False Horizon - Alex Archer [96]
Hsu Xiao smirked. “You’re begging for mercy now? I wouldn’t have thought you were the type.”
“I’m not,” Annja said. “I’m giving you the chance to give up and stay alive.”
Hsu Xiao shook her head. “We’re too far into this. It has to end here and now.”
Annja shook her head. “I don’t want to have to kill you.”
Hsu Xiao shrugged. “Then you’re in trouble. Because I desperately want to kill you.”
Annja frowned. “So be it.”
Hsu Xiao rushed at Annja and Annja summoned the sword into her hands. The distance was almost too tight, but Annja managed to wedge the blade up and in so the point was aimed right at Hsu Xiao’s heart as she came screaming back in one last time.
The tip of the sword slid into her chest and through her heart.
Instantly all the strength drained from the assassin’s body and Hsu Xiao collapsed against Annja’s chest, the blade jutting out through her back.
For a moment, Annja could have sworn she felt the pulsing tremor of two heartbeats. But then she realized it was only her own, echoing back from the body of her rival.
36
Annja rolled out from under Hsu Xiao and stared at the lifeless body of an enemy who had very nearly killed her. The sword hung heavy in her right hand and she closed her eyes and returned it to the otherwhere.
When she opened her eyes again, Hsu Xiao’s stared into hers and, for just a moment, a spasm of fear rolled through Annja’s stomach, but she looked again and knew that Hsu Xiao’s lifeless cold orbs would never again hold life in them.
Her body ached and she struggled to get to her feet. She was weak from the loss of blood. Annja said a silent prayer of thanks for the skill and help in defeating Hsu Xiao and then she started to climb the stairs.
“Annja!”
Tuk raced down and helped her stagger up the stone steps. Annja kept her eyes focused on the walk ahead, but each step seemed to exacerbate the intense pain she felt riddling her body.
At the top of the stairs, she saw that Mike had a gun trained on the now-conscious Tsing. Tsing looked at her and smiled. “I see you persevered over a very adept enemy.”
“She was incredibly skilled,” Annja said. And then she felt her world tumble sideways. Tuk was there to catch her and he lowered her to the stone floor, wiping some of the sweat and blood away from her eyes.
“So what happens now?” asked Tsing. “Do you all go home riding off into the proverbial sunset? And what about me?”
Annja frowned and glanced at Mike, who had the gun trained on Tsing and looked as though he wanted to use it. “What do you think, Mike?”
“Damned if I know, Annja. A big part of me wants to shoot this guy and be done with him. But I’ve never murdered a man in cold blood before. Even someone like this turd, who clearly deserves it.”
Annja tried to smile but groaned instead. Next to her, Tuk nursed some of her wounds.
“You’re lucky to be alive,” Tuk said quietly. “I’ve never seen a fight like that.”
“I’ve never had a fight like that,” Annja said. “And for a while there, I thought I was actually going to die.”
Tuk grinned. “It looked that way. I wasn’t sure what we were going to do if Hsu Xiao beat you and came running back up those steps. Mike and I were simply going to shoot her down with as many bullets as possible. It didn’t look like anything could stop her.”
“I wasn’t sure anything could,” Annja said. “But she made a mistake and I saw it. Sometimes, that’s all it is. There’s nothing amazing or significant about the victory. It’s just a small thing that reveals itself in a blink in the action. You either take the opportunity or you lose it and die.”
“And you took it.”
“Fortunately,” Annja said. “But I almost missed it. And if I had, that would be me down there at the foot of those stairs instead of her.”
“She was terrifying and incredible,” Tuk said. “I know it seems silly, but I almost respected her for her ability.”
“It’s not silly,” Annja said. “She should be respected. God knows I sure as hell do. I’ve faced a lot of foes and I remember only a few of the highly skilled ones. Hsu Xiao goes to