My Ninja Girl 4 by Gideon Caldwell (latest novels to read .TXT) 📕

“Definitely. We’re going to handle the bodies now,” Micah said as Youseg’s monks lowered the first casket on the backs of the two all-terrain robots. They then placed the second casket on the other two.

The five monks who had joined them on the journey through the tunnel turned and began making their way back to their country.

“And the tunnel will still be lit, right?” he asked Bobi.

“Affirmative. I can try to pipe in some old music for them, if you’d like. I don’t really have anything that great, but there was a tune that the people that lived in Woodsaka used to play at the train stations which is programmed into my system. Sort of a dee-dee-dee-doo-doo-doo kind of sound, definitely pretty. Great walking music. Would you like that?”

“That’s probably not necessary, but thanks anyway. I suppose we should head to the Tomb of the Unknown Ninja,” Micah said as the others gathered behind the all-terrain vehicles.

“That’s right, follow my Bobis; they know where they’re going.”

Micah and his group did just that, the vehicles leading them through the forest, Bobi laying out a pretty clear path without many obstacles. It felt strange to be back in this country, Micah feeling like the air was different, like it was warmer here. Of course, he couldn’t see any of the actual districts; but he could almost sense it, his birthplace, where all the craziness started, literally.

They came to an enormous rock structure, Soraya gasping as she looked up at it.

“I can’t believe it still stands.” The kitsune brought her hand to her mouth.

“How wonderful,” said Bunni. “How truly wonderful.”

It took a moment for Micah to realize that he was looking at a statue, then he made out the sharp outfit of a clan hunter with unique armor cut into rectangles and squares, the tip of a weapon pressed into the ground and covered in vines, many of the corners eroded.

“There are two slots available, and open now,” Bobi told Micah and Liza, his voice appearing in their helmets. “Shall I lead you there? Do not worry about covering the caskets; I can handle that.”

“Yes,” Micah said. “Thank you.”

They passed under a thick tree branch and from there to the left around a pile of stones, where they found two recently dug graves surrounded by dozens upon dozens of flowers that had been picked a short time ago. It was a bit dark out, so he couldn’t quite appreciate the color, but he could definitely smell the flowers. Micah took a quick look around, not quite sure of how Bobi had actually dug the hole, but he had. Impressive, he thought.

Once the vehicles stopped, Bunni and Micah slowly lowered the first casket in with Liza’s assistance, the one with Milsung and her severed head inside. As they placed the second, Soraya collected flowers, which she distributed to Yuri. When she was done, the kitsune came forward and dipped between the two caskets, placing her hands over their graves. With her head down she whispered a mantra, Bunni saying a few ancient words in response, Yuri and Liza echoing them.

“Should we mark their graves?” Liza asked, once they had finished.

Yuri shook her head. “They are anonymous now, like all of us will be when we pass, as is the tradition of the Royal Star Ninjas. Thank you,” she said, turning to Micah, her message also meant for Bobi. “Now that they are here, they can rest in peace. As for us…”

“There’s a vehicle already waiting for you,” Bobi said. “If I didn’t tell you, you should’ve figured it out by now: I can control those, too.”

It was late into the night when a stolen vehicle rose into the air, the hovering craft first stolen from the monks, and then later from the Hermetics by Choro. The circle of thievery was not quite on full display, considering the vehicle was moved ahead without any running lights, everything blacked out, bathed in anonymity. Liza sat in the driver’s seat, but she wasn’t controlling the vehicle, that was all Bobi, the steering wheel moving on its own, the AI letting them know through a pair of speakers what to expect next.

“Since I’m driving, I will be moving a bit faster than normal, which will also help us stay off the monk’s radar. Easy enough to do at night, but will be more challenging during the day.”

“Meaning we will leave for Uyanga early in the morning, right?” Micah asked, just confirming what they’d already discussed.

“That’s right,” said Liza. “We can stay in the stash house tonight, and move to Uyanga tomorrow. Remember all the underground passageways beneath Ahmey’s temple? That will help us keep a low profile while we figure out our next steps.”

“I’m not going to pretend to understand the politics of this country,” Soraya said, the kitsune given the front passenger seat for once. She normally sat in the back with Micah, but Bunni had offered it to her, the Plains Dweller seated next to Micah, Yuri on her other side, both with their hands on his lap.

“Then let me help. The upper echelon acts as a parliamentary council for changes in the law,” Liza explained. “But the citizens aren’t able to vote for the monks and nuns to take a seat at the High Council; they really have no say, aside from mayoral representatives who have their own Society of Monks counterparts. It’s always an uphill battle to get something changed in one of the districts, depending on the district. It goes without saying that any of the floating districts have more power than the ones on the ground. But what you need to know is that they have these meetings quite frequently, and if we’re lucky, there’s one happening soon. If we’re not lucky, we may have to wait,