Eternity's War (Books 1-3) (Eternity's War Boxsets)

by Ruben Stelliswolfe

  “Most of the day. They went there after we fought them.”

  Confusion filled Skye's face. “Wait, you can actually sense they're inside a building without seeing it?”

  She shook her head. “No, I can only sense their presence. I know they're in a small building because I went there earlier to see for myself.”

  “A risky move,” he observed. “How do you know they're not able to track you back?”

  Nikolai laughed. “Don't tell me you actually care for Tahlia's safety now.”

  Skye shot his former friend an odd look. “No, I care for the safety of the mission—not Tahlia.”

  She faked a smile. “I doubt they can track. They had no idea I was watching them before we fought.”

  “Good. That gives us the upper hand,” Skye said. The news was helpful, he thought, but it still bothered him to think that Tahlia had located the elusive pair without any hesitation, yet Charlie and Delta found nothing after three long months of searching. On the other hand though, realising how powerful the two Tianzu were made him glad his friends didn't attempt to subdue them alone.

  Nikolai stretched and looked upwards at the heavens. It was nearing late afternoon, and the sky was just beginning to turn a bright yellow. “So, now we wait, I suppose. Once it's dark, we can make our move.”

  Tahlia gasped softly as she stared into the distance.

  “What?” Skye asked, a slight edge of fear in his voice. “What is it?”

  Tahlia said nothing. She continued staring blankly, trying to focus.

  Nikolai watched her curiously, wondering what it was she had discovered.

  Once her suspicions had been confirmed, she faced the others. “Can you sense that?”

  Nikolai paused and waited, but he could feel nothing, apart from Shin and Karatsu. “No. What is it?”

  “Just wait,” Tahlia said. “You're about to find out.”

  Nikolai stood motionless, waiting for the supposedly apparent sensation. “I can't sense anything out of the ordinary.”

  “Just tell us what it is,” Skye demanded, his patience wearing thin.

  Tahlia closed her eyes again, monitoring their surroundings. Nikolai remained still in his position. Skye was getting aggravated, and stood idly by while he waited for an explanation.

  Nikolai finally smiled. “I see.”

  “What is it!” Skye yelled, not appreciating being left in the dark.

  “They're moving quickly,” Tahlia observed.

  “A train, no doubt,” Nikolai added. Before Skye could complain again, he placed a hand on his shoulder and pointed into the distance. “Kai and Hana are coming.”

  Skye's eyes widened. “Kai and Hana? They're coming here?”

  Nikolai nodded. “They'll be arriving in Nishihama any second now. I think it's safe to assume they'll be meeting up with their two friends. Either that, or they're headed to the international trainport.”

  It took Skye a moment to react. His face fell. For a moment he thought they had a major advantage, but if Kai and Hana were indeed coming to reinforce their comrades, the advantage would be all but lost. He only hoped that five of them would be enough to take on the four Tianzu.

  “Interesting,” Nikolai said, his face lighting up, excited by the added challenge before them.

  “No, it's not. This is bad, Nikolai. We need them to be separated.”

  “Oh, come now, brother.” He grabbed Skye's shoulder and roughly put his arm around him. “It's not all that bad. We still have the element of surprise on our side.”

  Tahlia rotated her head north-west. “They're stopping. The train must have arrived.”

  “Splendid,” Nikolai said, his hands clasped. “Let them come, I say!”

  Skye was beginning to lose confidence. He buried his head in his hands. “I suppose all we can do now is wait until nightfall,” he said, his voice muffled.

  “Correct. I agree with your strategy of not attacking them during the day. That matter with the military in Athenia was troublesome. And I can't risk relying on that old fool Archibald to intervene.”

  Skye and Tahlia looked at one another. It was awkward for them to be in the other's presence. They'd both invested much time and effort trying to eliminate the other's group.

  “Then it's settled,” Nikolai proclaimed. “We shall wait until evening, and then you, Charlie, Delta, Sierra, and I will storm their quarters.” He looked down at Skye, waiting for him to acknowledge.

  “Fine,” Skye agreed, although in a bleak tone. He wished there was a way Tahlia could assist them too, but knew it wasn't possible while Sierra was present.

  Nikolai let out a short laugh. “Don't act like you're not excited, brother. You can't fool me.”

  Skye shot him a vicious glance, denying that he found the prospect of getting killed exciting.

  “Rest for now,” Nikolai said. “I'll have Tahlia monitor their movements in case they decide to flee. I'll come for the four of you in a few hours.”

  Nikolai placed his hand back on Skye's shoulder, transporting the two of them back to Charlie and Delta's apartment.

  Tahlia was left alone on the rooftop, still perplexed by Nikolai's sudden involvement. She shrugged it off, however, very much used to receiving opposing orders from her bizarre leader.

  Thirty-six

  Shin traced his fingers back and forth along his stomach. His wound had healed quite quickly, but still left a dark and bloody scar.

  “Stop touching it,” Karatsu ordered, knowing what the boy was doing without even looking at him. “You're constantly talking about the thrill of combat, and now you know what it's truly like.”

  “Yes, I do,” he said, his face beaming. “It was fun.”

  “No, it's not, Shin. Combat's never fun. You were close to losing your life today. You should reflect on that and be graceful in defeat.”

  Shin scowled at his leader's back, shifting his position against the wall. He'd sat there for the last hour while his master rested in the corner of the room, meditating by the window in the sun, reflecting on the battle that took place.

  Once again, time was passing far too slowly for Shin. He sat restlessly, resisting the urge to bang his head against the wall out of impatient boredom. He decided to heed his master's advice and leave his dry wound alone. He instead reached up and grabbed an ornamental katana off the wall. He admired its hilt for a brief moment, and then proceeded to pull it in and out of its scabbard, over and over.

  The constant sound of metal scraping against metal began to drive Karatsu insane. Despite his best efforts, no amount of mindfulness was able to allow him to surpass the immensely frustrating youth that was Shin. Where possible, he tried to maintain a placid and serene temperament, as was expected of an evolved warrior, but instead he found himself wondering what the future had in store for him. Would he have to babysit the boy for the remainder of eternity, subjecting himself to constant complaining and fiddling? The very thought made his chest feel tight, which only frustrated him all the more, as it hindered his constant search for a sense of mental enlightenment.

  Shin shoved the sword back inside one more time.

  “Shin!” Karatsu screamed, his voice echoing throughout their small home.

  It startled the boy. He dropped the sword to the floor, the metal crashing loudly against the wood.

  Karatsu shook his head and shut his eyes, attempting to meditate once again.

  The bored Shin turned away and stared blankly at his surroundings. While their home could be described as relatively small, by Shizuno standards it was reasonably sized. It comprised of a traditional wood design, and housed very little furniture, much to Karatsu's liking. Its location was also a quiet one, although there wasn't much peace to be had with Shin and his pestersome nature.

  “Master, I don't want to wait here,” he complained again. It had been a mere thirty minutes since he last moaned about the pair remaining at home, as opposed to actively searching for their enemy.

  “Please stop,” Karats
u begged. “I'm trying to think of a strategy.” The group they fought earlier were strong, and not to be taken lightly. He had to think back to their movements and fighting style, and try to devise a plan of action for when they next fought. Karatsu himself possessed no extraordinary abilities, but he was a master of hand-to-hand combat.

  “Our strategy should be out there,” Shin grumbled. “Or maybe you just want to stay here because you're a coward?”

  Shin's eyes widened as a shuriken flew past his face, embedding itself in the wall less than an inch away. Shin gasped and moved away from it, then turned his gaze back to Karatsu, who was still sitting in his corner. The boy never once saw his teacher move.

  Karatsu leapt to his feet suddenly as their front door opened. He was standing, combat-ready, before Shin's mind could even process standing up.

  Kai and Hana walked in and smiled at their fellow clan members.

  Karatsu's body relaxed when he saw who it was. “Hello, brother and sister. What brings you two here?”

  “We've come to assist you in eliminating our enemies,” Kai said.

  Shin's face lit up. He climbed to his feet and held his arms up, rejoicing because reinforcements had arrived.

  “I see,” Karatsu said. “And you're quite happy to defy Raien's orders?”

  “Neither of us wish to do this,” Hana said after exchanging an uneasy glance with her partner. “But we've thought long and hard about it, and have concluded that taking no action would be the greater dishonour for our clan.”

  Karatsu removed his hood and smiled with relief. “Excellent. I feel the same way. I wanted to discuss the matter with you back in Kitadera, but Raien wouldn't leave us alone for a single second.”

  Kai smiled, just as relieved. “I'm glad you feel the same way. Kheree has been acting ... well, strange, to say the least.”

  “He kept giving us conflicting orders in Athenia,” Hana added. “At one point he authorised for us to eliminate the enemy, but we were limited to only one per day.”

  Karatsu shook his head. “None of that makes any sense.”

  “We have much to fill you in on,” Kai said. “I regret disobeying Raien, but we don't have a choice.”

  “We have information for you too,” Karatsu said. “We've already encountered the others.”

  Shin held his shirt up, revealing the short cut on his stomach.

  “Did you manage to eliminate any of them?” Kai curiously asked.

  “No,” Karatsu said. “The police intervened, so we were forced to flee. Our enemy is certainly not weak, so we'll need to take great care with choosing our strategy.”

  The four of them sat on the floor around a small table. Everyone but Shin drank tea while they discussed their best possible strategy.

  “I want to know when we'll face them,” Shin demanded.

  “Patience,” Kai said. “We can't rush this. We need to ensure they can be eliminated safely, and with no casualties.”

  Shin groaned loudly. “I don't want your opinion.”

  “Shin!” Karatsu barked, his eyes narrowing at the boy.

  “What?” he asked. “He's an Alexan, master. His opinion doesn't matter.” Shin looked around the room at the cold stares of the other three, their eyes piercing straight through the youth.

  “Don't talk about my husband like that,” Hana asserted loudly. “He's a member of our clan, and you should respect him as such.”

  Shin rolled his eyes and glared at his master.

  “Don't look at me like that,” Karatsu said. “You will know your place in this clan, and you will respect Kai. Whether he's Alexan or Shizuno shouldn't influence your respect for him.”

  Shin's face reddened from both frustration and embarrassment. He dropped his gaze to the floor.

  “My thoughts are that we should take out the strongest one first,” Hana suggested, changing the subject back to the more pressing matter. “The short woman, Marion, is our biggest threat.”

  Kai agreed. “She's the fastest, and should be our highest priority. She's the one who attacked Hana back in Athenia.”

  “She attacked you,” Karatsu said, “and yet Raien still won't order for us to eliminate the enemy. Surely he can see how much of a threat they are.”

  “I suppose the only way Raien will involve himself is if any of us were to be killed,” Hana said.

  Kai nodded. “And it might just prove to Raien that we shouldn't be complacent with the matter. I don't imagine he'd be pleased if any of us were to die.”

  Shin joined the conversation again. “I don't want to die,” he muttered weakly, suddenly feeling frightened by how freely the others spoke of the topic, almost as though they were expecting to have their lives taken from them.

  “We'll protect you, Shin,” Karatsu said. “All of us.” Despite the teenager's annoying behaviour, the Tianzu had to protect their own at all costs. Shin was undoubtedly the slowest and weakest of their sect, with the exception of his unique ability.

  “Good,” Shin said, almost expecting them to put his life before their own. “So, when are we going to attack?” he asked again.

  “When we're ready.” Karatsu looked about the group. “You mentioned earlier that the woman called Tahlia is able to locate shengxian, so it won't take them long to discover our location.” He rose and walked to the window, gazing across the river and looking into the heart of the city. “We'll need to be on alert. I have no doubt they'll be coming for us.”

  Thirty-seven

  Sierra sat in the apartment, practising with her homemade weapon. She thrust the kunai outwards and then pulled hard on the wire, returning it to her hand.

  “Careful with that,” Charlie said as he felt a slight gust of wind breeze past his face. He was standing over the table with Delta and Skye, all of them studying a large map of the city.

  “Where are we?” Skye asked, trying to make sense of the map. He'd followed his comm when he first arrived in Nishihama the morning before, and only had a vague idea of his whereabouts.

  “Here,” Delta said, pointing to the top of Tennari-ku.

  Skye looked down at the plan of the city. “Tahlia said the Tianzu were somewhere along the river.” His eyes darted up and down, but he was uncertain which river they were on. Nikolai had transported him directly to the location earlier, so Skye could only speculate.

  His vibrating wrist caught his attention. He answered the call. “Ren?” he asked.

  “Skye ... I'm worried,” she stammered.

  “What is it? What's happening?”

  “I ... I think someone hacked my system.”

  Skye frowned. “What do you mean? How were you hacked?”

  Charlie and Delta each pressed a button on their comms, joining the call.

  “Something's wrong. My system froze, and ...” she trailed off again, her voice distressed.

  “It's okay, Ren,” Delta tried to reassure her. “Tell us what's wrong.”

  Ren took a deep breath and composed herself. “I was trying to hack my way into the government's system, and it looks as though someone hacked me back.”

  “Are you sure?” Charlie asked. “How do you know you were hacked?”

  Ren groaned on the other end of the line. She knew she wouldn't be able to explain it properly to them. “Just trust me. I know when I've been hacked, and I'm telling you that someone from inside the government knows I was in their system. This is not good.”

  Skye was unsure what to say. He didn't wish for any harm to come to Ren, but they were far too preoccupied with locating the Tianzu at the moment to offer Ren any advice.

  “If they find out that we played any part in what happened at the inauguration, we could be charged and executed!”

  “I'm sure it'll be fine,” Skye said, trying to comfort her, although starting to worry himself. If Ren was implicated, it wouldn't take the authorities long to discover the rest of White Shadow.

  Nikolai arrived in the room. “Hello again,” he said.

  “If you see anythin
g else suspicious, let us know,” Skye continued. “I'm sorry, but we need to go.”

  “Is that Nikolai's voice?” she demanded.

  “It is,” Delta said, deciding it might be easier for Ren to understand if she spoke on Skye's behalf. “He's helping us locate the Tianzu. We're going to launch an attack on them tonight.”

  Ren had heard enough. She terminated the call.

  “Is that Ren with whom you're communing?” Nikolai curiously asked.

  “We're done. But yes, it was.” Skye turned his attention back to the map. “Now that you're here, where are the Tianzu located? Have they moved?”

  Nikolai strode over to the table and looked down at the map. It took him a moment for his mind to adjust and allow him to read it. “They haven't moved. They're right here.” He pointed to a river beside Takoshima Park, approximately five kilometres north of their current location. “Those traitors Kai and Hana are there too, so all four of them are hauled up together.”

  Charlie's face grew uncertain. “Four of them and five of us. Is this really a wise strategy, Skye?”

  “Of course it is,” Nikolai insisted. “I think it's safe to say we've all wasted more than enough time when it comes to the Tianzu. We've spoken of them in great detail, but they're still alive. Meanwhile, you and I have lost several fighters between us. Taking out four of the Tianzu tonight would more than make up for our losses.”

  Delta cringed and shook her head, wondering how Nikolai could speak so ill of his 'losses', as he puts it. It was his attitude that caused the initial fractures in his relationship with White Shadow, which eventually grew into deep and dangerous rifts.

  “If we go there tonight, I want your word that you're going to actually help us,” Charlie said. “I don't want you skulking off in the shadows like a coward.”

  “Coward? I think not,” he laughed. “I give you my word I'll be by your side. Or better yet, I'll be leading the way. With any luck, I'll kill the four of them myself.”

  Charlie stepped forward, far from convinced, and poked Nikolai in his muscular chest. “No games, Sweeney.”

  Skye smirked as he watched the shorter man poke and threaten the towering Nikolai. Charlie had never seemed to get along with Nikolai, and was never afraid to voice his distrust.