by T E Stouyer
KILLER
MOVE
ERITIS BOOK II
T.E. STOUYER
Copyright © 2018 T.E. STOUYER
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, organizations, businesses, events, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
ISBN 978-1-9999649-5-5
CHAPTER 1 – CRYPTIC
CHAPTER 2 – CLASH
CHAPTER 3 – BULLIES
CHAPTER 4 – RESCUE
CHAPTER 5 – EMERGENCY
CHAPTER 6 – HOSPITAL
CHAPTER 7 – CHILDREN
CHAPTER 8 – UNEXPECTED VISITOR
CHAPTER 9 – SURROUNDED
CHAPTER 10 – ULTIMATUM
CHAPTER 11 – STAY AWAY
CHAPTER 12 – MONSTERS
CHAPTER 13 – REFUGE
CHAPTER 14 – FRACTURES
CHAPTER 15 – YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS
CHAPTER 16 – TENSION
CHAPTER 17 – BENEATH THE SURFACE
CHAPTER 18 – SECRET
CHAPTER 19 – ESCAPE
CHAPTER 20 – JACK GRIFFIN
Chapter 1 – Cryptic
“Aha! Found it!” said Arianne, in a louder voice than she had intended.
She carefully removed a small wooden box from the display cabinet and opened it.
A satisfied smile flashed across her lips. She was pleased to gaze upon her father’s necklace once again.
“About time,” Kincade whispered. “I was starting to think this would take all night.”
“Well, excuse me, ‘Mr. helpful’,” she said, the tone of her voice also dropping to a whisper. “It’s easy to criticize when you’re just standing there, watching.”
“Hey, you’re the one who asked me not to touch anything,” he retorted.
“That’s because I was worried the cabinet doors might have been wired to set off an alarm. We had to be careful when opening them.”
“So what? I can be careful.”
“I know you’re very good at what you do,” Arianne said. “But … erm, how to put this … you don’t strike me as the type of person who uses finesse to solve their problems.”
Kincade frowned, looking offended. “What are you talking about? I’m all about finesse.”
Arianne needed to bite her lower lip to stop herself from laughing. “Of course, sorry,” she said.
“More seriously though, let’s see that thing.”
She took the necklace out of the box and held it up.
Kincade aimed his flashlight at the accessory and examined it.
The chain was made out of interlocked silver bits that converged on a pendant. The pendant itself was oval-shaped, with two distinct sides, and was affixed inside a thin metallic frame, running along its circumference. The stone was mainly emerald green, but blended with a nebulous multi-colored pattern that gave it an otherworldly appearance.
“Have a look at this,” said Arianne.
She drew his attention to a small inscription on the pendant’s metallic contour. It read, ‘For Lucielle, to help her show the way’.
“That’s it?” Kincade said. “I thought this thing was supposed to help us find that memory card everyone’s so interested in.”
“It is,” said Arianne.
“How does this help us accomplish that? Do you think the kid will be able to make sense of it?”
“No,” Arianne replied without hesitation.
Kincade gave her a puzzled look. “No? Then why the hell did we go to the trouble of breaking into this place to get that necklace?”
“Shh, quiet,” she whispered, worried that his voice had gotten a bit too loud. “The necklace is the key. My father told me so, himself. I just don’t think we’re meant to take the inscription literally.”
“What do you mean?”
Arianne gave a coy smile. “Remember when we tried to contact Soran?”
“Sure. Why? Are you saying this is some kind of riddle?”
“Yes. It’d be typical of Adam to hide a clue in this manner. That way, even if someone saw it, they wouldn’t think twice about it.”
Kincade shrugged. “All right, I’ll play along. Still, as far as clues go, this one’s kinda vague.”
“Adam’s riddles are never what they appear to be at first glance. And the answers are usually so simple, they’re very easy to miss.”
“You mean he hides them in plain sight?”
“Exactly,” she replied.
Kincade gave her a searching look. “You sound pretty sure of yourself.”
“Don’t forget,” said Arianne. “My father asked me to hold on to this necklace until Lucielle became old enough to decide what to do with it. I had it for a long time before it was confiscated.”
“OK, so what am I missing?”
“You’ll see. Can I borrow your flashlight?” she asked.
“Sure,” said Kincade.
Arianne returned the empty box to its place inside the cabinet, before she took the flashlight Kincade handed to her. “Over there! Come with me,” she said.
She led him to the back of the room and stopped between two large storage shelves, about five feet from the wall.
Once there, she raised the necklace to eye level and began to examine the stone. “I had an idea back when I was living at the Arc facility, but I never had a chance to test it. We were constantly being observed, so I couldn’t risk it, on the off-chance I was right.”
Kincade watched her attentively, trying to figure out what she was doing. “By the way,” he said. “Are you aware that you keep changing the way you refer to Adam?”
Arianne turned and looked at him. “Do I? No, I hadn’t noticed.”
“Anyway, what are you doing?” he asked.
“Did you find anything strange about that sentence?” she asked as she resumed her curious task. “About the wording my … Adam used?”
“How do you mean?”
“If this necklace is meant to help Lucielle find the memory card, wouldn’t it make more sense for it to read: ‘to help show her the way’, instead of ‘to help her show the way’?”
Kincade thought about it. “Hmm … yeah, I guess.”
“That’s what made me think of something,” Arianne said as she continued to scrutinize the jewel from different angles. “You’ve noticed that my siblings and I use a diminutive for Lucielle, right?”
“Of course. You call her ‘Luce’.”
“We picked it up from Adam. That’s what he used to call her. Except in his case, even though it sounded like Luce, it was actually Luz.” She said that last word with a Spanish accent.
Kincade had spent enough time in South America to acquire a working knowledge of Spanish. “He called her ‘light’?”
“Yes. He used to say that she was the light of his life. Adam deeply cared for all his children, even Damien and Johann. But Lucielle was his favorite. I think part of the reason for it was that he had made her different from the rest of us, which makes her truly unique. It’s also why we all feel so protective of her. That, and because she’s much younger.”
“All of you?” Kincade noted in an interrogative tone.
“Oh, yes,” said Arianne. “The others would never hurt Lucielle. That night, Mitsuki was only trying to abduct her so that she wouldn’t be able to help us.”
“I see. But gett
ing back to what you were doing …”
“Well, if you substitute Lucielle’s name with the word ‘light’… wait, I think I’ve got it.”
Arianne pressed the flashlight against the pendant and then began moving the tip in tiny increments, thereby slightly changing the angle at which the beam traversed the emerald stone.
The stone refracted the beam passing through it and projected an intricate pattern of lights onto the wall and ceiling—it was almost like watching an indoor aurora borealis.
“It’s the patterns inside,” said Arianne.
“What about them?” Kincade asked as he marveled at the dazzling display.
“I don’t think they’re random.”
“Not random? Then wha—” Kincade stopped short. To his utter amazement, he could see letters starting to form amidst the luminescent shapes. The words were still too blurry to make out, but those were definitely words. “Whoa!” he exclaimed.
After a little more tweaking by Arianne, distinct letters were shining brightly on the wall, and the pair found themselves staring at the verses of a poem.
From the top of a mighty tower,
A lone soldier gazes into the distance.
Meanwhile, the King in his castle chamber
Attėnds to matters of great importance.
Inside the chapel the candles burn
And thė bishop ceremoniously sends a prayer.
All of them waiting for the Queen’s return,
Along with the brave knights sent to protect her.
“Now that is cryptic!” a voice said as the bright ceiling lights flooded the room.
Arianne’s body tensed up and a gasp escaped her. “Damien!”
Chapter 2 – Clash
The silver-haired man stood in the doorway with his finger still pressed against the light switch.
Kincade sized him up. So, this is Damien, he thought to himself.
“How did you know where to find us?” Arianne asked her brother.
“A little fox told me,” he said. “Of course, I was already in London. I suspected the key was being kept in one of Leicester’s offices. But I didn’t know which one. And I had no idea what it looked like. I’m glad I made it in time to find you both still here.”
“If you wanted to meet, you could’ve just called,” Kincade joked. “And erm … a little fox told you? Don’t you mean a little bird?”
“No,” Damien bluntly replied.
“They have Nathalie Renard,” Arianne explained—Renard is the French word for Fox. “What about Ashrem and the others?” she asked Damien.
“I imagine they’re in all kinds of trouble by now,” he replied.
“Don’t worry,” Kincade reassured her. “My team’s gotten out of tough spots before. They’ll be fine.”
“Highly unlikely,” Damien asserted. “None of you realize who Jenkins really is. If you did, you’d know there are plenty of reasons for you to be worried.” He moved away from the door and casually began to inspect the various items inside the shelves with a vague interest. “I must have seen you with that necklace over a dozen times,” he said to Arianne. “To think it contained a clue to the memory card’s location. I wonder what Leicester would say if he knew he’d had it all along. I always assumed our father had left it to Lucielle for sentimental reasons. Something so important … he should have left it to me instead.”
“That’s just it, isn’t it?” said Arianne. “He didn’t.”
Damien’s eyebrows dipped into a severe frown. “Your point?”
Arianne stared him square in the eye. “You already know, but I’ll say it anyway. Lucielle’s the one Adam chose. He entrusted his legacy to her, not to you.”
“She’s just a child,” Damien countered. “Some burdens are still too heavy for her to carry.”
“For now, yes. But she will be ready, someday. Until that day comes, I’ll look after her, and honor our father’s last wish.”
“And do you think our enemies will kindly sit around and wait during all that time? We need to act now.”
“That’s not your decision to make. Adam—”
“Adam isn’t here anymore,” Damien snapped. “As his true successor, the decision is now mine. This is your final warning, Arianne. Do not get in my way.”
“Why does it always have to be like this with you?” Arianne bellowed. “Just once, I wish you’d try to be reasonable, Damien.”
Kincade stared at the young woman. Her eyes were full of determination. But also sorrow, because she was so desperate to reach her brother.
But when Kincade turned his attention to the silver-haired man, he immediately knew Arianne’s pleas would fall on deaf ears. He could sense a torrent of anger and hostility raging behind Damien’s collected facade. Like violent waves crashing against the side of a cliff.
Arianne and her brother stood on separate shores, with a sea of diverging views and conflicting beliefs between them. At that moment, Kincade realized there would never be any possibility for the two siblings to find common ground.
Damien glared at Arianne, and said in a menacing tone of voice, “Hand it over.”
She took a step forward and planted her feet squarely on the floor. “You know I can’t do that.”
“Perhaps you should both take it down a notch,” Kincade suggested. “You guys haven’t exactly been whispering up until now. At this rate, somebody’s bound to hear us.”
Arianne shook her head slightly. “He doesn’t care.”
Kincade raised an eyebrow at Damien. “You don’t care?”
“You said it yourself, earlier,” Arianne told Kincade. “The security measures here are minimal when Leicester’s not around. There aren’t that many guards patrolling the building. Certainly not enough to pose a threat to us.”
“Then why did we try so hard to be discreet?” Kincade asked her, sounding perplexed.
Damien sneered. “The reason my sister didn’t want to be discovered was not that she was afraid of being apprehended. She could have dealt with those guards all by herself. She was just trying to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.” A barely perceptible smile appeared on Damien’s face as he added, “I don’t have that problem.”
“In that case …” said Kincade.
The mercenary swiftly reached for his gun.
Now that it had become clear a confrontation was unavoidable, and considering the serious threat posed by this particular adversary, he had opted to make the first move. With the two siblings seemingly focused on each other, he figured it was his chance to catch the enemy off-guard.
But Damien had been expecting the attack. He pivoted his body by ninety degrees and drew his gun, all in the same motion, and at lightning-quick speed.
By the time Kincade leveled his firearm, he was already trailing by a tempo. And in a split-second, he realized his opponent would have the first shot.
Instinctively, he dived behind a cabinet as a bullet grazed his right flank.
Damn, he’s fast, Kincade thought as he recovered into a crouching position.
Taking advantage of the opening created by her companion, Arianne sprang into action. Before Damien had time to turn his gun on her, she rushed him and kicked the weapon away.
The inevitable clash began.
It was the most astonishing hand-to-hand fight Kincade had ever witnessed. Both Damien and Arianne had obviously been trained in various combat techniques, but it was their speed and ferocity that kept him glued to his spot.
Despite everything he already knew about the genetically engineered siblings, Kincade couldn’t help but be impressed and intimidated at the same time. It was like watching two wild animals trying to rip each other to shreds, but in a calculated manner.
Keeping his manly pride in check, the mercenary leader decided it was best to let Arianne handle the heavy lifting. Instead, he maintained a safe distance and raised his gun, waiting for his moment.
The two combatants bounced back and forth against the tall shelves, leaving flying sh
ards of glass, cracked walls, and bent metal in their wake.
Arianne couldn’t compete with her brother in raw power, she relied more on agility and technique, and tried to use her surroundings to her advantage. The problem was that Damien was almost as quick and agile as she was. As a result, the two of them kept disappearing and reappearing in the aisles, leaving Kincade without a clear target.
But despite not being able to keep a constant eye on her, Kincade could tell it was becoming increasingly difficult for Arianne to fend off her opponent’s relentless assaults. She wouldn’t last much longer on her own.
All of a sudden, a security guard showed up in the doorway, gun in hand. He spotted a man in a dark suit trading blows with a woman in a strange black outfit. He immediately aimed his weapon at them. “Hold it right there, you two!” he shouted.
The pair continued to fight. They disappeared inside a row of shelves, only to reappear a couple of seconds later.
“Freeze or I’ll shoot,” the guard shouted again.
They ignored him.
Having delivered his ultimatum, the security guard decided to make good on his threat. But just as he was about to fire, Kincade pounced from behind a cabinet and clocked him on the chin.
The guard was knocked out cold.
Kincade then cast a quick glance at the hallway door in the adjacent room.
No one else was there yet, but more security guards would surely be on their way. Maybe they could deal with the building’s security personnel, but it was only a matter of time before outside reinforcements arrived.
He could no longer afford to wait.
The two siblings had once again vanished from his line of sight, but he could hear them fighting amongst the rows of tall furniture.
Considering the nature of the opponent, charging recklessly into the fray was probably not the wisest of ideas. Nevertheless, that’s exactly what Kincade did.
But just as he started moving forward, Arianne was sent flying across the aisle.
