Secret War: Warhammer 40,000 by Ben Agar (reading eggs books TXT) 📖

be easy to conceal and potentially do a whole lot of harm, the smart bastards.

One attacked, with a cry, he lunged, sweeping out his axe at my skull.

Despite my month-long recovery, despite what I went through, my body never forgot; in the blink of an eye, my sword was drawn and blocking his attack. I glimpsed an expression of incredulity spread across his face.

Three more followed their mate before I could counter, swinging at me with their respective axes.

I parried a vertical swing, ducked under another, and I sidestepped the third.

With a laugh of delight and the blood singing in my veins, I ejected another throwing knife from my sleeve as another two came at me. One axe slashing down at me, the other following around horizontally, I parried them both with quick-fire movements with my sword.

One followed on with a front kick aimed at my chest, but I countered, slipping away from the attack and by stabbing my knife straight into his thigh, the man screamed in agony, but before I could do anything more, the rest of his buddies were onto me.

I swayed under one swinging axe and smacked away another flurry of attacks, all from individual opponents.

One assailant came at me from behind, but I was running on instinct, so I sidestepped his attack barely, and I turned my hips, smashing my elbow into his face, which impacted with a hefty crunch as I shattered his nose.

I blocked a horizontal slash by bringing my blade over my elbow and knocked down another with an overhead sweep. After front kicking the first attacker in the guts, I back peddled from another three as they converged on my flank. I blocked the overhead slash of the first and countered by throwing my knee around into his solar plexus. The second I parried, but the third was already on me, so I was forced to knock away his before I could ever hope to counter. I repelled a fourth assailant's attack then another as he attempted to open an ugly wound in my torso. One tried for a low blow swinging his axe in an arc aimed at ripping into my thigh.

Back peddling from that attack, he followed on by slashing at my skull, an attack which I ducked. I was just in time to turn to face another on my flank, barely managing to block his slashing axe.

Clenching my teeth, I countered by kicking him in the knee with my boot knife. The man howled out in pain, but I was not quick enough to stop another's front kick from colliding into my torso; the blow knocked the wind out from me and sent me stumbling back. I ignored the throbbing pain to recover just in time to duck under a sweeping axe and saw, much to my amusement the man had a messed up bloody nose.

With a roar, the man twice my size crouched down low and charged straight at me in an obvious attempt to spear tackle me to the floor.

I sidestepped, and front kicked the blade at the tip of my boot into his torso; sidestepping another slash, I parried a follow-on swipe, then boxing swayed under a back fist and brought up my blade right into his wrist.

The next two flew straight at me. I parried the first, a vertical slash, then the second's overhead attack. The first followed, and too quickly for me to counter by punching me square in the face, his fist met my jaw with a crack! And sent burning waves of pain through my head; I was sent stumbling back, just recovering in time to duck another axe.

Clutching my face with my free left hand, I slashed out at my attackers, the attack stopped dead as one blocked it, but I slipped my sword from the hilt of his axe into a vertical slice at his comrade in line who back stepped out the way, now it was my turn for the offensive.

I slashed at the third and he to block, but with all the momentum I could muster, my attack caused his block to turn out, allowing me to bring around my elbow into the side of his skull and to make sure I roundhouse kicked my boot knife into his armpit as he collapsed.

I grinned at the four remaining attackers raising my sword; I could feel my breaths were now coming out as ragged gasps. I didn't know if I could keep this up for much longer; my fitness was not what it once was.

Then with a roar, they made to charge.

"Stop," the deep, commanding voice echoed through the alley, causing the four assailants to stop immediately, though standing with barely contained restraint, and as I turned to the speaker, my jaw dropped.

The leader was wearing light blue power armour covered from head to toe and a long brown cloak hanging from his shoulders.

And emblazoned on the power armour's chest a gigantic, very unsubtle 'I.'

"S-so are you Brutis Bones?" I stammered.

"No," said the Inquisitor as he began to approach me and shaking his head, "I bear no relation to your mark."

He pulled out his Rosette and held it out, although it was somewhat unneeded.

"I am Inquisitor Nonin Edracian, and I would very much like to talk to you young Attelus Kaltos."

 

Chapter 8

 I looked back up to Olinthre, my eyes wide, and I could imagine my face being even paler than usual.

"Have you actually seen Taryst over the past few months?" I asked. "Has he been even more recluse than normal?"

"That's the thing," said Olinthre. "While he still never leaves his quarters, he still talks openly to the investigation squads and me, his mannerisms are the same nothing has changed except for his decisions.

Clenching my teeth, I shook my head. "You are aware that while we are having this highly confidential conversation, this Karmen Kons could easily be listening in that Taryst could have feigned her disappearance to draw out anyone conspiring against him...Like us."

Olinthre shrugged. "I know, but I don't care; if she truly knew, something would have happened right after I talked to Vex earlier, for all I know, she could be dead."

The corner of my mouth twitched in contempt; how typical of a soldier to think so simplistically.

Of course, Edracian had claimed earlier that my colleagues had injured this Karmen Kons during the Twilight bar incident, but it would be wise to take everything that deranged Inquisitor claims with a grain of salt.

I sighed and shrugged, placing the paper on a nearby cogitator, "for all our sakes, I hope you're right, frig it."

I could easily see where this was leading. With this development, perhaps I could "encourage" good Olinthre to go up to "Taryst's" condo and confront the rogue trader, the major taking me with him, of course. From there, I could get access to this mysterious door.

Finally, for the first time in a long time, it seemed luck was on my side for a change.

At least I hoped it was luck, this seemed to smack of something that Glaitis had cooked up behind the scenes, and perhaps she knew of my kidnapping and my deal with Edracian, but she hadn't tried to stop me yet.

"So," I said, attempting to push the conversation where I wanted it to go. "What are we going to do now?"

Olinthre's square jaw set in determination. "We're going up there, and we're going to ask Taryst what the hell is going on."

I barely held back a smile; everything was all according to plan, yess.

"What, now?" asked Vex, perplexed. "B-but, don't we need a plan first?"

"You don't need to worry, Vex," said Olinthre. "Because you are staying right here, I can't have your death on my conscience if anything should happen."

"And make no mistake, something will happen," I said with complete certainty.

Olinthre gave me a sidelong glare, a look which seemed to show his complete disbelief that someone so young could be so cynical.

He can think it's cynicism; I prefer to call it pragmatism.

Vex shook his head, a slight smile on his face, "no, I didn't expect that you would want me to come with you; I would very much get in the way."

"In fact," said Olinthre, his attention still on me, "I am leaving my men here to protect you, Vex."

My eyes widened in disbelief, as did Vex's, and the two so far silent Stormtroopers glanced at one another.

"But-!"

"No Attelus," interrupted Olinthre, then he turned to the Stormtroopers. "Aithyre, Geron, Daveth, Rayle, they have been good soldiers, no great soldiers I will not put their lives on the line for this crap; I won't, I just won't."

I opened my mouth to argue to say that if we went up there and if anything happened that Taryst would surely find out about their involvement and kill them anyway, that it was idiotic that we could use all the help we could get.

But I could tell arguing was pointless Olinthre had that determined look again; he would brook no argument.

Olinthre turned to me. "Sorry, Attelus, it's just you and me. I'm afraid."

My jaw clenched. "Let's get this over and damn well done with then," I growled.

The major smiled down at me. "Lets," and he began to walk to the door, but I stood still, my attention to the floor, shoulders hunched and shaking as I started to work up the courage.

"Attelus?" Olinthre asked.

"I'm sorry!" I finally blurted out. "I'm sorry about what I did Vex, I had no right; I was a jerk and a complete frig head. I'm sorry, I truly am."

Vex didn't reply for a while; I was already sweating the small space profusely with so many Cogitators stuffed in it made the place as hot as a furnace. Still, I was somehow sweating even worse now; my body glove's internal heat dampeners didn't seem to help at all.

"You were a jerk," agreed the young hacker, and I let out a long sigh of relief, not realising that I had held my breath the whole time, "and no, I don't forgive you."

My attention snapped straight to Vex; as much as it sucked to hear those words, I knew that he had every right not to.

"I-I understand," I stammered and turned to leave.

"But!" exclaimed Vex causing me to stop in my tracks, "but I will forgive you on one condition."

I could not help sigh in relief and turn back to the hacker, "name it."

"Only if you let me punch you in the face as hard as I can."

My eyes widened; that was it? That was all? It was then I was reminded of how young Vex was. Only someone of such youth would think that was enough retribution for such treatment.

I almost felt guilty, while I knew that a thin person could be just as powerful and robust a fighter as someone twice their size, Vex was never trained, and I have been punched in the face many times in my life, I could not help suspect that Vex's would barely even hurt at all.

Swallowing, I said, "h-how about three punches to the face Vex perhaps that would suffice more?"

Vex grinned, and I knew that grin well; it was one which I had also worn on many occasions; it was when someone knew that they were being