Page 70 of Salvation
Nick leaned forward to peek around the corner. Storo stood ten feet beyond the next corner, his back to them and his face tipped up to scent the air. Good thing they were downwind from him, because Anferthians had an exceptional sense of smell. As long as they were quiet they might catch him unaware.
Nick gave Flora a nod and she stepped out from the protection of the cube wall with him. Storo whirled around to face them and they launched their snowballs in unison. Damn, his hit the Anferthian’s shoulder, but Flora’s caught him dead-center in the forehead. Storo wiped the snow from his face, a wicked gleam in his eyes.
Nick crouched, scooping snow. “Re-arm! Re-arm, Flora!”
A loud Anferthian-size whoop filled the air. Flora probably didn’t like that. He glanced her direction, and stared. The white-faced fear he’d expected wasn’t there. His niece opened her mouth and let out a joyful whoop of her own. A loud one. Even Storo appeared surprised, then he seemed to recover and went back to scraping up snow.
“Hurry, Uncle Nick!” Flora knelt down, laughing as she packed snow into round balls.
Splat!A cannonball-sized sphere of snow exploded against his shoulder, knocking him on his butt. Storo’s shout of triumph mingled with Flora’s laughter. She stood and pitched one snowball after another at Storo, each one finding its mark as the giant attempted to ward them off while rolling another ball about the size of a watermelon.
Wonder filled Nick. Flora was actually having fun, laughing as she exchanged volleys with an Anferthian. He stood and lobbed another snowball before bending to make another.
Crack!
The harsh sound of gunfire split the air and something whirred over his head. A plume of burgundy blossomed on the front of Storo’s coat. The Anferthian grunted and sank to his knees, holding his shoulder. “Get down!”
Nick was already in motion, knocking Flora off her feet and shielding her with his own body. The high-pitched whine of bullets and deadly whispers ofkagiwhizzed overhead, some going wide and some impacting the back wall of the cube. Shit. Please don’t let them gothroughthe wall. Saku was inside. What a wonderful time for Kelly and company to surface.
An Anferthian war-cry reverberated through the air and thrummed against Nick’s eardrums. Clearly, Storo had been holding back earlier with his whoop. Even the ground seemed to vibrate with the call. The Directionals probably heard it.
Echoing bellows came from several directions at once. Flora slammed her hands over her ears and cried out. This time her face did drain of blood, making her freckles stand out.
“You’re okay, Flora. Stay with me.” The last thing he needed was for her to freeze because her mind had taken her back to the day of the invasion. “Storo’s calling for help. The Anferthians are on our side this time.”
Her vague head nod was reassuring. “I know. I’m okay, Uncle. I just hit my head. How do we get out of this?”
Good question, and one for which he had no answer. A large, heavy hand closed around his bicep. “Nick, reinforcements have arrived. The hunt is on. We must move to the other side of the cube.”
His heartbeat thudded in his ears. “Can you bring Flora? I need to check Saku.”
“Yes. Go,” Storo said.
He pushed to his feet and bolted to the far corner, stripping off one glove. No more deadly projectiles winged around him, which he would take as a sign that Kelly’s group was on the run. He sprinted the length of the cube, rounded the next corner, and slammed his bare hand against the ID reader. The door gradually opened, obviously oblivious to his state of near panic.
He shoved his way into the cube. “Saku!”
“Nick! I’m here.”
His gaze was drawn to the floor under the dining table, almost the exact center point of the cube, surrounded on every side except the front by bedrooms, a conference room, the lab, and a couple of exam rooms. The safest place she could be. He reached under, grasped her hand, and hauled her into his arms. “Thank God you’re safe.”
Her tiny hands fluttered over his face and shoulders. “Are you?”
“I’m fine.”
Heavy-booted footfalls announced the arrival of Storo and Flora. The giant placed the trembling teenager on the couch.
“She is going into shock,” Storo said as he opened the seals of his coat. Burgundy blood dripped steadily onto the floor.
“You are hurt, too,” Sakura said.
“It is nothing.” Storo’s proclamation sounded final.
Sakura huffed. “Why do men always say that?”
“If one of you would hurry up and remove the pitiful projectile from my shoulder, I would like to join the hunt.” Storo winced as he pulled his shirt over his head. Then he sat cross-legged in the middle of the living room, bare-chested except for the curious pendant hanging from a chain. The design was different from the one K’rona had removed from Tokki, and the liquid swirling inside was a deep metallic purple.
“It is called a reliquary,” Storo said gravely, as though imparting a great secret to them.
And, technically, he was. Even though Nick had heard of Anferthian reliquaries before, he had never seen one. Not knowingly, at least. Which wasn’t surprising since they were supposedly sacred to the Anferthians. What they were used for was anyone’s guess.
“Oh,” Sakura said. Then her elbow nudged him. “I moved the surgical case to the bottom shelf of the bookcase in case we needed it quickly. If you take care of Storo’s bullet, I will treat Flora’s shock.”
Nick shook himself. “Right. Be right back, Storo.”
A small hand touched his wrist and he looked down into Sakura’s determined eyes. “I know you are going on the hunt. I also know I will not be left behind this time.”
