Page 103 of Obsidian Dream
“The hunters are accounted for,” Kade answered.
She didn’t care about the hunters, but she was careful to keep her posture neutral.Raising her hand to her hat, she lowered the brim to cover her eyes before she subtly counted her weapons.Satisfied that they were all in the same place she’d left them, she then asked again, “Status update, Talik.”
With bated breath, she waited for Talik to respond.The seconds ticked by.She took a step in his direction.
“I’m peachy,” Talik finally said.
Relief sagged through her, but it didn’t last long.
A large commotion broke out near one of the footbridges, closer to Kade’s side.The human voices grew louder, and she strained to hear what they were saying.
“Wayfarer within the crowd,” Kade stated.
“Visual,” she demanded.Kade’s words sent a chill through her.It wasn’t her job to make sure the humans remained unhurt, but she would be damned if she just stood there doing nothing.Not when she could help.
“Human.Wearing a white cap.Hidden in the background, he is standing next to the road.”
Kade had just described half of the human males gawking on the bridge.Had they all decided to wear matching outfits for their day trip?Khalida forced down a groan as she scanned them.Despite her misgivings, it didn’t take long.
He stood at the back, dressed identically to three other males, right down to the tourist sweatshirt with the wordsITALIAemblazoned across it.He looked ordinary, except for the slight sheen to his eyes—a sheen that humans and Atlanteans didn’t naturally have.
“Bingo,” Talik answered before she could.
“I have visual,” Khalida added as she adjusted her position, ensuring that no one had snuck into her area before she returned her attention back to the bridge, straightening slightly as she counted.“One more.”
“Different from the individual identified from the eastern side,” one of Kade’s hunters said.She didn’t recognize the voice.The male’s Atlantean accent was thicker and more distinct than she had heard in a very long time.
At least four wayfarers and a monstrous god.Good thing they’d packed for a small war.
The smell of pomegranate and sandalwood weaved through the air, the scent fresh and entirely out of place on a winter day in Rome.Too sweet to be natural, it was tinged with a hint of fresh rain.
And it reminded her of the catacombs.The lingering scent she hadn’t been able to describe was here in full force.She tapped her earpiece.Nothing was coming through.
“Shit.”
The throbbing in her wrist increased—Talik was moving closer.She looked around but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary.The crowd was still on the footbridge.
She blinked.Something was not right; everything was too picture-perfect.Nothing had moved, not even a blade of grass.The crowd was motionless, and there was no sign of the three wayfarers she had clocked.
One, two, three...she counted the seconds.None of the humans blinked.Instead, they were permanently still, a snapshot in time.Their mouths were agape, half frozen in mid-conversation, the slight breeze moving around them.Like the statues of the ancient Romans.
She tapped her earpiece again.There was still no sound.Not even static.
“Talik.Kade.”
Still nothing.Khalida dropped the backpack with a small thud before she kicked it to the building.The thick vines did nothing to soften the impact.She reached for her swords.The familiar hilts sent a wave of calmness through her.Moving to the shadows, she flattened herself as much as she could.
A little girl laughed.
It was like a knife to the heart as the laugh grew louder, echoing off the almost perfect acoustics of the nearby decrepit temple.
It was the same laugh from the catacombs.Sidra’s.Full of innocence and hope.But this time she knew it was not real.Gripping the hilts of her swords, she held her arms against herself, using everything she had ever learned to become part of the shadows.
Small white butterflies floated down from the sky, hundreds of them appearing almost instantly, as bright wildflowers erupted from the grass.She glanced across the ruins, and everything appeared to be transformed into springtime.Small birds sang in the leafy green trees that towered over the Roman ruins, sprouting at almost full maturity near where Kade had been positioned.Kade had said she would be weaker, but Ninhursag showed no signs of slowing down, or of being drained.
She looked past the greenery, just on the edge, and almost missed it.A thick dark fog surrounded them, almost like a shield.It encircled the ruins, separating them from the rest of Rome.Despite the warmth, Khalida shivered.
She remembered Kade’s words.They may not be able to kill the god, but they could contain her again.
