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

"I can't believe that actually worked!" said a merc as he and another pressed their backs against the pillar beside me.

Me too, I thought but only shrugged and smiled and fired.

I could see now Garrakson and the others were advancing, pinning the enemy mercs on the balcony overhead with a constant withering hail.

Despite this, I couldn't help but frown; it was working, working a bit too well for my taste.

As if summoned by this thought, I saw them; it happened almost too fast to follow as two zip lines suddenly descended from the balcony behind Garrakson and the others, and a pair of lythe figures dropped to the floor. I didn't even have time to activate my microbead before seeing the familiar blue light of power weapons and heard the sound of screams.

"Shit! Frig! Cover me," I roared through clenched teeth and without a further word, I was moving, sprinting from cover.

Garrakson and the others reeled as the two figures swathed a whirlwind of a blur of blood and body parts. At least ten more mercs were mercilessly cut down, but I couldn't tell who. I could only hope that Torris and Garrakson weren't amongst them.

Finally, I got a good view of the attackers; both were female with supple amazing bodies and wore tight, ornate crimson and black bodygloves and wielded dual power blades. They fought back to back as one. It was beyond beautiful to behold despite them slaughtering my allies. It made me not want to kill them; how could I put an end to such perfection? Such art, poetry in motion. They also reminded me of Elandria; they fought with a similar style of acrobatic fancy. Brilliant! And they would be my end, of that I had no doubt.

I smiled despite this and only activated my sword's powerfield in the last second, lunging into a horizontal slash that'd have cut them both through.

As one they cartwheeled back and just out the way, I slid to a stop on the other side, cutting vertically down at the left one. She leapt to the side, spinning through the air with breathtaking grace as the right one thrust her blade at me. I sidestepped it just and was forced to duck as the left one's horizontal slash blurred for my skull.

I laughed; my blood sang in my veins as I parried the vertical slash of Left and weaved under a decapitating cut from Right. I sent a swift kick at Right, which she dodged with a cartwheel and smashed aside another thrust from Right. From that, I brought my blade into an overhead strike which she parried with her spare sword. I backpedalled Right's counter and tilted my head to the side, out the path of Left's stab.

Right suddenly lunged at me, a blur as she slashed horizontally at my torso, simultaneously Left cut horizontally at my head, both from opposite directions. I cursed, seeing what they were doing but had no choice but to leap back, precisely as they wanted and right attempted to catch me from behind with a backhanded blow.

But I'd leapt back faster and farther than she'd expected, so by the time she'd attacked, I was already out of its path. The assassin faltered slightly in surprise, but that was all I got as the other one was on me, spinning into a butterfly kick that I ducked. Her forward momentum allowed her to slip behind me as the other sliced vertically at my skull. I blocked the blow, twisting to bring my blade on top of her's and pushed it into the floor, allowing me to face them both again.

Only in the very last microsecond did I catch Right's thrust, and I leaned sideward desperately. Cursing in pain as the powerfield skimmed my torso, cutting a horrific gash that made me reel then stumble away.

They gave me no respite; both lunged at the same time, each thrusting with one blade and cutting horizontally with the other.

I leapt to the Left and well out the way, but too far to allow me a counter, and immediately they darted my way. I snarled in frustration; now they'd found their damn cohesion! I wasn't going to last much longer if I didn't ruin it! Moving faster than I thought possible, I slipped left as they fell on me again, parrying Left's thrust and countered by cutting down diagonally at the back of her head as her momentum carried her onward. With gravity-defying grace, she somehow leaned out the way and twisted into a kick that smashed into my arm, sending pain coursing through it and me stumbling to keep my feet.

Right was already there, cutting vertically up with her left blade and diagonally with her Right. I could see it now, both blows were not quite at the same time, and despite the considerable risk, lightning-fast, I parried them. The superior strength and stability of my two-handed grip, allowing me to smash them off course, opening her up for my front kick to connect with her solar plexus in an audible crunch! Despite the cacophony of gunfire through the hall. She cried out in pain, the first sound I'd heard from them yet and fell to the floor.

I doubted that'd stop her; they were both amped on combat drugs, I was sure, but it'd slow her, and their cohesion was now gone.

I'd have thanked the Emperor if I wasn't the one responsible for it.

Left leapt at me, her roundhouse kick aimed at taking my legs out, but I back stepped and flicked my left wrist, ejecting a throwing knife into my hand and threw it point-blank at her face.

She tilted her head out the way with an almost contemptuous calm, defying my hope that she'd smash it out of mid-air with her sword, so getting a face full of shrapnel for her trouble.

I slipped forward, slicing down at her, but her backward cartwheel made me miss.

Right was finally back on her feet and, with what seemed to be in a rage, snarled as she thrust at my side.

I backstepped it, cutting at her horizontally, but she parried with her spare blade. I ducked Left's spinning hook kick and sidestepped Right's downward slash, then leapt back from her next cut.

I furrowed my brow, dearly wanting to check on my friends fights going on around but didn't dare. The assassins paused in their offence and looked at me, tilting their heads curiously. It was then I realised I was grinning, almost from ear to ear, and a sharp pain suddenly coursed through my face with this realisation. I was enjoying this, perhaps a bit too much for my liking.

Fighting was one of the few things I was truly good at, that's for sure.

Abruptly I lunged, slashing at Left, who leapt away, spinning through the air. I parried Right's pair of quick-fire thrusts, then sent a sidekick she dodged with a pirouette. Left dashed forward, slicing high at my head which I weaved under; she spun into a low cut at my legs that I barely managed to dance away from. She was lucky; I had my boot knife extended.

I cut out at Right as she lunged at me, which she barely managed to duck. Despite being distracted by this, she was still able to dart back from my following roundhouse kick. Left's spinning side kick forced me to sidestep, and I blocked her horizontal blow as it blurred at my flank then slid aside from her next thrust. I countered with a diagonal cut which she stopped short with both blades, trying to entrap mine in between, but I kicked out, forcing her to abandon the trap and spin away.

With a growl of frustration, I barely managed to back step Left's spinning hook kick; I could start to feel the adrenaline was waning, the exhaustion returning. I couldn't keep this up for much longer. Hell, I was surprised I'd lasted even half this long.

However long that was exactly, I could only hazard a guess.

Both lunged at me, left pirouetting into horizontal slashes with both blades. I bounded backwards, their powerfields missing my nose by the barest of margins. The right was on me a microsecond later, stabbing with each edge, one after another. I barely managed to parry them and countered with a desperate thrust of my own. Forcing her back, then I pivoted into a slash at Left; she blocked, twisted, pushed my blade over her head and down to her Right, then cut with her offhand sword at my skull.

My eyes wide, teeth clenched, I threw myself away, stumbling to keep my feet as the blade missed slightly. The cut on my side was beginning to hurt, and I had to fight the urge to clutch it.

Right reposted, cutting her swords simultaneously, horizontally. I ducked that and wound to the side, turning to face Left as she bared down at me. Weakly I parried her thrust, then clumsily backpedalled her diagonal slash. But her roundhouse kick caught me off guard, connecting hard into my wound, which sent razor-sharp agony coursing through my entire being and with a cry, I fell onto my side, so hard it knocked the wind out of me, and my sword flew from my grasp, clattering away somewhere.

I groaned and began climbing to my feet when a weight abruptly fell on my back, pinning me down, and a rough hand grabbed a clump of my hair and painfully pulled my head back, allowing her to place her blade at my throat. I saw a pair of stilettos walk into my vision, and the assassin towered over me.

She looked down at me, a slight smile playing on her full lips, then she nodded, nodded in what almost seemed in admiration and respect. Which made me smile, and despite the state I was in, I nodded back. I'd fought well; I'd tried my best; I didn't mind dying now. I just wished I'd taken one down with me.

She nodded again and gave me a gorgeous full-fledged grin; it was a shame that most of her face was hidden as I was sure she was beautiful. The one on my back let go of my hair, and the other activated her power sword, raised it over her head and cut down in a decapitating arc. Another powered blade abruptly blocked it in mid-swing, and suddenly with a cry of pain, the weight was thrown off me. Darrance, with his power scimitar, appeared in view, causing the assassin to lung back from his vertical cut.

"Nice work, apprentice!" he yelled. "Now, let us take it from here!"

Gaping in dumb surprise, I rolled over to see Castella was now locked in combat with the other assassin.

Despite myself, I sighed as I slowly, laboriously climbed to my feet and searched for my sword, yet a-bloody-gain I was getting my arse saved seems to be a theme around here.

 I watched on both fights as one of Taryst's mercs clumsily bandaged my wound, so engrossed I barely felt the pain from the process all the while I monitored the vox traffic. We'd taken the ballroom, but at the cost of dozens of more lives, all that was left here were the two assassins Castella and Darrance