by NAK Baldron
"Now do you see?"
"Yes!" Akio's chest burned with pride. "My own weapons are always catching the light, where hers reflects the light away.
"Excellent!" Master Takumi glowed with pride. "You will always be at a disadvantage, but as long as you keep it in mind, you can turn your disadvantage into an advantage."
"Yes, master." Akio bowed.
"First Sworn Akio, I name you sword master." Master Takumi produced an iron chain from within his robes. At the end hung a circular seal with a skull and around the skull were the words REVERE MORTALITY. "May your stilettos continue to bring honor to Clan Kaito."
Akio dropped to his knees and bowed before Master Takumi. "Thank you master! I promise never to bring shame upon Kaito-Tanken Shaya."
"See that you do not." Master Takumi hung the chain around his neck and gestured for him to rise. "I may be old, but I am still young enough to give you a thumping if you do."
A knock on the front doors cut the celebration short, but Akio couldn't keep himself from chuckling softly. Master Takumi had never told a joke before.
"Yuki answer the door!" Master Takumi called out.
A young boy emerged from behind a screen door and ran to answer. "Who calls upon the house of Weapons Master Takumi?"
"Officials from Goruden-Tanken Hiroshi's court," Yuki called to Takumi.
"Allow them entrance."
Yuki removed the wooden bar which braced the doors shut, and allowed the three men to enter, one of whom Akio instantly recognized as the giant who'd stood behind Hiroshi. Around his long torso hung a document protector. The two men who flanked him looked ready for a fight, garbed in armor and each wearing a long-curved sword and matching daggers.
"Shall I have tea brought?" Master Takumi asked.
"No." The giant spoke in a voice several octaves too high, given his size. The man sounded more like a little girl, than a giant capable of crushing a man with his bare hands. "We won't be long."
"Yuki, bring a writing desk."
"Yes, master!"
The six of them created a circle, and each kept bouncing their eyes between one another. Aside from Master Takumi who seemed to become fully enthralled by his thumbs which he kept twirling first toward himself, then away, and then in counter-sink. It impressed Akio. How the master forced himself to be so calm, he did not understand.
The little boy returned with a pine-wood desk and placed it in the center of their circle.
"Thank you. Now go eat dinner. I will let you know when we are finished."
Yuki bowed to their master and left.
"This should all be in order," the giant said as he pulled the document free from the protective case he wore, and rolled it out upon the table provided. From the bottom of the case he produced a fountain pen. "Goruden-Tanken Hiroshi has signed ahead of time. As a sign of good faith. Please read it over and sign, and then we'll have the witnesses sign."
Shaya wasted no time in reading the document before accepting the fountain pen and signing. She handed the pen to Master Takumi who signed where indicated without reading. When he passed Akio the pen, he took a moment to skim.
The document was short and straight forward. All physical property not located on Shinzo would become Goruden-Tanken Hiroshi's no later than one month prior to the next Time of Daggers.
Shaya would become desolate.
In return Hiroshi promised in writing to, "Hang and drain anyone who dares to harm Kaito-Tanken Shaya, her First Sworn Akio, or her mother the honorable widow." There was nothing to be done. Akio signed and refused to make eye contact with Shaya.
There had to be another way.
The giant's two escorts signed in a hurry and he rolled the document back into its storage container.
"Copies will be sent to your home and to the proper locations tomorrow."
Shaya nodded to indicate she understood they would display it within the Thief Lord's council room. Any such contract between Thief Lords was to be made public knowledge to other Lords, but only the Lords. The general public was never to be made aware of their intertwined affairs. As far as they were concerned each Clan fought to obliterate one another.
With the paperwork finalized Hiroshi's men left, and Akio found himself alone on the sands with Shaya.
"Why?"
"Because it's my obligation to ensure the survival of Clan Kaito."
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Texas, Earth
Saturday, September 10th
There was a soft knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Kandice asked
The door creaked open and Lance stood in the doorway. "It's me. Can I come in?"
"Sure."
His hair was somewhere between blue and black as he walked in and sat next to her on the bed. She scooted toward the wall to make room and felt the sheets knot up against her skin.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
He didn't answer and instead reached out his arm. It grew until it was behind her head—then retracted—lifting her to an inch away from his face.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Yes," she whispered.
His mouth was hot, like a summer sun. His tongue caressed the tip of hers, and he nibbled on her lower lip. It was hard to fight back the moan. He wrapped both arms around her waist, glided her onto his lap, and leaned into a long embrace. Her mouth felt full, and she couldn't tell her tongue from his.
She opened her eyes, and his frost-burst eyes stared into hers.
Was this really going to happen right now?
Her first time should be special, but this was different. Her body was tired, cold, and full of fear. His hand slipped under her shirt and squeezed her breast. She closed her eyes and moaned in relief.
* * *
Kandice bolted upright in bed. Her phone was ringing, but it stopped before she could answer. She'd been in a deep sleep and felt damp. Her heart raced, and her body tingled as the sheets moved against her skin.
Part of her felt ashamed. Her panties stuck to her—they needed to come off. It was dirty, but not in a good way. She got out of bed and stripped. Her clock read 10:48 AM. The last time she'd slept that deep had to have been before her parents died.
She rummaged through one of her bags and found two towels to cover herself with. It was only a short distance to the bathroom from her room, but it would be more than embarrassing to get caught hobbling down the hall half-naked. After locking the bathroom door, she cranked the water as hot as possible without burning her skin. The heat washed away the tension from the previous night.
After several minutes of soaking in the heat, she washed up. With each passing minute, she adjusted the water to make it a notch hotter until it was on max heat. The sting of the hot water on her back was uncomfortable at first. Soon it transformed into a massage—each water droplet digging into her skin, eradicating the dull pain within.
She stayed in the water until it began to cool. The bathroom had become a sauna during her extended shower and the door wasn't visible in the steam. She found the sink and turned the cold water on and splashed it on the mirror.
Red-skin reflected back. It was as though she had fallen asleep naked outside in July. The fluffy towel felt like sandpaper against her skin. She took a seat on the toilet and rolled her joints, allowing them to pop at will. Her entire body relaxed.
Once the steam was all but gone, she wrapped herself up again in towels and shuffled over to her room.
Lance sat on her bed.
"Shit," he said and looked down at his feet. "I didn't realize."
He stood—keeping his eyes on his feet and tried to leave—but ended up bumping into her. He turned even redder than her. She slipped past him and closed the door.
"It's okay," she said.
He muttered apologies as he clunked down the stairs.
Sexy.
She picked out shorts and a blue tank top to wear. At least his embarrassment about the previous night was clear. Slava had been right about his timely recovery to
o.
By the time she went down to the living room, Slava and Lance were eating lunch. A plate waited for her.
She ate in silence, listening as Lance and Slava talked about needing to be more careful. They thought it was a good idea to bring in new people who could help take down such a dangerous Aether Walker. It amused her that throughout any conversation Slava would slip into Russian. Lance would translate, and Slava would switch back to English.
After she finished, she carried their plates to the sink.
"We need to talk," she said.
"Okay," Lance said.
"You need to train me."
"No. We've been over this. It's too dangerous."
"She knows the risks," Slava said. "If you have no other objection, you should train her."
Lance looked at Slava, and his face became an unreadable mask as he sat silent. There was something being said between them, but it was impossible for her to decipher what. Slava siding with her was unexpected. Their conversation last night must have impressed him.
He has to see that with Slava on her side, it was time.
"Well?" she asked.
"I'm thinking," Lance said.
After another long pause, Kandice asked again, "And?"
"I know you can fight," he said. "Otherwise, you would have been killed long ago. However, this is different. You've never fought Aether Walkers that are this powerful."
"Which is why I need training."
"You don't understand," Lance said. "It's not just training. Once you become an oboroten, you'll never be the same. I can't explain what it will cost. It affects each person different. No matter what, you will lose something about yourself."
"It's better than not being able to fight when the time comes. Besides, you need help, and you've both said Slava can't help anymore."
"I can help," Slava said. "I just cannot shift again."
"Sorry," Kandice said. "I didn't mean you couldn't help. Just that you couldn't fight alongside Lance."
Kandice saw the pain in their eyes. Lance was only trying to protect her, but a normal life wasn't in the cards for her future. Fighting Aether Walkers was her destiny now. Even once she found the one that killed her mom, she'd continue to hunt. She knew that now. There was no way to go back to a white-picket-fence life after what she'd seen.
"Fine," Lance said. "If you really want this, I'll train you."
"I do," she said. "When do we start?"
"Monday morning. I need to prepare."
Lance had a quick conversation in Russian with Slava, then left the house.
Kandice sat confused, watching as he walked out.
After she heard his car drive away, she asked, "What was that about?"
"It is between us," Slava said. "You need not worry. He will be back."
"He's still hurt. Shouldn't he stay and rest?"
"No. He has to prepare himself physically. He will explain tomorrow, in his own way."
The conversation was over. Kandice had begun to pick up on some of Slava's subtle cues.
She gathered the last few dishes and then cleaned the living room and kitchen while Slava went back to his room. The tension was hard for her to handle.
Lance doesn't want to train me. Maybe I shouldn't have pushed so hard?
They had welcomed her in so quickly it was hard to remember they'd only known each other for a month.
There's no other way.
Monday, September 12th
"Lunge!" Lance yelled. "When you're in a fight, there is no time to wait!"
Kandice panted. "I know how to fight. I've been training since I was fourteen."
"That doesn't matter. What you've trained to do will not save your life. Now attack me like you mean it!"
Kandice jumped toward him with all the vigor she could muster—sweat drenched her clothes. Earlier she had tried throwing kicks, but they didn't land. Lance was too fast for her.
His plan was to increase her agility by having her practice takedown moves on him, but each time she got close enough to touch him, he would spin out of the way.
She landed on her face. "This is pointless. You're just dodging. You're obviously faster than me. If I could change, I could keep up with you."
"Becoming an oboroten won't make you faster . . ." Lance laughed, "when you're in human form. I'm only this fast because I've trained. You've got to see the moment and react before your opponent."
"What does that even mean? How can I be in the moment and react? I'm not some super warrior. I'm only human."
She sat down on the mat in the garage. Lance had bought the supplies so they could train without Kandice being injured. So far, it hadn't worked. There were traces of blood coming from her lip due to an elbow blow, and her ribs were sore from hitting the ground one-to-many times.
She took a deep breath. Lance was still bouncing around the garage, waiting. He seemed almost childlike as if this was all fun and games to him.
How the hell can he take this so lightly?
It didn't make sense. He showed no sign of being worn out. It pissed her off more with each round. She wanted to slap that look off his face. Each time she missed, she would have sworn he stuck his tongue out.
"Get up," he said. "There's no time for you to be lying about."
"I'm not lying about!" Kandice yelled. "I'm catching my breath!"
She popped up to her feet and got into her fighting stance that Master Monroe had drilled into her. Before he reacted, Kandice pinned Lance to the ground. His head hit the mat so hard that his eyes stayed shut for several seconds.
Gently, she tapped his cheek.
Lance opened his eyes with a smile. "Now, that's what I'm talking about!"
As she unstraddled him, Lance flipped her over and pinned her to the ground. The veins were pumping in the side of his neck. His eyes had turned a darker shade of blue and had black rims. Sweat dripped onto her face. She tried to slip out from under him, but he held her firm.
"Never drop your guard," he said. "Fighting is not what you've been taught. Throwing fancy kicks will not save you. You have to become an animal. Only when you can turn your mind off, and release the beast inside will you be able to shift without dying."
"What?" she asked.
"It's unlikely, but it has been known to happen. We've told you how dangerous becoming an oboroten is. You're so focused on your desire to shift that you're not taking this serious. Now, try again."
They stood up, and Lance slid back each time Kandice reached to grab him. Her fingers would graze his shirt, but she couldn't get a hold on him. After another fifteen minutes, Kandice couldn't move, and was slower than when they had started.
"Enough." Lance dodged her last grab, one that even a ten-year-old would have been able to avoid.
Kandice rolled onto her back and stretched.
"Are you hungry?" Lance asked. "I could really go for a steak."
"That sounds so good," Kandice said.
"Want to run to the store with me?"
"Sure."
Kandice ran upstairs and rinsed off in the shower. Lance smiled as she came out of the bathroom wearing only a towel. Her cheeks flushed—that grin of his would never get old. She shut the door of her room without looking back.
After dressing, she found Lance sitting on the sectional with a small glass of vodka talking to Slava.
"She did great," he said. "I think she'll be ready—" He stopped when he saw her enter the room.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked Kandice.
"Yeah," she said.
She followed him into his SUV. "Were you talking about me with Slava?"
"Yes," he said. "But it was all good. We'll talk more about it later."
* * *
When they got back from the grocery store, Lance put the steaks in a bowl with some seasonings to marinate. He said it would take at least thirty minutes before they would be ready.
Kandice went up to her room. It would be good to catch up on some much needed online research. Sl
ava and Lance had been a great help, but there were more questions around Aether Walkers than they were willing or able to answer. She found the forum she had read before and reread the thread. She searched through several pages of the threads. But couldn't find any more posts that mentioned what would most likely represent an Aether Walker.
Unless they've adapted to look more like aliens.
"Kandice, steaks are done!" Lance yelled.
She hopped out of bed and ran down the stairs. The scent of seared meat filled the air.
"I hope you like medium-rare," Lance said. "It's the only way Slava and I eat our steaks."
"That sounds great to me," Kandice said.
Lance handed her a plate with a medium-size steak on it, with a pile of veggies beside it that almost overflowed off the plate.
She cut into her steak, and it burst with blood. The taste was superb. She savored that bite as the juice worked its way around her mouth and found the sautéed veggies were nearly as good as the steak.
"Thank you," she said. "This tastes so good."
"I'm glad you like it," Lance said.
"Lance has always been the better chef," Slava admitted.
They sat around the coffee table enjoying their food as Slava handed out glasses of vodka. Kandice was growing accustomed to drinking while eating. She couldn't keep up with their pace, but she saw why they liked it. The burn of the vodka helped clear her palate between bites. A pocket of pepper filled her nose and made her mouth water with anticipation.
After dinner they each took another shot together and ate a piece of dark bread to finish the meal.
I could get used to this!
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Texas, Earth
Tuesday, September 13th
The next morning, Kandice went downstairs to see how Slava's stakeout went the previous night. He spent the night watching the mayor's house and was already asleep, to her surprise.
"I guess Slava already filled you in on his late-night adventures?" she asked Lance while joining him on the couch.
"Yes, it seems the best place to take him out is in his own home," Lance said. "The problem is getting inside without setting off the security system. Slava wants to call in backup."
