Howard slapped him on the back. "Go! We're counting on you."
Rajiv knotted the cord so the phone would be secure. "God be with you."
"And with you." Abigail gave him a hug.
He scrambled out of the cave, keeping low.
She whispered a prayer that he would be safe, that he would make it through. She glanced back at the folding screen. The Vamps were behind there, dead and oblivious.
She looked at the sky. The sun was lowering in the west. "How much longer before the sun sets?"
"About an hour," Howard answered. "At the rate their army is moving, they'll be here in fifteen minutes."
So the Vamps wouldn't be awake to teleport them away. Her hands trembled, so she clenched them into fists. "We're outnumbered."
"I can kill maybe thirty or forty of them before they finish me off." Howard regarded her with a grim look. "But then you'll be alone with the rest of them, and they'll be really pissed."
A sick feeling churned in her gut. "We have no choice. We'll have to surrender."
Chapter Twenty-seven
"Careful," Abigail whispered as Howard peered over the ledge. "Can you see the river?"
"Yes." He was flat on his stomach, clutching a nearby bush to keep from plummeting as he eased farther over the cliff.
They no longer worried about the invading army seeing them. It was obvious the soldiers were moving toward them. It was also obvious that even though the soldiers could do amazing physical feats, they lacked the ability to teleport. Otherwise they would simply materialize across the river. Howard described how a few had made incredible leaps across the gorge, and many more were gathered across the river, preparing to jump.
She just hoped Rajiv found a place to cross without the soldiers spotting him.
"I see him." Howard eased out further. "He's downriver. It's wider there, but there are some giant boulders in the river. Yes! He just landed on one."
"He's in tiger form?"
"Oh yeah. He had to strip before shifting, but I'm sure he left the phone tied around his neck. There he goes. He made it to another rock. And yes! He's across. He . . . I can't see him now." Howard scooted back. "Nothing much we can do now. But wait."
She swallowed hard. Wait for what? What did Master Han want with them?
Howard settled by the cave entrance, watching the approaching army. She couldn't do it. It was too nerve-wracking, so she went back into the cave to sit by the heater.
Her mind raced, and foremost among her frantic thoughts was J.L.'s warning about the Demon Herb. Those who go looking for it are never seen again.
Why was this happening? It had to be connected to the zombie village and the fields of Demon Herb. What was Master Han up to? From her research, she believed the plant could boost a person's immune system, make him stronger and more impervious to disease. She'd hoped it would help her mother, perhaps even cure her.
But would she ever make it back home? Ever see her family again? Ever enjoy a future with Gregori?
Those who go looking for it are never seen again.
She didn't want to die. She wanted to see her family again. And hold Gregori again.
The sound of crunching gravel echoed in the canyon. The soldiers were getting closer. The sun lowered and the temperature dropped, but she knew the shivers down her back were caused more by fear than by cold.
She glanced at the folding screen. At least there wasn't any sun coming in the cave. If the soldiers tore down the screen, Gregori and the other two Vamps would be fine.
She heard a noise outside and jumped. "Oh God." She pressed her hand to her pounding heart when Howard walked in.
"They're close." He squatted beside her. "The sun has already set in Japan, so when Rajiv calls, Angus will be awake. He'll start gathering every Vamp and shifter he can find. They can track the Vamps, so they'll come for us. We just need to stay together and stall for time."
She nodded, feeling a small measure of relief.
Gravel crunched outside.
Howard stood. "They're here."
Her chest tightened, and she fisted her hands. Don't lose it. She had to stay tough. Roll with the punches like Gregori did. She glanced at the screen. The Vamps were helpless right now. She had to be strong and help Howard protect them. She wasn't a warrior, so her best weapon was her mind. She needed to stay sharp and focused.
Four soldiers eased inside with their swords drawn.
Howard raised his hands. "We surrender."
Abigail scrambled to her feet and lifted her hands. Stall for time. "We wish to see Master Han."
The soldiers stared at her.
She wasn't sure if any of them understood English, but she had to try. "I'm a scientist. I have a business proposition for Master Han." She didn't know what, but she'd make it up as she went.
The tallest of the four soldiers said something in Chinese, and two of the soldiers sheathed their swords and tied Howard's hands behind his back. They disarmed him, then pushed him down into a sitting position.
More soldiers gathered outside on the ledge. The lowering sun gleamed off their swords.
A huge soldier pushed through them and strode into the cave. She recognized him as the one called Sawat. All the soldiers inclined their heads, so apparently he was their leader. His angry glare passed over Howard and her to the back of the cave. He marched past her and knocked the screen to the floor.
He glanced over the three Vamps. "Chiang-shih," he muttered, then returned to Howard, who was cross-legged on the floor. "Where's the tiger?"
"Glad to see you've learned some English, Sawat." Howard smirked. "But I think your voice has gotten higher."
With a growl, Sawat pulled a knife and pointed it at Howard's throat. "Where's the tiger?"
Howard glared up at him.
Abigail winced when a drop of blood trickled down Howard's neck. "He's not here. He didn't come with us."
Sawat snorted. "He's here. I'll find him." He marched outside and barked orders in Chinese. A group of soldiers took off. Sawat remained on the ledge, scanning the mountains, no doubt looking for Rajiv.
She eased closer to Gregori.
The tall soldier noticed and motioned to the heater. "You sit here. Or we'll have to tie you up."
"You speak English?" she asked as she lowered herself onto the cave floor.
He ignored her and called out something to Sawat. Outside on the ledge, Sawat yelled a command, and two soldiers entered the cave, carrying a black lacquered box with gold metal corners. They went straight to the back of the cave.
She sat up, craning her neck to see what they were taking out of the box. They looked like metal bands linked together with a short, thick chain. The soldiers snapped the cuffs on the Vamps' forearms and locked them. When the bands wouldn't fit around the men's boots, they removed the boots and locked the cuffs around their ankles.
They found knives in the boots and more knives strapped to the Vamps' calves. They gathered them up, along with the rifles and pistols, and stashed them in a pile by the entrance of the cave.
"The cuffs are made of silver," the tall soldier explained. "It will keep them from teleporting away."
"And burn like hell, if they attempt to remove them," a British-accented voice said outside the cave.
She jerked around to the front. A man stood next to Sawat, dressed in black leather pants, a black shirt, and a long black leather coat. Was this Master Han?
His clothes weren't dusty like those of the soldiers who had crossed the gorge and climbed up to the cave. His hair was shoulder-length and black, but he wasn't Asian.
"Lord Darafer," Sawat murmured, bowing low.
The other soldiers also bowed as the newcomer sauntered inside the cave. They kept their eyes downcast, as if afraid to gaze any higher than his knees. He looked around with sparkling green eyes and an amused tilt to his mouth.
"My lord." The tall soldier bowed low.
Darafer crossed his arms and heaved a resigned sigh. "Wu Shen."
"Yes, my lord." The tall soldier bowed again.
"You know how much I hate human error."
The tall soldier turned pale. "Yes, my lord."
"And yet you try my patience. And I have no patience."
Wu Shen bowed. "A thousand pardons, my lord."
Darafer gestured toward Howard. "This one is a were-bear. He could shift and rip your head off."
Wu Shen's eyes widened. He spoke quickly to the soldiers with the black lacquered box. They rushed over to Howard and snapped silver bands around his wrists behind his back. When they moved in front of him to cuff his ankles, he growled at them, and they jumped back.