The Carnagors held back. Simon suspected they did so due to the fact limited room to maneuver on the cliff’s edge existed. The narrow expanse afforded them also shut down their chances of successfully tunneling under them. The Carnagors trumpeted in wild bloodlust.
“You’re going to die, Templar,” the Minion taunted from the shoulders of the Fetid Hulk. “Then I’m going to go back for reinforcements. We’ll seek out those you’ve been protecting out here. We’ll find them, and we’ll kill them.”
TEN
With Honeywell’s unconscious body slung over his shoulder, Simon set himself to attempt the descent over the side of the cliff when he felt the ground vibrating. Searching the HUD, he found the source of the vibration: three ATVs with sleek black finishes plowed through the snow toward the demons.
Simon recognized them at once as three units from the redoubt. None of the Templar in London would have sent vehicles out this far from the city.
The undercarriages of the ATVs rode three feet above the ground normally, but now they had to break through the snowdrifts in places. The five-foot-tall spiked tires churned snow out behind them. Specially designed by the Templar, the ATVs were based on the British military Panther MLV, outfitted in reactive armor, and armed with antiaircraft weapons, missile launchers, heavy XM171 Thermo Cannon, and F-S Grinder Cannon. The Hound’s Eyes, the onboard drones that painted targets for the ATV’s weapons, shot forward and relayed information to the weps officer.
“Hold fast there, Simon,” a familiar voice said.
“Wertham,” Nathan quipped happily. “I didn’t know you were still able to stay up this late.”
Simon felt a little relieved himself. Wertham was one of the old guard, a man who’d helped train Thomas Cross when he’d been a young man. Few of the old Templar remained because most of them had followed Lord Sumerisle to their deaths at St. Paul’s.
“I made an exception when I found out you people hadn’t returned tonight.”
“You were also instructed to stay at the redoubt,” Simon said.
“Was I?” Wertham sounded innocent. “You can’t trust my memory at my age.”
The ATVs fired without hesitation. With their targets lit up by the Hound’s Eyes drones, there wasn’t much chance of hitting the Templar stranded at the cliff’s edge. Fireballs belched from the ATVs’ cannon, and Palladium sabot rounds dropped smoking, ruined Carnagors in their tracks.
“Attack!” the Minion screamed at the Carnagors and Ravagers. “Attack!” At his command, the Fetid Hulk turned and loped across the snow-covered countryside in full retreat.
“Wertham,” Simon called out.
“Yes.”
“There’s a Fetid Hulk headed east.” Simon fed the coordinates to the ATV’s weps officer through the suit’s AI.
“We have him, Simon.”
“He can’t be allowed to run free.”
The ATV’s cannon swung round and fired. The Thermo Cannon’s rounds fell short of their intended target. The Grinder’s sabot rounds tore through the trees but didn’t come close to the fleeing demons.
“Can’t get a lock on him,” the weps officer said. “The trees interfere with the Hound’s Eyes.”
Simon ran forward and used the suit’s strength as he vaulted over the thinning line of attackers. He landed in deep snow, stumbled, and nearly fell. The nearest ATV’s forward gunner blasted two Ravagers that attempted to follow Simon.
At the ATV, Simon laid Honeywell in front of the prow. “Get her inside,” he commanded. “She needs medical attention now.”
The ATV lumbered forward and shielded the fallen Templar with its body. Simon knew they would haul Honeywell aboard through the emergency access panel underneath the fighting vehicle.
Slogging through the snow, Simon reached the ATV that Wertham commanded. He leaped aboard the skirt and knelt. Studying the HUD, he watched as a Thermo Cannon burst blew a knot of Ravagers over the cliff’s edge and sabot rounds exploded Carnagors.
Nathan and Danielle already led the Templar toward the ATVs and safety.
“Everything’s in good hands here, Wertham,” Simon said. “Take me to that Fetid Hulk and its rider.”
“On our way.”
Simon held on to the ATV. He banged harshly against the vehicle’s armor as it got under way. The right-side tires stayed locked in position as the left side chewed through the snow and earth. Then they bounded across the rough terrain in pursuit of the fleeing demons.
“We lost a few, didn’t we?” Wertham’s voice didn’t hold the bluster it had earlier. He was connected to Simon on a private frequency.
“We did,” Simon admitted. “It was my fault.”
“Weren’t no fault of yours.”
“I got too lax. I should have brought more people to station scouts.”
“More people would have drawn more attention,” Wertham told him. “You and I both know that. Small units travel fastest and less noticeably.”
Simon silently agreed. Safety and stealth had always been the harsh balance he’d fought whenever he’d put hunting parties into the field. If they’d been able to sustain themselves within the redoubt, no one would have ever had to leave.
But then you wouldn’t be able to save the stragglers that continue to find their way out of London, Simon chided himself.
“We can’t become an island,” Wertham said. “You and I and the other Templar discussed that at length when we first set up the redoubt. We all agreed that we couldn’t turn our backs on those that we could save.”
“I know.”
“Not like the others.”
“I know.” The Templar in the Underground chose to wait out the demon invasion. The leaders of the Houses staged the massacre at St. Paul’s to convince the demons that the Templar were all dead. They planned to train in secret and grow a new generation before attempting to fight back against the demons.
Simon hadn’t agreed with that. The Burn scoured London. He felt that if they waited there would be nothing left to save before the Templar decided they had the army they needed.
In the beginning, only a few other Templar had
