Nightblade's End

by Ryan Kirk

  For the first time in moons, she felt a glimmer of hope. Perhaps she could find the way out of this. Perhaps she couldn’t save the Kingdom itself, but she could save its people.

  Then another thought occurred to her, dampening her spirits. If Katashi was moving as many troops as Fumio suspected, it meant that there was almost an entire army between Koji and the safety of her house lands, and they were out for blood.

  16

  Asa came to awareness slowly. She thought her eyes were open, but couldn’t see anything. She squeezed them shut again, only then realizing that a blindfold had been tied around her face. She groaned, but couldn’t move her jaw. An enormous wad of cloth had been stuffed in her mouth and tied tightly. As soon as she realized that, a host of sensations suddenly struck at once.

  Her hands were above her head. She tried to move them, disoriented by the lack of feeling in her arms. She heard the rattle of chain and felt the sharp bite of steel against her wrists. Manacles, then, secured somewhere above her. Given the lack of feeling in her arms, she’d been in such a position for at least the better part of a day.

  She tried to move her feet and found them chained as well. The chain had some give, and she could shuffle her feet around, but the chain felt as though it had been secured somewhere between her legs. She wouldn’t be able to kick out very far if she wanted to.

  Panic rose in her throat, making her want to vomit. But nothing came up, and she took a few deep breaths to control her reaction. Fear offered her nothing useful in a situation like this. After a bit, she reasserted a semblance of control.

  With control came anger. Anger at herself and anger at the man who’d done this to her. How foolish had she been, falling into such a predictable routine? She’d made herself a target through sheer laziness.

  In hindsight, what happened was blindingly obvious. She’d been drugged and carried away from the inn, probably in full view of everyone there. Given that she was a regular who drank often, she suspected no one had even been curious about the incident.

  Questions flooded her thoughts. Was anyone looking for her? How long had she been missing? Why had someone come after her? Did Mari have any idea what was happening?

  The thought of Mari froze her thoughts solid. Whatever was happening to Asa, it had to be a plot to get at Mari somehow. Asa had failed in the one promise she’d made. Pure, white-hot rage shot through her body and she jerked against the chains, trying to scream.

  There wasn’t anywhere for her to go. The chains were all well-secured, and while a nightblade enjoyed plenty of gifts, the ability to bend steel was not one of them. After a few heartbeats, her rage burned out as quickly as it had flared up. Her sudden emptiness filled with sorrow, and she felt tears trickle down her face, to be absorbed by her gag.

  A voice spoke, closer than Asa expected. She jumped, and she heard laughter. She’d been so focused on her own suffering, she hadn’t even stopped to check her surroundings. Her old masters would have been disappointed in her. For more reasons than one, it seemed.

  “So, she’s finally awake,” the voice said. Asa couldn’t see the man who spoke, but his voice was low and gruff. She imagined a larger man, leering at her, closer than he should have been. Her heart raced, but this time she managed to control her reaction. She refused to show them fear. Were they going to torture her? Did she know some piece of information they sought?

  “There’s no point antagonizing her,” a second voice responded. The voice, while still masculine, was higher and more refined. Asa imagined the situation. The first voice was the muscle, and the second voice was the brains. “He told us not to harm her.”

  So, there was a third. These two weren’t even in charge, then. The comment also helped her relax. She’d been imagining possibilities, but if they weren’t going to harm her, many of those were no longer relevant.

  The first voice was now a few steps away. “But when he’s done with her, what then?”

  “I don’t know. But don’t get your hopes up.”

  “Fine.”

  Asa heard the shuffling of a man sitting on the floor. “She’s a pretty one, though.”

  There were more sounds, and Asa remembered that sight wasn’t her only way of getting information. She focused her sense, reassured that her gifts hadn’t been harmed by the drug. There were two men, and only two men, with her. Strangely, there wasn’t anyone else nearby. In Stonekeep, that was an impressive feat. What if she wasn’t in Stonekeep? How long had she been unconscious?

  The second man came close to her. “I’m going to remove your gag,” he said. “Before I do, you need to know there’s really no point in screaming. You’re a nightblade, so you will know this is true. I will provide water and a little food, so long as you don’t cause trouble. If you do, I’ll just soak your gag in water and give you no food. You’ll survive long enough without it. Do you understand?”

  Asa nodded. The man wasn’t lying about their situation. If she screamed, she didn’t think anyone would hear her.

  Gentle fingers removed the gag and paused. Asa didn’t scream. She sensed the man nodding. He brought a cup to her lips and Asa forced herself to drink slowly. For a moment she considered spitting at him, but there was no point. It would only make her captivity more difficult.

  Following the water, he gave her some spoonfuls of rice. Then he replaced the gag, ensuring it was as tight as ever. Asa hadn’t even had time to ask a question. Then the man returned to his partner, leaving Asa trapped with no rescue to hope for.

  Time became meaningless. At first, she tried to judge the passing of time by when the second man gave her water, but there didn’t seem to be any order to it. Sometimes he did so frequently. Other times, it seemed as though enormous stretches of time had passed. Asa wondered if her perception was accurate, or if her understanding of time was distorted.

  She became convinced that she was in a cave of some sort. The air felt damp and cold, and no matter how much time passed, there never seemed to be anybody nearby. If she wasn’t still in Stonekeep, a cave was one of the only places that seemed reasonable.

  She’d spent a little bit of time exploring her captivity. She’d confirmed that both her wrists and ankles were manacled. The chains were both well secured, as she’d proven when she tried to put her full weight on her arms. She’d almost certainly torn something in her left shoulder when she tried, her muscles unable to take the strain after the enforced position. The men who’d captured her had ensured she would have no escape.

  They were so confident in their work, they didn’t even seem to mind when she tested her bonds. They only cared when she made too much noise, and she suspected that was more because the noise annoyed them rather than put them in any danger of discovery. She’d felt no one else since she’d awakened. There hadn’t even been a hint of the mysterious third person.

  As time passed, Asa sank deeper into depression. She was angry at herself for being captured, but her captivity revealed something more frightening: she didn’t know anyone who would come for her. Mari, knowing Asa’s feelings about her role, would assume Asa had left without saying goodbye. Koji was focused on saving Mari’s house in distant lands. She hadn’t really befriended anyone else. Suzo was the closest she had to a friend, but even she knew Asa detested being head of the guards. She’d probably assume the same as Mari.

  Asa had never felt as alone as she did in that cave. She’d pushed everyone who might care for her out of her life, and there was no one to lean on in her time of need. She was increasingly certain these men were careful enough that she’d never escape on her own.

  She fell deeper into sorrow, self-pity overwhelming even her anger at herself.

  At some point in time, the second man left. Asa worried that the first man might try something without the second man present, but he seemed to have thought better of his desires. Or at least, he was waiting until Asa’s unknown purpose was fulfilled.

  When the second man returned, Asa could hear the sound of water dripping
off of him.

  “How bad is it?” the first man asked.

  “It was like walking in daylight, there was so much lightning,” the second man replied.

  The first man grunted.

  So, Asa knew it was night. That was something, at least. It didn’t really narrow down how long she’d been out, but any piece of information might be important later.

  “Any word?” asked the first man.

  There was no verbal reply, and Asa cursed herself for not being focused enough to pick up on the second man’s motion. The cave lapsed back into silence, and time resumed its glacial pace.

  In the distance, Asa felt another life. It was a ways away, but as the first change she’d felt in who knew how long, it was exciting all the same. She tracked the new life. It advanced slowly toward them, much more slowly than the second man had approached. It was almost as though the person didn’t know the way. They backtracked a few times, but worked their way steadily toward Asa’s location.

  As the energy got closer, Asa recognized the person. Suzo. Her heart surged with excitement. A rescue!

  The excitement gave way to fear. Suzo was good, but she was untested. The first man, at least, would know how to fight. Could Suzo win against men who knew what they were doing, men who had seen combat?

  “Hey,” the first man said, and Asa knew Suzo had been seen. There was a quick shuffling, and Asa could sense the two men standing and facing the intruder. “Who are you?”

  The second man laughed, disdain in his voice. “One of the women this nightblade has been training to be a guard for Mari. Pathetic.”

  More than ever, Asa wanted Suzo to kill those men. She wished she could help, but any action on her part was more likely to distract Suzo than the men. She forced herself to stillness.

  Asa felt the entire battle. The second man came in with a lazy swing. He was playing with Suzo, but Asa hadn’t taught her warriors to fight without sincerity. There were some battles where testing your opponent could reveal important details. But more often, it was far more reasonable to attack only with the intent to kill.

  Suzo had learned that lesson well. She deflected the weak attack with ease, turning the sword and stepping inside the second man’s guard in a heartbeat. Her sword stabbed into the man with a decisive, simple strike. Asa approved. Suzo gave away little of her own skill, but still killed one of her opponents. The woman was one of her best students for a reason, and Asa was reassured by the lack of hesitation in Suzo’s movements. Hesitation could easily mean death.

  The first man drew his blade, his surprise evident in the way he shuffled backward, away from Suzo. Once he had a little more space, he relaxed into a stance.

  Asa mentally cursed. If she’d been instructing, she would have told Suzo to seize the advantage after the first kill. She’d had a few precious heartbeats to put the first man on the defensive. But it was Suzo’s first kill, and momentary disorientation had taken her. Asa remembered her own. Even the best took a moment to recover from the effect.

  Fortunately, Suzo turned to the final opponent within a few moments. She wasn’t dazed from her first combat, or at least not enough to affect her.

  She’d won her first battle easily, which would lend her confidence. But overconfidence was as dangerous as fear. For the first time, Asa was grateful she was gagged. If she hadn’t been, she probably would have shouted out to Suzo time and time again, distracting the woman to death.

  The man attacked, as Asa expected. As she feared, the man had seen combat before. But all the same, his movements were rough, and Asa realized he was an untrained fighter. He’d only survived by a combination of reflexes and innate skill.

  Asa tensed with every cut, her body soon a mess of nerves and knotted muscles. Suzo moved out of the man’s attacks with ease, and her training kept her safe. But whenever she tried to counter, the man’s reactions were too quick. Neither of them did any damage to the other. The battle wasn’t about who was the best, but who would make a mistake first.

  It was Suzo, unfortunately. The man managed to make a cut through her leg, and Asa could sense the way Suzo’s stance suddenly changed. Asa cursed. Now the man had every advantage. Not only had Asa’s foolishness gotten herself captured, but it would also cause the death of a woman who deserved far better. She raged at herself.

  The man came in for the killing blow, a strong swing designed to knock Suzo off her feet. The battle was over.

  But Suzo didn’t block. She recognized the blow for what it was and dodged low, letting the cut pass overhead. The two warriors stumbled toward one another, one because of her injured leg and the other because of the uncontrolled force of his strike. But Suzo still had complete control of her sword. She cut at the man. The cut was poor, slicing deeply through his stomach, but it would do.

  Both fighters fell, but Suzo was quickly back on her feet. She wasn’t moving well, but she was moving. The other man seemed as though he was trying to shove his internal organs back in his body. Asa wanted to watch, and was disappointed the blindfold remained firmly in place.

  The man wasn’t dead, but he would be soon. Suzo approached to finish him off.

  Asa screamed, the sound coming out severely muffled by the gag. She shook her head wildly, and fortunately, it was enough to get Suzo’s attention. An opponent alive was a failure, but a man like this, knowing he was dying but not dead yet, was the most dangerous to approach. They had nothing to lose. Better to stay away and let him die slowly.

  Fortunately, Suzo seemed to understand. She stepped away, placing herself firmly between Asa and the dying man. The kidnapper died slowly, and near the end he tried throwing his sword at Suzo, confirming Asa’s guess that he’d been plenty dangerous.

  But it finally ended. The man breathed his last, and after a bit more waiting, Suzo turned to Asa. Asa nodded confirmation. She couldn’t feel the man’s energy any longer.

  Suzo cleaned and sheathed her sword after pulling off the blindfold and the gag. Asa gingerly closed her mouth, feeling the ache from having it forced open for so long. “Thank you.”

  Suzo nodded, taking a look at the manacles. As Asa slowly stretched her jaw around, Suzo went back to the dead men, and for the first time, Asa got a look at the cave she’d been in.

  There wasn’t much to look at. A small table held a deck of cards and some assorted supplies, and two torches burned on opposite ends of the rock, but otherwise, all Asa could tell was that they were underground. Behind her was the end of the tunnel, and the torches didn’t light very far in front of her.

  Suzo searched the bodies and quickly found a key on the second man. She returned to Asa and began unlocking the manacles. As soon as she did, Asa’s arms fell to her side. She could move the right one a little, but the injuries to her left shoulder made it too tender to move. Every time her arm swung she almost cried in pain.

  “How did you find me?”

  Suzo looked up as she unlocked Asa’s ankles. “It wasn’t easy. When I showed up at the inn, I heard that you’d gotten really drunk and been escorted away by a man no one knew. That seemed odd to me, but no one knew any more.”

  Asa took a halting step forward, her legs immediately cramping up. Suzo went to get the water from the table. “The next day, you missed your duty, and I thought for sure something was wrong. But I had my own duty, and I couldn’t be sure. I thought perhaps you’d maybe had enough. But when my watch ended, I went back to the inn and started inquiring. The story didn’t quite sound true. The bartender didn’t remember serving you enough to make you drunk, and I had a hard time believing you’d leave your duty without at least telling us.”

  She paused, and Asa got the impression there was a part of the story Suzo wasn’t telling. “Anyway, I’d heard a rumor about old abandoned caves behind Stonekeep. They’d been built originally to provide a secret exit in case the city fell, and to store goods, but they eventually fell into disuse. People around the inn remembered you stumbling deeper into Stonekeep, so I figured the caves were t
he only place that made sense to hide a nightblade. I waited outside until someone came out. Then I followed them in.”

  Asa didn’t quite believe the story, but she didn’t question it. Not after Suzo had helped her escape. The woman deserved that much trust, at least. Asa found her weapons. Working with one hand, she started replacing them. Suzo, without word, helped.

  “How are you?” Asa asked. “The first kill is always hard.”

  Suzo looked behind her with disgust. “They had it coming.”

  Asa finished replacing her weapons, then realized something. One of her swords was missing. She looked around, wondering if it lay somewhere else. She didn’t see it anywhere. Suzo saw her looking. “What are you searching for?”

  “My other sword.”

  Suddenly, realization clicked into place. She knew why they hadn’t been allowed to harm her, and why she had been left in this cave. Asa cursed out loud, and her legs almost gave out on her again. “We need to move. They’re going to kill Mari with my sword.”

  The two of them half-stumbled, half-ran out of the caves. Suzo remembered the way out of the labyrinthine tunnels without problem, and soon they were back in Stonekeep proper. Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed overhead, but they paid the storm no mind. Their clothes were soaked through, but they kept pushing. Asa noticed that Suzo’s leg kept bleeding, and she worried the woman would collapse before they found help.

  Fortunately, they made it to the gate of Mari’s castle. They were let in, and they stumbled toward Mari’s quarters. Other guards joined them, as the women’s presence and injuries caused an uproar among the group. Asa felt that most of them thought she’d abandoned them. What a fool she’d been. If not for Suzo, a house would have been lost to her aloofness.

  They made it to Mari’s quarters, but the lady wasn’t there. Asa looked around the empty room, wishing the walls could speak and tell her where she’d gone. “Where’s Lady Mari?”