by T E Stouyer
Arianne gazed up at him, looking puzzled. “Two?”
Rock realized right away that he had committed another gaffe. Arianne didn’t know about Johann. How could she? And he had just announced it to her in the most clumsy and insensitive manner.
“I’m sorry,” the giant said again, unable to find any other way to express his condolences.
“Johann …” Lucielle mumbled, her face buried in the giant’s shoulder.
Arianne closed her eyes. She had always known it was naïve to hope everyone would make it safely through this ordeal. But no matter how prepared one tries to be, the reality of such tragedies is always harsher than anticipated.
“Listen, guys,” Ben said as he stepped forward. “I realize this is a very sad and difficult moment. And that some of you may even be in shock, right now. And I certainly don’t mean to sound callous, but we can’t stay here. We really need to go.”
Kincade stepped closer to Arianne, and said in a gentle voice, “Ben’s right. We have to leave. It’s only a matter of time before—”
Arianne’s body suddenly stiffened. “Shock …” she whispered.
She glanced at Lucielle, and the same fearful expression formed on their faces.
“What is it?” Kincade asked.
Arianne and Lucielle promptly turned their heads and looked in Ben’s direction.
He stared back at them, confused, and then turned around to see if someone was approaching from behind.
The only one there was Soran.
The young man had been standing in the same spot ever since he had seen his brother lying on the ground, and he hadn’t uttered a single word.
“Hey, man, you OK?” Ben asked, noticing the strange look on Soran’s face. He moved closer to the young man and added, “You seem different somehow.”
“No! Get away from him!” Arianne shouted.
The warning came too late.
Soran swung his arm and hit Ben on the jaw with a backhanded fist.
The mercenary swirled through the air and landed in the middle of the group.
At first, Kincade was so stunned that he didn’t react at all. Then, he knelt down and checked on his comrade.
Ben was unconscious, but breathing. He had simply been knocked out cold.
Kincade gazed at Soran, wondering what had possessed him to attack one of their own. But it didn’t take him long to put two and two together. Besides, the look of distress on Arianne’s face told him everything he needed to know. He recalled how adamant she had been that Soran remain in the van with Lucielle. At the time, Kincade had assumed she had said it out of concern for her younger brother’s safety. Because of the dangers they knew they would have to face. But now, it suddenly became clear to him that Arianne’s concern was, in fact, not for Soran, but rather for everyone else.
Having witnessed Soran’s transformation once before, Rock took less time than Kincade to grasp the situation. “Oh, crap!” he exclaimed. He had begun to raise his semi-automatic rifle, when Lucielle placed her small hand on his arm.
“Bad idea,” she warned.
The giant hesitated, and then lowered his weapon.
Arianne dried her tears and stood up, looking determined. She glanced at Kincade, who had also returned to his feet, and whispered to him, “Don’t try anything. He’ll kill you.” She then marched over to her brother and stood squarely in front of him. “Myrvan, why did you hit him?”
“He was going to touch me,” Myrvan replied.
Arianne flashed a disapproving frown.
As he gazed at the young man, Kincade was astounded at how different he seemed. His facial expression, his demeanor, and everything else about him had changed. Even his voice had a completely new intonation. It was cold, detached, and sounded a bit gruff. And his eyes had turned razor sharp.
Kincade had a hard time accepting that this was the same young man who was always so carefree, and spent his time making bad jokes with Rock and Sonar.
No, in truth this wasn’t the same person.
In fact, the longer Kincade stared at Soran, the more convinced he became. He did not know the person standing before him, now.
Kincade then turned his attention to Arianne.
She looked her brother straight in the eye and said, “I’m not giving you the card. It cost us too much, already.”
“I don’t care about Adam’s card,” Myrvan said. “Do whatever you want with it.”
Arianne was a bit taken aback by his reply. “You don’t care? Then … what do you want?”
Myrvan said nothing.
“You have something in mind, don’t you?” Arianne pressed. “Something other than what Damien was planning.”
“And what if I do?”
“Don’t you think there’s been enough death?” Arianne pleaded. “How many times have I tried to make you understand? Life is precious. Life is a gift.”
“Precious? … yes. A gift? … no.” Myrvan took a step closer to her and said, “Life is not a gift. Life is an opportunity. But survival … must be earned.”
As if to emphasize the young man’s words, a loud rumble shook the air, and dark clouds gathered menacingly overhead. A storm was coming.
The sounds of police sirens were also growing louder in the distance.
Time was running out.
Myrvan walked over to Damien and picked him up gently. Then, without a word, he turned around and carried his body away.
As Arianne watched her brothers disappear into the night, Kincade went over to her. He risked placing a hand on her shoulder, and said, “We should go.”
Without turning around, she touched his hand gently, and replied, “Yes. Let’s go home.”
Thank you for reading End Game – Eritis Book Three.
I hope you enjoyed the book. Please take the time to write a review—even a few words will do.
Reviews are very important. They’ll make it easier for other readers to find the book.
Your feedback is also invaluable to me as an author, and I look forward to connecting with you on Facebook and Twitter at.
www.facebook.com/stouyert
www.twitter.com/stouyert
You can also visit my website http://www.stouyerbooks.com for promotions and news about my upcoming novels.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 – Bad News
Chapter 2 – Unfamiliar Faces
Chapter 3 – Guilt
Chapter 4 – Second Clue
Chapter 5 – Priorities
Chapter 6 – Too Close
Chapter 7 – Playing Chess
Chapter 8 – Crude Tactic
Chapter 9 – Deal
Chapter 10 – Strange Box
Chapter 11 – WIAS
Chapter 12 – Set the Dot
Chapter 13 – Meeting Point
Chapter 14 – This is Bad
Chapter 15 – What Are You Doing Here?
Chapter 16 – I’m Not Going to Shoot You
Chapter 17 – No Regrets
Chapter 18 – Symbols
Chapter 19 – Legacy
Chapter 20 – Life is Not a Gift