False Horizon - Alex Archer [79]
“Move and you will die,” she whispered.
“Nice welcoming committee you have here,” Annja said.
Vanya nodded at her men. “Go and check on the little man. I want his body dragged out here so I can make sure there’s nothing going on.”
Annja shrugged. “I told you he’s dead.”
Vanya smiled. “And if he’s not, he soon will be.”
“And to think I almost believed your promise that he would be set free. I’m glad we chose the route we did.”
“You’re a fool, Annja. And you had no options left. In fact, from the moment you set off on this particular adventure, your destiny has been predetermined. At every step of the way, you were channeled exactly in the direction I wished you to go.”
“I’m so glad I’ve lived up to your expectations,” Annja said. “So, assuming you’re able to get my sword, who does it go to? You?”
Vanya smiled. “Oh, that I were young enough to wield it with the elegance such a blade deserves. But no, regrettably my advanced age makes that a little foolish for me to attempt.”
“So, who, then? Crazy Nails here? She’ll bust them gripping the hilt.”
“Hsu Xiao will inherit the blade. Yes.”
Annja shook her head. “I don’t know if that’s such a great idea. You see, the sword doesn’t like being told what to do. Trust me. I’ve tried several times.”
“Quiet,” Hsu Xiao said.
Vanya laughed. “I marvel at your humor. I really do. You know, when the rumors reached us about an American woman who had this mystical sword, at first we suspected it was some type of American intelligence operation. That maybe they had created a super soldier that they could unleash at will.”
“Nope. Just little old me.”
“Imagine my delight when I learned everything I could about you. Your past is one shrouded in secrecy for some reason and yet I was able to trace your lineage back hundreds of years.”
Annja frowned. “You’re lying.”
“Oh, no, I’m not. I wanted to know everything about you. It was my way of trying to decipher why the sword chose you as its wielder. I thought that if I could uncover what made you so special, then the questions about the sword would reveal themselves to me.”
“Interesting theory. Too bad you don’t know squat. No one does. I’m an orphan and I’ve got no family.”
Vanya shook her head. “You disappoint me, Annja. I really expected that you would have taken the time to search deeper and go back further than a mere generation. The answers to your past lie in full view, provided you know where to look.”
“And why do I find this so difficult to believe? I don’t know, could it be because you’re a liar?”
Vanya frowned. “I’m not lying. You must think me a fool if you believe I would undertake something of this magnitude and not do my homework. Whatever you may think about me, Annja, know this. I am not lying when I tell you that I have learned every aspect of your past. Every family member who has passed his or her genetic material down through your bloodlines to make you what you are today. You are not a mere orphan. You are something wholly incredible. And yet, you fail to realize that, save for the sword being in your possession.”
Annja felt her heart beating faster. Was Vanya telling the truth? If so, what answers did she have?
“So tell me something,” she said, fighting to remain calm.
“About your past?” Vanya smiled. “Perhaps I will. Right before I kill you and Hsu Xiao takes the sword. At least then you will die with some measure of peace.”
Vanya glanced down the corridor. “What is the holdup down there? Bring the body out!” she shouted.
Annja saw the two soldiers approaching. They were dragging a limp body behind them.
“What took you so long?” Vanya said.
“We couldn’t find him at first. She must have shot him behind the statue on the far side of the room.”
“You saw the bullet hole?”
“We couldn’t see anything in the room. It’s too dark,” the first soldier said.
“There’s a blood trail,” the second soldier said. “And it’s a lot of blood.”
Vanya nodded and cleared her throat. “All right then. You’ve done well. Turn the body over so I can see him.”
The soldiers turned the body over. Vanya looked and then frowned.