Page 47 of Obsidian Dream
He pulled out another apple from thin air and took a bite.
The pendant he had taken from Rieka burned in his pocket.He carefully placed it on his palm, ignoring the growing heat that made every one of his nerves sing in agony.Perhaps this time he could wear the scars for longer than a minute.But he doubted it.No bigger than his hand, and made of orichalcum, the five circles were interwoven with a triton running through the center.It was the symbol of House Atlas.The pendant was all he had left of his childhood, and the only link he had to finding the O’hurani and Atlantis.
Chapter Twenty
KHALIDA
Khalida slid the flashlightinto her pocket as she stared at the winding stairs leading to the catacombs.The oversized clock across the room struck six.The sound echoed loudly in the silence.
Above her, moonlight beamed through the window as the city settled into its evening festivities.The thieves guild had kept their word.A neat little opening had been drilled through the five feet of concrete, and now they had access to the catacombs.The pack of thieves, including Damiano, had made themselves scarce as soon as they had completed drilling.Not that she actually believed they’d left.They were somewhere on the outskirts of the library.
Khalida leaned over.The air ascending from beneath them was unsavory and stale.The scent of dried bone and flesh was offensive.
“Are you ready?”Rieka asked as she sidled up next to her.“Don’t forget Sypha’s present.”
The flashlight in Khalida’s hand flickered red as she held it over the hole.But even with the infrared light, the stairs disappeared into the abyss.She double-checked the knife on her hip.She had replaced most of the knives with the iron coated ones Dante had provided, though she couldn’t quite part with her favorites or her swords.And Sypha’s knife.The blaster strapped to her side felt uncomfortable, but she would get used to it.Talik had the manacles, and she had taken the thirty-foot rope and coiled it tightly before she placed it in her backpack.
“Yes,” Khalida answered.She tugged at the straps as she glanced up at Talik.He stood next to Dante, both of them deep in conversation, their voices too low to hear.“Any further updates from Kade?”
Most may consider the hunter class an abomination, and she didn’t entirely disagree after seeing the aftermath of their killing spree in 1789, but even she was not above using their resources.And their predatory tracking skills.
Talik walked toward Khalida, shaking his head.“No.He gained access to his side of the tunnel about twenty minutes ago.Try not to stab him when you see him.”
“I will never hear the end of it,” Dante added.
Khalida snorted in response, as Rieka laughed next to her.Ideally, Dante would be leading them, but he wouldn’t leave Rieka.Not when the Anki would do anything to claim her.
“No heroics,” Talik reminded her.
Dante continued, as if he hadn’t been interrupted.“If you see anything out of the ordinary, sense a presence that shouldn’t be down there, return.We can work out another way to search for the relic.With more firepower.”
“We built a library and the Vatican over their only way out to the surface,” Rieka said before hastily adding with a bright blush, stuttering, “I’m sure there is nothing but skeletons down there.”
Talik laughed, interrupting the growing tension surrounding them.“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Rieka.”
The sound of his laugh curled around Khalida, filling her with warmth as she did a final count of her weapons.“We will track our movements and backtrack when required.”
