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But he realized this place was anything but untroubled
A figure of a deity with multiple arms and several faces rose before him At the far end, up three narrow terraces, past a veranda, a set of doors hung open, guarded by ivory tusks, the space beyond well lit
He still hadn’t seen anyone
He kept the gun at his side, finger on the trigger, fighting violent heartbeats and a faint feeling frohter
A child
Speaking in Russian
He scanned the courtyard and identified the source To his right, one floor up, through an openSokolov and his son? He had to find out
CASSIOPEIA CLIMBED THE TRAIL, ZIGZAGGING UPWARD, TOWARD where she and Cotton would have arrived if their river crossing had not been interrupted Trees provided handholds, their gnarly roots gripping the earth with rigid tentacles
The exertion restored her body Viktor led the way but occasionally glanced back, keeping watch on her He’d held her tight on the river Too tight She’d sensed his emotions, knew that he cared, but like herself and Cotton, he kept far more inside than he ever allowed out The murder of that Chinese pilot seemed to bother him Unusual Men like Viktor rarely analyzed their actions or expressed regret A job was a job, ethics be damned At least that was the way Viktor had always treated things She believed him on Sokolov Stephanie would want the Russian alive Ivan, though, was another matter He would want Sokolov silent
Her wet clothes, stained brown fro to her as if un in the fall and noticed that Viktor carried only a knife, so they were headed into God-knehat unarmed
They found the top of the trail and passed rock carvings and an altar Around a bend they spotted the purplisha natural amphitheater of cliffs and valleys
And heard a gong
NI EASED HIMSELF CLOSE TO A DISPLAY OF BRONZE SWORDS THE slies and tips sharp
Do so
Even if it’s wrong
Pau turned toward Tang, and Ni used thehis ar the blade to the older e to the skin—for the moment
“This will easily slit your throat,” he said in Pau’s ear
Tang reacted to the threat by su the men outside Two brothers rushed in and leveled their crossbows
“Tell them to lay down the bows and leave,” Ni commanded Pau “It won’t take much to cause you to bleed to death”
Pau stood still
“Tell theain, and to eing the sharp edge to the skin
“Do as he says,” Pau commanded
Both brothers laid down their weapons and retreated
MALONE ENTERED ONE OF THE BUILDINGS THAT LINED THE courtyard and ascended a staircase one level At the top, he inched his way doide corridor to an intersection Carefully, he peered around the corner and spotted a younger uard outside a closed door He estimated that the room would face the courtyard at the location of the open
Twenty feet lay between hiuard He decided a direct approach was best, so he tucked the gun into his back pocket and readied himself
One
Two
He rushed around the corner and charged Just as he’d assuht of soh for Malone to coldcock the guard with a fist, sla the back of the man’s head into the stone wall
The man collapsed to the floor
Malone checked to be sure No weapon Interesting Perhaps they weren’t thought necessary behind the impressive fortifications that encased this complex
He found his own gun, checked behind him—all quiet—and slowly opened the door
TANG WONDERED WHAT NI HOPED TO GAIN THERE WAS NOWHERE to go “You cannot escape”
“But I can kill your master”
“I do not fear death,” Pau said
“Neither do I Not anymore In fact, I would rather be dead than live in a China ruled by you two”
He silently congratulated hiht All he had to do was coax Ni back out into the hall
There, he could end this problem
MALONE SAW THE LOOK OF RELIEF ON LEV SOKOLOV’S FACE, SAW the boy curled in his lap
“Malone,” Sokolov muttered “I wondered what happened to you”
He crossed the empty bedchamber and stole a quick look out theThe courtyard remained quiet “How many men are in this place?”
“Notis here, though”
“Where’s Ni?”