Eternity's War

Book 1: Chapter 34

Hana gulped in deep breaths of air, calming her body and nerves from the near-fatal attack on her life. Usually a careful and adept fighter, she had greatly underestimated Sierra.

Kai examined her abdomen and the deep wound that Tahlia held her hand over. Within seconds, the gash had been healed, leaving a dark scar.

"Thank you," Kai said, not normally willing to show gratitude to Black Dawn.

Tahlia offered a courteous smile, a little surprised to hear the words. She walked across to the large window of Nikolai's penthouse in West Tower and gazed at the city below. In the heat of the earlier moment, it seemed to be the safest and easiest place for the three of them to retreat to. The villa was far too crowded, and the risk of the president's staff seeing the bleeding Hana would have raised many questions.

Kai held the crossbow bolt up, carefully studying the deadly projectile. "That woman will die for this," he declared. "I'll kill her myself."

Tahlia spun around, pleased to hear the warning. "That would be wonderful," she admitted. Nikolai had hardly offered her the protection which he had promised. Ending Sierra's life would bring Tahlia a great deal of peace.

Kai embraced his wife, wrapping his arms around her and resting his head against hers. "How could you be so careless?" he asked, more relieved than aggravated. "You should have stayed hidden."

She nodded with agreement, disappointed in her actions. After everything she'd endured in her long life, a simple and honest mistake had almost resulted in her death.

"We need to kill her, now," Kai said again. "No more games. No more waiting. Tahlia, where do we find them?"

The woman in black shook her head. "We can't kill her right now. We need to ask Nikolai what he wants to do."

"I don't care what he wants," was the abrupt dismissal. "They've just attacked the Tianzu. Once I report this to my leader, they'll all be killed. Tell me where to find them. Where's their base?"

Tahlia had to think carefully before she chose her response. She wanted Sierra dead more than anything, but an unauthorised attack would not sit well with the strange and sporadic Nikolai. He had warned on several occasions to only kill when ordered to. "I can't say," she finally said.

He rose slowly and marched across to her, almost pressing his face against hers. "These people are dangerous, Tahlia. And Nikolai is no leader. He orders us to attack the others, but then not to harm them. What's the purpose of issuing such a command? Tell me."

She frowned, uncertain what to say. While she swore allegiance to Nikolai, she hardly felt any solidarity working underneath him. "I don't know," she admitted.

Kai shook his head, frustrated. "It's all a game to him. Can't you see what he's doing? He's using you all to keep White Shadow at bay, but he secretly has no intention of killing anyone. If you keep this up, you'll all die. He's playing a dangerous game with these warriors and the lives of the Athenian people." He walked back across the room and crouched by Hana's side. "We need to stop the others. I don't care what Nikolai wants—tonight I was prepared to kill."

Tahlia gasped. "Did you try to kill Skye?"

He nodded. "Of course. They all need to die. They're a threat to humanity."

Her jaw dropped upon hearing the revelation. "If you harm Skye, Nikolai will kill you."

Hana glared at Tahlia with vengeful eyes. "I doubt that."

The confidence of the Tianzu came as a surprise to Tahlia, especially when Hana was foolish enough to let her guard down. "I think you underestimate Nikolai. He's the most dangerous person you will ever meet."

Hana stared back at her. "He's not more powerful than the Tianzu."

Kai turned to his wife. "We need to find them," he said. He purposely said it in Shizugo so Tahlia wouldn't understand.

"Of course," Hana replied in her native tongue. "This clan is a far bigger threat than Raien realised."

"I don't understand why he'd order for us to eliminate only one of our enemies per day. None of it makes sense."

"What are you talking about?" Tahlia asked, unable to hide her curiosity.

Kai stepped forward again. "Tell us where to find White Shadow," he said in Alexan, changing the subject to the more pressing matter.

"I already told you, I can't," Tahlia defended, aggravated by his repeated demand.

"If we don't stop them, they'll kill innocent civilians. Is that what you want?"

"If you condone taking innocent lives, then you're an enemy of the Tianzu too," Hana added.

"I'm not your enemy," Tahlia said. "But I can't tell you where to find them. You'll need to ask Nikolai." She stared back at them, wondering if they would turn on her.

"Why do you serve Black Dawn?" Kai asked. "Do you actually agree with their cause?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I agree with Nikolai's view on peace."

"His peace involves killing anyone who stands in his way," Hana hissed. "Don't be a fool and think that he won't kill you if he needs to."

Tahlia frowned, confused by the conversation. "But you want to kill White Shadow."

"It's not the same," Kai said, his tone serious. "We kill to protect our clan and innocent people. Nikolai kills to protect himself."

Silence filled the room. Kai and Hana glared at Tahlia, waiting for her to speak, but she kept her mouth closed. She was reluctant to preach Nikolai's credo too proudly and unintentionally instigate a skirmish with the duo.

"Perhaps you could join the Tianzu," Kai suggested. "We'll happily eliminate Sierra for you. All we ask is that you disclose her whereabouts, and that you devote yourself to a life of protecting others."

Tahlia's jaw dropped. The offer took her by surprise. She was desperate to rid herself of the threat of Sierra, but Nikolai had told her repeatedly not to trust a word the Tianzu said. "I'm sorry—I can't."

Kai stared back at her with a smirk. "Very well."

The room fell silent once again. Tahlia looked into the eyes of Kai and Hana, wondering if their offer was indeed a genuine one. "We should return to the villa," she suggested, wanting to put the events of the evening behind her. "Nikolai will want to know where we are."

"Yes, we should update him on our attack of the others. I'll tell him that we tried to kill Skye."

Tahlia's eyes widened with fear. "Please don't. I told you—he's far more powerful than you think."

Kai grinned. "And the Tianzu are far more powerful than you think."

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