Another sizzling burst from one of the bizarre weapons – but further away. A moment later came screams as an explosion sent the Nephilim flying.

Nina pursued the warriors all the way from the mall, exhausted by the effort of keeping up with their greater pace, but refusing to surrender. She followed a road one block clear of the devastated remains of the skyscraper – two skyscrapers, she saw, praying they had been as empty as the rest of the city – to find the fortress hovering in a park . . . and the armoured group she was following opening fire on someone atop a parking lot beside it.

She instantly recognised their target. Eddie darted out of sight as explosions pulverised the wall. She gasped in fear, then saw an even greater danger as one of the fortress’s fang-like guns swung around. A powerful blast of earth energy shot from it – and the structure’s whole end crashed down like a house of cards.

‘Jesus!’ Nina cried. She ducked into the cover of a wall at the park’s entrance, unsure what to do, before anger took over. Eddie wouldn’t have left the Chinese base without Macy – and if he was in danger, so was she. She looked back out. The warriors were sprinting towards what remained of the parking structure, still attacking—

She aimed the baraka and fired.

The orichalcum cover snapped open, a bolt of energy bursting from the crystal within. It hit the ground amidst the running group. The explosion blew a crater from the turf, flinging warriors into the air. At least one was dead, his body torn in half, and another seriously wounded as he screamed and clutched at the stump of a missing leg.

But the others recovered quickly. Their own weapons came up—

Nina dived flat behind the wall. More blasts blew holes through it above her. Most of the debris was blown overhead, but she was still pummelled by broken brickwork. Clutching the spear, she crawled along until the fusillade halted, then leapt up and ran.

She reached a low building and hurried around behind it, heading along the edge of the park towards the parking structure – and her husband.

‘Bring the key to the fortress!’ Gadreel shouted into the speaking crystal. ‘Now!’ The urge for petty revenge had just cost him the life of at least one of his people, and wounded others – a mistake he should have known better than to make. ‘Forget the beasts – we are leaving!’

The warriors on the ground started back towards the vimana, some with clear reluctance. They too wanted vengeance. But that would come once the resurrection key was safely in Sidona’s hands and the fortress was in the air.

‘Take flight as soon as everyone is aboard,’ he shouted to the man at the central altar. ‘Then we will destroy this entire city!’