[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.He walked along the right side of the passageway, scanning the wall as he slowly made his way along it.Vice Sergeant Ismail Al-Sabani moved up to walk next to him.Although Al-Sabani didn’t transmit, Steropes could hear him saying something inside his suit.Finally Steropes stopped and looked at him, “Do you know something that I don’t?”“Do you have a qarin?” Al-Sabani asked.“If I do,” Steropes replied, “I am unacquainted with him or her.”Al-Sabani nodded.“I have had my qarin since I was a little child.When I was five, I became very sick, nearly unto death.I had a fever that nothing could cure.As I lay there on my bedroll, I could feel two qarin wrestling over me.One was evil, the other benevolent.They fought over me for two days.All the while, I lay in a coma at death’s doorway.Finally, the benevolent spirit was victorious and threw down the evil one.Ever since that day he has guided me, speaking to me when needed.I am the one most acquainted with the jinn.It is best for me to accompany you.”Steropes nodded.“What is he telling you now?” he asked.“He is telling me to pray,” Al-Sabani replied.“Then you should certainly do so,” Steropes agreed.“Wait a second,” Calvin said.“Is there something the rest of us should know? What is a qarin?”“We’re not going to stand here and discuss old wives tales when there are things that need killing, are we?” Petty Officer David Levine asked.“I grew up with an Islamic friend, and that was all he ever talked about.Jinn this, qarin that.I don’t know what good they’re supposed to be; his qarin didn’t tell him not to step on the land mine that killed him.”“I’ll ask again,” Calvin repeated.“What’s a qarin?”“A qarin is a special jinni that is assigned to a person,” Al-Sabani replied.“The uncultured believe in guardian angels; they are really jinn.”“What is the difference?” Calvin asked.“Angels obey the will of Allah,” Al-Sabani answered, “whereas jinn have free will.A guardian angel would always help you and keep you on the correct path.A qarin might be bad and constantly try to lead you astray.”“And you’ve got one of these?” Calvin asked.“I have had a good qarin since I was five,” Al-Sabani said.“Haatan has never led me astray.He is telling me that this temple is full of evil and that we should leave.He also suggested prayer, but he doesn’t think that will be sufficient.He believes that if we stay, we will die.”“There issss an anti-jinn prayer?” Bob asked.“Can you teach it to ussss?” Calvin had noticed that the therapods’ lisps always got worse when they were excited.Or scared.“It is the Throne Verse of the Qur'an,” Al-Sabani replied, “but if you are not a believer, it will not work for you.That is why I do it for you.”“And I, as well,” Leading Seaman Abdul Wazir agreed, a Muslim from the Kashmir region of India.“Can we go now?” Levine asked.“I need to get back as quick as I can to my jinn.my gin and tonic, that is.” He laughed at his joke.“Knock it off, Levine,” Master Chief O’Leary ordered, hoping to avoid a religious war.“Let’s focus on killing whatever’s in this pyramid.We can discuss this when we get back to the ship.”“Steropes, please lead on,” Calvin ordered.“Anything you can do to assist, Sergeant Al-Sabani, is most welcome.”The 15 remaining members of the squad and their chaplain followed Steropes as he proceeded along the dark passageway.As they came to the next corner, a glow could be seen from around it.Steropes and Sergeant Al-Sabani rounded the corner to find an empty passage leading off as far as the eye could see, well lit by torches placed every 20 feet or so.Steropes stopped suddenly, causing Petty Officer Sherkov to walk into him.“What is wrong?” Sherkov asked.“I see nothing out of place.”“I know,” Steropes replied.“I don’t see anything wrong either, and that’s what worries me.” He slowly started forward again, searching the walls and floors for any sort of marks that might indicate a pressure plate or any other sign of a trap.They had walked almost 100 yards when Doug asked, “You wanted to know if we found writing, yesss?”“Yes,” Steropes agreed.“Did you find some?”“There is some on thisss torch,” replied Doug.He grabbed the torch and tried to pull it from its holder to show the Psiclops, but it appeared to be stuck.“NO!” Steropes yelled, turning around to see the lizard pulling on the torch, “don’t touch it!” But it was too late.Doug pulled harder on the torch, and it came free.As it did, a 20 feet long section of the passageway behind him came unhinged and dropped.Petty Officer Remy Martin, Leading Seaman Abdul Wazir, Leading Seaman Sigvar Borsheim and Irina Rozhkov went tumbling into the abyss that suddenly opened up beneath them.Seeing what he had done, Doug slammed the torch back into its holder, and just as suddenly as it had dropped, the passageway closed back up again, trapping the members below
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Tematy
IndexCidney Swanson [Saving Mars Saving Mars (epub)
Christine Wood [Life Plan 01] A Life Plan Without You (epub)
Cheryl McIntyre [Infinitely Infinitely (epub)
Clair Delaney [Coral 01] Coral (epub)
Christine Cody [Bloodlands 01 Bloodlands (epub)
Christina Ross [Unleash Me, A Unleash Me, Vol 3 (epub)
Christine Flynn [The Hunt for Once Upon a Christmas Eve (epub
Christian Fletcher [The Left Left on the Brink (epub)
Christopher G Nuttall [Royal The Royal Sorceress (epub)
Stanley Fish, Fredric Jameson The Cultures of Globalization (1998)