“Except this time he's not your enemy, as you say,” Charlie added.
“That's right. He's obviously not attempting to hide himself.” Skye stared up, knowing that Nikolai would be stationed on one of the highest floors. “He must know we're here. We should leave before he comes down and speaks to us.”
Delta gasped, her eyes widening. “Charlie ...” she cautiously said.
“What is it?” her husband asked, half panicking. “Is it the Tianzu?”
She looked at him gravely and nodded. “They're here. They're in Nishihama. I ... I was too busy focussing on Nikolai to sense them.”
Skye's heart skipped a beat. He had been in Shizudera for only a day, but no time had been wasted in locating the Tianzu. It was no coincidence though, he thought—the Tianzu were undoubtedly seeking out White Shadow and Black Dawn. “Where are they?”
She pointed north once again. “They're coming toward us. Two of them.” She looked at the others, her expression hardening. “It's the boy.”
Charlie clenched his fists. He hadn't laid eyes on the boy since that horrendous day in Athenia three months earlier. “Let's move.”
“Tahlia's nearby too,” Delta added. “She must be after them.”
Skye rubbed his eyes. “Of course she is. Nikolai would have given the order.” He looked around and surveyed the dozens of tourists taking photos of themselves on the bridge. “We need to be careful. We can't risk anyone getting hurt.”
“The Tianzu wouldn't allow it.”
“They wouldn't,” Skye agreed. “But Tahlia's reckless. How far away are they?”
Delta closed her eyes again. “Less than two kilometres, I think.”
Skye tapped his comm. “Sierra, are you there? We've found Tahlia. We need you to come back.” She was in much more of a hurry than the others from White Shadow that morning, and had gradually drifted further in front of them.
“We shouldn't tell her that we've found where Nikolai's staying,” Charlie suggested.
“Good idea,” Skye said after muting the call. “She's even more reckless than Tahlia. The last time they fought in public, the city had to be locked down.”
A gust of wind blew across the bridge as Sierra appeared. “Where is she?” Several stunned tourists turned their attention to the short woman.
“Sierra!” Skye hissed, his voice low. “Stop doing that.” He twisted his head to see the curious glances of the pedestrians around them.
“Where's Tahlia?” she asked again, changing the subject back to the more pressing matter.
“You need to be discreet,” Charlie advised her. “We can't draw attention to ourselves.”
Sierra looked up at her three supposed comrades, her impatience growing. “Where?”
“The Tianzu are there too. We should go together, Sierra.”
“He's right,” Delta said, looking down at the short assassin. “We're stronger together.”
“Let's go,” Skye said, ending the conversation and leaving the bridge, crossing into another large shopping arcade.
“Why don't you trust me?” Sierra asked, appearing in front of Skye and blocking his path.
Skye didn't bother lying to her face. “Because you're reckless. I think it's best if you stay with us. We can fight together this time.” He pushed past her and started jogging at what would appear to the public to be a normal pace. Charlie and Delta ran after him.
Sierra appeared alongside him. “Fine. But this time I want Tahlia dead. If any of you have the opportunity to kill her, please take it.”
Skye stared at her, wide-eyed. A half grin spread across his face. “You're giving us permission to kill Tahlia? That doesn't sound like you at all.”
She looked up at him as they ran. “I want her dead, Skye. If she escapes again ...”
The admission took him by surprise. There was no doubt in his mind that Sierra had changed over the past week. Tango and Echo had complained several times about her, and he always defended her, knowing she would become a useful ally. Her frustration was also something he could relate to, he thought.
He turned his attention back to the task at hand. The Tianzu were here, and had to be stopped. The endless war between the groups was exhausting. And the longer it lasted, the more dangerous it became for all of them.
“Skye, they're together,” Delta suddenly said. “Tahlia's in the same location as the two Tianzu. She might be about to attack.”
Charlie increased his pace. “We'd better hurry then.”
Sierra ran faster too, disappearing from sight seconds later.
“No!” Skye called after her, but it was too late. Only a brief moment ago he thought she might be beginning to listen to his orders. He turned his head and read the concerned faces of Charlie and Delta. He knew what they were both thinking: the last thing any of them wanted to do was alarm the civilians around them and cause another military lockdown.
But they also knew that allowing Tahlia to attack the Tianzu alone was a far greater threat to the people around them. “Fine. Let's move. Quickly,” he said, and then began to sprint through the arcade.
Twenty-two
Tahlia stood on the roof of a twelve-storey building, watching on as Shin and Karatsu strolled down Aidosu Boulevard. She had found the pair with ease, recognising them from when she last saw them in Athenia three months ago. She carefully watched their every movement. Neither of them looked up at her, indicating that they both lacked the ability to track other shengxian.
She turned her head and glanced south into the distance, her hair blowing gently in the summer breeze. She could sense that four from White Shadow, including Marion, were closing the distance. She had to act quickly and find a way to eliminate the Tianzu before they arrived. Another pointless skirmish with Marion was far from welcoming.
Tahlia looked down at the road. There were a handful of civilians going about their business, but not so many in this part of Nishihama. Nikolai had warned her constantly to not be seen demonstrating her abilities, but doing so in such a densely populated nation would be virtually impossible.
Karatsu drew attention to himself whenever he passed a civilian; they stared at his concealed face with confusion. His attire was entirely normal aside from his hood mask. Tahlia watched on, equally as confused by his choice of clothing. But then again, she thought, his fashion sense was no more peculiar than that of Nikolai or Night.
She raised her hand up, conjuring a ball of black energy. She drew in a quick breath, knowing she would only have one chance to subdue the pair.
Karatsu and Shin continued walking at a leisurely pace, both still oblivious to her presence. She smirked and began to wonder why Nikolai saw the Tianzu as such a large threat. The two were about to have their lives taken from them, their weakness being that they're foolish enough to actually consider themselves warriors.
Her smile grew. A true warrior is always aware of her surroundings.
She thrust the energy downward, sending it hurtling to earth.
It flew with tremendous speed. Her accuracy was perfect.
Karatsu spun around and caught the ball in his palm. Shin screamed in fright and stumbled over.
Tahlia cursed to herself, feeling foolish that she believed her assassination attempt would have been an easy task. Her arrogance had gotten the better of her once again.
Karatsu looked up at the woman in black, their eyes meeting as he ripped the energy apart with his bare hands.
Tahlia's jaw dropped. She'd never seen someone able to stop the energy before, let alone dissipate it without the aid of a weapon. Before she could even react, Karatsu had scaled the side of the building in the blink of an eye and was standing before her on the roof.
She flipped herself backward and began to summon a stream of black energy. Karatsu stepped forward, removing two short swords from hidden scabbards on the sides of his black trousers. He lunged at her and cut the energy stream in half.
Tahlia closed her eyes and transported herself away from the scene
at once. She had made the mistake of underestimating her enemy. She appeared down on the path, staring face-to-face with Shin, who had barely even picked himself up. The boy screamed when he saw the woman materialise in front of him.
She moved as quickly as she could, summoning another ball of black energy. Before she could finish, she heard the sound of metal piercing the air. She dropped to the ground instinctively, narrowly avoiding decapitation from Karatsu and his blade. She didn't even see him descend from the roof. He was extraordinarily faster than she had anticipated, perhaps even faster than Marion.
Tahlia looked up to see the blade driving down toward her face. She raised her arm at the last second and smacked the metal away from her. But Karatsu's other blade was already in motion and heading straight for her. Seeing no other way out, she focussed her mind and transported herself back to the rooftop.
“Shin, run!” Karatsu ordered.
The boy nodded awkwardly, and began sprinting away from the battle. He considered himself to be a formidable warrior, but his speed was no match for Tahlia. He ran south, weaving between the perplexed bystanders who had stopped to see what the commotion was.
On the roof Tahlia acted quickly, summoning another stream of black energy. She managed to complete it before Karatsu appeared again. He lunged straight at her, swinging both blades simultaneously. Tahlia skilfully dodged his attacks, but was too slow to launch a counterattack of her own.
To her left, she could sense Marion closing in fast. She would only have a matter of seconds before her nemesis arrived. She swung her black whip at Karatsu, only for him to slice through it once again, dispelling the energy.
He stepped forward and held both swords high, ready to end her life. She crouched down and threw her leg at him, attempting to kick him in the abdomen, but her leg missed him entirely. Karatsu capitalised on her defenceless pose and stabbed his sword downwards, tearing straight through her upper leg.
Tahlia screamed in agony at the top of her lungs. Karatsu swung his other blade at her, ready to finish her off. She dug her hands into the concrete rooftop and pushed herself away as hard as she could, only narrowly avoiding the swinging blade.
Sierra landed on the roof and grabbed Karatsu's arm. Before he noticed her presence, she had picked him up and slammed him down into the concrete. He groaned as his body recoiled from the force.
Tahlia screamed even louder as Sierra grabbed the sword handle and extracted it from her leg, twisting it in the process and slicing her muscles to shreds. Karatsu kicked Sierra in the face while her guard was down, knocking her over the edge of the roof. He turned back around to see a black ball in his face.
He twisted his body to the side, avoiding certain death. Tahlia snatched his sword from his grasp. Karatsu tilted back to Tahlia as her fist connected with his face, sending him stumbling backwards. Before he could recover, she threw herself roughly at him and kicked him with her uninjured leg, sending him over the edge too.
Without wasting a single second, Tahlia transported herself back down to the ground below, holding the blade high, ready to impale the falling Karatsu. Sierra watched on, eager to kill Tahlia, but also willing to fulfil Skye's request and allow the Tianzu warrior to be eliminated.
Karatsu twisted his head as he fell and saw Tahlia's plan. As he dropped to earth like a stone, he removed a small shuriken from his belt and thrust it at Tahlia's head. She had no choice but to evade the metal projectile, sidestepping away from it and knocking it from its path with the sword.
Karatsu landed on the ground and was immediately attacked from both sides by the swordswomen. Sierra and Tahlia both swung wildly in an attempt to dismember the hooded man. He graciously dodged them both, then ripped his sword back from Tahlia's hand.
He turned and clashed metal on metal with Sierra, then drove his leg backwards and kicked Tahlia hard, sending her to the ground. Sierra didn't give up, launching several waves of attacks on Karatsu. He matched her every move, blocking her blade with his own, then knocking the sword from her palm.
Karatsu groaned again as he felt a sharp pain in his back. He knew instantly that Tahlia had thrown his shuriken at him. With his free hand, he reached behind and extracted the deadly star. He threw it at Sierra at point-blank range. Her speed was barely enough for her to catch it and hurl it back at him. He moved to his right and avoided the projectile, which landed in Tahlia's upper arm. She shrieked again, succumbing to another excruciating wound.
Karatsu turned his attention back to Sierra, who had retrieved her sword and was flying forward toward him. She aimed for his leg, eager to sever it in half. He saw her attack and parried with his blade. He dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding another of Tahlia's energy spheres, which was flying at him from behind. Sierra saw it too, bringing her weapon up and deflecting the darkness away.
Karatsu turned and ran as fast as he could, fleeing from the scene. It wasn't his wish to conduct such a deadly battle in public. Tahlia watched as he vanished into the distance. She closed her eyes and transported herself after him. Sierra gave chase, not willing to let either of them escape.
Twenty-three
Shin ran for his young life. He glanced over his shoulder to ensure he wasn't being followed. He moved between anyone walking along the path and sprinted south, away from the fight.
He stopped running when he saw three figures heading his way. They came to a halt themselves upon seeing him, standing only metres away. He recognised their faces from Athenia, knowing exactly who they were.
Delta's eyes widened. She glared at him in a state of shock, her jaw tightening. Charlie couldn't believe his eyes either.
“It's him,” Delta whispered. She felt rage begin to envelop her body. Within seconds, she was shaking uncontrollably.
Charlie's face twisted with fury. He didn't think twice as he grabbed his pistol and removed it from its holster, aiming for the head of the boy. Delta did the same, holding her weapon high without remorse.
Shin's lip began to tremble. He stared down the barrels of the guns, well aware the trio intended to kill him. He wasn't fast enough to evade a flying bullet, so he used the only defensive ability he had.
“Do it,” Skye said. “Kill him.”
The standoff caught the attention of the dozens of civilians around them, all of whom began to run for cover as soon as the guns were raised. Skye gritted his teeth and looked around, reluctant for the execution to be made so public. But he also knew that killing the boy was absolutely necessary. He was arguably the biggest threat they faced.
Shin's silent attack worked perfectly. Charlie and Delta stared at him, their eyes vacant. Seconds passed. Their faces twitched as they felt a sudden overwhelm of distress and pain. A lone tear fell down each of their faces.
“Quickly!” Skye shouted, confused by their delay.
Without warning, Charlie and Delta faced each other and held their guns to the other's head.
Skye watched on in horror. Shin's manipulating their minds.
“Goodbye,” Shin whispered with a manic smile.
“No!” Skye screamed. He dove between them as they both pulled the trigger, knocking their arms upwards. The guns fired, sending two bullets into the air, narrowly missing each other.
Chaos and panic set in. As soon as the shots were fired, the locals screamed and ran as fast as they could from the scene.
Skye smacked the guns from their hands, disarming the pair and preventing them from causing any further harm.
Charlie reached behind him, removing a small dagger and trying to stab Delta with it. Skye saw it and grabbed Charlie's arm, preventing the attack. Delta reached for Skye's kaiken and pulled it from its scabbard. She swung it at Charlie, only for Skye to intervene at the last second.
Skye snapped his head back to Shin. “Stop this! Let them go!”
Shin said nothing. He watched on happily, pleased with the scene before him.
Skye spun back around to see both Charlie and Delta focus their attacks on him. They both swu
ng their short blades, taking him by surprise. He threw himself backwards, avoiding being stabbed.
Skye growled. He knew he was unable to stop his friends from attacking him without injuring either of them. He instead turned his attention back to Shin. He leapt toward the boy and landed behind him, grabbing him roughly by the neck.
Shin screamed and tried to free himself from the headlock. “Let me go!”
“Release them!” Skye warned. He looked straight ahead and saw Charlie and Delta stumble toward Skye with their kaiken blades.
“Someone help!” Shin yelled in his local Shizugo. His cries fell on deaf ears, with most of the public having fled the scene.
Skye let go of his neck and punched him hard in the temple, sending him collapsing to the ground.
Charlie and Delta halted their actions and dropped the weapons, the shock on their faces evident.
“Skye,” Delta gasped, quivering with fear after what she had just attempted to do.
“Are you alright?” Skye asked, but he was interrupted by Charlie lunging at him. Skye jumped out of the way, catching a glimpse of Shin watching on from the ground.
The boy had to be stopped at once, Skye thought. He turned around to see Delta under Shin's control again. She picked her blade up and stumbled back toward Skye. He grabbed her arm and held her at bay. He heard footsteps from behind and felt Charlie roughly grab him around the waste and throw him down.
Skye landed on the ground with a loud thud. He came to his senses quickly, grabbing the dagger Charlie had earlier dropped. He threw it with all of his might at the boy.
Shin barely had time to react as he watched the metal fly toward his face. Karatsu appeared out of nowhere and snatched the weapon from the air, saving his apprentice's life.
The sudden arrival of the Tianzu warrior took Skye by surprise. He's fast.
Karatsu flew forward, holding both sword and dagger. Skye pushed himself up from the ground and flipped backwards away from the man. Karatsu ran forward like an unstoppable juggernaut, swinging his sword at the defenceless Skye.
Eternity's War (Books 1-3) (Eternity's War Boxsets) Page 55