In the Devil's Nebula (Phoenix Adventures #2) (18 page)

There was a beat of silence, and Ria felt
her chest tighten.

“Yeah, we’re here.” Dathan sounded a little
breathless.

“How’d it go?” Zayn asked. “Everyone
okay?”

“Everyone except old Balthazar.” Dathan
turned on the visual and his face surrounded by his shock of blue
hair appeared. “God, you should have seen that thing blow. Kid’s
got a real flair for the dramatic.”

A giggle came through the line and Dathan
tilted the communicator to show the empty space beside him. The
spectrum camouflage was doing its job. Further back, Nik waved a
hand.

“Where are you guys?” Ria asked.

“On a rooftop, enjoying the view.” The Sync
swung again and down below Ria could see the rush of people in the
plaza below. They milled around the mangled statue.

Zayn flashed a grin at Ria. “Dath, you guys
did a great job. Get back to the shuttle after you’ve finished
admiring your handiwork.”

“Nik’s going to drop me and Lala back to the
ship and come back for you guys.” Dathan gave them a salute. “Be
careful. I don’t fancy a trip inside the Guild to rescue your butt.
Good hunting.” The screen went black.

Zayn shoved the Sync back in his pocket.
“Ready?”

Ria nodded. “Ready.”

The stream of assassins had ceased. The two
stationed at the door stood, straight and still, like statues. Ria
moved forward, Zayn one step behind her. Together they moved,
slowly and with sure steps, up the stairs.

One guard lifted his head. He was an
Argylian with skin that shone like a diamond and empty dark eyes
like black holes. Ria moved her hand in the silent signal that was
used by all assassins as a means of identification.

“Any news from the explosion?” the guard
said, his voice a sibilant whisper.

“No.” Ria kept her voice lower than normal.
“There were already many of us there. It was inefficient for us to
remain.”

The guard nodded and then Ria and Zayn
stepped inside.

The long entrance hall was empty, the hushed
silence so familiar to her. She moved forward and saw Zayn looking
around.

“It’s so stark,” he murmured.

She looked again, trying to see it through
his eyes. The bare stone walls, no decoration. The Guild believed
in being focused on killing, not on the comforts of living.

They moved past the arched entrance to the
Great Hall used for meals and gatherings. Then past the main
training rooms.

“Amazing.” Zayn stopped in one doorway. The
training room was huge, the walls covered in a range of different
weapons. One wall was all modern weapons from all around the
galaxy. But as he stepped inside, he was drawn to the wall of
ancient weapons. “These reproductions or the real thing?”

She followed him. “A mixture. The Guild
likes to collect weapons but we also have our own master craftsmen
and blacksmiths. They create copies using newer, stronger
materials.”

Zayn grabbed a long, curved sword off the
wall. “Katana. Real deal. Really old and valuable.”

“A good choice.”

The deep voice had them both spinning.

A tall robed figure stood in the
doorway.

Oh no
. Master Ronin. Ria felt the
bottom drop out of her stomach.

Ronin lifted the robe off his head,
uncovering his face. It was lots of sharp edges, his mouth a flat
slant and his eyes a pale, ice blue. “Now, Commander Phoenix, I
wonder if you know how to use that katana.” Ronin withdrew a long,
straight sword from beneath his robes.

Zayn forced his hands to stay relaxed on the
hilt of the katana.

Not an easy thing to do when faced with a
master assassin whose specialty was the sword.

“I suspected when I saw you both on the
street that you had nefarious plans.” Ronin spoke without blinking,
his entire focus on them. “Then I placed your face, Assassin
Ria.”

Ria moved forward. “Master Ronin, we
aren’t—”

“I suggest you remain quiet. You are already
a traitor and coward to this Guild. You and your accomplice are not
welcome here, whatever you have planned.”

Zayn saw Ria flinch. He gave the katana an
experimental swing. “Ria is not a coward. I actually think the
Guild is filled with cowards. She is fighting for her freedom and
despite what you might think, the Guild can’t own people. You
brainwash babies and make them kill. Not very courageous
behavior.”

Ronin’s lips moved. His version of a smile.
“That’s where you are wrong, Phoenix. Here in the Devil’s Nebula,
slavery is a time-honored business. Besides, Ria isn’t a slave. She
never had any freedom. She is a creation of the Guild, pure and
simple.”

“I
am
my own person.” Ria’s words
were low and quiet. “I have my own thoughts and desires. I don’t
want to kill. I’m not a killer.”

“You are what we made you. Without us, you
would have no life.” The master assassin lifted his sword. “Now, I
think we have talked enough. I cannot allow either of you to leave
here.”

Zayn braced for an attack. But it wasn’t
Ronin who struck.

In a move faster than he could have
anticipated, Ria flung off her robes and threw two slim knives at
the assassin.

Ronin bent backward, somehow holding his
balance. Then he was up and springing forward with his sword. Light
glinted off its highly polished surface. Ria spun out of his path,
another knife balanced in her hand. She now wore only a tight,
black fighting suit that molded to her body. It would offer some
protection from a blow…but not much.

Zayn circled the pair, testing the weight of
the katana. Ronin swung his sword low and Ria jumped. She arched
over Ronin, jabbing down with her knife.

But he sensed her coming and rolled
away.

Both assassins were skilled and
well-trained. This was a deadly dance. One that could only end in
death.

Zayn tried not to focus on the fact that
Ronin was older and far more experienced. He’d damn well trained
Ria, he’d know her weaknesses.

Suddenly Ria charged at the master assassin.
When he swung that lethal blade again, she ducked to the side, hit
the floor on her knees and skidded into her opponent. She rammed
her knife into the man’s side.

Ronin took one step back, and looked down
impassively. He gripped the knife hilt and yanked it out without
displaying a reaction. Ria was already moving, rolling backward.
But when she leapt to her feet, Ronin tossed the knife with an
almost lazy throw.

But an accurate one.

The blade lodged in Ria’s shoulder. She
grimaced.

“As you know, I am Cedonian. Our blood
burns, doesn’t it, Ria?” Ronin held his sword by his side. “It has
acidic properties and if left untreated—” he shrugged “—people have
been known to die from allergic reactions to it.”

Shit
. Zayn moved now. He charged,
aiming the katana to run the assassin through.

But Ronin spun and his own sword met Zayn’s
in a clang of metal.

“No marks for finesse,” Ronin said.

The two men strained against each other.
“Wasn’t trying…for finesse.” Zayn felt the muscles in his arms
burn. He pulled back, darting to the side as he did.

He and Ronin followed each other in a
circle.

Then the assassin came again with that
deadly sword. Zayn lifted his own weapon. This time the strength
was huge and the ancient katana snapped under the pressure. Zayn
watched in horror as half of his blade skittered across the
floor.

Ronin took a step toward Zayn, and another.
His pale eyes showed some emotion now. If Zayn had to guess, he’d
say it was satisfaction.

Then Ronin’s body jolted. Once, twice, three
times.

The assassin lowered his sword and turned
slowly. Lodged in his back were three throwing stars, all with
razor sharp edges.

“You would attack someone in the back?”
Ronin made a choking sound. “The highest dishonor of our
Guild.”

Ria stood, another star in her hand. “I am
not a member of this Guild anymore. And I would do whatever I have
to do to save someone I care about. I don’t expect you to
understand that since you don’t care about anyone. All that matters
is your precious honor and how to kill creatively.”

Ronin shook his head. “You showed such
promise. It is a shame to have to kill you.” He lifted the sword
vertical and ran a thumb down the blade. “I know your weaknesses,
Ria. You hate to kill. You might wound me in the back, but I don’t
think you truly have what it takes to do what you would need to do
to kill me.”

He sprang.

He was so fucking fast.
Zayn was
running to grab another weapon off the wall, but he already knew it
would be too late. Ronin reached Ria, but didn’t hit with the
sword. Instead he slammed into her with his body.

They both went down hard.

And that deadly sword was held against Ria’s
throat.

No
. Zayn grabbed blindly and pulled a
weapon off the wall. He stared at it, the now-unfamiliar weight of
a plasma stunner. A weapon he hadn’t fired in over two years.

“Now what, Ria?” Ronin’s whisper was a
taunt. “Show me your killer instinct.”

“No. I’ll show you my survival instinct
instead.” Ria rammed two blades into Ronin’s sides.

The man’s body jerked, but he barely seemed
affected. He pressed the sword down and Zayn saw the bloom of blood
on her skin. Just a nick, but the trickle ran down her neck in a
river of red.

Zayn lifted the gun. His hand shook. The
past was a red haze that merged with the red of Ria’s blood. He
blinked, trying to concentrate.

Ria
. He had to think of Ria and
saving her life.

He pulled the trigger.

The blue plasma ray hit Ronin. The
assassin’s body stiffened and slumped. Ria pushed him off, her gaze
flying to Zayn.

Zayn felt a rush of calm. She was okay. He
strode forward and unloaded another stun into Ronin. The assassin
lay on the floor, unmoving.

Dead.

Killed by Zayn’s hand.

Zayn’s vision cleared. He knew he’d done the
right thing. Knew he’d do anything to save her.

“Zayn?” Ria was there, her hand covering his
over the stunner.

“I’m okay. Really.” He looked at her, saw
the blood still flowing from the cut on her neck. He cursed and
jammed the stunner into the pockets in his robes. Then he lifted
the sleeve of his robes and pressed it to her injury. “You feel all
right?”

She nodded. “It’s not deep. He was toying
with me.” She was quiet for a second. “You killed him.”

“You said you’d do anything to save the
people you care about.” He lifted the fabric, saw the blood flow
had stopped. He pressed a kiss to the skin of her neck. “I would,
too.”

Her lips trembled. “Thank you.”

“You never have to thank me for being
completely besotted by you.”

“Besotted, huh?”

He fingered a strand of her hair. “Looks
that way. Now, how about I show you how to steal a precious
treasure?”

She smiled. “I bet there’s a lot I can learn
from you.”

“Damn straight. Come on, Ms.
Ex-assassin.”

***

Ria stood in front of the plain wooden
door.

There were no elaborate markings. No huge
double doors or carvings. But beyond here were the secret and
forbidden areas of the Guild. Off limits except for the upper
echelons.

“This is it?” Zayn pressed a hand to the
wood.

She nodded. “No one was allowed in this area
but a privileged few. The children are housed here and trained.
They aren’t allowed to mix with the adult assassins until they pass
their final training at sixteen. The treasure store is in here as
well and—” she turned to look at him “—I suspect, the interrogation
rooms and cells.”

She watched his face and saw a flicker of
emotion before he smoothed it away.

“I can handle it.”

“I know. I’ve never been in here.”

“Well, that’s about to change.” Zayn bent
over the control panel beside the door. “Pretty high tech stuff,
but nothing outstanding.” He hooked up his Sync and started the
unlocking program that Niklas had recently perfected.

“It doesn’t need to be top of the line. No
assassin would dare trespass here.”

“Lucky you aren’t an assassin anymore.” The
Sync beeped and he unplugged it. “All done.”

Zayn moved to open the door, but Ria stopped
him. “I want to do it.”

He studied her face and nodded. “Go
ahead.”

Ria gripped the handle and paused. She’d
just helped kill a master assassin, opening a door seemed trivial
after that. She knew there was no going back. She wanted her
freedom. She wanted to be free of the organization that had stolen
her childhood.

She opened the door.

Inside was another long corridor, but this
one had a white polished floor and tiled white walls. Ria expected
to hear the chatter of children, but it was silent.

She and Zayn moved forward. There were no
doorways but ahead was a staircase. The left side went down, the
right went up.

“Which way?” he asked.

She pulled up the blueprints they’d stolen
from the Tekton. From here, they needed the map. “Up.”

Ria gripped the smooth white handrail and
headed up. They reached a landing identical to the one they’d left,
with a long hall going back to another door. The stairs continued
up. With a shrug, she kept going.

Another landing.

Another set of stairs.

Another landing.

Zayn shook his head. “I feel like I’m in the
fun park on Souk. It has this maze with mirrors and halls,
everything looks the same. I have no idea why they call it a
fun
park.”

Ria stared at the map, trying to make sense
of it compared with what she saw around her. Nothing seemed to
match. She turned slowly looking hard at the white walls. “It’s the
disorientation tech. It’s making everything look the same.”