Icefall (Dane Maddock Adventures) by David Wood Read Free Book Online Page A

succession and it was a flattened, bloody mess.
    He sucked in a deep, rasping breath and let out a cry of rage. With a sudden burst of strength, he rolled her off of him. Angel scramble d away before he could pin her down. The man was up on his knees but instead coming after her, he pulled an automatic pistol from his coat pocket.
    Angel ’ s roundhouse kick struck him in the temple and he went limp. His eyes glazed and, like a felled tree, plunged forward. Just for meanness, she added a front kick to his face as we went down. She caught him at an awkward angle, and pain shot through her ankle, but she could not stifle her feral grin.
    She hesitated for a moment, wondering where the pistol had fallen and if she should search for it.
    “ Uhlrich? ” An unfamiliar voice called from down the street. A shadow appeared in the whirling snow. Resolving into the form of Uhlrich ’ s companion – the odd one who hadn ’ t been wearing a jacket.
    Still pumped from her beatdown of Uhlrich, Angel entertained a fleeting thought of taking the fight to this guy as well before common sense overrode adrenaline. Reminding herself that Bones was the dumb one in the family, she turned on her heel and ran.

Chapter 8- The Door
     
    Jade was already awake when Dane rolled out of bed. The previous evening ’ s events, followed by the news that Angel had been attacked outside the hotel had kept the wheels of his mind turning until well into the night. When they discovered the missing skulls, they knew why the men had come.
    He and Bones had taken turns staying awake, though neither of them expected the men to return. They had the skulls, and didn ’ t know about the existence of the three hares disc.
    He sat up, closed his eyes, and inhaled the welcome aroma of coffee. Exactly what he needed to start this cold morning.
    “ It ’ s about time. I’ve been on the web for hours. ” Jade did not look up from the tiny screen of her phone which she was using to search the internet. “ I ’ ve already solved the mystery while you were dreaming about... sand, or whatever it is you dream of. ”
    “ Seriously? ” He sat up straight, feeling wide awake.
    “ No. ” She turned and gave him a coy smile. “ But since you ’ re awake, how about pouring me a cup of coffee. ”
    He gave her a playful swat on the hip and rolled out of bed, sparing a moment to work out the kinks from sleeping on a mattress that was much too soft for his likin g. He poured two cups of coffee: black for him, two sugars, no cream for her. He sat her cup on the nightstand on her side of the bed, opened the curtains to let in the glow of the snow-frosted city, and settled into a nearby chair.
    “ I do have an idea, though. ” Jade took sip of coffee and regarded him over her cup. When he didn ’ t bite, she made a mocking pout that melted into a smile. “ Fine. Don ’ t let me have any fun. ”
    “ Tell me, my wise and beautiful queen... ”
    “ No! ” She held up her hand. “ Too late now. Just sit there, drink your coffee, a nd enjoy the fruits of my labor . ” She picked up the hotel note pad she ’ d use for her note-taking. “ Aside from the message on the disc, our clues are: the three hares, the wise men, an d the wise and foolish virgins. Agreed? ”
    “ I suppose you could add Bacchus to that list. ”
    “ Might as well. ” She made a note. “ I tried combining phrases from the message with some of these clues, along with Germany and cathedrals or churches, and using them as search terms. I ’ ve come up with one place I feel good about. ”
    “ Let ’ s hear it. ”
    “ Saint Mary ’ s Cathedral in Hildesheim. ” She fixed him with an expectant look.
    “ Never heard of it. ”
    “ It ’ s famous for the Bernward Doors – huge bronze doors that depict scenes from the Bible. ” She checked her notes. “ Each door has eight panels, and one of them shows the adoration of the Magi . ”
    “ Sounds iffy. ” Dane h eld his coffee close to