King stood and ran, headed downhill toward the river.

“Bowers! Start the engine!”

He saw Bowers stand up, his head appearing over the sand like a groundhog. He gaped at what he saw: King running down the hill with two giant insects emerging from the sand behind him. The cigarette in the man’s mouth fell free as one of the mantises swiveled its head in his direction, locking its hungry eyes on him.

Chapter Seventy

SIXTY-NINE

Location Unknown

FIONA’S JOINTS THROBBED as she pulled herself off the floor. In fact, her whole body had begun to ache. But she heard voices again and needed to know what was happening. She was the next guinea pig in line and wanted to be prepared for whatever might come.

The deep voice returned. As did the wet voice. And a whimpering. Whoever they were experimenting on this time was not as strong-willed as the last. She could hear belt buckles being cinched tight, which brought the occasional high-pitched squeal, but not a word or protest.

“Cainan, are we recording?” the deep voice asked.

“Not yet, Alpha,” replied a new voice that sounded nearly identical to the first. Was he talking to himself? Or were there really two people? Alpha, the man with the deep voice who had been there all along, and Cainan, whose voice was so similar. Then there was the one with the wet voice. He had yet to speak, but always seemed to be at Alpha’s side.

“Recording,” Cainan said.

There was a shifting of light in front of the tunnel as someone walked past. Fiona strained to see, but her view was blocked by the narrow hallway.

There was no warning from Alpha, he simply launched into the strange language, speaking slowly, carefully enunciating. “Arzu Turan. Vish tracidor vim calee. Filash vor der wash. Vilad forsh.”

No one spoke or moved for ten seconds. During that time, Fiona repeated the words in her head, over and over, committing them to memory.

Then someone asked, “Did it work?”

“Remove the tape,” Alpha said.

The woman’s mouth was taped shut, Fiona thought. That’s why she hadn’t complained.

There was a sharp tear, but still no complaint from the woman.

“How are you feeling?” Alpha asked.

“Blessed,” the woman replied, her voice as heavily accented as the man killed earlier. If they were capturing locals, then she was being held someplace in the Middle East.

“Blessed?” Alpha said, his voice tinged with humor “How so?”

“To be in your presence.”

“And who am I?”

“The Lord God.”

Fiona couldn’t see the man, but she knew he must be smiling.

“I am.”

“My God, it worked,” said a farther-off voice that didn’t belong to Alpha or Cainan. How many of them were there?

“Was there ever any doubt?” Alpha replied. “Play back the recording.”