Read Online 5 Onslaught by Jeremy Robinson - Free Book Online Page A

the solid stone surroundings.
    When
the rumble fades, Mira asks, “How far away are they?”
    “Ten
miles to the East,” I reply. “Give or take a mile. Feeling through the
continent isn’t exactly a science.”
    “Ten
miles, and we’re feeling their
footsteps?” Mira looks mortified, but then she wipes the fear away and replaces
it with determination. “Do I need to guess where they’re headed?”
    I
shake my head, no. “The FOB. We might have a week,
tops.”
    “We
need to take a look,” Mira says.
    This
catches me off guard. “What?”
    “Recon,”
Mira says. “You know, ‘know your enemy.’ It’s what Wright would do. If we know
what’s coming, we’ll be better prepared for it.”
    She’s
right, it is what Wright would say, but I would still argue. “Yeah, but if we
take the time to look, we won’t reach the base with much time to prepare
anything.”
    “I
agree,” Kainda says.
    I
nod. “Thanks.”
    Kainda raises and eyebrow at me. “Not with you. Reaching the others a
few days sooner will not change anything.”
    “It
will give them hope,” I counter, though I’m not just talking about Mira.
Strangely, I’m referring to the effect my presence will have.
    “It
does not matter when hope arrives,” Kainda argues. “Only that it does in time.
Emilie and Kat will have our forces as prepared as they can be.”
    When
I still look unsure, Kainda says, “Perhaps that is why Emilie is called Faith.”
    It
is really hard to argue my point when Kainda is invoking the wisdom of an
angel, but even harder when she is acting so differently. Mira’s news about
Thor’s demise has truly given Kainda hope. She’s been transformed by it.
    I
relent with a nod. “Fine. But we’re going to have to
move fast.” I turn to Mira. “Can you keep up?”
    Mira
crosses her arms. “In case you missed it, I ran a race to the geographic pole
of Antarctica.”
    It’s
true. She did. Which is impressive, and she’s obviously in good shape. Despite
everything she’s been through—the race, the battles with Nephilim, killing Enki
and being taken by the shifter, and then the gnarly band of mythological
creatures. She’s holding up better than I would have guessed. She was always
tough, but it’s never easy to tell who can stare down a Nephilim warrior and
who can’t. Despite all that, she’s not a hunter, and I need to be honest.
    “This
will be harder,” I say.
    Perhaps
thinking I’m just bragging, Mira looks to Kainda, who confirms my statement
with a nod and the words, “Hunters are weapons, forged in darkness and agony,
and are trained to endure pain beyond imagining. Running for days is a simple
thing compared to the tortures endured by most of us.” She glances at me. “Some more than others.”
    Mira
has blanched a bit.
    “But
don’t worry,” Kainda says, “We understand the softness of outsiders and have
learned what it means to be merciful.”
    This
doesn’t exactly put Mira at ease, so I translate. “ Which is
to say, we won’t leave you behind. But, you’re going to have to push
yourself.”
    The
weight of everything Mira has learned in the last hour, including Kainda’s
intimidating speech about hunters is no doubt weighing on her, along with the
fact that this enemy force is bearing down on the FOB, where her parents are
currently located. I’m impressed when I see her set her jaw, straighten her
back and declare, “Then I’ll push.”
    “I
have no doubt,” I say, and reach a hand up toward the ceiling. Five of the blue
crystals dislodge and fall before being caught by the air. They swirl around in
a circle, joining together one at a time until they’ve been forged into a
baseball-sized crystal that’s putting off enough light to see by. When the
glowing orb lowers in front of Mira’s stunned face, she smiles.
    “Hearing
about what you can do is one thing, seeing it...” She shakes her head. “It’s
still hard to believe.” She reaches through the column of compressed