‘It’ll probably be easier if you just do what Gadreel tells you,’ Nina told Zan. The translator nodded and began an exchange with the Nephilim, adjusting the map with each response. Sensing the task might take some time, Nina rejoined her family.

‘You okay?’ Eddie asked.

‘Yeah, I’m fine. Why?’

He glanced at Colonel Wu and his daughter, both watching Gadreel with hawkish intensity. ‘Don’t like those two,’ he said quietly. ‘I reckon they’re up to something.’

‘Haven’t doubted that since we arrived here. I’m amazed they left me alone with that machine.’

‘You weren’t alone,’ Macy pointed out. ‘Mr Zan was with you.’

A small laugh from Nina. ‘You know, you’re right. You kind of forget he’s there. But it definitely feels like there’s more to the tracker than just, y’know, tracking. It can trace flows of earth energy, sure – but why’s that so important to the Chinese military?’

Eddie lowered his voice still further. ‘Some sort of weapon? Jack Mitchell and DARPA tried to use earth energy to blow stuff up.’

Nina frowned at the thought of the operative from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, America’s secret weapons think tank. He had worked with her to locate King Arthur’s sword Excalibur, itself a conduit for earth energy, before a Russian oligarch could put it to destructive use – only to reveal his true colours and force her to become a living component of his own deadly weapon system. ‘Maybe. But it won’t be any use without someone who can activate it.’

‘Someone like you.’

‘If they try, I’ll make them regret it,’ she promised. ‘I can channel earth energy – and now I know I can control earth energy. It won’t go where they point it, believe me.’

‘Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, eh?’

‘Yeah. Oh, what’s happening?’ Zan was calling to Colonel Wu. The commander and his daughter strode to him. Dr Hui followed as the translator pointed out something on the screen.

‘Better go and find out before they decide we’re done here,’ said Eddie.

Nina took his point and quickly joined the little group. ‘Has he found it?’

‘I think so, yes,’ said Hui excitedly. ‘About fifty-five kilometres from here. Somewhere north of Xinengyuan.’

‘The new city? At least it wasn’t right in the middle of it.’

‘There were several qi confluence points in the region,’ said Zan, indicating the intersections of red lines on the map, now rendered with extra detail to show topography, ‘but Gadreel remembered the mountains nearby. We used them to find the correct location.’

‘He sure?’ asked Colonel Wu. The translator nodded. ‘Good. We begin now.’ He summoned the two men who had brought the tracker, then gave them orders. Hui reacted in alarm.

‘What’s going on?’ Nina asked.

‘I don’t know,’ she replied. ‘Colonel Wu!’