The Battle

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Book excerpt

Chapter 1

Connor

Ronin gripped me firmly through the gushing wind that pushed me backward. I had to shut my tear-stained eyes against the sudden light that blinded us. It felt as if Earth was spiraling out of control behind us and I was losing my footing on reality. I had no control over my body when a sucking force took hold, cascading me onward. Blackness took over, compressing my body so profoundly, I thought my insides were going to concave—but, just as quickly as the pressure began, it stopped, and suddenly, a new world appeared.

Ether—a foreign world that might have been, in fact, my final resting place.

We touched down in a dreary wet alleyway and my mind reeled from such a rush. I fell against a building and Ronin caught me.

“Are you all right?” His eyes narrowed, examining my lack of coordination. I responded with a nod but my head felt like it was going to split in two. “The first portal jump is always the hardest, but it gets easier,” he explained, but his words did nothing for my dizziness. He helped me lean against a building, then worked his way closer to the street.

I rested my head against the cool brick and took a long breath, then choked on a disgusting odor that caught in my throat. It smelled like a garbage truck. I covered my nose, not believing how horrible Ether reeked.

“Over here.” Ronin motioned for me to come closer. After straightening my shaking body, I wiped my mouth and walked closer to Ronin, a guy who not too long ago had been my enemy. He was the prince of Ether; he lived here but didn't seem too sure of our present situation. His hand grabbed mine again and I took it for no other reason than to gain stability.

We hid behind a large blue metal box that also smelled and waited for something but I had no idea what. It was night time here, as in Earth, or early morning—I had no idea about the interplanetary time difference. But no matter, the dark, purplish sky that released its mist and rain did nothing to protect us against the muggy weather.

From what I could see, people hurried to wherever they were going, probably to get out of this heat and yet, strangely, they were covered in mostly leather. I leaned forward to get a better view of the Ether but Ronin eased me back and shook his head.

Again, I rested my back against the cool, comforting wall, anxious to merge in with the crowd, but Ronin kept checking a device on his wrist. I glanced down at my own wrist and remembered the bracelet he had given me a few weeks earlier. It had saved my life; only I hadn't known that when I'd put it on—or, should I say, when he'd slapped it on my wrist without my consent. My chest, being a traitor to my mind, felt the loss. Then I thought of my mother and wondered if she'd survived. My heart sank from thinking of our last moments together. It was like it used to be before the fights and the lies. Knowing she was upset with me right before she was attacked forced me to hold back a gush of emotions. The only consolation of possibly never seeing them again was knowing I was doing this for my family and the people back on Earth. If we could stop Monlow from attacking Earth, then all of this wouldn't be in vain.

“It's time.” Ronin shook me out of my nostalgia. “Keep your head low and stay calm or the beings here will sense what you are.” His tone was stern and his stare was stony.

“All right,” I said, put off by his cold mood. Not that he was the warm and friendly type, but he seemed eerily dark.

“Let's go,” Ronin ordered and tugged on my arm. His glower informed me that what we were about to do was dangerous but I had no clue why.

I pulled him back. “What's with the serious looks?” I asked him.

“You can't sense the abnormals—what you call nunans?”

“Yes, but we've faced those before on Earth.”

“Not like the ones here.” He glanced out into the street.

He was right. My body temperature rose in anticipation of an encounter from a nunan. After taking in a long breath, I attempted to subdue my anxiety. As he pulled up his hood, I placed mine upon my head. Although I did not have leather on, I figured my dark denim and hoodie should blend in well enough. Honestly, I had no other choice.

We eased our way out of our temporary safe haven and kept our heads low. Ronin made sure to grip my hand firmly. Every time we bumped into anyone, he gripped it even tighter. He made sure I was close to his side, every step of the way, as we weaved through a crowd that showed no mercy against anyone's shoulders. My nerves kept firing and this reminded me that we were among more than just humans—not that I could forget. My tension lit up. The wetness against my face helped cool me a bit, but not much.

I felt like I was his child. I hated it. But as much as I didn't like the feeling, his tight grip helped keep me grounded. I wanted a fight against whatever scurried next to us. It was my nature.

Actually, I didn't know what this planet consisted of but it was made clear to me that the people, who looked just like me on the outside, were different somehow, like abnormals, and they were in abundance. I tried not to look up but my nerves tingled and the more I looked around, the more others became aware of me. A few even stopped and gestured towards me.

“Keep your head low,” Ronin mumbled under his breath, hastening his steps. I took a long breath, then lowered my head back down. I could not see much of the scenery except the sidewalk and others' boots that had pounded a lot of pavement. But so far, from what I'd seen, the place appeared to be overcrowded and dirty.

By the time we crossed the sixth street, the crowd had thinned, but I was still on edge. Now knowing Ronin was San, his senses must have been amplified, too. It was clear that we needed to get to where we were going and fast. Actually, I didn't know where we were going. I put a lot of trust in Ronin and I hadn't second guessed him once. What choice did I have?

“Just a little more to go.” He looked back at me with a tense gaze.

We stopped in front of an old boarded up green building, which looked like an old complex of apartments, stacked incredibly high. He unlatched the gate and turned left. We cut across wet yellow grass and a lot of trash build up, hurrying down a corridor lit with flickering yellow lights. Half the fixtures were hanging on for dear life. Straight ahead was a dark parking lot and I hoped a car would be waiting for us. Every nerve in me was now on fire.

We made it halfway and I yanked Ronin back.

“What?” he asked, then looked to the right.

The door burst open and a strange male stepped out and pointed a purple weapon at us. He was a nunan. I'd never seen his kind before.

“Ronin,” said the tall skinny being with a lizard face. His pinkish-reddish skin stretched tight against rounded cheeks and his hands were large and scaly.

“Shanuk,” Ronin addressed the male, easing his way in front of us.

“Where ya been?” The being spoke with a harsh accent that was almost hard to understand. His long, thin tongue didn't help his speech, either.

“Where have I been?” Ronin repeated. “Who are you to question me?” Ronin stepped in close and they almost touched noses. Shanuk stepped back. Ronin may have been my age or close to it, but he spoke like he was much older. I've always noticed that about him.

“Who's she?” he asked, trying to peer around Ronin who was blocking a full view of me.

Shanuk stepped back again. “You know, Ronin?” He chuckled but there was nothing funny about this situation or the tension. “Monlow is very worried about you.” The male fidgeted with his weapon but did not lower it.

“No, he's worried about everyone, including you.” Ronin poked him in the chest that was draped with a long burgundy cloth-like jacket. “I just came down here to get some Elonium fresh air; what's it to you? I didn't know I had to run my schedule by my father's drudges.”

Shanuk's yellow slits rolled over whatever part of me they could see as he sucked his front jagged tooth. “So many pretty girls at the palace and you come slumming. Tsk tsk. She must be worth the stench of this place. Let me see her,” Shanuk ordered, but before Ronin could protest, two blue goons with elongated features appeared. One stood behind Shanuk and the other behind me. No wonder my nerves were lit up. We'd probably been followed for some time.

“No, what you're going to do is let us pass and mind your place.” Ronin slowly eased forward but stopped quickly. He glanced back at me and the message was received loud and clear, especially when I heard a weapon charge.

“Don't make me use it,” Shanuk threatened him, although his hands shook.

“It will be your last regret,” Ronin said.

“Watch out!” I warned Ronin, then kicked the weapon out of Shanuk's hands. The burst of light shot off in the hallway, taking out an already failing light.

As Ronin walked the wall to take on both creatures, I rolled over onto the damp concrete and tripped the big blue creature behind us. The huge lug was too busy staring at Ronin to even notice what I was doing. Big does not equal smart. He hit the ground with a thud and bumped his head. I snatched his weapon when his arms flew up but realized I didn't have a clue how to use it. There was no finger trigger or button.

In the split second it took me to notice this difficulty, I looked back at Ronin to ask but he had Shanuk wrapped around his neck, while the other blue creature was trying to get out of Ronin's leg lock.

Peering back at the contraption, I realized that my blue creature was up on four legs. Its back was severely arched, exposing protruding vertebrae. In moments, it grew immensely in size and its fangs dripped some sort of foul green liquid.

“Holy crap!”

The creature yanked the device out from my hand and smacked me in the gut with its tail. I flew back and hit a window. My arm broke through the glass but, surprisingly, I wasn't cut.

I looked over at the four-legged creature's open mouth and saw its neck jerk back awkwardly. A noise released from its throat right when it hacked its slimy mucus at me. I dove away and noticed the cement warp where the slime landed. When the four-legged creature scampered sideways towards me, I quickly lifted my hand and sent it flying back to the gate. Surprisingly, the thing landed a lot farther way than I would've expected.

Is it possible that I'm stronger here or is the gravity lighter?

After it rolled back up, it rushed towards me a lot faster so I yanked a long, slick vine from the ground and whipped its back with it. The creature let out a loud animalistic sound at me and jumped over in my direction. I leaped out of the way but it quickly reverted back to two legs and tossed me against the building with one of its elongated hands. I landed on my neck.

Rolling over in the muck, I grabbed the slick vine again and lassoed it around the creature's neck. But instead of the beast reaching out for me, it tugged on the vine.

I wrapped the slip around my hand and held it taut. Placing a foot on the creature's chest, I choked it. It clawed, gagged, and kicked violently but I kept my foot in place until it passed out. But even then, I held on, making sure it wasn't faking.

When I was certain, I let go of the vine in relief, but that was short lived when alarm took over. The slippery weed unraveled itself from around the creature's neck and elevated upward. It had a mouth—one that opened wide, revealing more than twenty sharpened teeth. It slithered so quickly that I fell back and only managed to crawl away. I reached for a stone but a shot fired and blasted the serpent away. Ronin held up the weapon I could not manipulate. I looked back at my so-called vine and kicked it away from me.

Ronin walked over to the blue creature and bent down next to its still body. “Next time, just use the Taser.”

“I would have if I knew how to use it,” I said and stood to wipe myself off.

He stepped back and pumped the handle underneath, shooting the other creature once in the head and another time in the abdomen. I looked up at him in shock. “We leave no witnesses, Connor. No one can know that you're here,” he said, then tossed the gun in the bushes. “Let's go.” I was not innocent to harming another life but he seemed so cold, so detached from what he'd just done.

Back down the hallway, we hurried and stepped over lizard eyes and his goon. Both of them lay unmoving, their necks twisted unnaturally. Their lifeless body positioning was disturbing. I faced away, thinking, did we have a choice?

We reached the end of the corridor and took a quick right. By a metal fence, we squatted low as Ronin pressed buttons on what appeared to be a very advanced watch. But not two seconds later, a bright light shone above. I covered my face from the whirlwind it caused but was more in awe of the fact that a car hovered over us.

Upon descent, it cut off its lights and just hovered. We ran over and Ronin lifted me up by my waist, pitched me inside, then jumped in behind me.

I peered back at him, annoyed at having been tossed in like that. “My bad, but we don't have time for it to touch down or wait for the hover lift.”

After cutting him a curt glance, I got on my knees and gazed out the tinted window. I forgot all about him during our ascension and was utterly amazed that I actually found myself in a flying car.

“Take a seat. The ride can get bumpy,” Ronin said as I sat across from him. I kept looking between him and the window. Something about him was off, but when blood seeped through his shirt, I knelt in front of him.

“You're hurt.”

He covered his shirt up with his jacket and glanced over at me. I forced his hand and jacket away and lifted his shirt. He was sliced on his right side, through his rib cage. Lowering his shirt back down, he grunted. “No wonder.”

“No wonder?” I repeated. “What does that mean?”

He ignored my question and pointed under the seat. “Grab a red aid kit and take out the foam. It will help with cutting down on the blood loss.”

“What?” I said, feeling under the seat and grabbing the box. I opened it up but saw nothing that could possibly make a foamy substance. He obviously saw my puzzled face when he pointed to a flat silver round canister. When he bent the thing, it made a popping sound and grew in size.

“Twist it open and apply the material on the wound.” He sounded so unruffled compared to my ever-growing panic. He did not appear well at all. His skin had already gone pale and felt clammy to the touch, all just from a knife wound. I applied the pink and white foam as instructed onto his cut. It adhered to his skin, sealing the wound.

Once fully covered, he grabbed for a cloth but I slapped his hand away. He looked at me in surprise. “I've got it. Just sit still,” I ordered. I applied the cloth and kept my hand there for pressure.

“More pressure.” He pushed my hand down and shifted in his seat. He was in pain. “Normally, the foam would be enough, but for this this kind of wound I'll need you to keep steady pressure until we get to where we're going.” It sounded as if he was becoming short of breath so he laid his head back on the seat.

“Yeah, where exactly is that?” I wanted to know, tired of being left in the dark.

“My place.”

I turned back to his wound, feeling some sort of relief knowing where we were going, even though he could be lying and this might be a trap. We could be on our way to turning me over to his father. I shook off the negative thoughts and refused to let worry creep into my thoughts. It was too late, anyway. I would just fight as I always did if it came to that.

“It looks more like a knife wound than a Taser wound. Not that I'm an expert but I've seen enough knife wounds lately to know what one looks like.” Ronin did not respond but just rested his head back on the seat and it seemed as if he was going to pass out. “You don't look so good. How deep did they cut you?” I asked.

“It's not the depth of the wound that I'm concerned with but the poison encased tip left inside me. It's done on purpose… it slowly releases a toxin.” He gripped the seat as I applied more pressure to stop the trickle of blood.

“What kind of poison, Ronin?”

“The kind you don't ever want in your system. If it stays in too long, then I will die. You're going to need to remove the tip of the blade from inside me.”

“Me? I'm no doctor.”

“You are today.” He grunted.

“Don't you have a doctor on staff for emergencies?”

“Yes, but Monlow may have gotten to him. We don't know who to trust; that is why we trust no one.” He gripped my arm and sat up. “You understand? No one but us and the ones we know for sure who want to get rid of Monlow. Okay?”

“Yes…yes, okay. Now sit. Lean back.” I removed his hand as he fell back further onto the seat.

“I'm going to close my eyes for a minute. The car will take us home. Wake me when we get there. That was the last thing he said before passing out.

All I could think of was, how did we get this far? And, Ronin might not even survive. If something were to happen to him, as hard as that pill was to swallow, how would I get home? Screw that; if this all went up in flames, I would find a way home and we'd just do things the San way.