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As far as she was concerned, he could atone for his sins on his own time. Not on hers.

“And what happens afterward? You don’t have the pendant or the sword.”

The Anki were awakening because of her. After eleven thousand years, she had given them exactly what they had wanted: access to finding the O’hurani. “We stop them. But first we help Dante and the others.”

“You sound very sure of yourself.”

“We can’t fail,” Rieka replied.

“You may be able to link with them.” Chaucer gestured to the bracelet. “The way Idris did and shut them down.” He nodded to the ledge. “There is a small opening, it is about a hundred yards from here. It loops back to the cavern. We may be able to distract the serpopards and the wayfarers for long enough to give the others time to get away.”

“Tell me how Idris did it.” Rieka forced down the shiver. Linking with them would open her mind to them again. She swallowed. It would be harder to resist their pull. But there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do. If she looked deep inside her, she wasn’t that different from them.

“Idris used pain. Physical pain,” Chaucer admitted. “Whatever you are planning on doing, you only get one chance.”

Another pep talk she didn’t need.

Chaucer started to walk away but he stopped, looking over his shoulder. There was a sadness in his gaze that had appeared over the last few hours.

Not that she was feeling sorry for him.

“Don’t die.”

She didn’t plan on it. “Why are you willing to help me?”

“Perhaps we can be friends again in the distant future.”

Rieka wasn’t so sure, but Chaucer didn’t wait for her to answer. He effortlessly climbed up to the opening he had pointed out. Rieka scrambled after him.

Chapter 56

“Incoming,”Talikgruntedashe rolled.

Dante hit the back of the blaster and ignored the jolt of pain that shot up his arm. It was empty—there was not enough time to recharge the weapons. The serpopards kept charging toward them, and the wayfarers were scattered across the cavern. An endless supply of cannon fodder continued to flow from the walls. They came out of the small openings in droves. At first, the wayfarers had both been a cohesive unit, but something had set the serpopards off. They were now viciously attacking the wayfarers as well as targeting them.

Distracted, Dante almost didn’t see the serpopard that jumped in front of him. He skidded to a stop as he took a step backwards. It snapped its sharp yellow serrated teeth at him, its snakelike tongue hissing. Orange eyes studied him, glowing with a predatory hunger, as it tilted its head and stared. Its gigantic body arched, readying itself to attack.

“Aim for the underbelly,” Khalida shouted as she stabbed a serpopard through the neck before gracefully half-turning and slicing its stomach open. Its contents sloppily hit the ground with a thud as the animal stumbled. “It will slow them down.”

He dropped the blaster. A green figure materialized next to him as he palmed the knife.

A club swung toward his head, scarcely missing him. “Traitor.”

Fanatic zealots—save him from the lectures.

The wayfarer tackled him, hitting him on the side. Dante used the momentum against the attacker, flipping him to the ground as he quickly slid the knife between their ribs, easily slicing through the unprotected flesh. Blood spurted everywhere as Dante pulled the knife back. He didn’t have to wait long for the poison to run its course. The light in the Atlantean’s eyes slowly dimmed as their body continued to convulse and gurgle long after the heart had stopped beating. He picked up the wayfarer’s club, turning it over in his hand as he adjusted for the weight, before he stepped over the body.

“Duck.”

Dante followed the command.

A flash of silver sliced through the air just as another wayfarer came at him from his blind spot. Except this time the wayfarer stood unnaturally still as blood dripped from his neck. He wobbled for a moment before his head rolled and splattered onto the ground. Dante nodded a thanks to Khalida. She stood behind the body, her sword bloody.

“You are welcome,” Khalida said.

“I’m out.” Talik stood above them, frowning at his blaster as he shook it. He kicked a body out of his way. “We are going to be outnumbered sooner rather than later.”

Near them, on an isolated outcropping of rocks, a serpopard pawed at a dying wayfarer. The animal rose on its hind legs and used its powerful claws to slash through the flesh, bones, and organs. The limited body armor the wayfarer wore didn’t stand a chance. It lowered its head and began eating its bounty, alive, slurping as it chewed. Dante looked away.