Page 81 of Circle of Death
“I’m glad you’re here, Lamont,” Khan says. “You and my other witnesses.”
I hear footsteps and a struggle in the corridor.“Leave me alone, you goddamn assholes!”Maddy’s voice! My heart drops. I look toward the entryway. Two guards walk in, shoving Maddy forward. Then four more guards—two holding Jessica, two holding Margo.
“Lamont!” Margo cries out. “I’m sorry! They said they’d kill you if we fought back!”
I start toward them, but suddenly Khan is blocking my way, his gold robe twirling. “See that, Lamont? See how vulnerable love makes you? How it paralyzes you? How it reduces great power tonothing?”
I’m crazed with fear and rage, but I try to keep my voice under control. “Let them go, Khan. You’ve already killed enough people for one day. Keep me, but let them go!”
Khan steps over to my family. “Which one do you think is your biggest weakness, Lamont?” He points to Jessica. “Not this one. Her time is almost up anyway. She’s served her purpose, don’t you think?” He rests his hand on Jessica’s narrow shoulder. She bats it away. “You want to kill an old lady?” she says. “Go ahead. I’m ready. But let the others be!”
Khan ignores her and turns to Maddy. The guards hold her back as Khan runs his long fingers down her cheek. “Or this one. You wouldn’t be here without her, would you, Lamont? She’s the one who found you. Brought you back to life after your long sleep. She’s your heir now.” He pauses for a second. “With her skills, she really should be mine.”
“Don’t touch her!” I shout.
I can see Maddy trembling with fury, but afraid to act on it. She knows that the wrong move right now will get us all killed. So do I.
Khan steps up to Margo. She pulls her head back in disgust. He leans in as if he’s about to kiss her, then stops and taps her forehead. “When are you going to stop trying to control my mind, Margo Lane?”
I can see my wife seething.
“Or should I sayMrs. Cranston?” says Khan. “The blushing bride. The truth is, I’ve been jealous of you for a long time—envious of your connection with Lamont. Once, Lamont and I were close. Best friends. Isn’t that right, Lamont? Long before the Shadow existed.”
I ball my hands into fists, biding my time, trying to gather my strength. “We were never friends. We were training partners—rivals for our teacher’s approval. But that was ten thousand years ago!”
Khan takes a step back toward me. “Aren’t you curious about why I wanted to try out a female form, Lamont?” He thrusts his finger toward Margo. “Because ofher! Because I was curious. I wanted to feel what she felt toward you. Just once. It’s powerful, isn’t it? Love. Desire. But in the end, not stronger than hate. Hate is pure. No complications. Hate can survive on its own.”
Suddenly, there’s a blast of white light from the center of the room. Khan whips around to face it. The glow intensifies and a figure starts to take shape inside it.
“Dache!”Maddy shouts. “Thank God!”
The brightness dissipates and there he is. In the midst of the smoke and carnage, my old teacher looks as serene as ever, dressed in scarlet robes. I can feel energy radiating from him like a physical force.
“Dache!” Maddy shouts again. “Do something!”
But Dache just stands there. “Not my place, Madeline.” He looks at Khan, then at me. “This is their moment, not mine. Everything has been leading to this. These two were once my most accomplished students, miles above the others. But now they are opposite poles in the same universe, with powers that keep escalating. You can see how destructive it is to life on earth—to the whole order of things. So now they must battle alone, as men. And only one can survive.”
“That’s insane!” Maddy shouts, straining against her guards.
“No, Madeline,” says Dache. “It’s fate. Not even I can control it.”
Khan turns to face me. I see a shift in his eyes and feel the same change happening to me. My energy is draining. The Shadow is gone. I’m just a man with no weapons, terrified of losing my family—and my life.
For the first time in thousands of years, I feel totally powerless. I blink and sense a blur in the air.
The punch knocks me on my ass.
CHAPTER 100
FOR A SPLIT second, all I see is a shower of sparks. Then my vision goes black. I’m on my knees, gasping. My eyes are watering and I can taste blood in my mouth.
I lift my head as my eyesight clears. Khan sheds his robe. Over his gold sirwal pants, his bare torso is muscled like a prizefighter’s. Nothing like mine. I should have known this day would come. I should have trained for it.
“Look how soft you are,” says Khan. “You should be ashamed.”
He’s right. I’ve been leaning on my powers—and on other people. And now it’s too late. What have I got now?Nothing!I struggle to my feet and raise my fists like a schoolboy. For a few seconds, Khan and I circle each other in the middle of the room.
I can see Dache out of the corner of my eye, arms folded, just watching.
