Extermination (Daniel Black Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

us.”
    “Better you than me,” she retorted. “Okay, there’s a ramp we can use. Hold on!”
    I discreetly grabbed hold of the bike with a bit of force magic, just in case. But Cerise drove with the same preternatural skill she displayed in any physical ability, slowing just enough to stay in control as we cleared the ramp and flew halfway across the wide cleared space beyond. A moment later we were back on the ground, already braking and turning onto the street that paralleled the water front.
    The harbor gate was still open, although a platoon of spearmen stood ready to close it at the first sign of danger. Unfortunately they didn’t know any more than we did about what was happening. We left them on guard and sped across the Temple District towards the commotion.
    Nervous citizens peered out their windows at us as we passed. This part of the city had already seen one major battle, and they weren’t eager for another one. Most of the buildings were intact, but here and there we passed a fire-gutted ruin or a structure with doors and windows smashed in. Signs of the battles that had already been fought here.
    At least the streets hadn’t been packed with refugees, like when I first arrived in Kozalin. The death toll among the civilians would have been a lot higher if we hadn’t gotten them into shelters before Hel’s attack.
    We passed through another gate guarded by a nervous platoon of the city garrison, and entered the Trade District. Here there was less damage, but there were sounds of fighting close at hand.
    “Head for the noise?” Cerise asked. “Or do you want to look around for a command post?”
    “Considering how my last conversation with the prince went, I’d say it’s better to avoid him for now. Head for the noise.”
    The commotion grew louder as we neared it, and I frowned. The shouts and clash of metal were familiar, but there was a lot of other noise. Deep-throated bellows from something I didn’t recognize, and the occasional tremendous crashing sound. What was going on?
    Then we came around a corner, and found ourselves face to face with the enemy. Cerise turned the bike sideways and skidded to a stop as we both stared.
    A block away the street was filled with a mass of huge, gray-skinned creatures lumbering towards us on four legs. Their heads were covered with bony armor, with a short horn rising up from the snout and two longer, lance-like horns projecting forward above the eyes. There was a group of hairy humanoids waving spears and javelins perched atop each of the creatures, which were considerably bigger than elephants.
    They spotted us immediately, and the front rank broke into a charge amid a chorus of howls and jeering.
    “Oh, crap!” Cerise exclaimed.
    She spun the bike around, and headed back the way we’d come. But I was still staring numbly at the enemy.
    “That’s a triceratops,” I muttered.
    “A what?”
    “Dinosaurs. They have frickin’ dinosaur cavalry.”
    Cerise snickered. “Are you jealous?”
    “Yes!”
    Our pursuers lumbered around the corner behind us. One of them tried to corner a little too fast, and ended up sliding across the packed snow into a shop that faced the road. The front of the brick and wood structure promptly collapsed, but the dinosaur pulled itself free of the falling debris without any apparent injury. So that’s what those crashing sounds were.
    Damn. They had to be killing a lot of civilians that way, and most people would have a fire going in their homes. That explained the smoke, at least.
    We could easily outrun them on the bike, but that’s not what we were here for.
    “Get a couple of blocks ahead and then stop,” I ordered.
    “You got it, Daniel. How are we killing these things? There’s too much light for me to shadow step, and my gun isn’t going to do much to an animal that big.”
    “Pick off the riders,” I told her. “I’ll handle the dinosaurs.”
    How was I going to do that? Well, first things first. I