If he had, she needed to help him. ‘Mr Jungala?’ she called softly.

No answer. She advanced, repeating his name—

A low voice from the fog ahead. ‘Hey! Is that you, girl?’

‘Yeah, it’s me, Macy!’ she replied with relief. ‘Where are you? I can’t see much. Are you okay?’

‘I’m good. What about you?’

‘I’m fine – but Dad needs your help.’

A pained chuckle. ‘I don’t think I’m in any state to—’

The whooshing crackle of a Nephilim spear weapon cut him off – followed an instant later by a wet, explosive thump.

Macy froze, petrified. ‘M-Mr Jungala?’

A figure emerged from the smoke. But it wasn’t the Australian.

Gadreel stepped into the open, a qigun in his hands. He looked down at her, almost expressionless, as if he couldn’t even be bothered to feel contempt.

She stared back, a bird hypnotised by a cobra – then remembered she was not helpless. The trikan was heavy in her hand. She swung it back, feeling the bladed disc start to spin inside its guard, then whipped up her arm to send it at the Nephilim—

The spear thrust at her. Its ovoid head caught the trikan just as it left the handgrip, knocking it to the floor. Before she could recover, Gadreel struck again, hitting her wrist and jolting the grip from her hand. She cried out, clutching her arm.

The giant said something she didn’t understand, but she knew the tone: he was mocking her. She turned and tried to run, but had barely gone two steps before he grabbed her shoulder. She tried to pull free, but he was too strong.

He regarded her with a calculating expression, then shouldered his qigun and bent to collect the fallen trikan. A flick of his wrist, and the weapon snapped back into place inside the handgrip. He hauled her arm above her head as he rose to his full height, then pulled her towards the archway.

Nina was torn out of contact with the crystal pillar before she could react to the Nephilim warrior’s appearance. The key flew from her hand and fell from the ledge as he threw her to the floor.

Dazed, she tried to get clear. The naked giant was too fast, catching her arm in his huge hand and flinging her across the ledge. She bowled towards the drop—

She slapped her splayed palms against the smooth crystal surface, halting herself right on the precipice. The contact for an instant linked her with the other world, but she forced herself back to reality.

It had seemed like an instant to her. But it had been a second, or more. The Nephilim suddenly skip-framed closer as he charged at her—

And kicked her over the edge.