James Katt's Arc

Chapter 6 of 7

The jet lay broken in a dark field. Smoke rose from its torn wing. James set the helicopter down nearby and killed the engine. He drew his Beretta and slid out into the grass. Telari followed, her own pistol ready. Somewhere in that wreck was the dossier. Somewhere near it was Thuldark. "He'll be armed," Telari whispered. "He always is." James nodded. They crept toward the plane in a low crouch. The fire lit the ground orange. Then James saw movement by the wreck. Thuldark stepped from the shadow of the wing. His black hood hid his face. He held a flat case under one arm. In his other hand rested the red-balled cane. The dossier was in that case. James was sure of it. Thuldark did not run. He dropped behind a heavy stone at the edge of the field. The rough gray rock stood as tall as his chest. He rested the cane on top, aimed at the open ground, and waited. "He's got cover," Telari breathed. "He'll drop us the second we move." James studied the field. Thirty feet of flat grass lay between them and the stone. No path across it that the cane could not sweep. A charge would get one of them killed. Maybe both. "We go quiet," James said. "Split wide. I circle left. You hold his eyes." Telari understood at once. She had trained with him for years. She shifted right and let her boot crack a dry stalk. Thuldark's hood snapped toward the sound. A red laser ball burst from the cane and tore the grass where the noise had come from. While Thuldark fired at Telari, James moved. He crawled left through the tall grass, slow and flat. His hand closed on a loose rock the size of his fist. He rose to a knee behind Thuldark's blind side. James threw the rock hard. It struck Thuldark's wrist. The cane spun from his grip and clattered against the stone. Thuldark cursed and lunged for it. "Now!" James shouted. He broke from cover and closed the gap in three long strides. Thuldark twisted, the case still clamped under his arm. James drove his shoulder into him. Both men crashed against the heavy stone. The case popped loose and slid across the grass. Thuldark rolled free and snatched up his cane. He fired wild as he ran for the tree line. Telari's shots chased him into the dark, but he vanished among the trunks. James let him go. He picked up the flat case and opened it. Inside lay the sealed dossier, its casing warm but whole. He held it up so Telari could see. "We got it," she said, breathing hard. James closed the case. "We got it. But he's still out there, and he knows we can't crack it alone." He looked at the dark trees. Thuldark was already gone, and the fight was far from over.