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The men scattered

He was a couple of meters above them, but they carried heavy-duty assault rifles and he wielded only a pistol

Where was Pau? And his men?

A spurt of auto him He decided that a retreat was in order, so he rushed deeper into the house

He passed a tall wooden cabinet, which offered momentary protection

A slug whistled past his ear

Sunlight from a sky well illu, at least tenlattice door panels, several of which hung open, he spiedan autoray jumpsuit

His options were rapidly di It did seelilint of h the lattice doors He flattened hi across the varnished wood, as bullets exploded through the wooden slats and cut a path barely a meter above him

His mind throbbed

Though a career military , but the utter confusion of this situation sht have offered

This was insane

He rolled twice toward a heavy wooden armchair and overturned it so that its thickest portions would offer cover

He saw a shadow play across the roo

He cah the latticework

Flesh and bones thudded to stone

Bullets instantly came in response

The two from the front door had arrived

He fired twice in their direction then bolted for the exterior lattice doors, crashing through, his ar splintered wood away as his eyes searched for er

The courtyard was empty

The man with the automatic rifle lay on the pavement, downed not by two bullet holes, but by an arrow that protruded from his spine

Ni heard ht cover be

hind a stone planter Another chattering of gunfire sent a burst of bullets zipping through the courtyard, a few finding the huge glass jar—which shattered, sending a cascade of water and goldfish to the pavement

He knew little about the remainder of the house, except the exhibit hall, whose door loomed ten meters away If he could h one of its s

But any hope of salvation was dashed when a ht at him

With two in the house and one dead a few meters away, all four assailants were now accounted for

“Stand,” the round”

The two reed from the house

He laid the pistol down and rose

Goldfish slapped their way across the wet stones in desperation He understood their horror His breathing was labored, too

He assessed the three All Chinese, wiry and strong Hired help He ehout China

“Have you already killed Pau?” he asked

“You first,” the onehis head

Tishes preceded the thud of arrows sucking into flesh Two of the an to realize that a shaft with feathered ends had pierced their chests Before they could draw another breath, their bodies shrank to the ground, their guns falling away

Three ray jumpsuitsa stretched bowstring, an arrow threaded, ready to fire, aimed at the final attacker

“You may be able to shoot one, two, or maybe all three,” Pau’s disembodied voice said “But you will not stop us all”

The man seemed to consider his options, decided he did not want to die, and lowered his rifle

Pau and the fourth man stepped from the exhibition hall Two of Pau’shim away at arrow-point