He hurriedly unfastened the harness clip and helped her down. ‘I’ve got you, you’re okay.’ A hug, a kiss on her cheek, then he stood. ‘But you’ve got to go. There are stairs through there.’ He pointed at a door. ‘Get down to the ground and run.’

‘I don’t want to leave you!’

‘This place’ll collapse any minute! Soon as everyone else is here, I’ll follow. But you need to get clear. I saw a big park on the other side of a car park, that way.’ Another jab of his finger. ‘Wait for me there.’ She didn’t move. ‘Macy, I mean it! Go!’

Despite the danger, she managed a full ten-year-old’s pout. ‘Buggeration and fuckery.’

Eddie’s eyes went wide. ‘Oh, your mum’s going to kill me. If this bloody building doesn’t kill us first!’ He looked around as the hose shuddered. Cheng was making his descent. ‘I don’t have time to argue, Macy. I’ve got to help the others, then I’ll come and find you.’

‘Do you promise?’

‘I promise. I always turn up in the end, don’t I?’ Another kiss, then he firmly pushed her away. ‘Now go!’

With deep reluctance, she ran for the exit. Eddie watched her go, taking a few extra seconds to make sure she had actually left, then turned to observe Cheng’s approach.

A warrior’s voice echoed from the speaking crystal. ‘We have the resurrection key, my lord!’

‘Good,’ Gadreel replied. ‘What about the woman? Is she dead?’

Hesitation before the reply. ‘She . . . escaped.’

The Nephilim leader scowled, but put his annoyance aside. They had the key, and that was all that mattered. He searched for somewhere large enough to set down the fortress. Beside the smaller of the two wrecked towers was a large grey building with a flat roof; past that was a wide-open swathe of grass and trees. He ordered the warrior piloting the vimana to land there, then told the men on the ground to head towards it.

The fortress silently glided towards the park. Gadreel returned his attention to the broken-backed ruins. Sidona would soon finish what she had started – and once the tower was reduced to rubble, the rest of the city would suffer the same fate.

Cheng slithered the last few metres into the office. Eddie caught him. ‘Okay, I’ve got you.’ He waited for the young Chinese to move, but he clung to the hose like a spider monkey, eyes tightly shut. ‘Hey! Cheng! You made it, you’re safe.’ The floor shuddered, windows cracking. ‘Well, not safe safe . . .’

Cheng opened one eye. ‘I made it down?’

‘No, you fell off and died; this is heaven and I’m God. Yes, you bloody made it!’

Like Macy, Cheng was attached to the hose by equipment webbing. Eddie popped the clasp. Cheng fell to the floor with a thud, his pack beneath him. ‘Ow!’