Jax turned to look above him, worried about the other Balin shooting at them. The angle of the pyramid sheltered them, but if Balin came down after them . . .
“He won’t leave Wylit,” Riley said, guessing Jax’s thoughts. “And he’s still got Evangeline as hostage. I couldn’t reach her.”
Riley looked every bit as stricken as Jax about that. And as if flying bullets weren’t bad enough, Jax could hear Wylit’s voice above them. The crazy Kin lord was still trying to cast his spell. “What are we going to do?” Jax asked.
Riley looked around wildly and for a moment didn’t seem to have an answer. Then a low chopping sound rose above the sound of shouts and gunfire on the other side of the pyramid, and he went limp with relief. “Reinforcements,” he gasped. “It’s about time.”
Over the pyramid, a helicopter appeared. It was as ugly as a flying turkey, an old model that probably dated all the way back to Vietnam. How had Riley gotten a helicopter?
“Where’s Miller?” Riley yelled over the noise.
“He went over the other way,” Jax shouted. “Is he really on our side?”
“Of course he is!”
The floodlights on the Pyramid of the Sun went out one at a time, leaving them in darkness. Wylit’s men were shooting out the illumination that made them easy targets from the air.
“Miller kicked you,” Jax protested. “He told them to sacrifice Tegan!”
“He kicked me so Balin would think I was down,” Riley said. “He handed Tegan the knife, and put my instructions into her head. They were meant for you, but Balin moved you out of reach.”
“This was all on purpose?”
“Would’ve worked better if the Morgans hadn’t been late.” Riley looked up at the helicopter, which was making another turn around the pyramid. A searchlight swept over them, and Riley held up both hands, signaling It’s me! Don’t shoot!
“The Morgans?” Jax repeated. Someone waved a hand in salute before the helicopter banked away.
“Yeah. Congratulate me. I’m engaged.” Riley twisted around to look toward the top of the pyramid. He’d traded himself for the use of Deidre’s clan and their weaponry, Jax realized. He’d let Miller beat him up and offer him as a sacrifice so the two of them could get close enough to rescue Jax and Evangeline.
Another series of explosions erupted along the Avenue of the Dead. Jax’s head buzzed as intuition combined with magic. “That’s the Crandalls, isn’t it?”
“And Donovan. He joined up with us to get his daughter back.” Riley grinned briefly at Jax. “They crawled here through tunnels A.J. and I learned about on TV.” Jax nodded his understanding. Tegan had screamed for her father because she knew he was here. “It’s only a distraction,” Riley said, “but it keeps them guessing how many people we have—and where.”
Jax squirmed in worry as the helicopter circled again, shooting at the lower levels of the pyramid. “I don’t know where Tegan went.”
“She’s under the table.” Riley glanced upward again. “It’s safest there. The Morgans aren’t supposed to fire on the summit unless I okay it. That’s part of the deal I made with them.”
Light streaked across the sky again, longer and farther than before. It snaked across the purple heavens, breaking into branches and widening. A wind rose around them, swirling tiny pebbles. Jax half expected the sky to shatter like glass.
“On the other hand,” Riley muttered, “if Wylit keeps trying to cast this spell, the Morgans aren’t going to care about our deal. They’ll kill everyone up there to prevent him succeeding.”
“Evangeline has no cover,” Jax said. Unlike Tegan, she couldn’t hide beneath a table.
“I know.” Riley twisted around again, peering up at the summit.
“Miller said he’d kill her if we couldn’t rescue her.”
“He won’t.”
“He said he would,” Jax insisted.
“You don’t know him. He won’t.”
The helicopter scattered reinforcements running up the Avenue of the Dead. Seeing it fly nearer to the other pyramid, Jax grabbed Riley’s arm. “They’ve got M2s on the Moon Pyramid. They’ll shoot the copter down!”
Riley cursed and stood upright, waving his arms at the helicopter. They didn’t see him.
Jax held up Miller’s walkie-talkie.
Riley spared him one incredulous glance, then snatched the radio. “Deidre, this is Riley. They’ve got anti-aircraft guns on the Moon Pyramid. Stay out of range. Over!”
Jax cringed. Was Deidre on that thing? It was her voice that responded. “You certain? Over.”
“Our man on site confirms it. Over.” Riley glanced at Jax again, and Jax realized he’d been promoted on the field from you idiot to our man.
Instead of flying away from the Pyramid of the Moon, the helicopter turned directly toward it, bearing down on the summit at full speed. Light erupted from the top of the smaller pyramid as the M2s laying in wait fired back, revealing their position. But the helicopter was on them in seconds, silencing the big guns with their own fire.
Riley stuffed the radio into his back pocket and spoke to Jax. “Quick, go around the side and cut Evangeline loose. Get her under cover before the Morgans lose patience with me.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Create a distraction.” Riley waved him off to the right, then scrambled the opposite way.
Jax eased around the side of the pyramid until he could see the altar on the summit. Evangeline stood out in her white dress against the purple sky. Wylit was still shouting his insane statements, trying to bully the Eighth Day Spell into obeying him. He flinched whenever the light from the helicopters passed over him, but it didn’t seem to affect him the way Evangeline’s intensely magnified candlelight had done.
“I have foreseen this death from the sky . . .” Wylit’s voice carried on the wind that billowed the train of Evangeline’s dress. “. . . more sacrifices to feed the power of our will . . .”
Jax caught a glimpse of Balin, gun in hand, and pressed himself into the cobblestones as flat as he could. Gripping his dagger in a hand slick with sweat, Jax gathered his nerve to haul himself up that incline and cut Evangeline free before Balin could react. Riley would do it, he told himself.
No sooner had he thought it than Riley did do it. He appeared over the crest of the summit and snatched up a fallen gun before ducking behind Wylit’s sedan chair. Balin reached under the hotel table and dragged Tegan out. He twisted her arm behind her back and held her between him and Riley.
“Hiding behind a girl?” Riley hollered. “You coward!”
Balin apparently didn’t care what Riley thought of him. He forced Tegan forward as a shield and fired over her shoulder. Bits of wood, fabric, and stuffing flew in all directions, while Riley slid onto his back, hunkering down.
Jax crept closer to the summit. Riley had seconds, if that much, and cracks were still spreading across the sky.
“Go to sleep, Tegan!” Riley yelled. Tegan’s knees buckled. She pitched forward despite Balin’s grip on her arm. Balin tossed her aside with a curse. Riley took the opportunity to pop up and fire at Balin, winging his shoulder. Riley next aimed at Wylit, but the old man ducked behind Evangeline.
“Come out where I can see you, Wylit!” Riley commanded.
Jax could feel the force of Riley’s magic from where he stood, but Wylit merely laughed. “You haven’t got half the power of your father, boy. If you want to shoot me, put the bullet through her!”
Riley cursed and ducked as Balin fired at him again.
Ignoring the gunfire, Wylit ripped the gag from Evangeline’s mouth and grabbed her by her braid. “By my will this shall be done. Say it!” When she didn’t obey, Wylit slashed her other arm with Excalibur, then held the blade poised over her right eye. “You don’t need two eyes to serve your purpose for me. You don’t even need one. Say it. By my will this shall be done.”
Evangeline pressed her lips together and shook her head.
&nb
sp; Jax clambered to his feet and surged upward, holding his dagger out in front of him. “Let her go, Fishface. Or I’ll put this through your eye!”
Wylit laughed at the sight of Jax. “You dare threaten me, whelp?”
“Let her go,” Jax repeated. He hadn’t quite made it to the level surface of the summit, and he struggled to keep his balance on the incline. Pebbles shifted beneath his feet.
Wylit noticed his trouble, and his mouth widened in his ugly smile. “I’ll kill her first.”
“Kill me and you have no spell caster,” Evangeline called out.
“I haven’t run through all your family members yet,” Wylit hissed. “Your brother was too weak. He died mewling. And you’re too stubborn. Perhaps your sister will be the one I need.”
Evangeline gasped. Jax growled, “You monster.”
“My lord!” Balin left the cover of the table, his gaze fixed on Jax. The exchange of gunfire between him and Riley had stopped. Jax caught a glimpse of Riley lying motionless behind the bullet-ridden chair. Either he’d been hit or he was out of ammunition.
Or he was playing possum.
Balin wasn’t certain either. He moved cautiously, keeping one eye on Riley while trying to find an angle to shoot Jax without risking Wylit. “My lord,” he said. “Hold very still.”
Balin raised his gun, taking aim just as Miller charged the top of the pyramid, yelling like a berserker and running full tilt into Balin’s side. Balin fell with Miller on top of him. Someone’s gun went off.
Jax lunged forward and sliced his dagger through the twine binding Evangeline’s right hand. She snatched up Riley’s blade from the altar and hacked through the binding of her other arm. Then she grabbed Wylit’s shoulders with both hands and shoved him.
They tumbled past Jax, over the side of the pyramid.
UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE
HarperCollins Publishers
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38
EVANGELINE AND WYLIT HIT the stony hill with enough force to send them somersaulting down the incline in a tangle of arms and legs. Jax skidded after them, heedless of the winds still buffeting the pyramid. Wylit’s headdress flew off, and he landed on his back on the fifth-level terrace. Evangeline’s body struck him first before rolling off and coming to a stop inches from the edge.
Jax fell to his knees beside her. Her forehead was gashed, and her limbs were limp. “Evangeline!” He knew it wasn’t good to move someone with a head injury, but that didn’t apply to people fleeing homicidal maniacs, right? He slipped an arm under her shoulders and tried to lift her up.
Then her whole body jerked. She sat up, looking around wildly. “Where—?” Evangeline recoiled when she saw Wylit lying beside her.
Jax hadn’t given the old man a glance in his rush to reach Evangeline, but now he sucked in his breath when he saw what had happened. Somewhere in her tumble down the hill, Evangeline had lost her grip on Riley’s honor blade—and it ended up in Wylit’s chest.
To Jax’s astonishment, Evangeline reached out and grabbed the dagger as if Wylit were trying to steal it from her. It didn’t come easily; she had to tug twice before she managed to pull it out of his body.
“You two all right?”
Jax looked up to see Riley limping down from the summit. He was bloodied, but his injuries looked more like grazes from flying debris than bullet holes. As he descended, he slammed a new magazine into the grip of his pistol with the palm of his hand. “Get back,” he said grimly, extending his arm and taking aim.
But it wasn’t necessary. Wylit stared sightlessly at the sky, the blue of his eyes already dimmed. Riley lowered the gun, his shoulders sagging in relief as he realized he wasn’t going to have to make his first kill after all. Jax sucked in a lungful of air and looked up, only to discover that the heavens still seemed seconds away from shattering into a thousand pieces. “Evangeline,” he whispered in horror.
“I see it.” She wiped the Pendragon dagger clean on the train of her dress and then turned it around and offered it to Riley hilt first. “Thank you for the use of your blade.”
Riley didn’t take it. “You can hang on to it if you like. I want this one.” He bent and picked up Excalibur.
Evangeline watched him examine the ancient relic. “Wylit didn’t complete his spell,” she said, “but it’s activated.”
“I know.” Riley gave her a sideways glance and said in a low voice, “Spell casting’s not my thing. I don’t know how to fix this.”
A figure appeared at the edge of the summit. Riley whipped around, Excalibur in one hand, the pistol in his other, and Jax stood in front of Evangeline, shielding her.
A.J. Crandall waved at them and called to someone behind him, “They’re here!” Then he turned to Riley. “The pyramid’s secure. The rest of the complex, not so much, but Deidre’s men are cleaning up.”
“Tell Riley to get up here, now!” There was no mistaking Mr. Crandall’s bellow from the summit. A.J. turned, looking worried, then ran out of sight. Riley sprinted uphill after him.
Jax turned to Evangeline. “Do you want me to get you to a lower level, if it’s safe?”
“No, I need to get to the top.” She eyed the sky again, loose strands of hair whipping around her face in the wild wind.
Jax took her hand and helped her mount to the summit. In the center of the platform, two people lay on the ground next to one another: Balin and Miller. Both Crandalls were crouched beside Miller. Near the altar and the table, Thomas and his father were trying to rouse Tegan. Michael patted her cheeks anxiously to no avail. “Pendare!” he hollered.
Riley was headed toward Miller, but he diverted his steps enough to bend and brush his fingertips across Tegan’s head. “Wake up, kid. You were very brave.”
Tegan’s eyes flew open, and her father nearly crushed her in a hug. Jax watched only for a second, then followed Riley with Evangeline still holding his hand. They had to step over Balin. His eyes were closed, thankfully, but his head was twisted in an unnatural way. Jax shuddered, realizing Miller had killed Balin with his bare hands.
Meanwhile, Riley was arguing with Mr. Crandall. “He said it was just a flesh wound—nothing serious. He was on his feet a minute ago.”
Mr. Crandall shook his head bleakly, his hands pressed into Miller’s side trying to stop the bleeding. Clearly Miller had been wrong, or lying. “Find out if the Morgans have a healer in their bunch,” Mr. Crandall snapped at his son.
A.J. unclipped a walkie-talkie from his belt and took a few steps away.
“Come on, Miller,” Riley said. “You’ve been hurt worse than this before.”
Miller had lost his glasses in the fight. He seemed to have trouble focusing, but when Jax glanced at the wound again, he knew the problem wasn’t Miller’s eyesight. Jax’s stomach lurched.
“She okay?” Miller mumbled to Riley.
“Yeah,” said Riley. “She’s right here.”
Evangeline leaned over Riley’s shoulder. “I’m fine. You saved us.”
Miller closed his eyes. “Worried I was . . . too late . . .”
“Miller,” growled Riley. “Stay with me. Hey!” He smacked Miller’s face, like Michael had done to his daughter, but not as gently. “I order you to—” Riley didn’t finish the sentence. Jax figured even the Pendragon voice couldn’t command someone to stop dying.
“’S okay,” whispered Miller. “Was tired of being here without Alanna anyway.”
That was the last thing he said. A.J. and Deidre were on the walkie-talkie, ordering some vassal with healing talent to the top of the pyramid, but there wasn’t any point. Mr. Crandall sat on his heels, swearing under his breath. Riley just knelt there, saying nothing.
Jax rubbed his eyes with the heels of both hands. He hadn’t even liked Miller.
Evangeline put a hand on Riley’s shoulder. “I’m really sorry,” she said. “But you don’t have time to grieve now.” He looked up, and Evange
line indicated the sky. “I’m not sure how to fix this either, but I need your help to try.”
Riley looked once more at his dead friend, then staggered to his feet. “Tell me what you want me to do.”
Evangeline led Riley to the altar, and Jax followed. When the train of her gown caught on the foot of the table, Jax said, “I’ve had it with this.” He grabbed up handfuls of the fabric and started cutting it off with his dagger.
“Yes, do that,” said Evangeline. “He picked this stupid dress. I reject it, and him, and everything he stood for.” She gripped the Pendragon blade in her right hand and held out her other one to Riley. He shifted Excalibur to his left hand and entwined his right hand with hers.
Jax hacked the last of bit of excess dress off and backed away.
Evangeline took a few deep breaths, her brow rumpled in concentration. For a moment, she looked like she had no idea how to start, but then she spoke up loudly. “I reject everything that happened here tonight. That man spoke nothing but lies.”
She looked at the crate. “Niviane of the Lake was a great queen, and she was allied with two great men, both of whom are represented here tonight. The three of them together conceived a plan to stop magic being used to subjugate the innocent. I stand by what they did, even if it imprisons me for the rest of my life.”
Riley watched her, looking uncertain and waiting for his cue, while Evangeline addressed the sky. Who’s listening? Jax wondered. Is it God or Nature or the whole Universe? Please, whoever it is . . . He found himself praying. Listen to her.
“Niviane will be returned to a proper grave once the spell is repaired,” Evangeline said. “We have the blade she gave Arthur to seal their alliance, which was returned to her on his death. And we are heirs to the Pendragon and Emrys lines, with full right to claim their spell as our own.”
Tegan appeared at Jax’s side. “We can help,” she whispered. She slipped her hand into Jax’s, wrapping her slim fingers around the hilt of his honor blade. Then she held out her other hand to her brother, who caught it and reached out to his father. A.J. and Mr. Crandall approached Jax’s other side, and A.J. offered a hand to Jax, honor blade and all. Catching on, Jax gripped A.J.’s hand and his dagger together.
The Eighth Day Page 20