Page 55 of Hot Zone

Rustam spoke, a bare breath of sound, “Here they come.”

Her blood ran cold. The two of them were out of time and out of options.

A mighty roar erupted on their right as the Persians charged. Two ranks of men raced forward, shouting at the top of their lungs. The soldiers held round shields and short, thick swords.

The Greek reaction was immediate. They came charging over their side of the ridge, yelling their heads off. The din was impressive. The lines crashed into one another, and the clash of steel on steel, the grunts and groans and screams of the wounded, rose to join the battle cries of both sides. At first the combat stayed mostly over by the cliff—well away from the drop-off. But gradually, the Persians wheeled to the right and the outnumbered Greeks were forced left to face them. Tessa and Rustam were now behind the Greek line.

The Persians gradually began to press forward, forcing the Greeks step by bloody step toward the precipice. The Persians were intending to drive their enemies over the cliff—with Tessa and Rustam among them!

Rustam’s hand gripped hers. Get ready to retreat. Stay flat on your belly and crawl backward like a centipede. And keep your head down.

They’ll push us over the edge, too!

He responded, If we’re lucky, there’s some sort of a ledge or toeholds on the cliff face.

They hadn’t been particularly lucky so far, however. Several more Greek soldiers went down. Tessa’s military training told her that a critical shift had happened in the balance of the battle. The Persians now held a distinct advantage over the Greeks, and pressed their attack with renewed frenzy.

Tessa winced at the viciousness of the fighting. This was no Hollywood-choreographed play of swords and shields, politely clanging against one another. Men shoved and kicked and bit and hacked brutally. Soldiers were disemboweled, while others slipped and slid through their comrades’ bloody entrails. The thick, metallic smell of blood filled the air.

Rustam inched backward beside her. When he tugged on her tunic, she started to crawl backward, too. It was awkward and painful as her forearms and palms scraped across the rocky ground.

Thankfully, no Greeks were looking back over their shoulders to spot the two strangers sprawled behind them. The Persians, although clearly winning, still seemed fully occupied with their opponents, as well.

Tessa’s feet abruptly popped out into open air. She stopped crawling at once. She’d almost pushed herself backward off the cliff!

Turn around and help me search for a way down,Rustam told her mentally.

A few seconds later, she lay on her belly, staring out into space. Her head spun. The ground was so far below she couldn’t see it in the dim starlight. Oh, God. Worse, the cliff below slanted inward a good six to eight feet. They were lying on an outcropping of rock, suspended in space. Tessa suddenly felt as if she were trapped in a bad cartoon. This wedge of rock could give way at any second and she would plunge to her not-so-cartoonish death on the rocks below.

Anything?Rustam asked silently.

No.

Slide to your left. Look there.

But no matter where along the cliff they searched, they could find no way down. They were trapped. Worse, the Greek line was starting to buckle. Any minute now, the Persians were going to overrun the their enemies. It appeared that the invaders did intend to toss the Greeks over the cliff.

It was not looking good for the home team.

And then the unthinkable happened. The Greek commander shouted an order to his men that made Tessa’s jaw open in shock.

He’d just told his men to fling themselves off the cliff rather than be taken by the Persians.

Appalled, she and Rustam turned to look over their shoulders. Here they came, some twenty soldiers, running grimly straight at them. If the Greeks hadn’t spotted them yet, they soon would. And they would no doubt sweep her and Rustam over the edge with them.

This was it. They were about to die.

“It’s been a pleasure knowing you,” she murmured. “Had we met in another place and time, I would have fallen desperately in love with you. As it is, I’ve relished every moment with you. You’re one hell of a man.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “It’s not ove—”

The Persians, as if sensing the intent of their enemies, roared with glee just then and charged, lest the Greeks change their minds at the last minute and balk.

Rustam looked down at her.

Tessa expected despair. Instead, she saw grim determination. He had an idea of some kind. But she couldn’t fathom what he planned to do. Whatever it was, it would have to be soon. The Greeks were close enough to spot the two strangers who had been behind them all this time. As clear as day, she saw the soldiers’ indifference to the fact that she and Rustam were going to be pulled over the cliff with them.

“Hug me,” Rustam shouted over the cries of the Greeks, who were now calling out greetings and prayers to their favorite gods. “Hang on tight to me!”

She turned into his chest, reaching blindly for her belt pouch. The Greeks were almost upon them. The precipice loomed no more than a foot away on her left.

“Give me all your power!” Rustam shouted. “It’s our only chance!”

Dammit, she really wished he would stop saying that. Her fingers groped for the crystal.

And then, his arms crushing her against him, Rustam stepped off into space.

A scream tore from her throat as they plunged into the abyss.

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