Misplaced (144 page)

“Where is what?”

Hi
s
ans
w
e
r
w
a
s
t
o
swin
g
ful
l
forc
e
a
t
her
.
Mieley’
s
attack
w
as ill-planned, and she easily jumped out of the
w
ay.
T
wice
mor
e
h
e
swun
g
an
d
missed
,
bu
t
Khar
a
w
a
s
n
o
longe
r
afraid
. Again she
ducked
and,
seeing
her
chance,
landed
a
fist on
the
bridg
e
o
f
hi
s
nose
.
H
e
droppe
d
th
e
tre
e
limb
,
steppe
d
back
,
and
e
y
ed her
with
astonishment.
W
iping
his
nostrils,
he
rubbed
the blood bet
w
een his thumb and forefinger.

“Fearless little
bitch, aren’t you?”

Lightnin
g
struc
k
behin
d
her
;
instinc
t
cause
d
he
r
t
o
turn
t
o
th
e
earsplittin
g
sound
,
an
d
Miele
y
rushed
.
Hi
s
shoulder
slamme
d
int
o
he
r
chest
,
sendin
g
he
r
t
o
th
e
ground
,
an
d
then
he
threw
himself
on
top
of
her,
trying
to
pin
her
flailing
arms.
Whe
n
th
e
uselessnes
s
o
f
wha
t
h
e
w
a
s
doin
g
occurre
d
t
o
him
,
he
lifted her head and slammed it to the ground again and again.

She
kicked
and
dug
her
nails
into
his
mouth,
his
forehead,
hi
s
e
y
elids
.
Lightnin
g
flashed
,
thi
s
tim
e
s
o
clos
e
tha
t
Miele
y
w
as
startled and jumped off
her. She got up and ran.

He
ga
v
e
chase,
using
the
barren
topography
of
the
mesa
to
his
ad
v
antage.
When
the
steep
cliffs
left
her
nowhere
to
run,
he
hesitated
.
“
T
el
l
m
e
wher
e
you’
v
e
hidde
n
it,
”
h
e
wheezed
,
“and
you can go.”

“And
V
ictoria?”

“She’s not going anywhere,
”
h
e
barked
.
“
I
kno
w
th
ere’s mor
e
treasure,
you’
v
e hidden it up here, ha
v
en’t you?”

“Y
es.
”
I
n
hi
s
e
y
es
,
Khar
a
sa
w
he
r
wors
t
fear
s
realized.
Miele
y
w
a
s
a
ma
n
whos
e
e
y
e
s
gleame
d
a
t
th
e
prospec
t
o
f
tossing
a
mummy
from
its
sarcophagus
for
the
treasure
inside.
Sh
e
picture
d
th
e
canopi
c
jar
s
holdin
g
he
r
fathe
r
’
s
brain
,
his
lungs,
emptied
onto
the
floor
of
the
tomb,
una
v
ailable
to
him
for eternity.

A shadow fell o
v
er them; the eclipse had begun.

She
ran
for
the
totem
against
the
wind,
against
her
anguish
a
t
leavin
g
he
r
friend
,
an
d
to
w
ar
d
th
e
spo
t
wher
e
th
e
sk
y
seemed
to
split
open.
Mieley
w
as
bearing
down
on
her.
He
grabbed
her
hair
and
pulled
so
hard
that
she
hung
in
mid-air
for
a
moment
before
falling
on
her
back,
which
knocked
e
v
ery
bit
of
air
from
her lungs.

A
s
h
e
picke
d
u
p
th
e
tre
e
limb
,
th
e
ugl
y
snee
r
o
n
hi
s
fac
e
e
v
aporate
d
a
s
th
e
mountai
n
rumble
d
beneat
h
them
.
I
t
gre
w
like
th
e
s
w
el
l
o
f
th
e
ocean
,
an
d
Khar
a
kne
w
ther
e
w
a
s
n
o
mor
e
time.
Seeing
her
expression,
Mieley steadied
himself
to
strike
a
better
blow
and
raised
the
limb
to swing.

A
dark
blur
of
a
figure caught
him
with
his
arms
in
the
air,
knockin
g
hi
m
t
o
th
e
groun
d
i
n
a
tangl
e
o
f
leg
s
an
d
arms
.
It
too
k
a
momen
t
fo
r
Khar
a
t
o
realiz
e
tha
t
i
t
w
a
s
V
ictori
a
wh
o
had
jumped
atop
him,
exposing
the
pocket
knife
gi
v
en
to
them
by
th
e
smalles
t
scout
.
I
n
th
e
instan
t
befor
e
sh
e
jamme
d
he
r
kne
e
int
o
hi
s
sid
e
an
d
dro
v
e
th
e
blad
e
int
o
Mieley’
s
shoulder
,
fear
shone in his e
y
es. He ho
w
led like a wild animal.

W
ithout taking her e
y
es from him,
V
ictoria shouted, “Go!”

“No!
”
Bu
t
e
v
e
n
a
s
sh
e
looke
d
a
t
th
e
tote
m
an
d
th
e
path
o
f
th
e
shado
w
co
v
erin
g
th
e
sun
,
sh
e
kne
w
th
e
futilit
y
o
f
her
ans
w
er.