng said her people were mortal enemies with the Nsanga. Maybe the thing’s scent keeps Goliath at bay.”

  “Goliath?” Logan asked, wincing as he sat, propped up against a thick rib bone.

  Fitz shrugged. “It needed a name.”

  “That’s a big maybe, Gray,” Zeus said, peeking over the skeleton’s broken spine while trying to catch his breath.

  “Don’t really have a choice,” Fitz replied, “do we?”

  “He’s right,” Logan said, shaking his head, “we can’t outrun it.”

  Zeus knelt in front of Logan. “What then?”

  33

  Fayng was frightened for the first time in years—decades actually. She even remembered the exact moment too. She and her husband, Udan, ventured to the eastern banks of their territory. Back then, it stretched all the way to Lake Tanganyika. They had planned to hunt the shallows for food and spend a few days traveling up and down its shoreline.

  But then they showed up.

  The two Ru’kan Nua leaders were caught out in the open in waist-high water by a dozen or so men. They shouted in a language she’d never heard before, dressed in a way that seemed strange and uncomfortable. Each of their assailants sweated profusely, emitting an odor that she’d eventually identify as cologne. If they had been deeper in the trees, she and Udan would have surely noticed their arrival before they attacked.

  The lake breeze was strong that early evening, cooling down their sun-scorched skin and calming their souls. The wind didn’t move the same in the jungles as it did over open water. There was nothing to block it—nothing at all. It was the main reason they traveled to that spot.

  As the angry men fast approached, Udan begged Fayng to go under and wait. They were excellent swimmers and had the ability to submerge for great lengths of time. Terrified and unsure, she obliged and swam for deeper waters.

  As she moved, the waters became tainted, not only with the blood of Udan, but with the blood of men he’d killed. If it was possible, Fayng would’ve had tears streaming down her face in response to her husband’s brutal murder. Instead, she fled, clenching her mouth shut in order to hide her escape.

  A hundred yards out, she surfaced and saw the mayhem. Bodies littered the shore—at least six, maybe more, including Udan’s. There, with her head above the water, she openly wept. But as the minutes went by and Udan’s body was dragged away, Fayng was already plotting her revenge against the fair-skinned, blonde men with weapons of war. But there was no way for her to know it would take over seventy years of searching to enact such reckoning.

  And even now, as she stood inside the Nsanga nesting grounds, her green blood draining from her wrist, Fayng wasn’t any closer to leaving the past behind. Her husband was long gone, joined just recently by their son.

  If it was necessary, she would die tonight and help those more capable of doing what she’d failed to do. Logan, Fitz, Kiani, and even CJ…they would see to it and burn what was the Wohn Tod.

  But until that time comes, she thought, squeezing her hand tighter, forcing the plasma from her body faster, I’ll do my part.

  Movement to her right caught her attention as three low and long shadows appeared from out of the gloom. Then, four more to her left and eight more from straight ahead. There was no doubt more than that, waiting in the darkness beyond, seeing—studying—what would happen. She wouldn’t react until they came closer, then, she’d draw them into the city so they could feast upon a larger, meatier prey. At the very least, the ensuing battle would give the others the time they needed to escape.

  Until now, Fayng didn’t normally trust outsiders. The ones she did, added up to less than the number of fingers on one of her hands. Most of those died years ago, too. Information in the modern world moved fast, making it dangerous for them to be caught out in the open. It was the main reason she stopped going out and searching for clues pertaining to Udan’s death.

  “Come,” she said in her native language. She knew the Nsanga didn’t understand her, but if she acted less threatening than normal, she may be able to get them to follow her without incident.

  They all sprang forward as one in a single, horrifying attack.

  So much for “without incident.”

  Fayng turned and fled still pumping her hand in order to leave the necessary scent trail. She also needed to slow up a little too. She could’ve easily outrun the horde piling in through the blasted entry but needed them to stay interested in her long enough for the plan to work. Then, she didn’t know—none of them did. They wanted to circumvent the middle of town after Fayng led in the Nsanga, but there was absolutely no way of knowing what would happen after.

  Instead, she just mentally repeated what she’d heard Logan say early. Let’s hope for the best.

  Halfway down the entry tunnel, Fayng turned and was amazed to see such numbers right on her heels. The passageway was filled with the wiggling creatures, some trampling others to get to her.

  Seconds later, she passed where the others lay in wait. This was the craziest part of the plan. Would the Nsanga investigate the alcoves as they passed, or would they be so zeroed in on her that they’d bypass their hiding spot?

  No way to know for sure.

  She gritted her teeth and squeezed her hand harder, forcing another spout of blood to spray on the ground around her. She needed to convince the mass behind her that she was the only prize awaiting them within the city’s walls.

  A gargantuan roar also helped. The Nsanga hissed a response and sped up, making Fayng do the same. She’d never seen them move so quickly. Then again, it was a rare sight to see them out in the open at all. They were mostly confined to the tunnels and caves or if they got out, the jungles above, neither of which had too many straightaways to speak of. She’d only seen them move in short bursts and never sustaining a speed such as this.

  They know what’s ahead.

  Pumping her arms and legs harder, Fayng abandoned her bloodletting and instead played follow-the-leader. Though primal, the Nsanga were smart. She had no doubt that they would continue forward until they found—

  A building to her left burst from within, sending stone flying into the air. The explosion was followed by another roar. She could tell the horned giant was frustrated as it bashed and slammed armfuls of loose rock to the ground.

  Logan really upset it, hasn’t he? Or maybe it was Fitz?

  She allowed herself some satisfaction in knowing that the men here had done enough to enrage the beast. Hopefully, that also meant that they still lived. If they were already dead, then this plan was all for naught.

  The Nephilim turned its back on Fayng and her entourage, looking for its disappeared quarry. Logan and the others must be somewhere in the center of town. Looking over her shoulder, Fayng decided it would be time to leave the pack and continue on without them. She needed to help the others now with the first part of the plan completed. Now, she just needed to get the giant’s attention, but the cacophony of shrieks building up around her did the job.

  Stopping, the giant faced them as Fayng went diving between its legs, praying its attention would be on the dozens of Nsanga coming up behind her. Coming out of the controlled roll, Fayng continued forward but turned enough to watch as a living wave of smaller, but still plenty large, Nsanga slammed into her demon ancestor.

  “Over here!” a voice shouted from behind—

  She was so caught up in the moment that Fayng hadn’t yet noticed the immense skeleton lying in the center of the ancient Nephilim city. It was her grandfather’s fabled “cave dragon.”

  It had to have been eighty-feet-long, she thought, racing towards the waving form emerging from its sternum. Unbelievable. It was Fitz and he looked…fine. Tired, but fine. Fayng honestly expected them to look a lot worse. Logan and Zeus were next, pointing to their left. She followed Logan’s outstretched arm and saw the road leading east was completely void of life. If they could head that way and not draw any attention to themselves, they’d have a shot.

  As the four warriors reunited, they watched as the giant battled the slithering mass of venomous Nsanga. Two or three of the lizards died with every swing of its mighty clawed hands, but would then be replaced with another set.

  “A gift,” Fayng said, running alongside the soldiers.

  “The enemy of my enemy—” Zeus started.

  “Is still my fucking enemy,” Fitz blurted out, interrupting him. “Don’t start with that shit. Kill ‘em all.”

  Logan grinned. “I won’t argue.”

  They moved off to the eastern half of the city as the battle moved into the town square. As the Nsanga neared their fallen family member, they seemed to become even more enraged. Their very DNA wanted revenge on the Nephilim that had apparently killed it.

  “Good riddance,” Fitz said under his breath, ready for a vacation.

  “Aw, damn,” Zeus said, getting everyone’s attention.

  They all stopped and saw a few of the Nsanga had broken off of the central battle and spotted their retreat. Fayng was still covered in her own blood and the lizards were swaying their heads side-to-side, tracking the scent.

  Logan raised his suppressed rifle and took out two of the creatures, as did Fitz and Zeus. They backpedaled as they fired, hoping they could eventually make it around a corner and out of sight.

  “I’m almost out,” Logan said, hearing his gun run dry. “Damn.”

  He dropped the useless weapon and went to draw his Glock. Great. He forgot he gave it to CJ, trading it for her rifle. So, he unsheathed his knife instead.

  Then, Fitz’s weapon went dry, quickly followed by Zeus.

  “Well,” Fitz said, “we’re screwed.” He and Zeus quickly drew their handguns. “I only have a clip left, you?”

  “Same,” Zeus replied, “never got them back from CJ. We’ll need to make them count.”

  Looking at both weapons, Fitz reiterated his feelings on the matter. “I still say we’re screwed regardless.”

  “Not so fast,” Fayng said, extending her claws. “They are only adolescents, clumsy and much easier to kill. Don’t let them get close, though. As long as the swarm stays engaged with—”

  “Goliath,” Fitz said.

  Fayng raised her eyebrow and glanced at Logan who shrugged. “As long as they stay interested in Goliath, we should be okay.”

  “Okay, gentlemen,” Logan said, “do what you can from a distance. He then looked at Fayng. “Bob and weave, stick and move.”

  Logan gripped his knife harder. “Float like a butterfly, sting like a venomous saw-toothed gecko.”

  * * *

  He startled awake like he was falling, the jerking motion causing him to cry out in pain. Suffering a broken rib wasn’t anything new, but quickly waking in the dark confines of the waterfall tunnel caused him to stir violently. As his ribs flexed back into their natural position, the pain began to subside. It wouldn’t mean much, though. Without his pack and his mini-first aid kit, he would be in pain until he got back.

  Holding his left arm against his side, he stood, still favoring the area. Standing upright was impossible, so instead, he just leaned to the left and moved forward. The first thing he noticed was that the tunnel widened some, giving the feeling of suffocation that had invaded his mind a rest.

  “Finally,” he said, to himself, cringing as he inhaled. Breathing deep was a no-no at the moment. He’d just have to make do with short, shallow breaths for the time being. They’d hurt no matter what. Ribs were fickle like that. A broken rib flexed regardless of which phase of breathing you were—in or out.

  While more spacious at the moment, the path was still fairly tight. His shoulders just cleared either wall as he continued his quest for the surface. Every so often he’d hear the same grinding sound he’d heard from the Nsanga but then quickly realize it was just one of his shirtsleeves dragging along beside him.

  Minutes passed as he rounded a sharp turn, confused by what he saw waiting for him at its end. He was half expecting to see a slope of some kind greet him, announcing the end of his hike. Instead, the tunnel just stopped at a pile of rubble. Was there no way out? Did he just make the journey for no reason?

  No, he thought, refusing to believe it. He needed to reach the surface anyway he could.

  Backseating the pain, he rushed forward and climbed the piled boulders, tearing up as his ribs flexed over and over again. He pushed through the agony and quickly reached for the ceiling above.

  “Huh?” he said aloud, unsure of what he saw. The stone overhead wasn’t actually stone. “Is that wood?”

  He ran his palm across the gritting surface and found it had been caked with mud, making it look like stone. It is wood!

  Standing, he shoved with all his might, feeling the faux ceiling shift ever so slightly. Bracing his legs and tightening his back, he caught his breath and tried again, not letting what he knew to be a hidden hatch close again. If he didn’t get it open, he never would, not with his body in its current state.

  “One…two…three!”

  He drove his body into the wood and felt a pop, hoping it wasn’t his rib fully breaking or a disc in his back bulging. But when daylight greeted him, he knew he succeeded. Shoving his upper body halfway through the concealed entrance, he came face-to-face with a grin of a dead man.

  It's hollowed out empty eye sockets stared back in death, causing his feet to slip beneath him. The pressure of the makeshift hatch closed on his waist, just barely missing his lowest rib.

  “Get off, will ya’?” he asked the corpse, seeing that it was lying atop the sheet of wood.

  A rustling sound greeted his question, coming from the entry path he and the others took to the altar site the day before. Help had apparently already arrived.

  34

  CJ never thought she’d ever have to use a fighting staff in her life, let alone against a threat such as the Nsanga, but here she was picking up a felled weapon and using it the best she could. The heartbreak of losing another of their party was gut-wrenching, to say the least.

  The girl had moved closer to the entrance to have a look after the horde of creatures passed by in a blur, chasing their glowing, bloodied prize, Fayng. Concerned for the elder, she peeked around the corner of the doorway and looked right.

  She should have looked left first…

  A slower Nsanga must have spotted her and decided to change course, bowling into the younger girl. She was maybe sixteen at most, just a kid. CJ still mourned her loss. At least her death could’ve been painless, but it wasn’t. She screamed as the Nsanga dragged her away, only falling silent once it finished her off.

  The flex-staff was knocked from her hand and skidded to a stop at CJ’s feet. Gripping it hard, CJ vowed to kill as many as she could with the girl’s weapon. Plus, she didn’t really have a choice. Her pistol ran dry after the creature returned to their hiding spot, intent on procuring another meal.

  CJ unloaded the rest of her clip into its chest as it rose up like a monitor lizard and ran on its back legs. Then, she holstered the gun away and lifted the surprising light staff, examining it. She’d seen countless movies during her time with the SDF, all sitting next to Logan and Fitz. They watched every Jackie Chan and Jet Li movie made at the time.

  Well, then… Here goes nothing.

  She watched the other women wield theirs, trying to mimic their every move. After hitting her shin once and Ares in the back another time, CJ started to get the hang of the seemingly spring-loaded weapon. The flexing action actually accelerated the stones on either end, driving them forward harder. The timing was tricky, but CJ was a quick learner.

  “Damnit!” Ares shouted, cursing at his Glock. He’d just shot another lizard twice but ran out of ammo before he could fully dispatch it. Instead, he charged, drew his knife and slammed it home, straight through the top of its head.

  Dead now, CJ thought.

  “Here!” Kiani yelled, tossing Ares another clip. In one smooth motion, he caught the flipping object, expelled the empty from his pistol, and then slammed home the new one.

  Two more Nsanga appeared in the entry of the spacious circular chamber. They were quickly taken out under a hail of gunfire from the only two left with such firepower, Kiani and Ares. Quickly, they then backed away and rejoined CJ and the four remaining locals. The most skilled of them were the two that were called, the medic and the nurse. They also happened to be the oldest and strongest of the lot. The other two captives were the youngest of the bunch, maybe twelve years of age.

  CJ gritted her teeth as three more came around the corner, snarling and hissing. The medic made sure to stay in front of the kids as did CJ and the others. They’d go down fighting if it meant saving them.

  The middle Nsanga leapt forward, only to take three shots from Kiani to the abdomen. Immediately after, she backed away as the other two jumped back and hissed again. Ares fired twice but missed as one of them leapt to the side and in one motion sprang off the wall to his left. It went airborne and bowled into him, raking him across the chest. His gun went sailing as he gripped the creature's neck, pushing its jaws away from his face.