And Wu realised with horror that the Nephilim had not finished with him. He had merely paused, to give him a moment of false hope before delivering the final strike.

The weapon started to spin, blades charging up with rippling light – and Gadreel snapped around to face the Chinese. The trikan became a blur—

Then it sliced at Wu in a sweeping arc.

The colonel brought up his remaining arm in a futile attempt to shield himself. The trikan slashed through bone as if it were paper, then continued into his torso, blood splattering from a diagonal slash that cut from his shoulder down to the opposite hip – and out, arcing back to clank into its guard.

Wu coughed, crimson gushing from his mouth . . . then fell backwards. His legs and lower torso slumped onto the hull, spilling organs across the shimmering metal.

The rest of him plunged towards the ground sixty feet below.

Colonel Wu had just enough air in his lungs for a final scream—

It ended with a sharp crack as he hit the broken rocks at the crater’s edge.

Major Wu saw the burst of red erupt ahead of her. ‘No!’ she wailed, scrambling up the slope – to see her father splayed across the bloodied stones.

She knew there was no way he could still be alive, but ran to him anyway. ‘Dad!’ she gasped, clutching his hand. Every finger was broken, bone grinding in her grip. He did not react, his pain over.

Her own welled within her. She dropped to her knees, holding his hand against her forehead. Tears rolled down her cheeks – then she looked up at the dark shape hanging above. ‘You bastard,’ she gasped with sudden venom, standing. ‘I’ll kill you. You bastard!’

The last word was shrieked at the sky. Not caring if it had been heard, she ran back to the helicopters. ‘Take off!’ she shouted. ‘Shoot that fucking thing down!’

Gadreel hurried back into the throne room. Sidona was still slumped over Turel’s body, sobbing. He glared at Zan, waiting nervously near the altars. ‘Where is the woman?’

Sidona raised her head. ‘She took the key.’

His gaze snapped to the empty recess in the central altar. ‘We can’t wake the rest of our people without it!’ He rounded on Zan. ‘Why didn’t you stop her?’

The translator cringed at the giant’s fury. ‘Sh-she took me by surprise,’ he stammered.

‘Stupid beast,’ Gadreel growled. These animals had wiped out the People of the Tree? He could hardly believe it possible.

‘Two warriors chased her,’ said Sidona, looking up as another newly awoken man emerged from the mausoleum. ‘Where is the one who killed Turel?’