The Last Hunter: Collected Edition (Antarktos Saga #1-5)

“It’s what they call the Nephilim and hunters,” Merrill explains.

“Then I guess we’ll find out tomorrow,” I say.

We spend the following three hours beneath the temple, developing contingency plans to any number of unthinkable situations. As each plan is documented, it is given a name, and then transmitted into the minds of every soldier by Luca. If he gives the command for contingency Red Bravo, every man on the ground, pilot in the air and captain at sea will know what to do.

With everyone as prepared as they possibly could be, Holloway orders us all to get some rest. Apparently, he was joking when he said I looked like I’d been on vacation, and a few hours sleep, according to him, would work wonders. When I argue that he should rest too, he points out that he’d be spending the following day shouting orders, not fighting thirty-foot tall monsters. So I give in and I’m directed to my personal quarters, which is a sturdy looking tent covered in gray camouflage.

When I enter, I find Kainda already there, waiting in one of two cots that have been pushed together. There might be other items of interest inside the tent, but I don’t see them. My eyes don’t stray from Kainda.

“I thought outsiders were pre-occupied with comfort,” Kainda says. “These could use a few feeder skins.”

“Huh?” I say, focusing my thoughts for the first time since laying eyes on her. Despite all I’ve been through, all the enemies I’ve faced and horrors I’ve endured, my nerves churn violently through my gut. This is my wedding night, after all. Kainda smiles up at me and erases all my fears. I remove Whipsnap and my ancient looking Batman-like utility belt, laying them next to the bed where they can be quickly recovered. I climb in bed next to Kainda, pull the blanket over me, place my hand on her cheek, and say, “I love you.”

She rubs her hand through my hair—just once—and I’m asleep before she has a chance to reply.





27



“Solomon!” My name, shouted in a way that exudes desperation and encroaching danger, launches me from the cot. Confused by the dull gray space around me, I stumble and trip over Whipsnap, falling to the floor in a heap. As adrenaline fuels the return of my memory, I look up to find the cot empty. Kainda has gone.

Hearing footsteps rapidly approaching, I climb to my feet, pick up my belt and weapon and strap them on just in time to look put together for whoever it is coming to get me.

The tent flap snaps open. It’s Em, who is one of the few people I wouldn’t mind seeing me sprawled out on the floor. She’s seen me at my worst and never thought less of me. Not that she would have noticed. Her eyes are full of concern.

It’s begun, I think.

Em confirms it, saying, “They’re here.”

“What time is it?” I wonder aloud.

“The sun is just rising now.”

They made good time.

“Take me to Holloway.”

She nods and leads me out. “He’s at the wall.”

Men and women rush in all directions, hauling weapons and ammo, taking up positions all around the camp, watching the distance and the sky. We work our way through the bustle, past the side of the temple and toward the front of the base. As we approach an ancient staircase carved into a massive stone, I spot Luca by its base.

“What are you doing out here?” Em asks him. “Get back inside!”

“I needed to tell Sol something,” the boy says, looking at me.

I kneel down to him and take his arms. “What is it?”

I’m expecting a “good luck,” or a “goodbye” or even just a hug, but he levels a serious gaze at me and says. “This is how it’s going to work. Think your orders to me, and I’ll send them to everyone else. We’ll try to use the plans as much as possible—” Luca and I share the same perfect memory. We’ll be able to change tactics with a thought. “But there might be some things we haven’t thought of. If something comes up, like if you need everyone to focus on a target, just think it. I’ll be listening.”

Talking to Luca is surreal. He not only looks like me, but he’s smart like I was, and for the first time in my life, I can see why people thought I was strange. He seems far too young to be thinking in such detail or with such clarity. It’s a gift, I suppose, if you’re emotionally tough enough to deal with all that knowledge and the understanding that comes with it. I never was, but Luca seems to be handling his responsibilities just fine.

Then comes the hug and a quick, “goodbye.” I watch him run for the temple for just a moment before heading up the stairs with Em. At the top of the wall, I find Holloway, Kainda, Kat and Mira, who now holds a dangerous looking assault rifle. She’s wearing body armor and a scowl to boot. When she sees me coming, I say, “Nice gun.”