The Last Man

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I want to thank my editor, George Witte, for letting me do this one after so many years, and also my copy editor, India Cooper, for doing her usual excellent job with the manuscript. Rick Cavey gave me invaluable advice on the diving technicalities; any errors there, whether intentional or not, are of my own making. The Ministry of Tourism in Israel was very helpful. Finally, I want to acknowledge the power of the Masada site, itself. There’s nothing quite like it in the world.

Judah scrambled across the earthen floor of the watch-room as the ceiling fell in, barely staying ahead of the tumble of dust, timbers, and royal plaster as he rolled into a corner, covering his face against the flying debris. A battered round rock about a foot in diameter, fired from a Roman ballista, smashed a final massive dent into the end-wall masonry before rolling to a stop three feet away. Through the wreckage of the ceiling, Judah could now see the sheets of fire consuming the tops of the western ramparts. He barely had time to collect himself before another stone came hissing across the night sky, passing invisibly over the ruined timbers of the watch-room to batter down a building somewhere beyond him in the darkness.

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