This time, the joy in Jason's smile reached his eyes.

He nodded to Adrastia, who led them toward the single door.

They emerged from the Veil in the spot they'd previously occupied. In the brief moment they pulled free from the Veil, it appeared time had ceased. The remaining members of Ansuz were statues watching over the s.p.a.ce Jason, Adrastia, and Fuyuko previously occupied.

Brandt blinked.

"Did you guys even talk? I think you were gone ten-seconds."

Adrastia released her grip.

"Yeah," Jason replied, "we're good to go."

A cheerful, boyish, grin spread across Brandt's face.

"I told you. Seven years don't matter-she's still family."

Neither Jason nor Adrastia said anything to reveal Fuyuko's hesitation.

"Marie," Jason said, "time to follow orders. Get out of here."

"But-"

"No buts! You know your orders, follow them."

Marie shot a glare of contempt toward Fuyuko and disappeared.

"Brandt, Caelum, you guys good to get out of here?" Jason asked.

"Already got a tunnel set up. Lots of room in this place to push the dirt out."

Jason nodded.

"Good. Go. Now."

Caelum and Brandt exchanged confused glances.

They don't know he's staying behind, Fuyuko thought. I shouldn't be surprised. They'd never let him take that chance alone.

"It's fine. Adrastia has an escape route set for us. I'll follow soon."

Jason sounded so sure, Fuyuko, even knowing his plan, was almost convinced.

Brandt and Caelum still looked unsure but didn't argue any further. They returned to the library.

"Will they be all right?" Fuyuko asked.

"Yeah, they'll be fine. The plan was for Brandt to tunnel out and lay low before returning to the Bifrost fragment." Jason turned to Adrastia. "You'll help them get through that last part, right?"

She nodded.

"Good. Ok, Fuyuko, we need to make this look good."

"What?"

Jason stomped in place and shook his arms loose.

"You captured me. You need to make it look good. No one's going to believe you beat me if I'm looking pretty, now are they?"

"I...I don't know if..."

From behind her, the rock barrier Brandt created started to shift and break apart.

"Hurry up," Jason said, not unkindly. "We're running out of time."

She called Fimbulvetr from the Veil.

Seven years as an enforcer for Quetzalcoatl taught her many ways to hurt someone without causing any permanent damage. She'd extended those lessons to their fullest. There had never been pleasure in any of it, but sometimes hurting someone herself, was still a better option than a sloppier subordinate killing them.

Fuyuko struck Jason in a few key places. He didn't bother to stifle his cries and grunts of pain. She finished by blasting a stream of ice, encasing his hands and legs. Then, in a final move, she grabbed the collar from her pack and placed it around his neck, robbing him of his Veil abilities.

Adrastia nodded grimly and disappeared, most likely back to the Veil. Fuyuko realized Egypt, especially Alexandria, was warded against such a thing.

Perhaps Adrastia could rescue them when the time came.

As her team broke through the rock, she ordered a number of them into the library to search for the other terrorists-even though she knew they were gone.

Fuyuko smashed the ice around Jason's feet and hauled him up to be marched out.

In her head, she said a prayer to G.o.d, her dad, and anyone else who might be listening, that she hadn't just made the worst decision of her life.

2.

Forgiven

The axe followed a natural, smooth arc, pa.s.sing through the log with little resistance.

Gwynn inspected the pile of wood surrounding him and let out a sigh of one part relief and another part satisfaction.

All the wood chopped for the next week, and I didn't need the Veil at all.

Gwynn struck the axe into a nearby stump and flexed his left arm. A dull ache throbbed in his forearm and bicep. He raised his left hand, opening and closing it, enjoying the sensation of numerous muscles flexing and complaining.

I could eliminate all this discomfort with hardly a scratch of the Veil.

He regarded his hand for a few more seconds and let it drop-pain intact.

Someone cleared their throat behind him.

In a single motion he turned, grasped the axe, and readied to bury it in the intruder's skull.

"h.e.l.lo, Gwynn."

He stopped, blinking several times to make sure the figure in front of him wasn't a trick of the morning sun's heat or his fatigue.

"Adrastia?" he asked.

Her lips curled into the slightest of smiles.

"I'm glad you still remember me," she said.

"I thought I'd never see you again. Sophia told me what you did-that you saved me from Cain. When I didn't see you for so long, I thought maybe..."

"What? I'd died?" She gave a patronizing laugh. "It will take more than Cain to end me. But..." All signs of haughtiness fled. "I did mean to stay gone forever, to contain him that long. I'm sorry, Gwynn, but I couldn't hold him."

Gwynn returned the axe to its stump and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"You don't need to apologize. I've had seven years to wonder about you." He took a deep breath, trying to recall the speech he'd sworn to deliver if she ever reappeared. "Not too long ago, I decided all you'd ever done-even if I didn't understand it all-was to try and help me. When I was young, you were my friend. You held my hand when I was afraid of the dark or during thunderstorms. You explained things to me in a plain and straightforward way when no other adult would. You were my confidante. And then, when things went insane, you saved my life on several occasions. Just confirm for me... you were Alice, right?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"See, I a.s.sumed that bit. And even though I was mad when you abandoned Jason and I, my life these past seven years are all thanks to you. They've been hard, but they've also been a gift. So even for that, I'm grateful."

Adrastia laughed.

"Jason hasn't forgiven me. I saw him recently, and he asked me to explain why."

"And did you tell him the reason? Should I be hurt you went to see him first?"

He pa.s.sed this off as a joke, managing to keep the real hurt from his voice.

She took a step closer.

From the cabin to Gwynn's right came the metallic click of a bullet being chambered.

3.

The Ego's Miscalculation

Every b.u.mp of the van sent shockwaves of pain through Jason's bruised body.

Despite her initial misgivings, Fuyuko hadn't shown much restraint in his "mock" beating. And with the d.a.m.n collar around his neck, he couldn't even draw the smallest amount of Veil energy to heal himself.

Even he had to admit, this plan was rash and foolish.

During planning, Adrastia said, "If you're in danger, she'll have more incentive to cooperate."

He'd failed to come up with any other alternative. But it also hinged on Fuyuko still caring about him.

His ego trapped him in this situation. He had convinced himself since his feelings were still strong for her, she must feel the same. Looking across the van at her-she wouldn't even meet his eyes-he couldn't deny the possibility he'd been wrong.

The vehicle they rode in was a repurposed armored truck. A single fluorescent light in the ceiling illuminated the steel-encased rear. Armored plating covered the windows and the access to the front cab.

They'd been on the road for approximately fifteen minutes-Jason counted the seconds.

Either they'd missed all the stop lights, or escorts blocked off the intersections, as they'd never slowed.

Was this how they transported all Anunnaki?

Sixteen-one-two-three- The van came to a momentary halt. He suspected as part of its refurbishment they'd included sound-proofing as he couldn't make out any outside noise.

After fifteen-seconds of stillness, the van proceeded forward, down a sharp incline, around a sharp turn, then down again. They repeated this process three times.

An underground parking garage? No, that can't be right, no way is it secure enough.

If they considered him a significant threat, they'd have a special facility to hold him.

After another sixty-seconds of even, forward, motion, the van came to a stop, and the vibration of the running engine ceased.

"Lights out," one of Fuyuko's team members said, leaning forward to tie a blind over Jason's eyes.

The man pulled the blind so tight, Jason thought his skull might collapse.

After numerous shoves and drags later, someone forced Jason down into a chair where they shackled his wrists and ankles.