No way to retreat. Buildings and roads rolled past below; the latter were practically empty, only a handful of vehicles in sight. The newly built city still awaited the majority of its inhabitants. She looked ahead, seeing an expansive multi-level freeway intersection. Even the highest overpass was over a hundred feet below – but beyond the knotted roads she saw a cluster of luxury apartment blocks around a large park. If Gadreel held his course, the floating behemoth would pass over one of them, perhaps thirty feet above the roof.

A potentially fatal drop. But she might have no other choice. The Nephilim were getting closer.

Ten seconds. The baraka should have recharged by now—

Nina looked for the nearest threat. The warrior to her right, partially exposed. She aimed the weapon at him—

A glint at the edge of her vision. She instinctively jerked back as the other Nephilim’s trikan sawed through the air. It missed her – but hit the spear hard enough to knock it from her grasp. It spun over the edge into open air.

The nearer warrior straightened, setting his trikan spinning. Nina ducked back behind the metal wall, only to see the other man vault into her channel.

Nowhere to hide – and nowhere to go.

A desperate glance over the side. The building was coming up, still thirty feet below – but light shimmered off something on its roof . . .

The Nephilim raised their trikans—

Nina leapt backwards over the edge.

Both men reacted in surprise, one sending his trikan whizzing after her – but she had already landed with a splash in a rooftop swimming pool. The weapon smacked against the churning water. The warrior angrily recalled it as the gasping Nina resurfaced.

Eyes stinging from the over-chlorinated water, she swam to the poolside. The vimana swept past above.

She still had the key – and Gadreel didn’t know she had escaped. By the time the warriors returned to the throne room to warn him and the fortress turned back, she could be clear. If she lost her pursuers, she could ensure they never recovered the key.

Dripping wet, she climbed out. She was about a mile and a half from the central skyscrapers, the fortress still heading for them. She ran to an exit and pounded down the stairs beyond.

Eddie gave Macy the last set of ear defenders to shield her from the helicopter’s clamour. He was about to resign himself to deafness when he saw the pilots react in surprise to something. Cheng, wearing headphones connected to the cabin intercom, also looked startled. ‘What is it?’ the Yorkshireman yelled.

‘The fortress is moving!’ the young man replied. ‘It’s heading for the city – and it’s shot down two helicopters!’

‘What, it’s armed?’

‘Some kind of qi energy blast, according to Major Wu. And Colonel Wu is dead!’

Eddie had little sympathy, but there were greater concerns. ‘What about Nina?’