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Back Whirlwind Save as PDF
Chapters (95)
  1. Title Page
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. 50
  52. 51
  53. 52
  54. 53
  55. 54
  56. 55
  57. 56
  58. 57
  59. 58
  60. 59
  61. 60
  62. 61
  63. 62
  64. 63
  65. 64
  66. 65
  67. 66
  68. 67
  69. 68
  70. 69
  71. 70
  72. 71
  73. 72
  74. 73
  75. 74
  76. 75
  77. 76
  78. 77
  79. 78
  80. 79
  81. 80
  82. 81
  83. 82
  84. 83
  85. 84
  86. 85
  87. 86
  88. 87
  89. 88
  90. 89
  91. 90
  92. 91
  93. 92
  94. Also by DAVID KLASS
  95. Copyright Page

The Dark Lord shrieks in pain and begins rolling around on the floor, as if trying to extinguish the flames. But whatever is consuming him cannot easily be put out. The more he rolls around screaming, the brighter the light seems to burn.

Eko runs into the chamber, just in time to see the Dark Lord go into his death throes. His screams reach a pinnacle of agony, and then he curls up and shrivels into himself. But he doesn’t die. He transforms.

Where a man writhed on the ground, a black spider the size of a basketball stands defiantly. It shakes out its bristly legs, and peers at us with its eight chilling eyes.

Kidah shoots another white light at the spider, but it dodges to one side.

“Don’t let it get away!” Eko shouts, and throws a silver knife at it. Her knife severs one of the spider’s eight legs and it hisses wildly, and then runs to the windows.

It crawls up the pane that was shattered during our fight, and squeezes out the crack. It scuttles down the other side of the glass and drops off into the night.

“It’s wounded. We must hunt it down and kill it now!” Kidah declares. He hurries to the window and touches the glass with both palms. He doesn’t push it hard, but the thick pane explodes outward. The wizard turns to me, raises one arm in farewell, and then turns back and jumps out of sight into the darkness.

Eko is left alone with us. I can tell she’s in a hurry to join the chase, but she runs over to me. “Jack, are you okay?”

“I’ve been better,” I tell her. “Help P.J.”

Eko takes a few precious seconds to free P.J. from her chains and get her upright again.

My high school girlfriend and the Ninja Babe are finally face-to-face.

“Thank you,” P.J. whispers.

“You’re welcome. I’m Eko.”

“I know who you are,” P.J. tells her. “And I know what you want.”

Eko looks back at her, and then glances toward the broken window. “I feel for you,” Eko whispers. “You can have him back for now, but in the end he is destined to be mine.”

She runs to the window in four long steps, puts her arms out in front of her, and dives into blackness.

92

92

Two sleek outboard canoes hum down a river toward the lights of the small city ahead.

P.J. is nestled in my arms. She hasn’t slept since we left the colonel’s compound, which was thoroughly destroyed in the battle. I haven’t slept much either—it hurts when I lie down, it hurts when I roll over, and it even aches each time I breathe.

I guess we both have some healing to do.

We haven’t discussed the battle or speculated about whether Kidah tracked down and destroyed the Dark Lord.