Free The Cyber Chronicles Book III - The Core by T C Southwell

closed her
eyes and pressed the button. This time there was less concussion
with the flash of blinding light and huge boom.
    Tassin opened
her eyes and stared at the spot where the man had been. He was
gone, but the wall beyond was covered with blood and shredded meat,
and a metre-deep hole was blasted in it, revealing fresh brown
soil. Everyone gaped at it, for the wall was at least seven metres
from where she knelt. Recovering first, she whipped around and
levelled the weapon at the second man, who backed away, raising his
hands. The priestess drew herself up.
    "So, I
underestimated you, but I doubt you'll kill all of us, and we will
not let you pass."
    Tassin glared
at her. "Don't make the same mistake twice."
    Reaching down
to shake Sabre again, she was startled when her hand was gripped,
and glanced at him. He gazed at her with a faint smile, and her
heart swelled with relief. A powerful urge to hug him almost
overcame her, but she restrained herself, watching the bevy of
priests.
    "When did you
wake up?" she enquired.
    "The big bang
woke me."
    The priests
cast furtive looks at the priestess, who scowled. Sabre raised
himself onto an elbow and eyed the sonlar.
    "I see you
found another one of those pretty things to play with."
    She smiled.
"It's quite handy."
    "That's what
it's meant for." He sat up, looking groggy as he glanced at the
holes and the wall covered with gore. "Now that's what I call
overkill."
    "I had nothing
else."
    "You certainly
made sure of it." He held out his hand for the sonlar and she
gladly gave it to him, dismayed when he tucked it into his
harness.
    "What about
them?" She indicated the priests.
    Sabre stood
up, pulling her to her feet. "I suspect they know better than to
attack me, from past experience."
    Tassin glanced
at the cyber skeleton with a shudder, noticing the blood-smeared
escape hatch beyond it. "They killed the last one."
    "Only by
luring him in here, but I think they tried another method, which
failed. Am I right, Jassine?"
    The priestess
nodded. "He was too strong for us, unlike the first man, but my
predecessor told him that what he sought was in here, and he fell
for it. He wasn't very clever."
    "Cybers are
logical, and he had to investigate every clue. He found what he was
looking for."
    Jassine's eyes
glittered with impotent rage as Sabre approached her, and the
priests shuffled out of his way.
    "You will not
escape! I'll find a way to stop you!" she said.
    "Why bother?"
he asked. "We're going back across the desert, never to
return."
    "You lie!
You'll bring our enemies upon us!"
    He shrugged,
clearly running out of patience. "Think what you will, we're
leaving."
    The priestess
blocked his way until the last possible moment before stepping
aside. Tassin glanced back as they walked towards the steps.
Jassine muttered to the priests, who nodded. They were plotting
something, Tassin was certain.
    "So what's the
plan?" Sabre asked.
    "Plan?"
    "To get out of
the city."
    "Oh!" She
shook her head. "I hadn't thought of one."
    He smiled.
"Then we'd better think fast."
    As they passed
through the altar room, Sabre stayed between her and the black
glass, then, to her immense relief, they were outside in the fresh,
chill morning air. She shucked the smelly robe and headed for
Dena's hovel.
    "Where are we
going?" he enquired.
    "There's a
little girl who helped me. I have to find her first; she knows
where the cart and donkeys are."
    Sabre followed
her into the first low-roofed shack. A furtive movement made her
jump, and Dena appeared at her elbow.
    "There you
are!” Tassin said. “You scared me half to death!"
    The girl
grinned. "You're scared of me?"
    "No, I didn't
realise – oh, never mind. Take us to the cart, quick!"
    Dena eyed
Sabre, looking coquettish. "You're the man from the stars."
    The cyber
smiled. "That's right."
    Dena grinned
at him, then led them along the street, forgoing the hovel route.
She guided them to a shack where the cart was parked, unattended.
Sabre brought the