Temple of the Gods - Andy McDermott [188]
The mercenary had grabbed him from behind in an unbreakable hold, crushing his windpipe. Eddie tried to claw at his face, but could only reach with his wounded arm, the pain sapping the strength from his strikes. He tried to bend forward to flip his opponent over his shoulders, but Stikes was too well braced.
Nina was about to run back down the pile of fallen stone to help him – when she saw a chunk of the ledge only yards from the two men split away and fall towards the lava.
The remainder of the rocky outcrop would follow at any moment.
‘I always win, Chase,’ the former officer hissed. The pressure on Eddie’s neck increased, blood pounding in his head. ‘I always win!’
The gloating words flooded Eddie with anger. He was not going to be beaten – not by Stikes! He shifted his feet. ‘Not . . . this . . . time!’
Stoked by fury, he straightened his entire body – and lifted Stikes on his back.
He only raised him by a couple of inches, but it was still enough to unbalance the mercenary. Eddie took full advantage of the moment and bent at the waist, pulling his enemy over with him – then threw himself backward with every remaining ounce of strength.
Stikes gasped, winded, as he thumped down on his back with Eddie on top of him. The Yorkshireman smacked a reverse headbutt into his face, then, drawing in choked breaths, managed to stand.
A few steps away was a piece of the meteorite, a jagged chunk about two feet across. He picked it up. Pain burned in his injured arm as he raised the heavy rock above his head, about to smash it down on Stikes’s skull—
Another section of the edge dropped away into the liquid inferno below – and a crack lanced across the ground near the temple. He heard Nina’s voice over the volcano’s thunder. ‘Eddie! The ledge is gonna collapse!’
Survival outweighed justice. He threw the rock at Stikes then ran, scooping up the Jericho as he raced for the temple. Behind him, more chunks broke away from the ledge and tumbled down the shaft, luminous splashes exploding from the lava lake as they hit.
Stones rattled and slipped underfoot as he shoved the gun into his jacket and clambered up the makeshift ramp. Nina was at the top, waving him on. ‘Nina, come on!’ Larry shouted. ‘We’re running out of time!’
She reluctantly turned away from Eddie to climb the pillar. The constant quakes almost jolted her loose, but finally she was within reach of Larry’s outstretched arm. He grabbed her hand and helped her up the final few feet.
Eddie reached the summit of the slope and started to climb after her. Nina reached down, giving him a look of encouragement – which turned to horror. ‘Eddie, look out!’ Something stabbed agonisingly into his thigh.
The pain made him lose his footing. He dropped back down to the tier – driving the spikes deeper into his flesh.
It was the head of the trident, hurled by Stikes – who had scrambled up the slope after him, swinging the broken shaft like a club to deliver a savage blow. Eddie cried out, trying to dodge as Stikes struck again, but the pain of his impalement was so intense that he couldn’t move his leg.
Nina watched helplessly. Short of throwing herself off the pillar at Stikes, there was nothing she could do to intervene.
Except—
A broken piece of purple stone the size of a fist lay on the floor. She grabbed it; it glowed.
Stikes raised the bronze shaft high above his head, about to plunge its jagged point down into Eddie’s chest—
Nina hurled the stone.
She could have sworn that it veered slightly, as if guided to its target by her sheer willpower. Whether it did, or if she was just imagining it, the result was the same. The lump of rock cracked viciously against Stikes’s nose, blood spurting from both nostrils. He staggered, the spear still held high . . .
Eddie wrenched the trident’s head out of his leg, fury overpowering the pain, and stabbed it deep into the other man’s stomach.
Stikes let out a gurgling scream. He dropped the shaft, clutching both hands to the bronze fork buried in his gut and staring at Eddie in utter