Chapter 18 · One Ladder, No Way Back

"Down!"

Dorian's forearm slammed across my collarbone and drove me flat against the steel floor as high-caliber fire tore through the ceiling above us.

The military beacon inside the open iron case shrieked like a dying animal. Red light strobed across the walls. My ears rang. Cordite and hot grease burned the back of my throat.

"Shut it off!" I twisted beneath him. "They're locking onto the signal!"

"The primary circuit's fused to the casing." His mouth was inches from my ear. His chest pressed hard against my back, his wool coat soaked with rain and reeking of burnt powder. "They didn't just track the latch. They planted the detonator under the trestle bridge ahead."

"How long?"

"Maybe four minutes before the tracks drop out from under us."

I shoved at his shoulder. "Four minutes? You said this train was armored!"

"The cars are armored, Mara. The bridge isn't."

Another burst chewed through the armor seam above the window. Metal screamed. Sparks rained over us.

Dorian rolled away and dug through the torn pocket of his tunic. He came up with a thick pair of insulated cable cutters.

"The undercarriage hatch is under that crate," he said. "Kick it clear."