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1 The fist shot at her face much faster than she’d expected. Annja Creed felt certain it wou
2 The Spartan showers at the Tokyo Budokan weren’t the kind of luxurious bath Annja would hav
3 Annja leaned back in the booth, feeling the cushions on her back. “Ninja? You’re kidding, r
4 The interior of the Mercedes sat in darkness except for the lime-green luminescence of the
5 Annja hunched over her laptop and started composing a post for alt.archaeology.esoterica—th
6 “It does sound as though I woke you. My apologies,” Garin said. Annja stretched out in the
7 Annja spent the rest of the day exploring the small shops that surrounded the hotel. While
8 The outer shoji rice-paper screen slid back smoothly on its runners. Annja could hear the r
9 The night air of Chiba still smelled of soy sauce, but a stiff breeze from the east made it
10 Annja floated in a strange, lazy dreamworld of sounds and images. She saw faces from her p
11 Nezuma Hidetaki watched from the back of the black BMW M3 through heavily tinted windows a
12 “Are you feeling okay?” Annja nodded, but she felt anything but all right. Not after havi
13 “Annja.” Annja opened her eyes and looked at Ken. He was sliding his jacket on, his eyes
14 “Where’d he go?” Annja looked back but the mysterious monk had vanished in a second in th
15 Nezuma watched as police officers and investigators circulated around the alley near the t
16 He was a huge man by Japanese standards. Towering over most people, he didn’t so much wal
17 Nezuma regarded the dead schoolgirl’s corpse and then looked at Shuko. “Did you see who it
18 The Japan Railway train shuddered along the old steel tracks, twisting through the dense r
19 Annja welcomed the fresh air of Iga as she and Ken disembarked at the main city of Ueno. T
20 The door was built of solid sheet metal and rusted through in the lower section. Flakes of
21 Shuko’s naked body glistened with sweat. Nezuma could see every thin cord of wiry muscle w
22 “Nice place.” Ken looked around the expanse of the ryokan rural inn and nodded. “These pl
23 Annja slept enveloped by the warmth of the bedding on the tatami-mat floor, listening to t
24 “Who told you to attack them?” Nezuma paused as he listened to the voice on the telephone
25 “I’m sorry for your loss.” Ken nodded, bowing his head for a moment. “He was a good kid.
26 Nezuma watched as Annja and Kennichi made their way into the noodle stand. Next to him, Sh
27 “The air smells like incense here.” Ken nodded as they stood at the trailhead strapping o
28 “It really is beautiful here,” Annja said after they’d eaten dinner. She sat on her sleepi
29 Annja could feel Ken’s eyes on her as she stepped into the frigid waters of the pond. What
30 Annja stretched out in the sleeping bag. They’d made slow, leisurely love under the stars
31 Nezuma rolled over on his side, perched on the cliff overlooking the glen. The ghillie sui
32 Annja’s head throbbed much the same way her shoulder did—as if someone were using her to p
33 Nezuma gritted his teeth and pulled himself farther up the rope as the waterfall crashed d
34 “Annja?” Annja held up the coin. “Yes?” “There are three cave entrances here,” Ken said.
35 Annja led the way as the crawl space opened down at a sharp angle. “Hold my ankles,” she c
36 When she finally managed to blink her way back to full vision, Annja saw that they were in
37 Annja watched the shock wash over Nezuma’s face. Despite the gunshot wound, he still manag
38 The monks showed them how to best exit the mountain, but kept Annja and Ken blindfolded th
39 “Hello, Annja. Nice to see you again.” Annja frowned. “I’m not so sure I can say the same
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