False Horizon - Alex Archer [82]
Vanya laughed. “Hsu Xiao wants nothing more than to face you in mortal combat, Annja. Do you know that?”
“Well, I can respect that,” Annja said. “At least she’s not a coward like so many others who just want the fruit without doing any of the work.”
“But I can’t afford to lose her to that blade of yours. Not when I have so many plans for it.”
“What kind of plans?”
“China’s government needs some shaking up for one.”
“You’re going to rule China? Good luck.”
Vanya shrugged. “Well, what would you have me do? Seize power from a nonnuclear power? What a waste that would be. Once Hsu Xiao has the sword, I shall be able to dispatch anyone who stands in my way.”
“Seems to me you could do that now if you choose.”
Vanya shook her head. “No. Hsu Xiao is incredibly powerful, yes. But with the sword, none shall be able to stand against her.”
Annja frowned. “It’s not a shield of invulnerability, you know. I can die just as easily with the sword as I can without it.”
“Rubbish,” Vanya said. “We know the sword grants you a much higher pain threshold and endurance.”
“Yeah, it seems to. But it doesn’t mean I can’t die. If your friend Hsu Xiao here gets a face full of lead, no blade on earth is going to stop her from taking a ride down the River Styx.”
Vanya smiled. “Perhaps. But with the sword, she will be much more potent than any of my enemies.”
Annja grinned. “So that’s it, isn’t it. You’ve got a foe already who is too powerful. What’s he got, someone even better than Hsu Xiao? Is that why you haven’t moved on him yet?”
Vanya checked her watch. “You’ve got one minute, Annja.”
Annja nodded. She glanced at the temple corridor and hoped that Tuk had made his way back to the cave. That he was on the phone with Garin right now, calling in the cavalry.
“So once you dispatch all your opponents, what then?” Annja asked.
“I will assume leadership of China and help guide her into the new millennium the way she should be. I’ll be the new Jade Empress.”
“Fruitcake, more likely. What makes you think that anyone will abide by you being the new ruler of China?”
“Because I will kill anyone who does not.”
“And what about the rest of the world?”
“What about it?”
“I hardly think they’re just going to roll over and say, ‘Great,’ when you come into power.”
Vanya nodded. “That is true. I had been giving that some thought.” She smiled. “A small demonstration of my power may be necessary to prove how serious I am.”
“Small demonstration? Like what? You’re going to wipe out Tibet?”
Vanya shook her head. “That’s far too small scale for my liking. If I do that no one will even pay attention. No, I need something bigger. Something more along the lines of shock and awe.”
Annja frowned as she realized what Vanya would target. “Taiwan.”
Vanya shrugged. “It’s been asking for it for years. They’re such upstarts and it’s really like a forgotten province, anyway. There’s absolutely no way I could tolerate such dissent in my kingdom.”
“Dual purpose,” Annja said. “You show the rest of the world you mean business and you show your citizens their dissent won’t be tolerated.”
“I believe it’s what we call a win-win,” Vanya said. “And speaking of which, your final minute is now up.”
“Is it?”
Vanya nodded. “Yes. It’s time for you to lower your sword, Annja. You belong to me now.”
31
Tuk raced along the corridor as fast as his legs, grinding like pistons beneath his body, would carry him. He made it back to the doorway and then found the secret exit to the spiral stone staircase leading up. The air bit at him; the cold temperatures were a distinct difference from the balmy weather he’d just enjoyed.
As he neared the top of the stairs, he looked up and saw the ceiling and what would be a trapdoor in the floor of the cave. It seemed perfectly flush and he supposed it would look exactly the same form the other side.
He reached up and undid the locking mechanism, a series of slide bolts that would discourage entry even if by some miracle the trapdoor was discovered.
Tuk braced himself on the stairs and shoved up at the trapdoor with