Rebirth of the Heroes

by NAK Baldron

  Amethyst lanterns hung in the corners, and a set of three dangled from the center casting a warm yellow glow. Seven stone chairs created a perfect circle minus one spot where an eighth may have stood.

  Shaya raised her hands and stepped into the center of the circle. Every side conversation died, including the whispered insults of the First Sworn amongst themselves.

  "Thank you for answering my summons. Someone has betrayed us." Shaya let the last sentence hang in the room. The only sound was that of breathing.

  Tradition called for her to acknowledge each Lord and their title and offer each the floor before she spoke. No time for traditions. This must be handled now!

  "By whom?" Gourden-Tanken Hiroshi wheezed. An ornate cushioned stool placed next to his stone chair—doubling his seating surface—helped accommodated his large girth, but his ass still hung off the sides.

  She didn't look at him. They well knew he and Nori worked together and never attacked each other during the Time of Daggers.

  "I thought it obvious." She let the mystery linger for a moment, making eye contact with each Thief Lord. "Nori." She spat at the ground.

  The room erupted in bickering and accusations. A sudden commotion at the door caught Shaya's attention, as the First Sworn wrestled with their honor. Guard the door as ordered, or protect their lords as sworn? All but Akio jostled between the door and the circle, not willing to be the first to break rank. Akio kept his back toward the circle, utterly focused on the door. Nori was one of the seven Thief Lords, and with his honor destroyed would he keep the room a secret? Yet another reason for Shaya to summon the council.

  In the midst of the bickering, Sora-Tanken Miku used her cane to stand. Shaya bowed her head as she took her seat, forfeiting the floor—and right to speak—to Miku. She capped the bottom of the cane with a thin sheet of tin. When tapped against the stone floor—even by a woman as old as Miku—it chirped like a songbird and brought the bickering to an end.

  "Clan Sora would hear what Clan Kaito has to say." Miku's voice was strong and firm, as if she were scolding her own numerous grandchildren back home. "We all know the rumors which have hung around Clan Gin for generations."

  As she made her way back to her chair, Mokusei-Tanken Kyo stood to help her back into her seat before taking his own. It spoke volumes of the respect owed to Clan Sora due to the actions of Miku over the years. No other Thief Lord would have dared admit weakness by accepting aid from an outside clan. But Miku's personal frailty from age could never be mistaken as an actual weakness of her clan.

  "I don't have the proof required to convict Clan Gin." Shaya held up her hand to stop the protests. "But I can say this. Eriko is a soul-walker." Again, she waited for quiet. "I saw the black marks upon her chin myself. I suspect Nori of becoming a soul-walker himself."

  This information was too much for the council. For more than twenty minutes, they debated amongst themselves, deciding if Shaya was trustworthy. After it was settled—she was—what it meant for their ways of life to have a traitor. The more conservative lords preferred to question her honor than admit the second most powerful clan could have achieved their success through an alliance with the Emperor. Amongst themselves, one thing has always trumped their game of clans, their utter contempt for the Emperor. Anything short of the desire to see the Emperor and his family returned to salt was a betrayal of what it meant to be a Thief Lord, and the title of Tanken.

  Akio broke tradition and marched to the center of the circle and stood stiff as a statue, which silenced the room. After locking eyes with each Thief Lord, Akio returned to his post, and the other First Sworn didn't resist as he claimed his lead post. Debate resumed, but Clan Kaito's honor was not vocally brought into question again.

  While the other lords debated, Hiroshi kept silent. Shaya watched as he reacted to the accusations around the room. The investigation would uncover whether he was duplicitous along with Nori.

  "Can we agree there is enough doubt to warrant an investigation?" Shaya asked.

  All hands went up, even Hiroshi's.

  Shio-Tanken Jun—a woman blessed by Sueun with perfect beauty—stood but didn't take the center. "We've agreed to investigate, but we still don't know how you came by this information. What's at stake for you?"

  She and Akio expected this to come up but had been unable to plan a response. Instead she trusted luck, gifted by Sueun. "He betrayed Clan Kaito and one of my protected to the Emperor's men. My man sits in a cell as we speak. When Clan Gin is turned back to salt, then I shall demand recompense from the Emperor himself." She spat at her feet.

  Jun bowed and took her seat. Clan Kaito's weakened state had been publicly admitted and it satisfied Jun to leave it alone. A small humiliation to Shaya, and a solidification of Clan Kaito's bottom position. However, each Thief Lord knew if Shaya and Akio could bring Nori to justice, Clan Kaito would gain prestige and possibly protection for the Time of Daggers. Shaya's holdings both on Shinzo and off-island were at risk. Without wealth and prestige, a clan was nothing more than a name, and Clan Kaito was already near death.

  Kasai-Tanken Shirou—a young man of twenty who inherited the title less than a month ago, after the death of his brother—took the circle and placed his arm around Shaya's shoulder, but without touching her. "Kaito-Tanken Shaya is brave and honorable for bringing this matter before the council. We should acknowledge her honor and assist in the recovery of her protected man. Clan Kaito's honor is at stake, but if we stand by while the Emperor." He spat toward the ground, but a small part of his spit fell on his chin before he wiped it away.

  Shirou cleared his throat. "The honor of this council, and all Thief Lords is called into question. Yes, proof must be found before we can conduct the fire cleansing ritual, but we can act now about Clan Kaito's man."

  Shirou gave Shaya a small smile, and bowed far too low for proper etiquette before taking his seat again.

  Does he see me as a future wife?

  Nothing prevented the marriage of two clans—other than tradition—but it had never been done. How would the titles and holdings be split? What if they both died during the Time of Daggers? Regardless, Shaya appreciated his words of assistance regarding Ren's freedom. As for marriage, she'd worry about it only if he made a proper proposal.

  Miku tapped her cane to gain the attention of the other Thief Lords. "Will we aid Kaito-Tanken Shaya for the honor of all Tanken?"

  As one the lords cried out, "Fire, Salt, and Blood!"

  CHAPTER THREE

  Texas, Earth

  Saturday, September 17th

  Lance had agreed to show Kandice how to use the seals to shift. But he had yet to do anything besides lecture and train her to fight to his standards. After four days of back-to-back training sessions, he insisted they go to a remote location.

  They drove to a state park that was an hour outside of Austin. He hadn't spoken the whole drive and wouldn't answer any of her questions. They had been at the park for almost an hour, and she was fed up.

  She stopped him mid-explanation.

  "I know the risks," she said. "Telling me it's dangerous at this point is moot. You've gone over how aware I need to be of my surroundings and to only shift if there is no other way to win. So how about we get to the damn shifting already?"

  Lance's brows tightened. "I agreed to teach you. Which means you agreed to learn. Slava spent almost a year teaching me before I shifted for the first time. If it wasn't so important that we kill the mayor, I'd not be showing you how to shift now."

  "Well," she said. "He's dangerous, and you need my help. So, here we are."

  "What are the three costs when shifting?"

  "My energy will drain at three to four times its normal rate," she said. "Which is why I have to build up endurance. Second, my vision will blur, and I'll only be able to see what's in front of me, though it will seem that everything is standing still, or moving in slow motion."

  She stopped—her mind blanked on the third cost.

  "Thir
d, your body temperature will drop," he said. "This is the most dangerous cost. Every time you shift back, your body might go into a state of hypothermia, which is why you might lose consciousness, and some even die."

  "I know the danger," she said. "I just forgot what caused it. Will it hurt?"

  "Extremely. It's one reason we drink so much."

  Kandice steadied herself. She'd been swimming in a lake during winter and hoped it would be a similar experience.

  "I'm ready," she said. "How do I activate the seals?"

  "That's the easiest and hardest part," he said. "All you have to do is put it against your skin, but first, you have to find your symbol."

  He pulled out a stack of seals carved into what Kandice realized was tanned animal skin. She looked through the pile. They were all the same. Lance pulled another seal from his pants and showed her.

  The seal looked to be the exact same, except there was a small mark in the top right of the circle. It looked like an X, with a circle at the top right, and a star at the bottom left.

  "This is my mark," he said, pointing to the extra symbol. "You have to find a shape, or combination of shapes, that resonates with you, and can represent you on the seal."

  "How do I do that?"

  Lance tossed a pocket knife at her, which she almost missed.

  "Practice. It took me about ten tries. I've given you twenty seals. Let's see how you do."

  He reached into his pack and pulled out a bottle of vodka. He poured himself a glass and offered to pour her one, but she refused.

  "I'm going for a walk," he said. "Think about the mark inside your mind first. When you feel confident, carve it without thinking."

  Lance turned back around.

  "Do not put the seal on until I'm here," he said. "Do you understand?"

  "Yes."

  "Good," he said, mostly to himself, and walked down the trail.

  Once he was out of sight, Kandice tried to focus on what mark would represent her. The pentagram came to mind first, but that seemed cliché. Though it was part of Lance's, there was the simple X, it would be an Iron-cross if she turned it, but that didn't seem right either.

  The sun was high in the sky, and the trees were no longer shading her. Kandice took her top shirt off. Her tank-top was sticking to the small of her back. She pulled it away from her body repetitively to cool herself off.

  It had been at least thirty minutes since Lance left. She couldn't remember the last time she had sat in one place, outside of school, focusing on a single problem. The way it made her brain hurt was refreshing.

  She wiped the sweat from her brow and stood up to stretch. Maybe a moon would fit, like a crescent moon. That had to be part of it. A tentacle crossing the moon, maybe? No. That wasn't it. A knife? No. A spear? No . . . A staff!

  It made sense. While her staff form in Taekwondo competitions was weak, she was brilliant at sparring with a staff. She'd been able to defeat her fellow team members, despite them using swords or spears.

  Lance hadn't come back yet.

  Kandice called out for him, "Lance?"

  There was no reply. She picked up the knife and was about to draw the symbols onto the seal when she realized there was no guarantee that her mark belonged in the top right like Lance's.

  Fuck.

  She stared at the seal. There were infinite amounts of places to put her mark. It might make a huge difference if she placed the mark in the wrong spot.

  She carved the mark four times. One in each corner. The concentration it took to keep the knife from slipping as she carved made her sweat. She kept wiping her hands on her pants to keep them dry.

  Lance showed up just as she was about to carve the symbol in other random places out of boredom.

  "I think this is it," she said. "I didn't know where to put it."

  "Luckily, for this seal, placement of your mark doesn't matter," Lance said. "Are you sure this is your symbol?"

  "Well, no. You said not to put it on without you here."

  "Try it."

  Kandice's heart raced. The tension grew inside her chest as the complete seal came closer to her stomach. There had to be a way to clear her mind for what was about to happen. Every hair was standing on end, so she regulated her breathing as she held her shirt up by the hand not holding the seal.

  Lance was looking around, not paying the slightest attention to her.

  She slapped the seal against her skin . . .

  Nothing.

  She was standing under the sun holding a tanned skin against her, but nothing was happening. She flipped the seal over and tried again, but still nothing.

  "What the fuck?" she yelled at Lance.

  "I told you, it took me ten tries to come up with the right combination of symbols." He laughed a little. "I was considered a quick learner. There was no way you would get it the first time."

  "So, what now?" she asked.

  "That's up to you," he said. "This is all about you finding what represents you. It's a personal journey. I can't really help you. You might be on the right track and just need to add to it. Or, you could be completely wrong and need to start over."

  Kandice threw the seal to the pile and crossed her arms. It had taken her the better part of an hour to come up with that design.

  How did it not represent me?

  "Think about it some more and carve several options. I like the trails here. I'll come back in an hour or so."

  "Remember," he said. "Don't try the seal without me here."

  "Okay!"

  Fucking-A, I heard him the first time.

  * * *

  When Lance returned, Kandice had made four new seals, each with a different mark on it. She tried each one, bracing herself before each attempt.

  None of which worked.

  "What am I doing wrong?" Kandice asked. "What should I do different?"

  "The answer is inside your mind," Lance said. "I can't tell you what to do. You have to find your own answer."

  She rolled her eyes and sighed. This "mysterious master" gimmick he was pulling, wasn't helping. If she didn't need his guidance she would leave.

  "Try to make them without thinking," he said. "And remember, don't try it before I get back."

  "Yeah, I get it," she said. "It's dangerous. I won't try without you. Fuck!"

  Lance was already walking down the trail again.

  This is ridiculous.

  She could spend her whole life making up these damn symbols and never find the right one.

  Maybe that's what he meant by not everyone is able to shift?

  She picked up a fresh seal and carved. Trying to not think so much about the symbols, but just to allow her hands to guide her work.

  * * *

  Again, Lance returned from the woods, and Kandice had five seals prepared. She wasted no time and slapped one after another against her stomach. The heat was getting to her and almost all the water they brought was gone.

  "Did you expect any of them to work?" he asked.

  "I don't know. I don't get how I'm supposed to pick a symbol that represents who I am."

  "It takes time. It took me ten tries, but it also took me three days. Slava didn't let me try more than one at a time."

  "That's crazy," she said.

  Becoming an oboroten needed to happen now, not in a few days. There was no way they could stay out here two more days. Besides, as far as Kandice was concerned, the sooner she learned to shift, the sooner they could start her "real" training.

  "Remember!" Lance yelled over his shoulder, as he walked down the trail.

  "I know. Don't try without you," she yelled back.

  Her hands ached from carving. The knife kept digging into the bottom of her knuckles, and she'd slipped and cut her left thumb. Lance had brought a small first aid kit, so she put a bandage on her thumb, but it didn't help with the throbbing pain.

  More than half the stack of seals were gone. It wasn't clear what would happen once all the seals failed. She hoped it didn't mean
it wasn't possible for her to shift. There had to be something missing. Her mind just couldn't think straight in the heat.

  The heat index for the day was well over a hundred, but the sun had moved enough so that the top of the trees were casting a shadow against her.

  She tried to clear her mind from the task at hand and allow her hands to do all the work. It reminded her of practicing her Taekwondo forms to the point that it became a moving meditation.

  * * *

  "How many this time?" Lance asked, coming through a patch of trees.

  "I'll have four when I'm done with this one. I don't get how you managed to find your symbol in only ten tries."

  "I was lucky, I guess," he said.

  Kandice didn't believe him. There had to be more to it. She stood up when she finished the last mark and wasted no time putting it on. The seal did nothing. The next three failed too. If she was honest with herself, she hadn't thought they would work.

  "I give up," she said. "It's hot, and I need some food."

  "You can't quit," Lance said. "Maybe your hunger will help you. You've got three more. If you fail with those too, we'll go get food."

  "I'll give you another hour," he said. "Think hard about who you are and then carve. But don't try a seal before I get back."

  "Yeah, yeah," she said, annoyed, and waved him away.

  Instead of picking up another seal, she tried to analyze herself. What kind of symbol would represent the different parts of herself. Lance's symbol seemed so simple. How did that sum up who he was as a person.

  She reached over and grabbed one of the first failed symbols. It was hopeless. Nothing represented her as a person. She was about to throw it back but looked at the staff again. The moon has to be right. Her mom had died under a crescent moon, so that seemed to represent a major part of her. The staff, though, that had to be the issue.