Page 8 of Camriel
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“WHAT’S WRONG?”AMAROSasked his second.Camriel was frowning as they ran towards Manhattan.The blond warrior had been acting strangely since the brief fight a few minutes ago.
“Do you feel that, boss?”Cam asked, slowing down to peer at the houses.
“Feel what?”Amaros asked, slowing to a stop.
“I can sense someone,” Camriel said, now turning in a circle.
“So can I,” his commander said when he picked up on a bunch of humans.“And they’re heading this way,” he added.
Camriel focused on the small group of idiots who were now racing towards them.They carried a variety of weapons, but wouldn’t pose a threat.Amaros had become even more lethal after bonding with Zoe.Cam was amazed and envious at the speed his boss used.His movements were precise and his strength had increased.
In seconds, the pair had defeated the humans.None held worthy weapons, so the knights stepped over their bodies and continued their sprint.
It wasn’t easy to ignore the niggling feeling in the back of his head.Camriel kept sneaking glances behind him, but the strange sense had faded away.
“There’s trouble ahead,” Amaros said when they finally reached a bridge leading to Manhattan.“I can see a mob milling around,” he added.
“That’s a sniper,” Camriel said when he heard a shot ring out.The bullet hadn’t been aimed at them, but at someone on the far side of the structure.“The humans are bunched up beneath him where he can’t see them,” he figured.
“They’re using a truck for cover,” Amaros said, using his superior eyesight to peer ahead.“We’re going to have to take him out,” he decided.
“Good idea,” Cam said in approval.“We don’t want to be sniped when we’re coming and going.”
There were other bridges leading to Manhattan, but the Henry Hudson Bridge was the one they’d chosen.Amaros took the lead, moving too fast for the civilians to spot him.Camriel kept up as best he could, watching his leader’s back when he stopped a short distance from the sniper.
Amaros tilted his head back, searching for a way up.“This shouldn’t take long,” he said.
“I’ll keep watch,” Camriel said.Amaros nodded and loped off to begin climbing the structure.
Taking the romance book out, Cam became lost in the story again.He wasn’t the fastest reader, but he was enjoying the tale.He was also picking up a lot of tips about how to treat women of this era.“I can’t wait to try this stuff out on my cambion,” he said quietly, keeping one eye on the milling humans who were keeping their distance from him.
A strangled yelp came from above a few minutes later, then a body fell onto the bridge.A cheer went up when the sniper rifle landed beside him.It had been snapped in half.Civilians surged in both directions, seeking refuge, as if there were any safe places left.
Camriel tucked the book away before Amaros returned to him.They took off running again, blurring past the humans without notice.Cam took the lead, since he’d been to the city already.He led Amaros through the streets to the heart of Manhattan.“This is Central Park,” he said when he came to a stop.He’d passed through it when he’d been called to his commander.
“It’s huge,” Amaros said, surveying the grassy field, trees and a pond in the distance.“According to Grace, the buildings surrounding Central Park are where the richest people live,” Amaros said.“Rahab’s arrogance will most likely lead him here.We should search for the soldiers nearby.”
“They’ve probably got their version of our wards set up already, boss,” Camriel reminded him.“It’s doubtful we’ll be able to detect them.”
“True,” Amaros conceded.“But knowing where they are will give us an advantage if we see any of them in the area.”
Eyes watched them as Amaros removed his backpack and ate a quick snack.Camriel scanned the park, seeing the humans furtively slinking behind the trees.No one wanted to be out in the open.The knights were drawing attention by their boldness.
“Where should we start?”Cam asked when Amaros finished his snack.
Pausing to take a drink from his water bottle, Amaros pointed to the west.“We’ll start at the buildings that face the park over there and work our way around,” he decided.
The pair jogged over to one of the exits and began scanning the area.It took them all day to circumnavigate the entire park and scan each building.
“I didn’t pick up anything,” Amaros said with a slight scowl.As far as he could tell, there weren’t any knights, cambions or Soldiers of Chaos in the nearby vicinity.His second in command was probably right about them setting up their wards.
“Our enemies are smart enough to stay out of sight,” Camriel said.“They never try to engage with us until they’ve set themselves up somewhere.”
“They used to use caves once upon a time,” Amaros said wryly, gesturing at the skyscrapers.“Now look at what they can use as their lair.”
Camriel tilted his head back, taking in the sheer size of the edifices.“It’ll take months to search every building,” he figured.“Even when the rest of our team arrives, it’ll still be a long process.”
