The Swords of Babylon

CHAPTER FORTY SIX

Kinimaka watched sadly as the team made the decision to pair off. Memories of Vienna revisited him, of the night he had spent down at the bar with Alicia and Belmonte. Alicia had told him that her father used to be a drunk and beat her mother into unconsciousness at least twice a week. Belmonte had confessed that losing his protégé — Emma — had truly broken him. He would not work as a thief again for as long as he lived.

And the next day he had died saving Drake’s life.

Now Kinimaka stared through cheerless eyes as the team decided to separate, each pair heading off to fight their own little apocalypse. Dahl and Akerman would travel to Iceland. Drake and Mai would go to Moscow, retrieve the Great Sword, then return here to Babylon, faithfully following Alexander’s instructions. He would accompany Hayden to Hawaii. Their time was almost up.

“Stay in touch, and keep checking with Karin,” Hayden told them. “She’s the liaison for all our information. Gates will try to be on hand. And guys… let’s all return to Washington in one piece, huh?”

“The minute anyone gets a shred of information,” Dahl said. “And I’m talking mainly about you, Drake, with that last sword — let us know.”

“Course I will,” Drake said. “Once we kick Zanko’s grandma’s arse.”

“We should watch out for Zanko and Razin,” Yorgi said. “They are not done yet.”

“I feel bad about sending Alicia and her new friends after Cayman himself,” Hayden fretted. “But there was no other way. She’ll make all the difference to that assault team.”

“One thing’s for certain,” Mai said quietly. “Whether we want her to or not, she’s most likely to blow up the entire tomb.”

Everyone laughed. It was a poignant moment, not one reserved for Alicia, but one that encompassed them all. Amidst the brief silence more than simple respect, honor and concern passed between them. Something far deeper.

Kinimaka said nothing. Dahl made a point of inflating everyone’s ego. Drake walked around purposefully, finalizing plans, but Kinimaka read the uncertainty in his eyes.

This time it was different. This time they didn’t know what they were going up against or how to fight it.

We’re going into Hell without a preacher, Kinimaka thought. God help us lest we burn. And God help the rest of the world if we do.