Page 48

Chief Styles Sawyer

Zorion

The first light of dawn crept over the horizon as the convoy wound its way through the dense forest.

“Heads up, guys, here they come,” Jo said in their earpieces. “Ex and Meridian have been dispatched by their handler to go to the Browns’ aid, Lion and Omega are giving them hell.”

The Kenjuka clan’s cargo was well guarded with two armored trucks sandwiched between half a dozen SUVs, each overflowing with armed men.

None of them knew death awaited them in the trees where Zorion stood perched on a thick branch high above the road.

“Going silent,” Jo informed. “But I’m always here.”

Zorion tightened his grip around his compound bow, reached behind him, and pulled an explosion arrow from his quiver.

He drew it back, feeling the tension. It was heavier than he was used to, but his muscles adjusted, and with a controlled breath, he let loose.

The arrow streaked through the air and struck the lead vehicle.

A second later, an explosion shattered the still morning, engulfing the SUV in flames.

The blast ricocheted through the convoy, sending the remaining vehicles veering off-course. Tires screeched. Metal crunched. One SUV smashed into the back of another, setting off a chain reaction of crashes.

Zorion blinked. Holy shit, this thing is incredible.

He could feel the power in this weapon—it was unlike anything he’d wielded before. But there was no time to admire it. He nocked another arrow, having no issues adjusting to the weight.

Men spilled out of the wrecked vehicles, their rifles raised.

Shouting in panic, they fired blindly into the woods. Bullets shredded through earth and bark, but Zorion was already in motion, leaping between branches with untraceable speed.

He moved like a tree viper, never in one place long enough to be seen, let alone shot.

A streak of movement signaled Valor’s attack.

He dropped from the trees with grace and balance, landing soundless behind a distracted guard.

Zorion watched from high with admiration as his partner attacked with relentless destruction. Valor didn’t just fight…he annihilated.

Zorion pulled one of his flashbang arrows and shot it toward the advancing men. It struck the ground with a brilliant burst of light, erupting with an earsplitting blast. The flashbang sent the guards stumbling, blinded and disoriented.

Zorion reached for another as Valor dove for cover behind an armored truck as a barrage of bullets reflected off the steel.

He yanked a flare arrow from behind his back and had it flying within a second. The projectile ignited on impact, releasing a brief but intense burst of flame. The guards who’d been shooting at Valor flew backward, rolling around in the brush in an attempt to smother the flames burning through their fatigues.

From below, a guard spotted him in the tree and aimed his rifle. Before he could shoot, Zorion whipped a taser arrow and fired. It struck the man’s chest, unleashing a current that made him convulse before he collapsed unconscious to the ground.

Valor was now assisted by the disciples, eliminating the vast guards with fewer than a couple of moves before they were sent flying into the air.

More bullets were fired into the trees, forcing Zorion to move.

He flew from branch to branch while pulling and releasing arrows that targeted vital organs.

The disciples of the Order tore through the smoke and debris of vehicles with silent fury.

They battled without firearms, easily dismantling the rest of the resistance. One took out a guard in a single fluid motion, breaking his arm before delivering a swift strike to the throat.

Another kicked the front of a guard’s knee, making it bend at an unnatural angle before he formed his fingers into a spearhead and stabbed it at the man’s heart. His eyes rolled back before he fell face-first to the ground.

The last of the guards stood back-to-back, rifles aimed at them. Zorion gripped the silver-tipped arrow and shot it at a nearby SUV, which instantly emitted a strong magnetic field.

Their weapons were ripped from their hands and slammed into the side of the SUV with a series of metallic clatters.

The guards were dumbfounded as they stood weaponless.

Valor wasted no time. With his steel-tipped claws, he tore through them with renewed fury, his blows shattering ribs and breaking limbs. His growl was so fierce that Zorion felt it in his own chest.

It was only minutes before the battlefield was clear.

A final vehicle, with its tires smoking, attempted to make a run for it.

Valor broke into a sprint, his boots pounding the asphalt like a battering ram. He launched forward with a guttural roar and hurled a savage front kick to the bumper of the SUV.

The metal crumpled inward, and the vehicle bucked as if it’d collided with a five-ton beast. The impact was so forceful it triggered the airbag, smashing it into the driver’s face, making his head snap back like a rag doll’s.

Smoke hissed from under the hood as Valor went to the driver’s window, slammed his hand straight through it, and wrapped his claws around Woyashi’s throat.

A disciple rushed forward and gripped Valor’s shoulder before he could squeeze.

“Master Valor,” he said in a respectful tone. “Grandmaster Lion has requested Woyashi be brought back alive to the Order’s tribunal.”

After a long, delay, Valor slowly unfurled his claws and allowed the disciples to swarm in and drag Woyashi away.

Zorion dropped and surveyed the wreckage. There were no survivors. He turned the Green Raptor over in his hands. It had been new to him only hours ago, but now it felt like an extension of his arm. His pulse raced and his heart pounded with an intoxicating adrenaline that felt too good to explain.

He heard a muffled sound from one of the vehicles in the middle and nodded to Valor, who ripped the door open so hard it tore off the hinges.

There, bound and gagged, was their objective.

Zelmir’s red-rimmed eyes were wide as he scurried to the far end of the seat.

Valor yanked the duct tape from over his mouth.

“P-please…don’t hurt me.”

“That’s not why we’re here,” Zorion said as he cut the ropes from his wrists and ankles.

“We gotta move,” Zorion told him.

Zelmir grabbed a black duffel from the floor and leaped from the vehicle.

Without a word, Valor flanked him and Zelmir as he guided them toward the trees and deeper into the forest for their eleven-mile hike.

“Target secured,” Valor informed their team.

“Exceptional work, masters,” Jo said. “Transport is on the way for Woyashi.”

“Lion and Omega?” Valor questioned.

“Threat is neutralized,” Jo answered.

One battle was won, but the war was far from over.