Zan scurried back to the translation laptop. Gadreel waited until he was ready, then spoke. ‘What is he saying?’ asked Hui.

‘He wants to talk,’ Zan replied.

‘Good,’ said Wu. ‘Ask him about the fortress.’

‘No, no – he wants to talk to her.’ He gestured at Nina. ‘Alone.’

The Chinese officer turned on the American with deep suspicion. ‘Why you?’

‘Yeah, why me?’ Nina asked, equally mystified.

Zan asked a question in the Nephilim language, getting an answer. ‘He says you were there when the fortress was destroyed. He wants you to tell him exactly what happened to his people.’

‘There’s not really much more to tell,’ she replied. Gadreel watched her from behind the glass. His unblinking gaze was distinctly unnerving.

‘No, it could be a good idea,’ said Hui. ‘Not only were you there, but you are the only archaeologist with personal knowledge of the Shangdi – the Veteres. You know things about them we do not. You may be able to use that to gain his trust.’

Nina was not convinced, but she nodded. ‘Okay. I’ll give it a try.’

‘No,’ said Wu. ‘A foreigner, talking to him alone?’

‘I won’t be alone,’ Nina pointed out. ‘I can’t speak Gadreel’s language, so I’ll need Mr Zan.’

‘And the whole talk will be monitored and recorded,’ Hui added. ‘We can watch from the conference room. There will be no secrets.’

Outmanoeuvred, Wu gave way, but with poor grace. ‘Do it, then. But do not try to hide anything from us,’ she warned Nina.

‘Like what, the recipe for the Nephilim’s special sauce?’ She joined Zan at the window. ‘All right, let’s see what he has to say.’

Cheng brought Nina a chair, then the guards retreated to a far corner, while the others returned to the conference room.

‘Mom, will you be okay?’ Macy asked as she went with Eddie.

‘I’ll be fine,’ Nina assured her. ‘Don’t worry.’

‘I can’t help it.’ Her daughter’s eyes flicked towards the giant. ‘He’s . . . scary. I don’t like him.’

‘I’m going to find out if we can trust him,’ Nina said. ‘I hope we can. And I hope he can trust us,’ she added, giving Wu a meaningful look.

‘Good luck,’ said Eddie as he and Macy reached the door. ‘And if he starts talking about fava beans and a nice Chianti, run.’

Nina stifled a laugh, but as she turned back to Gadreel, it struck her that her situation did indeed resemble a famous scene from the movie The Silence of the Lambs. She was about to question a man through a glass wall – and for all she knew, the Nephilim was every bit as intelligent and cunning as Hannibal Lecter. As dangerous, too; the sight of his eyes fixed upon her triggered an almost physical reminder of his unbreakable grip on her throat.