Page 53 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts

Had she just considered killing two reptilians so she couldreturnto Antambazi?

The sound of another approaching vehicle snapped her into action.

***

Amelia

“Go, now! Constantine barked at Diana. “She’ll be too busy dealing with us to come after you.”

Diana stepped closer to him, her toffee-coloured eyes studying the headlights of the black sedan. “More reptilians? Mysword has been terribly disappointed that it didn’t get to sever a head.”

He turned towards her. “Diana… run!”

Amelia felt like a cornered animal. Diana could escape, but she could not. For her, only one option remained.

The net uncoiled from Kathrine and leapt onto the car’s roof. The driver stared at the windscreen as it darkened with strands resembling serpents. Someone tried to climb out of the back door, but the net held them mid-motion. Amelia struggled to believe how easily the power obeyed her.

Gunshots cracked through the forest, shaking the silence. Within moments, a second body collapsed on the ground. Amelia surveyed the scene, trying to make sense of what had happened, and came to one conclusion: Diana had shot Kathrine. Multiple times.

“Go!” Constantine shouted.

Amelia’s legs refused to move. The Queen was trapped inside the car and might carry, if not all, then at least some Sacreds. If Amelia could connect with them as she had with the net, she could steal them now.

“The Sacreds could be in the car,” she said to Constantine.

“If you call back the net, bullets won’t stop the Queen,” he growled.

He was right.

Amelia glanced at the car where Mikhail lay hidden. She would rather die than see him strapped to that machine again. He was more important than the Sacreds or her Oracle mission.

Her gaze shifted to the net restraining the car and the Queen. She assumed that with the help of the other Sacreds, the Mother of Reptilians would soon break free and reclaim the net for herself.

It’s temporary. I’ll come back for you.Amelia silently bade the artefacts farewell and sprinted to the car.

“Get in the driver’s seat! Take the gun!” Constantine pointed to their beat-up car. “I’ll grab the reptilians’ SUV to make sure they have nothing to chase us with, in case they wake up in the next few minutes. Diana, are you coming?”

Amelia climbed inside and glanced back to confirm that Mikhail was still there and breathing. Leaving the gun on the seat beside her, she started the car with a heavy heart and drove along the path. In the rearview mirror, she saw Constantine turn the reptilians’ vehicle around and catch up to her.

Her foot slammed down on the accelerator, propelling the car to reckless speeds given the twists and rough terrain. Yet the landscape offered them no favour. It was far too open, the path scarcely wide enough for two cars to pass, let alone to hide if needed.

After ten minutes of switching between the accelerator and the brake, they reached a flatter stretch of land. The forest receded, giving way to broad, undulating hills on either side. On one of the distant slopes ahead, Amelia spotted a black vehicle – reptilian. It tore down the incline at a terrifying pace, its trajectory fixed upon intercepting theirs. If neither party yielded, the inevitable point of impact lay at the foot of the hill. It was an ambush.

“Damn it!” Amelia yanked the wheel, gripping it tighter to maintain control. The car swerved into the field and jolted violently.

Constantine mirrored her manoeuvre.

Amelia drove across the field, then up the hill, constantly checking the mirror and the road ahead. When she reached the summit, she descended the other side but lost sight of both SUVs in the mirror.

She reduced speed, hoping to spot Constantine, but… how would she recognise him? His vehicle was identical to the reptilians’. If one approached, she wouldn’t know whether to fleeor stop.

She exhaled sharply, focusing her attention on the windscreen. From this point onward, she was on her own. Her only priority was getting Mikhail to safety.

The forest loomed ahead, forcing her to decide between left and right. She slowed down to evaluate her options… A shadowy figure appeared out of nowhere in her path. She slammed the brakes hard, but it was too late. The car collided with the indistinct obstacle.

As Amelia jerked the wheel, the tyres lost traction. Before she could regain control, the front of the car crashed into a tree. No airbags deployed. Her forehead struck the steering wheel with brutal force, and a gush of blood filled her nose. Sharp pain exploded in her temples, sending her mind into a haze.

Mikhail. She had to make sure he was all right. But her body refused to move.