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. A younger Dahhakappeared on the screen.His eyes were averted, and he wasdeep in one of the inane Dahhak prayers. I thought they were all dead. That, Commander Pooljab said,  is why we need tospeak.* * * *Dave screamed as two powerful arms wrapped around himfrom behind.He tried to twist away as his feet lifted from theground. Don't struggle, or I might lose grip, his captorwhispered in his ear.An angel. What're you doing? he cried. Removing you from harm, the angel said.Beside him,the others flew in much the same manner.Only Gramm whohad woken up still struggled, and the angel holding himlooked irritated enough to knock him out again.A few bolts of fire streaked by them, but the demons weremostly in retreat.Below, the horror dug a new hole, dirt androck showering hundreds of feet into the air.Seconds laterthe giant thing was gone, just as quickly as it came.204The Shivered Skyby Matt DinnimanHitomi shone her light at the retreating armies.Theirarmor and weapons tumbled forward like a badly thrownfootball, wobbling, then arcing down to the fields.Without warning, a flight of seven or eight of the scorpionmen shot up at them from below. Watch out, Dave cried asround balls of fire streaked up toward them.The angelholding him dove to the left just as the fire ripped past, amoment later followed by the howling demons, leaving awake that reeked of dead flesh and pestilence.It sat thick inhis mouth and throat, and he gagged.Hitomi and Indigo both shot at them, along with Yehppaeland that red-haired angel, Colonel Tamael, but the demons allsplit in different directions.Only a few were captured by thelight.The rest spread, then dove.The angel had to twist and pirouette away.Dave felt theshock of a blast against the angel's back and its  Hmmph ofsurprise.Blue fire reached around both sides of the armor,licking his skin, giving him a momentary sensation of intensepain.The angel cursed, then banked away again.A scorpion screamed toward them, raking a claw acrossthe chin of the angel.A moment later, the thing's head wasblown off by Colonel Tamael.After another shot by Yehppael,they were all slain.Safe for the moment. Shit, that was close, Dave muttered, still trembling andcoughing.He was breathless, his heart thrashing.An armslipped away, and Dave felt the grip on him weaken, as if hewas about to be dropped.He looked up, and he cried aloud.The skin around the wound on the angel's chin boiled likecheese in the microwave.The angel screamed, the wound205The Shivered Skyby Matt Dinnimanspreading down his neck, under the collar.His skin sloughedoff, pouring down the outside of his armor.Then the angel simply disappeared.His armor was stillthere, the massive gun still strapped to the back as it sailedover Dave's head, still continuing the forward motion.But theangel was gone.Dave plummeted like a rock.He screamed, waving hisarms.Yehppael swooped in, knocking the breath out of him.Dave felt like he had hit a brick wall.But he was alive. Thanks, he wheezed.They headed back toward the forest.Soon, they werealone.Even the massive demon transports had taken off andreturned home in the midst of the bustle.He noticed Hitomi's eyes were clenched shut, yet tearswere still finding a path down her face.They spread like adrizzle as she raised her head against the wind of their flight.He did not envy her.She was so small, so gentle.Beautiful,too. We're going the wrong way, Indigo said, raising her voiceenough to be heard over the rushing air. We need to go tothe Spire of Jhunayn.It's in the city.Tamael grunted. We know where the Spire is.You're notgoing there anytime soon.Even your astounding luckwouldn't save you then. Why not? What's there? Indigo asked.They reached the trees.Far to the left, some stillsmoldered from their earlier encounter with the demons.Itseemed like ages ago.Though they weren't above the trees,206The Shivered Skyby Matt Dinnimanthey were high enough that they were free of the thickunderbrush, but they had to zoom around the broad trunks.Like a field of reeds sticking out of murky water. What do you think is there? Yehppael asked.Indigo shook her head. I don't know. It's where the Unraveler told us to go, Gramm said.Afterthe attack by the scorpion men, he had stopped resisting.Tamael shook her head in apparent disbelief. Be wary of creatures wandering the forest, she said. Itis ripe not only with demons, but others with motivations thatonly serve them. Still, that's where we need to go, Indigo said. You're our wards now, Tamael said. I was to let you go,but that was before I fully understood what you're capable of.We will offer you protection. We can't be held like prisoners, Indigo said [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]