Free Terra Nova (The Variant Conspiracy Book 3) by Christine Hart Page A

helmet and revealed a reptilian cobra-like head with bright red eyes full of hatred. The cobra man’s skin was black with a metallic sheen. Individual scales glittered in the sunlight.
    The cobra man bore into me with hateful eyes and made something like a smile with its mouth. He moved one step to his side just as a young boy appeared out of nowhere and plunged a huge sword at the cobra man’s chest. The long thick blade bent like butter leaving not so much as a scratch on the armor. The cobra man knocked the boy aside, sending him flying with one swipe.
    The village flickered and jumped forward in time. The huts had all been burned and only their blackened foundations remained. A line of chained people shuffled past me, wearing nothing but loincloths. Each person hung his or her head, struggling to find the energy for another step.
    The small temple at the end of the village was gone. In its place a shining white monument had been erected. The top of the monument was a platform where the cobra man sat on a marble throne, surveying his work. Two hooded figures stood on either side of the cobra king, who still wore his armor as he sat on a throne.
    I watched the scene spellbound, as one of the purple figures threw back her cloak. A beautiful woman chanted something that sounded like Latin. The cobra king moved to rise, but something held him. He tried to turn, but an unseen force held him rigid.
    The woman in purple chanted louder and the cobra man gripped his head with both metal-plated hands. He hissed. She chanted louder still, yelling as she continued.
    The cobra king hissed and hissed as the woman in purple pulled a small dagger from her robes. She stepped behind him, reached around his neck, and cut the cobra’s throat. Black blood oozed up over his armor and his body lay motionless. Chained villagers looked up and cheered.
    I focused on the dead cobra king and willed my viewpoint up to the top of his monument. I surged forward and rested above the cobra king’s face. Recognition flickered behind my eyes. This was the creature I had seen sitting at Ivan’s dining room table back in his cold Victoria condo. Those were the red eyes that haunted me at the Capital City Motel. This was what lived inside Ivan. Somehow. Instinctively I took a step back and the field fell away. I slid through time back onto the train to Chester.
    “What did you see?” Jonah stared at me with a furrowed brow.
    “Honey, you’re shaking.” Faith reached out across the table and put her hand on my arm.
    I took a deep breath.
    “She saw a snake beast, something that crashed to earth and annihilated a village. She saw the thing come out of a ball of fire and take over and then get killed by some ancient priestess. Holy shit, sis, what the hell?” said Ilya.
    “At least someone else can see what I saw,” I said to Ilya, calming down. “Actually, I think there’s more to it. Weeks ago, I dreamed of Ivan and my mother on their honeymoon. They went from Roman ruins to an old church from the Middle Ages. There was a moment where Ivan acted like something possessed him. I think the town I just saw in that vision was the original life of those ruins. I won’t know for sure until we get there, Chester could be on top of that ancient village. After we go to Chatham Park, we should find these ruins. That creature got into our father somehow. Maybe we can get it back out again.”
    “This just took a turn into the Twilight Zone.” Cole blew out a long breath.
    “Let’s worry about Terra Nova. Then we’ll think about doing an exorcism on Ivan.” Melissa unclipped her hair twist and rested her head against the back of the booth.
    The British countryside flowed past the train window for hours as I cuddled into Jonah’s shoulder. With every stop, passengers came and went. Our group sat under a thick blanket of tension as we wondered how our next—and maybe last—day would end.
    A recorded voice announced that the train’s next stop would