Lily threw a couple of grenades at Yulia and hurried over to Shay to help her up. The pair stumbled toward the SUV.
The tomb raider gritted her teeth. Her left arm was useless now.
This shit is going from bad to worse. Just need thirty seconds for a potion.
Yulia chanted something in Russian and swirled her wand. The blue glyphs hanging in the air brightened, and a solid, smooth sphere of ice started growing in front of her.
Each step jolted Shay’s wounds, spreading the pain farther. They arrived at the SUV just as the Russian stopped chanting. The now-massive sphere hurtled toward them.
Shay and Lily leaped over the hood of the SUV. The sphere slammed into the vehicle and knocked it onto its side. Lily’s reflexes allowed her to roll out of the way just in time, but the wounded Shay took a direct smash on her legs. She cried out in pain. Something crunched, and pure fire shot up her leg.
Fuck that hurts, but at least we’ve got some cover for a few seconds. Got to keep it together. We can still win this.
With a shaking hand, she yanked the shard out of her shoulder. She screamed and tossed the blood-covered ice to the ground. She pulled one of her two healing potions out of a belt pouch and downed it.
“Aletheia,” Yulia called. “It’s so delicious that I can finally pay you back for what you did to me on that island, but I want you to know this doesn’t end here. Your death is just the beginning of your humiliation.”
You want me to beg for my life, bitch? Not gonna happen.
“What do we do, Shay?” Lily whispered.
Shay took a deep breath and slowly let it out as her wounds sealed and the pain vanished. “Attack her from both sides. Just need to distract her enough.”
Yulia chuckled. “Or did I already kill you with that last attack? That would be disappointing. I know a lot about you, Aletheia. More than you realize. I’ll kill that little bitch you have with you, but even that won’t be the end, Shay Carson.”
The tomb raider jerked her head up. “What are you talking about?”
“You think I don’t know who you really are? My power’s been growing. After I kill you and the girl, I think I’ll travel to LA. Imagine what people would say when I kill your precious James Brownstone. I’ll kill him and crucify him in ice. I’d love to see that on the news.”
Shay gritted her teeth. “You stay away from him, bitch.”
“No. I want you to die here, knowing that I’ll destroy your lover as well. His death will be slow and agonizing, and he’ll die cursing your name and ever knowing you.”
Shay jumped up and unloaded several rounds, but none made it past the witch’s defenses.
Yulia wagged her finger. “Did you actually think you could win against me? Pathetic. You just got lucky during our first encounter.” She sneered and started chanting in Russian. More glyphs inlaid in encircled hexagonal patterns appeared in the air, and several ice balls started forming.
“Any visions?” Shay asked.
Lily ran a hand through her hair, her eyes wide. “Nothing. I’m sorry.”
“Yulia was surprising me on jobs long before I met you.” Shay ejected her magazine and reloaded. “Just need to find the weak spot.”
“But where?”
“If one of us can just get behind her, that might work.” Shay peeked over the hood. Three massive ice spheres hung in front of the witch. “But we have to mo—”
Yulia stopped chanting, and the deadly ice hurtled toward them.
Fuck. At least it’s not my kitchen or some damned cave underground.
A bright flash blinded Shay, and she blinked her eyes a few times until they adjusted. A small golden orb spun in front of the SUV, a pulsating kaleidoscopic forcefield extending from it on either side. Piles of broken ice lay on the ground beyond it.
Daniel Goldstein stood there on the side closer to her in a black suit and silver glasses, as she’d seen him on previous occasions, but this time he wore a strange glossy black harness over his shoulders and around his chest. “Hmm. That worked better than I thought it would.” He pressed a button, and the harness unbuckled and dropped to the ground. “Like my rabbi back home used to always tell me, you just need to use the right tool for the right job.” The CIA agent smiled. “And you don’t always need magic when you have nice toys.”
Lily blinked and poked her head up. “Who the heck is he?”
Shay chuckled. “Lily, this is Daniel Goldstein. He’s CIA.” She looked back at the man. “You tomb raiding on the side now, Goldstein?”
“Tomb raiding? No, but the fact you’ve just asked that explains a lot about you, Professor Carson, and why you feel so free to tell your little friend about who I work for. I’ll trust in your discretion in this manner, both of you.” The man offered them a bright smile and turned back to the scowling Yulia. “Snegurka, huh? I’ve read so many reports about you, but now I meet you. It’s sort of a sick honor. It’s my lucky day.”
The Russian witch narrowed her eyes. “If you value your life, you’ll leave.”
“Can’t do that.” Daniel shook his head. “I’ve got an investment in Professor Carson.” He glanced her way. “Who I’m beginning to believe is a lot more than a simple archaeologist, and the fact that you’re here only proves it.”
Yulia snapped her wand up and blasted several more ice spears toward them. They slammed into the golden orb’s shield and bounced back, falling to the ground. She hissed in anger.
Daniel reached into his jacket and pulled out an odd silver handgun. The barrel was too small for it to be a .22. He eyed Shay and Lily. “I can cover you
