Page 40 (1/2)

"Fro up

The toas slowly leaning away, the lightning flowing down froher struts into a ball of white fire on its opposite side A huge snakelike for cocoon of electricity

"Is that?"

"Aye," Dylan breathed "It’s &350;ahmeran"

Zaven had somehow piloted his injured walker all the way to the tower And noas acting as a conductor, drawing the power of the cannon into itself

Lightning spun in a ind around the goddess walker, glowing brighter and brighter until Alek had to shut his eyes

"He’ll be done for in there," Dylan said, and Alek nodded

A few seconds later the Tesla cannon began to fall

Chapter Forty

The tower toppled around &350;ah leapt out in all directions, dancing on the frozen djinn and elephant, on the other fallen walkers, and along the wreckage of the Orient-Express The ine car crackled with sparks and spiderwebs of fla faded, the roar of the tower’s collapse filled the air A falling strut struck the engine car - the ceiling dented inward, and the s shattered all at once Bending h the car

Long moments later a heavy silence settled over the battlefield

"Are you all right, Dylan?" Alek’s words sounded muffled in his own ears

"Aye How about you, beastie?"

"Zaven," said Bovril softly

Dylan took the creature into his arms "Listen The Leviathan’s still up there"

It was true - the soft ruines had settled over the silent battlefield At least all this madness hadn’t been in vain

"Leviathan," Bovril repeated slowly, rolling the word around in its mouth

Alek stepped closer to theThe Tesla cannon stretched out into the distance, jagged and broken, like the unearthed spine of soe extinct creature The djinn lay fallen beside the war elephant, both walkers battered by the cascade of debris

A cold shiver went through Alek - most of the German soldiers had disappeared beneath the ruined tower

"We need to see if Lilit’s all right," he said "And Klopp and Bauer"

"Aye" Dylan put Bovril on his shoulder "But who first?"

Alek hesitated, realizing that his ht be dead, as Zaven certainly was "Lilit first Her father "

"Of course"

They opened the door and stepped out into a hellish landscape The s, but the smells of burned flesh and hair orse Alek turned his eyes froe of electricity had done to thehie, Bovril raised its head and said, "Lilit"

Alek followed the creature’s gaze, squinting through the darkness There at the edge of the cliffs was a lonely figure, looking out over the water

"Lilit!" Dylan called, and the figure turned to face the away the sear was torn, her face pale in the darkness A long canvas bag lay in the dirt beside her feet

As they drew close, she stumbled into Dylan’s arms

"Your father," the boy said "I’, so I cleared a path for hi the dust on her face, and turned to stare at the fallen tower "Have we all gone mad, to want this?"

"He saved the Leviathan," Alek said

Lilit just looked at hie she knew had been knocked fro

"All gone mad," Bovril said

Lilit reached out to stroke the creature’s fur, her eyes still glassy

"Are you all right?" Dylan asked

"Just dizzyand amazed Look at that"

She pointed across the water toward the city of Istanbul Its dark streets sparkled with gunfire, and half a dozen gyrothopters hovered over the palace As Alek watched, a silent tendril of fla the ancient buildings

"See? It’s really happening," Lilit said "Just as we planned"

"Aye, that’s the barking strangest thing about battle - that it’s real" Dylan looked out across the water "The behe now"

Alek took a step closer to the cliff’s edge and gazed down The Goeben was stea arlimmered across the tower on her aft decks