37

Nagira was woken roughly when his head bounced against the car window. He opened his eyes narrowly against the uncomfortable light. Through the haze of sleep he saw the gravelly edge of the road speeding by and beyond that, nothing but a frothy blue expanse stretching off toward the horizon. The coastal road. The car hit another pot hole and Nagira's head smacked the window again, harder this time. He sat up, rubbing his head and his eyes.

"Did this damned road wake you?" Integra asked.

Nagira looked up and noticed her in the driver's seat. She was wearing driving gloves like a proper English lady. But her hair was tied back with a ripped strip of cloth that Nagira recognized as the border of a handkerchief. That made him smile.

"What's so amusing?" she asked.

"Nothing really," he said. "How come you're driving?"

"We switched as soon as we left the highway, just past 1 o'clock."

"And what time is it now?"

"Almost five o'clock."

"And what's with your hair? I haven't seen you put it up before."

"I decided it was a good idea. At any moment, I might get the urge to stick my head out the window." She glanced back at him with a smirk.

Nagira snorted and smirked as well. He pulled himself forward until his head stuck out between the front seats. Amon was asleep in the passenger seat. Nagira was hoping his little brother might be drooling so he could tease him about it later. But he wasn't that lucky. Nagira sighed and let himself fall back into his seat in the back.

"I keep checking, but it hasn't happened yet," Integra said, as if reading Nagira's mind.

He looked up, a little surprised. "How did you know what I was looking for?"

"I didn't truly know," she replied. "I assumed you were looking for the same thing I look for. A fault, a crack in his armor. Damn him for being so perfect."

Nagira smiled again and said nothing. How could he argue with the truth? He looked across at Robin. She was sleeping too, her hand sandwiched between her ear and the window. The potholes that jarred the car every few minutes didn't seem to bother her at all. He thought of all the times Hana had to yell and scream to wake her up in the middle of the afternoon.

"I swear that little fox can sleep through anything," he said out loud.

"Is that so?" Integra said, without taking her eyes from the road. "I have a girl who can do that. At times, I think she can sleep through grenade explosions."

Nagira laughed as quietly as he knew how. It ended up sounding like a giggle. Integra glanced at him in the rearview mirror.

"It's alright if you wake them. We're almost there," she said.

Nagira leaned forward between the seats again. "Hey, Buffy. When were you planning on going home?" he asked.

"Don't call me that," she replied hopelessly. "I was planning to leave as soon as the results of the DNA tests arrived. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I could give you a tour of my office before you go."

Integra went quiet for a moment and Nagira's hope began to wilt.

"Are we there yet?" Robin's sleepy voice floated up from the back seat.

Nagira spared another look for Integra but she didn't look back. He sank down into his seat. "Nope, but almost," he said, answering Robin's question.

38

Half an hour later, Integra joined the others as they stepped off the road and skirted the edge of the cliff above the small cove. They could see a tree standing alone on the beach below, just like the scroll had said. The cliff face was almost sheer so they had to go around to the other side to find a place to descend safely. Integra looked back at the car parked on the side of the road. It looked a little bit lonely. But that was probably just her perception. Nagira's invitation had taken her by surprise. She hadn't expected things to go this far. It had occurred to her that it wouldn't do either of them any good to start a relationship. She would be thousands of miles away in a week or even less. Her little game had suddenly gotten serious. Even more so because she had wanted to accept.

There was no proper trail leading down into the cove, so they had to pick their way through the scrubby plants on the steep slope. Nearer the bottom, there were boulders piled up and they made their way down by jumping from one to another. They could see the cave now, it's mouth overgrown with tall grasses and hanging creepers. When at last they stood before it, the opening looked smaller than Integra had expected. It was little more than a wide crack in the rock face of the cliff half hidden by the shadow of the nearby tree. The sound of a car passing on the road above reminded Integra that they had other concerns as well. Without bothering to consult the others, she pulled her cell phone from her pocket and dialed Walter's number.

"Where are you right now?" she asked when Walter answered.

"The Paladin is on his way. I am following from a safe distance. We are on the coastal road, going north. We're almost there."

"You have a car?"

"I took the liberty, ma'am. I hope that isn't a problem."

"It isn't. Is Victoria with you?"

"As a matter of fact, she is. She insisted on coming, even though she does look ridiculous..."

Integra couldn't make out what Seras was saying in the background but it didn't sound very nice.

"Good," she replied. "Turn on the speaker phone. What I have in mind will require both of you."

Everything around Integra seemed to go quiet in response to that. Her companions were watching her now, listening intently. And Walter and Seras seemed to have focused their attention as well. She paused only a moment before continuing.

"Amon, Nagira, and I will be going into the cave in a few minutes. Robin will stay at the entrance. When Paladin Anderson arrives, he will be forced to attack her. As soon as he's distracted, Walter, you and Victoria will attack him from behind. Once he's caught in your pincer maneuver, your job will be to keep him pinned down long enough for us to take the swords and come back out. If the legend of the swords is true, then they should be the only weapons we'll need to break away and escape. Is everyone clear on the plan?"

"Indeed," Walter said over the phone line.

"Absolutely," Seras said, almost inaudible over the road noise in the background.

Amon, Nagira, and Robin all nodded.

The plan was set. All that was left for them now was to take the path ahead of them. The one that led into the cave.