Free The Darkness of God: Book Three of the Shadow Warrior Trilogy by Chris Bunch

“Wolfe’s analyses have been correct thus far.”
    “Joshua Wolfe,” Kur put in, “calm down. You’ve run agents, you know how easy it is for one to panic when he’s one step short of his target. Haven’t you ever had to order anybody to hold fast?”
    “I have,” Wolfe said grimly. “Three times, no more. I lost my ferret twice, barely made the hit the third time. Then I started paying attention to the man on the ground.”
    “This is not a democracy,” Athelstan said firmly. “There is generally but one logical way, and since I’ve been chosen to speak for the Chitet, I have decided we should stay the course. We are getting close to our target. To withdraw now would be to abandon all our accomplishments.”
    Wolfe stared at the screen. “I’ve won a lot of money from people like you,” he said quietly. “People who think what they’ve thrown in the pot gives them some kind of rights on the showdown.”
    “You’re not assessing the situation with proper logic,” Athelstan said. “Continue the mission.”
    • • •
    Walsh waited while the woman with hooded eyes paced back and forth, thinking.
    “No,” she decided, “there’s nothing more to be gained by waiting and observing. Proceed as we discussed.”
    • • •
    “I don’t feel like making love tonight,” Kristin announced.
    “Nor I,” Joshua agreed, leaning across her and turning off the light. “I wish that your fearless leaders had heard the old Earth-Chinese proverb that of the thirty-four possible responses to a problem, running away is best.”
    “Master Speaker Athelstan knows what is right.”
    “Yeah,” Joshua agreed. “For Master Speaker Athelstan. Never mind. Go to sleep. It’s liable to get noisy pretty quick.”
    Joshua lay back, trying to quiet the jangle. After a time, he felt Kristin relax into sleep. Then he took tension, fear, anger from his toes, moved it upward, pushing it as a broom sweeps water, up his body, through his arms, through his chest and into his brain. He found a color for these things, deep blue, coiled the tensions, the fears into a ball, forced it out of his body, and made it float precisely three inches above his head, between his eyes. He ordered his mind to obey him, that all would be doomed if that blue ball sank into his body once more.
    Joshua was almost asleep when he
felt
something. Far out, across the city — although when he reached for it, nothing was there.
    Then it returned, brooding, dark.
    Wolfe slid out of bed, dressed in dark shirt, pants, and a pair of zip boots. He returned to the bed, and lay on his back.
    Waiting.
    • • •
    The door to the bedroom crashed open, and Wolfe was crouched in a defense stance as Kristin half shrieked and sat up.
    Lucian was in the doorway, gun in his hand, eyes wide. “They killed him!” he cried. “They’ve killed him!”
    Suddenly he burst into racking sobs, and the gun fell onto the carpet.
    Wolfe heard the blare of the vid in the room outside and ran into the living room.
    Onscreen was dark space, lit by the flaring ruin of a starship. For an instant Wolfe was thrown back years, to other screens and other ship-deaths.
    Then the smooth commentator’s voice registered:
    “ … still unknown registry and origin, although sources within Planetary Guard advise the ship had been in a geosynchronous orbit over Prendergast for at least two months.
    “I repeat the flash: An unknown starship, orbiting just off Rogan’s World exploded minutes ago. Initial reports suggest the ship was attacked by unknown assailants. We have no word as to the ship’s name or registry, nor any information about passengers or crew.
    “We have a news crew en route, and another on its way to Planetary Guard headquarters. These images are coming to you courtesy of the Guard, from one of the naysats offworld.
    “Please stand by for further details.”
    The screen blanked, but Max continued staring at it.
    “Master Speaker Athelstan,” he said in a whisper.