Read Online Kill by Numbers: In the Wake of the Templars Book Two by Loren Rhoads - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Loren Rhoads
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switched the torch off again.
Sometime later, a huge boom shook the cave. Raena scrambled to her feet, her body on fire with adrenaline. Was it an earthquake? She wanted to race around in the dark, find somewhere to hide, but the cave was big and open and bare to the walls except for the catafalque where she slept. There was nothing inside the mountain that would protect her. Her hands clenched and unclenched, desperate for anything to hang on to. All she had was the torch.
A grinding sound set her teeth on edge. Raena couldn’t figure out what it was, why it wouldn’t stop. Any avalanche would be quicker than this slow, steady scrape.
Then she noticed the blackness around her had lightened subtly. Someone was opening her tomb.
Of all the people who knew she was inside, only one would come after her.
If she could drop dead in an instant rather than face Thallian again, she would have counted herself the luckiest girl in the galaxy. Instead, she swiped her clammy hands against the legs of her jumpsuit, then crept as quietly as she could to the far side of the tomb’s entrance. That was as much of a hiding place as any.
Not a moment too soon, either. A beam of light flashed around the inside of the cave. It did not find her.
“Raena?” a man called. “It’s okay. I’ve come to rescue you. You’re safe. I’ve come alone.”
She recognized the voice, but couldn’t picture its owner. It wasn’t Thallian. Of course, he wouldn’t come himself. She should have expected that. He’d sent a minion: someone from the Arbiter, she thought. The voice made her think of the ship.
She held her breath until the man slipped past the slab that had sealed the tomb’s entrance.
Then she leapt on him, yanking the helmet from his head. She flung it out of arm’s reach into the darkness. She followed up with her other hand before he had a chance to react. She hit him with the Imperial torch, beating it down into his skull over and over and over until the bone gave way with a satisfying crunch and hot blood slicked her fingers.
When at last she’d expended her fury, the man’s face was unrecognizable.
Raena stood back and wiped her long hair from her face. She tasted blood on her lips and shivered. How long had it been since she’d eaten anything?
She stared down at her bloody hands. They were stripped of their color in the twilight. She opened them, turned them over, sensitive to the faint stickiness that held her fingers together. That was a sensation she hadn’t felt since the tomb slab closed …
She shook herself away from the reverie and bent to drag the jacket from the corpse. As it came loose, a little piece of metal clattered on the stone floor. Thinking it might be some kind of traveling money, Raena snatched it up.
Instead, it was a small silvery disk. She held it close to her face to examine it, smudging its surface with bloody fingerprints. They didn’t obscure the pair of crossed sword blades embossed on it.
Recognition came over her in a hot rush. This was her mother’s final gift. Fiana had given the hologram medallion to Raena for her eleventh birthday, the day she sent the girl away into the universe.
The last time Raena had seen the medallion was when she gave it to Gavin Sloane aboard the Arbiter. He had been attempting to rescue her from Thallian then, but instead she covered his escape and went to meet her fate.
She stared down at the corpse at her feet. There was no longer any way to tell if this was—or had been—Gavin Sloane.
It didn’t matter. She slung the medallion over her head and shouldered into his coat. It hung practically to her knees. She rolled back its sleeves, then stripped his body of its weapons. Finally, she retrieved the helmet from the tomb’s floor. Once she had it strapped on, she walked out into the gritty wind.
Raena opened her eyes blearily and found herself sprawled across her bunk, still naked from her shower. She sat up and rubbed her damp hair, trying to
Sometime later, a huge boom shook the cave. Raena scrambled to her feet, her body on fire with adrenaline. Was it an earthquake? She wanted to race around in the dark, find somewhere to hide, but the cave was big and open and bare to the walls except for the catafalque where she slept. There was nothing inside the mountain that would protect her. Her hands clenched and unclenched, desperate for anything to hang on to. All she had was the torch.
A grinding sound set her teeth on edge. Raena couldn’t figure out what it was, why it wouldn’t stop. Any avalanche would be quicker than this slow, steady scrape.
Then she noticed the blackness around her had lightened subtly. Someone was opening her tomb.
Of all the people who knew she was inside, only one would come after her.
If she could drop dead in an instant rather than face Thallian again, she would have counted herself the luckiest girl in the galaxy. Instead, she swiped her clammy hands against the legs of her jumpsuit, then crept as quietly as she could to the far side of the tomb’s entrance. That was as much of a hiding place as any.
Not a moment too soon, either. A beam of light flashed around the inside of the cave. It did not find her.
“Raena?” a man called. “It’s okay. I’ve come to rescue you. You’re safe. I’ve come alone.”
She recognized the voice, but couldn’t picture its owner. It wasn’t Thallian. Of course, he wouldn’t come himself. She should have expected that. He’d sent a minion: someone from the Arbiter, she thought. The voice made her think of the ship.
She held her breath until the man slipped past the slab that had sealed the tomb’s entrance.
Then she leapt on him, yanking the helmet from his head. She flung it out of arm’s reach into the darkness. She followed up with her other hand before he had a chance to react. She hit him with the Imperial torch, beating it down into his skull over and over and over until the bone gave way with a satisfying crunch and hot blood slicked her fingers.
When at last she’d expended her fury, the man’s face was unrecognizable.
Raena stood back and wiped her long hair from her face. She tasted blood on her lips and shivered. How long had it been since she’d eaten anything?
She stared down at her bloody hands. They were stripped of their color in the twilight. She opened them, turned them over, sensitive to the faint stickiness that held her fingers together. That was a sensation she hadn’t felt since the tomb slab closed …
She shook herself away from the reverie and bent to drag the jacket from the corpse. As it came loose, a little piece of metal clattered on the stone floor. Thinking it might be some kind of traveling money, Raena snatched it up.
Instead, it was a small silvery disk. She held it close to her face to examine it, smudging its surface with bloody fingerprints. They didn’t obscure the pair of crossed sword blades embossed on it.
Recognition came over her in a hot rush. This was her mother’s final gift. Fiana had given the hologram medallion to Raena for her eleventh birthday, the day she sent the girl away into the universe.
The last time Raena had seen the medallion was when she gave it to Gavin Sloane aboard the Arbiter. He had been attempting to rescue her from Thallian then, but instead she covered his escape and went to meet her fate.
She stared down at the corpse at her feet. There was no longer any way to tell if this was—or had been—Gavin Sloane.
It didn’t matter. She slung the medallion over her head and shouldered into his coat. It hung practically to her knees. She rolled back its sleeves, then stripped his body of its weapons. Finally, she retrieved the helmet from the tomb’s floor. Once she had it strapped on, she walked out into the gritty wind.
Raena opened her eyes blearily and found herself sprawled across her bunk, still naked from her shower. She sat up and rubbed her damp hair, trying to
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