Oduwa and Emma triggered their crossbows, sending bolts flying into the creature’s torso. The werewolf howled enraged pain, but the bolts didn’t seem to slow it down. It slammed into Oduwa on a current of momentum knocking him on his back.
Emma leapt out of the way, just avoiding being hit and carried to the floor.
Oduwa jammed a forearm beneath the beast’s chin in an effort to keep its snapping teeth from closing on his neck.
Emma whipped out a throwing knife and hurled it at near point blank range.
The multi-pronged blade penetrated an area above the werewolf’s forehead. The distracted lycan wagged its head to shake the knife loose, while attempting to dislodge it with its paw..
Emma stamped a boot down on the throwing knife, driving it deeper into the werewolf’s head until the creature convulsed and became rigid. Over three hundred pounds of werewolf bulk collapsed on Oduwa, pinning him to the floor.
“Uh…Emma…”
“Hold on, Oduwa.” Emma grabbed handfuls of wolf pelt and pulled while Oduwa pushed up until the carcass was off of him.
Oduwa let out a laborious breath as he rose to his feet.
At that moment, the werewolf reverted to human.
“I’ll be damned,” Emma whispered, recognizing the reposeful face of the Dutch Templar.
“That was no ordinary Templar,” said Oduwa, scooping up his crossbow and notching it. “There’s an elite order within the Templars called the Wolves of Christ.”
“More like Wolves of the devil,” Emma commented with disgust.
She glanced down the aisle and saw curious faces peeking from cabins. “Everyone back inside, there’s nothing to see here!”
An elderly woman screamed at the sight of a dead naked man sprawled on the floor.
Emma immediately gave up on crowd control and concentrated on getting into Mao Li’s cabin
Oduwa kicked in the door and burst into the cabin with Emma close behind.
Mao Li crouched in a corner of the cabin, next to his bed with a blade in hand, his face an incongruous mix of courage and fright. Dressed in a dapper gray suit and matching bowler hat, Mao certainly did not have the look of a person about to retire for the evening.
“Going somewhere?” Oduwa inquired, pointing his crossbow at the passenger.
Mao Li dropped the blade and raised his hands. “Look, whoever you are, you have the wrong man…I’m just a business executive…”
Oduwa grabbed the man by his lapel and pulled him toward the door. “Tell it to my superiors. Let’s go.”
Emma took point down the aisle.
Mao Li shuffled behind her, prodded along by a crossbow to the small of his back. “Move it,” Oduwa prompted impatiently.
There was a partition ahead separating passenger cabins from the scenic chamber. Emma and Oduwa planned to nab Mao Li and make their way to the carriage operator’s booth. From there, they planned to hijack the carriage, bring it to a halt and get picked up by a Mandinka Republic airship. Werewolves had not factored into the planning for this operation. Nor had the flint eyed Zulu standing resolutely at the other of end of the scenic chamber, wielding a wide bladed assegai.
Emma laid eyes on Bongani Mndeni and bit off a curse under her breath.
“You’re not acting like a diplomat, Mr. Mndeni,” Oduwa called out, holding Mao Li by the back of the neck while directing his crossbow upon Bongani.
“Step aside, Mr. Mndeni,” warned Emma. “We have no quarrel with you.”
“As long as you have that man in your custody, I will beg to differ.” Bongani shook his assegai twice. The blade glowed red, becoming brighter until it was enveloped in a translucent coating of flame. Thin jets of steam vented from small holes at the bottom of the iron plated assegai shaft. “Release your prisoner to me and I will allow you your lives.”
Emma chuckled her disbelief. The arrogance. She released a bolt without warning, hoping to do away with this haughty Zulu in quick fashion.
Bongani’s spear arm blurred inhumanly fast. The crossbow bolt deflected off the assegai blade inches from the Zulu’s heart and pierced the ceiling.
Oduwa fired and Bongani swung his flaming assegai in a clipped backhand, knocking the bolt into the chamber’s glass, cracking the window.
Bongani bellowed a war cry and lunged, his weapon reared back to taste enemy flesh.
Oduwa shoved Mao Li aside and he and Emma whipped out their swords.
Emma met the Zulu’s charge, sidestepping an assegai thrust. She attempted a slash to Bongani’s chest. He blocked Emma’s blow with his blade shaft and delivered a brutal straight kick to her gut.
Bongami batted Oduwa’s sword with such force that it nearly flew out of the latter’s hand. He brought his assegai up and Oduwa jumped back, narrowly avoiding a stab beneath his rib.
A wash of intense heat from the fiery blade blew across Oduwa’s face like a bellow’s breath.
Bongani positioned his assegai for a thrust, but whirled it about at the last second to block the throwing knife Emma pitched in his direction. The assegai carved the airborne knife in half, sending both segments twirling on either side of the chamber.
A werewolf crashed through the partition door as Bongani swung his blade at Emma.
The Mandinka woman parried the blow then witnessed the werewolf reach out a rangy arm toward the Zulu.
If Bongani was surprised by the beast’s presence, his icy calm betrayed no indication. He ducked beneath the lycan’s long arm and buried almost the entirety of his assegai into the monster’s belly. The werewolf’ swiped with his other arm, managing to rip out the Zulu’s throat with a clawed hand.
Bongani fell in one direction the werewolf in the other. The Zulu died first. The werewolf’s life withered away seconds later and the beast soon transformed back to a man. The German Templar.
Oduwa grimaced in pain from the near contact with the Zulu’s blade. He felt like a layer of his facial skin had been scoured away by a hot coal.
Emma gripped his arm. “Mao is gone! Come on!”
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