“Oh!” said the Nightingale. ”Do not do anything so barbarous and so unbecoming as to kill me. Remember, I never did anything wrong — and I would be only a mouthful for one such as you. Why do you not attack some larger bird, which
Radhesh had never really learned how to mourn properly, never having settled into one tradition. He was a teenager when his parents had died. He had just begun studying engineering at Stanford, an early entrant at sixteen, and they had flown all the way from
Sergei held out his arms to either side and smiled at the security guard. “You don’t have to be gentle. It’s not my first time.” The bouncer, doughy but hardly formidable, bit down hard on his lip as he bent to his task. Sergei remained
Keep his head turned. Monitor his actions and his plans. Influence them to our advantage, and weaken his army’s effectiveness. He doesn’t care about his own casualties, so suggest engagements likely to thin his numbers. You’ll know when to strike the final blow. It was
Rachel fought against the cramping in her ankles by alternately removing the pressure from them and letting it pull at her elevated wrists instead. She was furious with herself for not trying harder to keep Sergei’s attention on her, furious with him for leaving her
More“Your little brother believed in honour too, until I gutted him like Christmas dinner.”
She didn’t look like much from across the room. The Priory was not one of Renoir Karzai’s better establishments, but it was extremely secure, and the patrons who paid heavily to drink in peace were always easy to clear out. It had once been a
The mood was high when she entered the common room, and she knew the reason. Kiryanova was good at her job, knew how to triangulate voice signals in order to make up pictures of what was happening anywhere in the Cradle. She had uncommon skill,
The call had gone out midday, broadcast directly from the Alpine Guard radio desk. Anyone who helps the invaders will pay with their lives, the lives of their family. Himalaya will hear the screams of traitors for the rest of human time. Informers and patriots
Aleksandr Tsarnaev glared at Nasrin from the passenger’s seat, gagged with gauze bandages, and bound to the seat. He still appeared woozy from the blow to the head she’d given him. He growled something through the gag, chewing uselessly to try and separate the gauze
More“If you truly believe Allah redeems, what difference will one more make?”
Mornings at the Orchid were slow. The building, formed out of several welded cargo boxes, had a cave-like atmosphere, with a long bar, a few screened off rooms, and a perimeter of benches. The kerosene lamps were low, most of the light coming in from