Read Online Game Of Cages (2010) by Harry Connolly - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Harry Connolly
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side, and the spring in the magazine flung the remaining rounds into the air. I reached for the ghost knife, and it returned to me, passing through Ursula's stomach.
She stared in amazement at the weapon in her hand. I relaxed a bit and checked myself for bullet wounds--I'd heard people could be shot but not feel it. I didn't find any blood. She'd missed. A little shiver ran through me; I'd been lucky.
I kicked the rocking chair away and felt it wobble. The gun or the fall had broken it. I rolled onto my knees.
The floorboards shifted. On impulse, I raised my arm just as Ursula body-slammed into me. I heard an electric crackle, then felt a sharp, burning pain on my biceps.
My whole body jolted as an electric current ran through me, making all my muscles fire at once. We hit the floor together, and the impact broke the connection. I twisted, reached up with my other arm, and caught her wrist.
She'd burned me with a stun gun, and if I hadn't raised my arm, she would have zapped me in the eyes.
Her face was close. Her teeth bared, her eyes wide with a killing urge. Damn. The ghost knife had passed through her. Twice. Why hadn't it worked?
I tried to push her off me, but she was too big and too strong. She raised herself up and put her whole weight behind the stun gun, forcing it toward my face.
I didn't have the strength to hold her off with just my left hand, and my right was numb and weak from the shock. She grinned at me, and I could see triumph in that smile.
I forced the stun gun to the side and heard it crack against the floor by my head. Ursula cried out and dropped it. I twisted against her, letting her body weight roll over me. She fell onto the broken rocking chair and hissed in pain.
I tried to get out from under her, but she lunged toward me, mouth gaping. I leaned away as she snapped at me, her teeth clamping down on my collar inches from my throat.
To hell with this. I put my knees against her hip and kicked. She fell back and I rolled away onto my feet.
Ursula grabbed the stun gun and lunged at me, arm extended. She was a big woman, but she was slow. I caught her wrist and pulled her toward me, knocking her flat on her stomach. I pinned her elbow and quickly knelt on her shoulder. Now she was the one without leverage.
"Damn," I said. "You're a pain in the ass." I wrenched the stun gun out of her hand. One of the metal leads was broken. I doubted it still worked. "Hold still, or I'll use this on you."
She didn't. The thick ski jacket made it tough to control her. If she didn't settle down, I was going to have to either let her go or hurt her. I laid the stun gun against the back of her neck and shouted at her to be still.
She answered in her native language, whatever it was. I couldn't understand, but I knew she wasn't asking how I take my tea. I tossed the broken stun gun away.
The ghost knife was nearby. I could feel it. I reached for it and it flew into my hand.
Ursula grunted from the effort of trying to throw me off. In a few moments she would have her knees under her and I'd have another fight on my hands.
I slid the ghost knife through the back of her head. She didn't react at all. The spell was supposed to "cut ghosts, magic, and dead things"; it could destroy the glyphs that sustained spells, cut through inanimate objects, and damage people's "ghosts." I didn't know exactly what that meant, but everyone else I had cut with it had stopped trying to kill me. Why didn't it work on Ursula? Did she not have a "ghost," whatever that was?
Ursula nearly bucked me off. She was still cursing at me, and I had no way to control her except by throwing punches.
I wasn't going to do that. I had fought in the street for the Twenty Palace Society. I had broken into homes and burned them to the ground. I had shot men in cold blood. But I wasn't ready to punch this woman.
She kept thrashing. "Let me go," she said, her voice vicious with rage. "I have to check on Armand."
"No one is going to hurt Armand,
She stared in amazement at the weapon in her hand. I relaxed a bit and checked myself for bullet wounds--I'd heard people could be shot but not feel it. I didn't find any blood. She'd missed. A little shiver ran through me; I'd been lucky.
I kicked the rocking chair away and felt it wobble. The gun or the fall had broken it. I rolled onto my knees.
The floorboards shifted. On impulse, I raised my arm just as Ursula body-slammed into me. I heard an electric crackle, then felt a sharp, burning pain on my biceps.
My whole body jolted as an electric current ran through me, making all my muscles fire at once. We hit the floor together, and the impact broke the connection. I twisted, reached up with my other arm, and caught her wrist.
She'd burned me with a stun gun, and if I hadn't raised my arm, she would have zapped me in the eyes.
Her face was close. Her teeth bared, her eyes wide with a killing urge. Damn. The ghost knife had passed through her. Twice. Why hadn't it worked?
I tried to push her off me, but she was too big and too strong. She raised herself up and put her whole weight behind the stun gun, forcing it toward my face.
I didn't have the strength to hold her off with just my left hand, and my right was numb and weak from the shock. She grinned at me, and I could see triumph in that smile.
I forced the stun gun to the side and heard it crack against the floor by my head. Ursula cried out and dropped it. I twisted against her, letting her body weight roll over me. She fell onto the broken rocking chair and hissed in pain.
I tried to get out from under her, but she lunged toward me, mouth gaping. I leaned away as she snapped at me, her teeth clamping down on my collar inches from my throat.
To hell with this. I put my knees against her hip and kicked. She fell back and I rolled away onto my feet.
Ursula grabbed the stun gun and lunged at me, arm extended. She was a big woman, but she was slow. I caught her wrist and pulled her toward me, knocking her flat on her stomach. I pinned her elbow and quickly knelt on her shoulder. Now she was the one without leverage.
"Damn," I said. "You're a pain in the ass." I wrenched the stun gun out of her hand. One of the metal leads was broken. I doubted it still worked. "Hold still, or I'll use this on you."
She didn't. The thick ski jacket made it tough to control her. If she didn't settle down, I was going to have to either let her go or hurt her. I laid the stun gun against the back of her neck and shouted at her to be still.
She answered in her native language, whatever it was. I couldn't understand, but I knew she wasn't asking how I take my tea. I tossed the broken stun gun away.
The ghost knife was nearby. I could feel it. I reached for it and it flew into my hand.
Ursula grunted from the effort of trying to throw me off. In a few moments she would have her knees under her and I'd have another fight on my hands.
I slid the ghost knife through the back of her head. She didn't react at all. The spell was supposed to "cut ghosts, magic, and dead things"; it could destroy the glyphs that sustained spells, cut through inanimate objects, and damage people's "ghosts." I didn't know exactly what that meant, but everyone else I had cut with it had stopped trying to kill me. Why didn't it work on Ursula? Did she not have a "ghost," whatever that was?
Ursula nearly bucked me off. She was still cursing at me, and I had no way to control her except by throwing punches.
I wasn't going to do that. I had fought in the street for the Twenty Palace Society. I had broken into homes and burned them to the ground. I had shot men in cold blood. But I wasn't ready to punch this woman.
She kept thrashing. "Let me go," she said, her voice vicious with rage. "I have to check on Armand."
"No one is going to hurt Armand,
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