"Bad guys inbound," he gasped out, trying to catch his breath. "Right behind me and closing fast."
He no more than finished this proclamation than all three heard the bells on the first trip line start ringing and growls of feral rage emanated from the direct he had come in.
"f**k," he groaned. Thumbing the mag release on his M9 he reloaded it quickly and turned to engage.
Sapphire moved to his side to get a clear line of fire, and knelt into the crouched firing position David had taught them. Raising the M4 and looking through the optics, she couldn't spot any targets in the darkness. Thinking quickly, she called up her magic and cast a ball of light into the air, twenty feet above the trip line that had just rang their enemy's arrival.
As the light flared to life, David reached up wi
