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

by Ruben Stelliswolfe

  “I'll stop her,” Sierra whispered, despite not yet having any luck with ending Tahlia's reign.

  Skye stared at the people in the cars all around him, all wanting to catch a glimpse of Archibald. His mind was still reeling from Ren's earlier aggression. She was not wrong in stating that the base was unsafe for Juliet and Romeo, but her lack of compassion was clouding her judgement. Furthermore, Skye could feel his mind questioning the motives of both the group and himself. After this inauguration, successful or not, White Shadow was truly on the verge of collapse.

  “I'm sorry it has to be this way,” Skye said to the frightened youths, then turned back to the front. He glanced at the clock in the cabin. “The inauguration starts in just under an hour. We'll need to move quickly once we're on the roof.”

  As the car proceeded east along Jalan Raya, Skye noticed that the wreckages of yesterday morning had been cleared away. Everything was as it once was, as though the deadly conflict never even took place. The police would no doubt be keen to speak with the owners of the destroyed van. Although, he thought, the police would be frustrated to know that the government—Nikolai's government—would have ordered for them to ignore the wreckage and not pursue an investigation.

  Skye closed his eyes and tried to compose himself for the mission ahead. He had hardly slept at all, and he knew his mind and body wouldn't perform at optimal level without the rest he needed. His objective now was to complete the mission with incredible haste, and then return to the car before Tahlia sensed their lonely presence.

  Forty-seven

  The water slowly lapped against the shore alongside the beautiful Athenian esplanade. There were few sources of light at this time of morning, and even fewer people nearby.

  “It would seem that Nikolai's beginning to lose his mind,” Raien spoke aloud in his native Shizugo after hearing Kai's report.

  “No doubt,” Kai agreed. “He has never trusted us, but we did nothing to provoke him earlier either.”

  “It was incredibly difficult,” Hana chimed in. “To watch him murder those people in front of us while we were powerless to intervene was ...”

  “Excruciating,” Daye said, finishing her sentence.

  “I could imagine,” Raien empathised.

  “It was an agonising three months,” Kai said. “I'm glad to be done with it.”

  “Indeed,” their leader said. “Now that you're no longer in his presence, there may be no risk of Nikolai detecting your intentions. I was beginning to believe I might have to go directly to the villa to give you your next order, although I don't think he'd appreciate my arrival.”

  “Have you spoken with Kheree lately?” Hana asked.

  “I have no need to speak with him.” Raien stood poised and gazed at the dark, calm water gently washing against the sand. “Nikolai can not be allowed to come into political power. It would be detrimental to the Dong Yue Meng.” He turned and faced his group. “If you encounter Nikolai, or anyone else who poses a threat to the Tianzu, or to the civilians of the Union, you're still permitted to eliminate them.”

  Daye's face fell upon hearing the news. He had painstakingly tried to think of a way to keep the peace and avoid an unnecessary fight with Black Dawn. “I think you should first discuss this with Kheree.”

  “I refuse to discuss anything with Kheree. He's too complacent with his orders.”

  “How are we to eliminate them?” Hana asked, ignoring Daye's concerns. “There are five in Black Dawn, and nine in White Shadow. It will take some time, so we'll need to start immediately.”

  “Agreed,” Kai said. “We've waited here long enough. We observed Nikolai for three months and hardly learned a thing about him and Black Dawn.”

  “It can't be done here in Athenia,” Raien corrected. “It will need to be done with the remainder of our clan. We're much stronger than them, but they're still lethal and pose a threat to us all.”

  Kai and Hana exchanged a concerned glance as they thought back to the crossbow bolt that pierced Hana's abdomen.

  “I heard Nikolai mention Shizudera to the others at one point,” Kai added. “He was secretive about it, but I'm assuming that he's planning on going there after the inauguration.”

  “It would make sense. He sees us as the enemy. His next move would be to launch a direct attack on the Tianzu.”

  Daye looked at his comrades with pleading eyes. “There must be another way. Surely we can avoid a war with Black Dawn.”

  Raien took a step forward and placed his hand on the man's shoulder. “Brother, I know you mean well. I know you want peace. But the only way we'll be able to achieve true peace is by eliminating Black Dawn and White Shadow. Both of them are willing to kill innocent civilians.”

  Daye looked into Raien's eyes, unable to hide his reluctance to fight. He believed that, while the two rival factions condoned killing members of the public, no one was truly evil and unable to be reasoned with. “Please don't order their deaths.”

  Raien smiled. “I have a great deal of respect for you, Daye. But they're mindless assassins who lack virtue.”

  “We should stay here a little longer, Raien,” Kai suggested. “There's a high chance that the two will attack each other today, and we should ensure no one else is hurt. We can't risk the public getting caught between them.”

  Raien nodded approvingly. “Agreed. We'll remain nearby and wait until after the inauguration. If there's an assault, we may need to intervene. After then, we'll return to Shizudera.” He turned to Daye. “What will you do, Daye? Will you stay here and waste your time attempting to negotiate a treaty with Nikolai? Or will you return to Daixuan to inform Kheree of my orders?”

  Daye looked into the eyes of the leader of the Shizuno Tianzu. “Both,” he said. “I'll stay here until after the inauguration and help anyone I can. Then I'll return to Daixuan and warn Kheree that Nikolai might be coming for the rest of the clan.”

  Raien frowned. “I don't think Kheree will approve of my orders. If you tell him, it might add to the friction between our two branches. Is that what you want?”

  Daye's body tensed. “There's no friction between us, Raien. I'm not certain why you think there would be. And yes, I have an obligation to inform Kheree of what's happening.”

  “As you wish, Daye. But just remember that I'm doing what's in everyone's best interest. These two groups pose a very real threat to the public.”

  “They're not all a threat,” Daye corrected. “There are two young persons in White Shadow—a boy and a girl—who are both innocent. They've merely had the White Shadow doctrine imposed upon them. My recommendation would be to let them live their lives in peace.”

  “I'll take it under advisement,” Raien politely feigned, “but they will ultimately be held accountable for their actions.” He turned to Kai and Hana. “Let us take our leave.”

  Kai stepped forward and hugged Daye. “Be safe, brother.”

  Hana offered the same embrace. “Thank you for all of your assistance. It was great to work with you again.”

  “The pleasure was mine,” Daye said. He saluted the trio. “We shall meet again soon,” he said respectfully, then turned and began walking back to the nearby convention centre. The others walked in the opposite direction.

  Daye had sworn himself to a life of abstaining from violence of any kind. While he worked alongside such advanced minds, the modern Tianzu had evolved into a society who justified killing for the greater good. Daye had never understood the subjective concept, and did everything he possibly could to prevent combat. Since Kheree's takeover of his beautiful clan, he had dedicated himself to internally undoing the damage they were consistently causing. Worse still, Raien was a far more aggressive leader, and didn't hesitate when it came to ordering the execution of one who he deemed a threat.

  As Daye had witnessed two decades earlier, the advent of a rival sect usually resulted in carnage for all involved, and he was determined to prevent it from happening again.

  “We should get to work,
” Hana suggested. “We must not waste any time if we are to destroy Black Dawn and White Shadow.”

  Raien shook his head. “There's no hurry. We will deal with them accordingly over time.”

  Kai frowned, confused. “But Raien, you just told us that your orders are to eliminate Nikolai.”

  “Correct, but not yet. It will be done in due time.”

  Kai's face fell. “Why would we wait?” He looked to his wife, who appeared to be equally as perplexed.

  “Do you not trust my judgement?” their leader asked as he walked with his arms behind his back.

  “But we need to take action now. We can't risk waiting around.”

  “I ask you again, Kai,” Raien said, turning to face him, “do you not trust my judgement?”

  Kai quickly realised his mistake. It was not in their group's nature to disobey one's superior. He stopped walking and bowed respectfully. “My apologies,” he said, although he still didn't see the logic in delaying their directive.

  “You are forgiven,” Raien said. “But please trust me. I only wish to delay their execution so that the two groups can take each other's lives without our involvement. Remember that we are a clan of peace, and we are reluctant to kill,” he lied.

  Hana stepped in front of her leader, unconvinced. He stopped walking. “Raien, forgive me, but this makes no sense. Why would you order their execution, and then also order for us to take no action? The two commands contradict one another.”

  Raien clenched his fists, not appreciating his soldiers questioning him. “Did you not just hear what I said? I don't wish to endanger our clan. Therefore, it's in our best interest for White Shadow and Black Dawn to eliminate each other on our behalf.”

  “No, it's not,” Hana defended. “That's far too dangerous. Our duty is to protect the citizens of this world; not our clan. If we take no action, we'll be endangering the innocent.”

  “That's enough,” Raien said, his tone growing severe. “You will show me loyalty and respect.”

  Hana kept pressing him. “And why did you originally order for us to only eliminate one of our enemies per day? It makes no sense whatsoever.”

  “She's right, Raien,” Kai said, agreeing with his partner. “It causes me a great deal of pain to question your orders, but it's not like the Tianzu to act this way.”

  “And why won't you discuss the matter with Kheree?” Hana continued. “We should be reaching out to him for assistance. The mainland clan is our ally—not our rival.”

  “Enough!” Raien snapped. “I don't need Kheree's help. He's hardly our ally. He betrayed our clan, after all.”

  Hana frowned, surprised to see him act in such a manner. “Are you referring to what happened with the Xingzu?”

  Raien stared back at her. “You know what I'm referring to,” he growled.

  “That was hardly Kheree's fault,” she said. “I agree that he was slow in issuing the order to eliminate them, but great consideration is needed before we end one's life. That war wasn't his doing; he's our ally.”

  “And it was so long ago, Raien,” Kai added. “We've all accepted what happened, and we've all moved on.”

  Raien laughed softly. “Well, I admire your ability to forgive,” he whispered back. “I, on the other hand, am less forgiving.” He continued walking without them. “Especially when our clan was decimated by the enemy, yet no one in Kheree's clan lost their lives.”

  Kai and Hana stared at each other, dumbfounded to hear their leader's confession. What had occurred two decades earlier was nothing short of tragic, but it didn't justify Raien's decision to not involve the larger mainland clan.

  “This doesn't make any sense,” Kai said to Hana as they watched Raien walk away.

  She nodded. “I've never seen him act like this. And I had no idea he felt this way toward Kheree. He's never spoken about it. How could he have changed so much in such a short time?”

  “Maybe he hasn't changed. The rise of these new clans has perhaps brought back memories of what happened to the Shizuno Tianzu. Maybe he fears it will happen again.”

  “Maybe,” she agreed. “And of course it could happen again. It will happen if he keeps insisting that we take no action.” She looked to her husband. “We should be mindful, Kai. He might not be in the right frame of mind to lead our group.”

  Raien stopped walking. He turned around and held an arm out, beckoning for the pair to join him.

  “When we return to Shizudera,” Kai said, “we should inform Karatsu and Kitsune of Raien's actions.”

  “Agreed. I'd like to know their thoughts. And Raien needs to be careful. If he genuinely feels this way toward Kheree, it might cause a rift in the Tianzu.”

  A worried look spread across Kai's face. “If that were to happen ...” While the two Tianzu branches had never seemed to be truly unified, they always shared a common goal of protecting the world.

  Hana had the same look on her face, not needing for Kai to finish his sentence.

  Forty-eight

  Sierra turned right into the entrance of Athenia's botanical gardens. A handful of cars were parked there, but most continued on toward the underground parking area beneath the enormous convention centre. She found a spot far enough from the other cars and switched off the engine.

  “Juliet, who do you sense nearby?” Skye asked. Her ability was invaluable, but he didn't want to involve her any more in the mission than need be.

  “I can't concentrate very well at the moment,” she admitted, “but I think I can sense Tahlia, Sabina, and Aurelius inside. The three Tianzu are nearby too, but I think they've separated from the others.”

  “What about Nikolai?” he anxiously asked.

  She paused and concentrated even harder. “He's not here. He feels more distant.”

  “Thank you,” he acknowledged, but felt nervous as to why Nikolai would be so far away during his moment of glory. Skye also cringed at the thought of the Tianzu splitting up from Black Dawn. He only hoped they weren't walking into a trap.

  “Wait, there are four of the Tianzu,” she corrected. “Daye's on his own, and Kai and Hana are with the man from the city.”

  Tango clenched his fists. “It must be Raien—the one from West Tower.”

  Skye groaned at the perilous situation ahead. He was uncertain what was about to unfold, but something told him the morning would not end well for anyone.

  “Everyone make sure your comms are linked in,” he ordered. “Ren, are you there?” He was somewhat reluctant to involve her in the mission, but knew they'd have a greater chance of success with her assistance. Despite some of her objectives being questionable, she would still be able to provide support by monitoring the inauguration from her end.

  “I'm here. Good luck, Skye.”

  “Remember, stay in the car,” he said as he lifted his mask up and turned around to face the trio in the rear of the van. “Everything will be fine. Sierra and I will be back soon.” He shot Tango a hopeful glance, as if to tell him to take care of Juliet and Romeo. “Keep your headsets on and listen for my command.”

  Without another word, Skye and Sierra climbed out and started walking hastily through the dark gardens.

  They strode silently, parallel to the busy road alongside them. The cars were moving much slower now as they all began to converge on the parking area up ahead. Trees lined the garden like a fence, blocking them from view of the public. They arrived at a dark path which turned left to go to the centre entrance.

  The pair then began sprinting through the gardens like a silent wind. Skye grew even more nervous with every leap, cautiously looking left and right. The past forty-eight hours had all led to this moment, and he'd been desperately hoping they wouldn't have to resort to this futile contingency. The morning's uncertainty was becoming unbearable.

  Seconds later, they stopped at a clearing at the edge of the gardens. Two men stood guard under a streetlight, talking to each other. Just beyond them was the large outer wall of the centre.

  “Ar
e they police?” Skye asked. “I can't see if they're armed or not.”

  “I'll take them,” Sierra said.

  “Wait ...” Before he could finish his sentence, she was gone.

  She flew out from behind the tree like a blur. She raced up to the men and struck them both in the back of the head with the butt of her blade handle. They were knocked unconscious before they could even make eye contact with the woman. She caught them as they fell, gently placing them on the ground. She grabbed one leg with each hand and dragged them into the shadows where they wouldn't be discovered.

  “All clear,” she whispered into her headset.

  Skye grimaced. The last thing he wanted to do was harm any innocent authorities, but knew they had no other choice at the moment. He surveyed their surroundings. Less than one hundred metres to his left was a long line of civilians, all queueing up to gain access to the innards of the centre. All of them had to pass through a large checkpoint with dozens of police officers and members of the Presidential Guard.

  He leapt forward and raced across the clearing, moving fast enough to ensure that no one would see his motion. He hid in the shadow of the wall alongside Sierra. For a moment he was surprised by the lack of security, but concluded it would be unnecessary to guard a wall as unscalable as this one.

  “We should keep moving,” he urged, knowing that time was against them.

  Without a word, Sierra jumped high and flew upwards, landing precisely on the ramparts of the centre. A short distance away she saw an armed man in tactical gear patrolling the rooftop perimeter, walking away from her. Seconds later, he was knocked unconscious.

  “There aren't many guards up here,” she said into the headset as she scanned the horizon for more security.

  “Help me up,” Skye requested, unable to make the jump on his own. He had often practised using his telekinesis to raise himself up, but it was an arduous task that he was far from perfecting. The weight of his body was too much for his mind to control.

  A moment later, Sierra was back on the ground, standing by his side. “I took out four more. They won't stay down for long though, so we'll need to get this done as soon as possible.”