by Jay Kristoff
Yukiko looked at him, eyes bright with uncertainty.
No, not doubling.
Tripling.
YUKIKO …
What is she talking about?
—TELL HER.—
Tell me what? Who is they?
Buruu sighed, storm howling overhead, lighting reflected in the bottomless black of her eyes. The girl he loved more than anything in this world. The girl he would do anything to protect, to spare her even one more second of pain.
But he could not spare her this.
YUKIKO …
Oh, gods, no …
The sigh came from the heart of him.
YUKIKO, YOU ARE WITH CHILD.
She stared at him, mouth agape, hands moving slowly to her belly.
“Them”?
YES.
He nodded.
TWINS …
Yukiko sank to her knees, clutching her abdomen and staring at nothing at all. The gaijin knelt beside her, asking if she was well. She was pale as death, wide-eyed, fingers splayed on black glass as if the whole world were shifting beneath her.
Which he supposed, in a very real way, it was.
HELP ME WITH HER, KAIAH.
—SPEAK NOT TO ME.—
He looked at the islands around them, the spire of rusted copper, the nomad’s corpse, skinned and bloody, the gaijin torn to ragged meat and food for worms. This place that lay days from the Everstorm. Riddled with monkey-children like fleas on a cur. Miles from the islands the arashitora called home. Why was she here at all? Why was she not …
WHY ARE YOU HERE INSTEAD OF WITH KOUU?
She stepped forward with a snarl, hackles raised.
—SPEAK HIS NAME AGAIN AND DIE.—
He looked down at Yukiko, shell-shocked on the stone, fingers pressed to her belly, mouth agape as she sucked in breath after heaving breath.
YOU RISKED YOUR LIFE TO SAVE THESE CHILDREN, NOT YET BORN.
Kaiah growled as he padded toward her.
WHY? MONKEY-CHILDREN MEAN NOTHING TO ARASHITORA.
—…—
WHY, KAIAH?
—NO MORE YOUNGLINGS DIE. MONKEY-CHILD OR OTHER. NO NEWBORNS. NO UNBORNS. NEVER AGAIN.—
WHERE ARE YOUR CUBS, KAIAH? WHERE IS YOUR MATE?
—MUCH CHANGE AFTER YOU LEFT, KINSLAYER.—
He sensed a terrible sorrow within the Kenning, a river running too deep for Kaiah to hide it all.
—MUCH LOST.—
TORR?
—YES.—
FATHER, SAVE US …
—NOTHING TO SAVE US NOW.—
COME WITH US. FLY WITH US.
—WHY?—
He nodded to Yukiko.
FOR THE TWO WITHIN HER. THE TWO YOU RISKED ALL TO SAVE. I CANNOT PROTECT THEM BY MYSELF.
—IF CANNOT PROTECT, DO NOT FIGHT.—
I GO WHERE SHE GOES. AND SHE WILL FIGHT UNTIL HER DYING BREATH.
Kaiah looked at the girl, something close to pity in her eyes. Waves crashed against the rocks, the roar and hiss of surf interwoven with the song of their father’s drums. She looked up at the storm-torn fray, breathed the scent of salt and rust and blood.
I CANNOT DO THIS ALONE, KAIAH.
—TOLD YOU NO, KINSLAYER.—
She tossed her head, rain spraying from her feathers, ghosts in her eyes. They stared at each other as Lady Sun crept higher in the sky, just a smudge of light behind the rolling clouds in eastern skies. The dawn was almost as dark as the night had been. Almost as if Amaterasu had never bothered to rise from her slumber.
Yet she had risen, as she’d done every day before this, and would do every day until the ending of the world. And every now and then, as the clouds shifted across the eastern heavens, a ray of light would pierce the gray horizon; just a tiny moment of illumination, a heartbeat long. And in that brief second, the sunlight would catch the falling rain and turn it to a thousand diamonds, sparkling like the long-lost stars as they tumbled from the sky. It would catch the edges of the islands around them, slick with red ocean’s kiss, dancing like flame on the edges of razors as Fūjin sang the song of the wind. Even here. Even now.
Even on the darkest day, the world could be beautiful. If only for a moment.
He could feel the little ones inside Yukiko—two tiny sparks of life, shapeless and bright, intertwined with her own heat. They pulsed, too formless to know true fear, but real enough to feel their mother’s terror, shock, sorrow through the Kenning. The fear spilled into him, fear for them, for the one who carried them, for the beating, bleeding heart of his world.
He knew Kaiah could feel them too.
PLEASE.
Kaiah growled, deep in her throat, tail whipping side to side.
—NO. WILL NOT FIGHT FOR YOU.—
Buruu bowed his head, breathed deep, tasted defeat on his tongue. Nothing he could do. Nothing he could say. He could feel the ache in Kaiah’s heart. The ache that drove her to this razored shore. A sorrow too vast to see the edges. Little ones. Precious ones. Loved ones.
Gone.
Taken.
Kaiah padded over to Yukiko, knelt on the stone before her. The girl looked up, swollen, trembling lips and frightened, blackened eyes. An age passed, there in the howling storm, the clawing wind, the driving rain, until at last, the thunder tiger leaned in close, pressed her head against Yukiko’s belly, and listened.
The sun slipped out from behind the clouds.
Just for a moment.
—BUT I WILL FIGHT FOR THEM.—
And the rain about them turned to falling diamonds.
42
PULSE
Ka-chunk. Ka-chunk.
The rhythm of the tracks matched the one in his chest, the spectral pulse of the mechabacus inside his head. Kin watched the countryside spin by beyond the beach-glass windows, miles upon miles of lotus fields, the towering six-legged figures of harvestermen cutting through the plants like they were made of smoke, drifting up into a scarlet sky.
The train was filled to bursting, mostly sararīmen and their families; mothers, fathers, children, all crammed together in their little metal shells and speeding down the lines toward the great capital of the Shima Shōgunate. The news that Kigen had reopened her rail yards to admit well-wishers for the Daimyo’s wedding was received with buzzing excitement, and people from all over the country were descending on the Tiger capital to celebrate the holiday and catch a glimpse of the man who would be their new Shōgun.
Ka-chunk. Ka-chunk.
So handsome, were the whispers. So brave. A man who gave his sword arm in defense of Yoritomo-no-miya, who crushed the Inochi Riots almost single-handedly. A man who stepped forward at the hour his people needed him most and wrought order from chaos. A man worthy to marry the last daughter of Kazumitsu and usher in a new, golden age for this mighty nation.
Or so the wireless said.
Kin scowled, stared at the countryside beyond the glass, tried to block out the tinny voice piping in through the speakers. He wondered how many of the people around him actually believed the Guild broadcast. Packed in so tight they could hardly move, the smell and sweat and noise enough to make a person sick. And yet, still they came. To witness history. To be part of something. To escape the drudgery of their little lives for a heartbeat, pressing their faces against the glass, looking in at perfection they would never have.
At least there was one benefit to the cabins being so full—Kin didn’t have to talk to the other Kagé. They were spread out along the train’s length so as not to draw attention. Daichi and Kaori and two dozen others; as many fighters as they could spare without stripping the village of its defenses. Kin knew Isao was amongst them, Takeshi and Atsushi too. But the boys kept their distance, and their stares and insults to themselves.
Ayane had spoken to him as they trekked through the forest to Yama city, his arm about her shoulders. Her voice had been no more than a whisper.
“You did not tell Daichi-sama what happened, did you?” Anguish in her eyes.
&nbs
p; “He won’t care. But don’t worry, Ayane. It’s going to be good.”
Ka-chunk. Ka-chunk.
“It’s going to be perfect.”
He looked at the girl now as she stared out of the window beside him, wide, dark eyes reflecting the rolling green beyond, the gray wash of storm clouds above. She was pressed into the groove between seat and wall. A heavy cloak and a large straw hat strapped around her shoulders covered the swell of the silver arms at her back.
He recalled his meeting with Daichi, the hushed voices over the chessboard as he outlined the plan that would spell an end to everything. Kin almost felt pity when he looked into the old man’s eyes, when he considered what was coming. He almost felt afraid of what it would mean. Where it would lead.
Almost.
Ka-chunk. Ka-chunk.
But he pictured Ayane curled bloody and beaten in the corner, the way she’d trembled for hours after the earthquake ended. The way she woke screaming in the night and stared at nothing at all until dawn lit the sky. And he realized that he’d known all along how this would end. The Inquisitors had shown him after all.
Thirteen years old. Breathing in sweet blue-black, the What Will Be laid out before him. A future that, try as he might, he now knew he could never escape. No matter how fast he ran. No matter how deep he dug. No matter how hard he prayed.
Ka-chunk. Ka-chunk.
Ka-chunk. Ka-chunk.
Ka-chunk. Ka-chunk.
* * *
Ayane refused to let go of his hand.
The Shadows stepped off the train at Kigen station, Kin among them, fading amidst the crowd and wreaths of fumes. The rail yard was a series of broad concrete platforms, stained beneath black rain, encircled by razor-wire fences and corroding boxcar skeletons. The majestic figure of the Phoenix’s Floating Palace loomed over Kigen like a second sun, the Dragon tall ships swaying in the blackened bay. The refinery could be heard in the distance; steam whistles and hissing smoke, boiling into the sunset sky.
Kin and the Kagé fighters moved swift through the streets, shadows within the throng. Kigen’s citizens were already caught up in the festivities, the sounds of drunken revelry spilling from every saké bar, bedhouse and brothel in Downside. A royal wedding—even a hastily arranged one—would last several days. Tradition held that bride and groom would gather with family and friends to bid a ceremonial good-bye the eve before the ritual. Vows would be exchanged the following morning, just as the Sun Goddess crested the horizon.
Presuming, of course, nothing interrupted the occasion.
“You are well, Kin-san?” Daichi asked over his shoulder, his new walking stick clicking upon the cobbles.
“We’re fine, Daichi-sama.”
“Stay close,” he rasped. “The local Kagé may not look on you kindly.”
Kin glanced into Ayane’s wide and frightened eyes.
“That will be a switch,” he muttered.
They doubled back several times to ensure nobody followed them, Kaori and the other Kagé splitting off on different routes. But eventually, they came to a grubby house in Downside’s western slums, close to the pipeline. Daichi knocked four times, coughing, lifting his kerchief and spitting black on the cobbles, rubbing at his ribs. Kin watched the street around them, every beggar, every corner courtesan, every drunkard stumbling from a tavern or bar. Iron butterflies in his belly. Sweat on his palms, fingers entwined with Ayane’s, her hand trembling.
The door opened, and a small, wiry woman motioned them inside. She was dressed in dark cloth, hair tied in a single braid. She had no eyebrows, and the skin on her face was pink and shiny, as if she’d been recently scalded.
“Daichi-sama.” A low bow. “You honor this house with your presence.”
“Gray Wolf.” Daichi covered his fist and bowed. “This is Kin-san and Ayane-san.”
Kin felt like the old woman looked right through him.
“The Guildsmen…”
“I vouch for them,” Daichi said. “They have risked more than most to be here tonight.”
The woman chewed at the inside of her cheek, turned and walked down a narrow hallway. The trio followed, Daichi limping hard, past a cluttered kitchen, corpse-rats strung up and bleeding over a cast-iron sink, descending twisting wooden stairs into the cellar. A broad oaken table dominated the space, spread with a map of Kigen city, the pieces from three or four different chess sets arranged across the labyrinthine streets. Kaori stood near the stairwell, speaking with a man the size of a small house. They were surrounded by dozens more people; young and old, men and women and children. As Daichi entered the room, everyone stopped and stared, placed palms over fists, eyes filled with unveiled adoration and relief.
“My friends,” the old man smiled. “My brothers and sisters.”
“Father.” Kaori motioned to the big man beside her. “This is Yukiko’s friend, Akihito-san.”
“Daichi-sama.” The big man limped forward and bowed low. “We heard you were wounded. It gladdens us all to have you with us.”
“Akihito-san.” Daichi clapped him on the shoulder, a fragile tremor in his voice. “Yukiko-chan spoke of you often.”
“How is she? I’m surprised she’s not here.”
Murmurs around the room. Nods of agreement.
“The Stormdancer is entangled in business to the north.” Kin noted Daichi phrased the statement so it wouldn’t be an outright lie. “I am certain we are in her thoughts. But it is not for her alone to pull this country back from the brink.
“When you place too much faith in one person, in me, in the Stormdancer, whomever, you lose sight of the power within yourself, my friends. Each of us must risk all. For each of us has as much to lose if we fail.” He coughed, wiped his knuckles across his lips. “Everything.”
Daichi looked around the room, caught the eye of each man, woman and child. Kin saw uncertainty in them to match his own. Desperation. Even fear. They saw the old man’s weakness. The new frailty. The walking stick. The hand pressed to battered ribs.
“Take heart, brothers and sisters,” Daichi said. “You will tell your children you were here. Tonight, as we take one step closer to throwing off the chi-monger’s yoke and freeing this nation once and for all. We bring the dawn after blackest night. We bring fire to all the dark places of the world. They say the lotus must bloom. We say it must burn.”
“Burn,” came the scattered reply, a soft murmur from a few uncertain voices.
Daichi licked his lips. Eyes like cold stone roaming the Kagé members.
“Say it again,” he said, his voice growing louder. “The lotus must burn.”
More voices now. Stronger.
“Burn.”
Daichi shook his head, his voice harder still, steel ringing in his tone. “Speak it as if your lives depended on it.”
Every voice in the room now, raised in unison. All save Kin and Ayane.
“Burn.”
Daichi was shouting now, drawing strength from them, they from him, a perfect circle of flame and will and rage. “Say it as if you and you alone stood between this nation and utter ruin!”
“Burn!”
“The slavery of your children!”
“Burn!”
“The end of everything you know and love!”
“BURN!” they cried, roaring from the bottom of their bellies, fists clenched, teeth bared, spit flying. “BURN!”
“And that is exactly what we will do.” The old man nodded, surveyed the chess pieces on the map. Picking up a black empress, he placed it in the chi refinery. “Burn it all. Right into the ground.”
Kin watched silently as the old man split the Kagé into groups; street ambushers, palace assault, bridge gangs. He watched the locals issue weapons; kusarigama sickles, iron tetsubo, staves, crude knives, even an old katana in a battered sheath for Daichi. Kerchiefs tied over faces, hats pulled low over narrowed eyes. Embraces and kisses of farewell, hands clasped, hollow bravado ringing in their laughter. He looked at the people around him, f
olk from every walk of life, united in their hatred of the thing he used to be.
The thing he could still try to run from.
Ayane pressed against him, hand still clasped in his.
Too late for that. Too late for all of it. The pieces were in place, moving toward confrontation, homemade chi-bombs clutched in their hands. To think they believed they had a chance. To think anyone here believed there could be a way out of this. To stand against the colossus of iron and smoke that even now would be stretching its limbs, gunning its motors, chainblades blotting out the moon.
There was no fighting it. Not this way. Against the Earthcrusher, this rabble had no chance at all …
“You’re Yukiko’s Guildsman.”
Kin blinked his way free of his reverie, focusing on the big man now standing in front of him. Akihito looked him up and down; a mountain carved in flesh, impassive face, massive arms folded across a barrel-broad chest.
“You were on the Thunder Child,” he said.
“I was,” Kin replied.
“They say you helped her escape. Built metal wings so the arashitora could fly her free.”
“I did.”
The big man stared hard, eyes as cold and black as flint. Kin felt other stares upon him, sweat tickling the back of his neck. Slowly, deliberately, Akihito extended one massive paw.
“Then you have my thanks. And I would call you friend.”
Kin glanced around the room, at the sharp stares and pursed lips, distrust hanging so thick in the air he could scrape it away with his fingernails. He looked back at the giant, down at the extended hand, tongue cleaving to his teeth.
“I’m not so sure you want a friend like me, Akihito-san.”
Daichi was standing near the map table, caught Kin’s eye and motioned him closer, asking him to outline the refinery layout to the strike team one last time. Kin stepped away from the giant with an apologetic bow and looked at the assembled Kagé—the Shadow crew that would slip between the cracks and light a conflagration in the Guild’s innards. Kaori would lead them, taking a dozen men into the refinery core and reducing it to cinders. The rest of the Kagé would disperse in the city, drawing out forces from chapterhouse and palace, making the Shōgun and Guild denude their stronghold defenses to protect their streets.