by Ryan Kirk
The man slid smoothly back. He’d kept his distance as he struck, remaining out of easy range of her shorter swords. With his ability to sense her attacks and his advantage in reach, she would have a hard time safely closing the gap between them.
They squared off. Asa tried to close the distance, but the other nightblade was having none of it. He kept the separation wider than Asa wanted. If she managed to back him into a tight space he’d launch himself forward, driving her back under a quick flurry.
She needed to fight her instinct to give ground against fierce attacks. The next time he attacked, Asa stepped forward and their blades met in a frenzied clash of steel. The other nightblade was even faster than she was, but her ability with two swords kept them evenly matched. He slid around another attack, then managed to push his own sword inside her guard. The bloody tip sliced toward her face and Asa found herself stepping back to avoid the cut. Her right foot slipped and she realized she was near the edge of the road, a long fall behind her.
Panicked, she stepped forward, right into his next attack. Asa barely dodged the cut at her neck, and the man’s sword sliced a deep gash across her cheek. Lacking choices, she fell back, realizing too late she wasn’t sure how far from the edge she was. Fortunately, she landed on her back, looking up as the man turned his sword to drive it into her.
She lashed out with her leg as she twisted away. The other nightblade, committed to his attack, couldn’t shift his weight even though he sensed the blow coming. She caught his knee and felt it shatter under her foot. The nightblade’s sword cut into the road where she’d just been. She continued the twist, bringing herself up to her knees, then used one of her own swords as a crutch to stand.
The other nightblade tried to stand, but his left leg wouldn’t support any weight. Asa stepped close, deflecting his halfhearted attack, then drove her second sword deep into his lungs.
She turned and continued the fight.
Koji’s fighting had reached a standstill. Only one nightblade stood against him, but she had support. The only explanation Koji could think of was that, somehow, Katashi had given the nightblade mercenaries the time to train with one of his units. Their coordination wasn’t by chance, and Koji was close to giving up ground against them.
The nightblade stood side by side with two spearmen. Working together, they formed an almost impenetrable wall. The spears forced Koji to keep at a distance from them. Individually, none of them would have posed much of a challenge. But whenever he got inside the guard of one of the spears, the nightblade was there, defending until the second spear could push Koji back again.
If they’d been foolish enough to attack, Koji might have had an opportunity. Attacks opened up opportunities for counterattack, but if he didn’t attack them, they simply held their ground, preventing him from moving forward. Koji felt the frustration welling up inside him. As he stood there, stuck, the other enemy nightblades made more progress toward Lady Mari. This grouping in front of him knew they didn’t need to beat him. They only needed to hold him back.
Koji raged, launching into a series of cuts that should have brought them all down. But the other nightblade, sensing his intent, stepped forward, blocking his cuts as the spears stabbed around her. Koji suffered two more gashes, one across his torso and one on his right leg. He retreated, cursing his impetuousness. Pride had brought down plenty of warriors before him. He couldn’t let his name be added to the roster. Not yet, at least.
He paused and took a deep breath, calming himself. Doing so took an enormous effort, especially as he saw the progress the enemy nightblades were making. Mari needed his support one last time, and she needed it soon.
Rescuing Mari from the attack would probably cost him his life. There were still so many enemies, and although his allies fought valiantly, their time was running out. Koji couldn’t allow harm to befall Mari, though. He’d made too many mistakes in his life, and he refused to live with that one. His life was a small price to pay.
He glanced at Asa, who’d just won a duel with another nightblade near the edge of the road. He would have liked more time with her, but he had enjoyed the time they had. He hoped she would understand.
Koji didn’t know how he brought the energy into himself, but as he settled into his stance, he felt alive and whole in a way he hadn’t felt since he was a trainee, young and idealistic. He’d always been torn between the blades and the Kingdom, his own life and his duties. Now, for the first time in cycles, he felt complete. Everything felt like it had come to this.
He stepped forward and a new world opened up in front of him. He sensed attacks far before they occurred, so far in advance the extra information almost confused him. He saw his potential responses and sensed what the reaction to those responses would be. In moments, he knew how this particular battle would end.
Koji allowed one spear tip to pass less than a hand’s width away from his neck. He twisted and stabbed, ready for and expecting the downward cut from the nightblade as she moved in to block his stab.
He responded by spinning, twisting all the way around with a strong horizontal cut. The second spear, seeing his back, stabbed at it, the strike true. The enemy nightblade, focused only on deflecting Koji’s cut, didn’t sense her partner’s attack. As her own sword came up, she cut through her partner’s attack, slicing his spear in two.
Not only did the attempted deflection save Koji from the spear, it also caused the blade to lose her focus, surprise shattering her rhythm. Koji cut through her and the first spearman in one smooth motion. The second spear fled before Koji even had a chance to focus on him.
The attack had been effortless. Koji waded deeper into the battle, attracting enemies to him with every step.
For a moment, Asa couldn’t help but stare as Koji attacked the remaining enemy forces. All her senses jumped alive, the sights, sounds, and sense of him vivid. He moved like lightning. Turning her sense toward him almost brought her to her knees. One thought rose above all others as she saw him tear through opponents. What was he?
No easy answers existed. She wasn’t sure any of the blades had encountered someone like him before.
Simply put, he was Koji.
No one was like him, and she wasn’t sure anyone would ever be like him again.
Her own body practically crackling with energy, she threw herself into the fray, trailing about five paces behind him. Katashi’s soldiers didn’t stand a chance against their overwhelming strength and speed. Asa moved almost casually from attack to attack, every cut true.
She didn’t know where her skill ended and Koji’s gift to them began. It didn’t matter, truly. Swords swung at her and spears stabbed at her, but she sensed every strike with ease, finding the paths that kept her safe. In response, her own swords cut through necks, torsos, arms, and legs, attacking every target of opportunity.
All that mattered was remaining close to Koji. So long as she moved with him, she was safe.
They seemed to have broken through a wall. The unit attacking Mari had left a few nightblades to cover their flank, but Asa and the others had pushed through. In the center were only soldiers. The last nightblades stood in front of them, making their own way toward Mari.
For as strong as Koji and his allies were, there weren’t many left. Of the more than two dozen that had joined them in their initial charge against Katashi, Asa figured there were less than six now. But those few fought like demons, leaving no enemy standing as they charged forward.
Only fifteen paces separated her from Mari, and for the first time, Asa could see details in front of her as she cut her way forward. Suzo was bloodied and fighting, standing side by side with Takahiro. The man might be a lord now, but Asa knew he could fight. Once, he’d even beaten a nightblade while sparring. Or so Asa had heard.
Suzo and Takahiro fought against a nightblade, but they were losing ground. A little higher, General Fumio was calmly giving orders. But if the signals of the flag men were any indication, Fumio had plenty to say. He alon
e acted as though there wasn’t a battle just below him. He’d win this fight, even if it cost him his life.
And there was Mari. She too was calm, her face impassive as she watched the battles, proudly standing there as a symbol to her warriors below.
Asa cursed. It would be just like Mari to stand there, noble until the very end.
Asa caught up to Koji and passed him as he engaged with another one of the nightblade-and-spear combinations. She cut down one of the spears as she passed, making Koji’s life simpler. The nightblade attacking Suzo and Takahiro felt her coming, and turned around in time to meet her attack. Their swords met overhead, but the blade had forgotten the enemies behind him. Two swords drove through his chest in unison, Suzo and Takahiro racing to be the one who killed him.
Off to the right, two nightblades in red uniforms broke through the last of Mari’s guards and charged toward her. Asa sprinted after them, sensing Koji finishing the nightblade who’d held him up.
Suzo and Takahiro followed closely behind, but Asa’s pace, even after all she’d been through, outstripped them. Being near Koji still filled her with power she didn’t understand.
Swords met with resounding echoes. Asa fought the two nightblades, doing everything she could to keep both away from Mari. She lasted for one heartbeat, and then another, and then they broke through her guard.
Takahiro and Suzo were there then, just in time to keep Mari safe. Suzo fell almost instantly, a cut open across her back. Asa couldn’t see how deep it was. Takahiro lasted for a few moments longer, but he too fell to a cut across the leg. Again, Asa fought against the two nightblades, unable to hold them for more than a few moments. Her mind was empty of thought, her entire world steel and desperation. She’d been pushed back until Mari was only a pace or two behind her.
Then Koji was there, pushing one of the enemies back toward the edge of the road. The final nightblade, knowing he didn’t have much longer against the two of them combined, brought his sword back for one last desperate stab.
Asa could kill him. Her swords were high and ready to cut from above. He was wide open, dropping his guard completely for the attempt on Mari’s life. But her attack wouldn’t stop him. His attack had already started, and it would finish no matter the killing blow she executed. His sword was too low for her to reach in time.
She stepped in front of the blade, feeling the cold steel stab straight through her torso.
Grunting with the effort, fighting against the sudden weakness in her legs, she drove one of her swords into the nightblade’s neck. His face went slack and he dropped to the ground. As he did, Asa saw Koji kick the last enemy nightblade off the road to tumble to his death on the rocks below.
Asa’s legs gave out, and it took all her control to fall to her knees and remain upright. She looked down at the sword embedded deep within. Even though she knew it was there, it still seemed so unreal to her.
Blackness swam at the edges of her vision, but surprisingly, there was no pain.
Koji and Mari were both there, seemingly at the same moment. Asa allowed herself to fall against Koji, relaxing in his embrace. As always, he was strong, like a wall that wouldn’t be moved. She’d always loved that about him, even if it had frustrated her endlessly.
She looked at them both, the two people who had come to mean the most to her in her life. She’d thought she’d have something to say, but she found she didn’t. A deep weariness was coming over her, a sleep she knew she’d never wake from. It made it difficult to speak. But also, she knew that both Mari and Koji knew her heart. What else was there to say?
Asa felt Koji’s tears falling against her hair. She was sorry that she’d have to hurt him one last time.
Beyond, she saw Suzo struggling to stand, helping Takahiro to his feet. Her heart was glad that they lived.
She reached up and touched Koji’s face, pulling it down until she felt his lips against her forehead.
Asa smiled, and in that last moment, she felt the presence of all life, moving all around them in a cycle that defied their understanding. She knew then that she would see her family again soon.
She closed her eyes and exhaled her last breath.
She’d finally found peace.
26
Despite the political risks, Mari insisted that Koji stay inside Stonekeep castle. Only Koji and two other blades survived the final charge. After some discussion, Koji had sent the other two on their way. This battle was no longer theirs, and they seemed grateful to leave. Koji alone had gone up to Stonekeep with Asa’s body.
He didn’t have many memories of the next few days. Mari and Takahiro had been busy with the aftermath of the battle. They had won, but the cost had been enormous on all sides. Mari and Takahiro negotiated terms with the other lords. Katashi was replaced by Lord Tsuneo, a relatively minor noble who was thrust to the head of the house thanks to recent events. Koji heard all the rumors of changes, but couldn’t bring himself to care.
He spent plenty of time with Asa’s corpse, preparing her body for the pyre. As he worked, he couldn’t help but think that she was even more beautiful in death than she had been in life. When she’d rejoined the Great Cycle, she’d been at ease, finally.
Beyond that, he felt empty. He’d been prepared to give his life, but not Asa’s. He ate and trained, but more often than not he simply sat there, staring at the stone walls, his mind blank. He wanted the world to stop and acknowledge what had happened to Asa, but the Great Cycle continued to turn, so much larger than any individual life.
Two nights after the battle of Stonekeep Valley, Koji, Mari, Takahiro, and Suzo gathered in a private courtyard of the castle, lighting the pyre together. As the flames consumed Asa’s body, Koji finally broke down. He’d cried when she died, but hadn’t since then. He fell to his knees, painful sobs wracking his body as he truly understood that he’d never see Asa again. All the pains he’d suffered paled in comparison.
The others didn’t attempt to speak. Mari embraced him, and Takahiro laid a hand on Koji’s shoulder. Suzo, not knowing Koji, simply bowed deeply. As the fire burned down to embers, they took their leave.
It took Koji almost half a moon to decide what to do. He wandered toward the rooms that had been remade as Mari’s offices. She was alone when he was announced.
Koji entered and Mari greeted him with a smile and a bow. “You’ve reached a decision, then?”
Koji nodded. “That obvious?”
“It’s the first time you’ve left your room on your own since the funeral.”
“There are a few tasks I need to complete. Afterward, I will make my way to Highgate and find the rest of the blades.”
Mari’s spies had given them that information. Hajimi had led the blades to Highgate, a port town far to the north. From there, the blades had boarded ships and left. Mari’s sources believed blades were still present in town, but nobody knew where the ships had gone.
Mari took a sip of tea at her desk. “I know you need to go, but I’ll be sorry to see you leave.”
Koji looked down at his traveling clothes. After the events of the battle, it had become clear that the blades weren’t welcome anywhere. Fortunately, Koji’s name was known more than his face. But if anyone else found out he was here, there was little doubt it would wreck the fragile truce.
“It’s been an honor,” he said.
She looked at him thoughtfully. “How long will your tasks take?”
Koji thought. “A few moons, perhaps. Why?”
“Will you come to the treaty signing in the spring? You are the only blade of stature I know left in the Kingdom, and although it can’t be official, it seems wrong to have the treaty signed without at least one blade there to witness it.”
Koji considered the offer. He didn’t really have any strict plans. He nodded.
“You’ll always be welcome here, Koji,” Mari said. “Even if we can’t see you officially.”
Koji bowed. “Farewell, Lady Mari. May you and your husband reign in peace.”
Mari returned the bow, even deeper, and Koji turned and left the room.
Suzo stood still, her weight balanced on her toes as she lightly held onto the rock wall outside of Yoshinori’s house in Stonekeep. Below her, guards wandered the grounds, searching for intruders like her. Fortunately, it was night and no one ever bothered to look up. She’d gotten the idea from the assassination attempt on Lady Mari’s life a few moons ago.
Despite her precarious position, Suzo didn’t feel much fear. She’d climbed harder routes in more difficult conditions in her previous life as a smuggler. She could rest against this wall for as long as it took.
The window above her was open, Yoshinori’s voice coming from inside. Suzo had no trouble picking out the words. The former noble was livid. Earlier in the day, the closed council had officially stripped him of his lands and title. He’d been found guilty of treason and Takahiro had sentenced him to exile. Suzo could hear him talking to an aide, already planning how to turn this setback to his advantage.
Yoshinori had no way of knowing that after the council, Suzo had met with Mari privately, suggesting that exile was too lenient a punishment. The man would always be a thorn in their side. Mari had met Suzo’s gaze, understanding the head of her guard well enough. She had nodded, and that was all Suzo needed.
The aide left and the room fell silent above. Suzo climbed up through the window, as silent as a ghost. Yoshinori’s back was to her, packing a trunk full of his silk robes.
Suzo stepped on a loose floorboard, intentionally letting Yoshinori know she was there. He snapped around, a look of wide-eyed panic plastered on his face. Then he saw who it was and the fear vanished instantly.
“Of course she’d send a woman after me.” The tone in his voice was mocking, and he slowly brought his hand down to draw the sword hanging at his hip, as though he had all the time in the world.