by Ryan Kirk
Many monks would have shown disgust at Lei’s directness, but they had known each other for years. He spoke without preamble. “I want to convince you to join the monastery.”
Lei frowned. “You know that I won’t.”
“Which is why I brought her.” Yang gestured toward the girl, who immediately summoned an incredible amount of power. The girl sprinted, covering a dozen paces in less than a heartbeat. She leaped into the air, feet spinning in kicks almost too fast for Lei to track. She landed softly, and within a moment her power had completely vanished.
Lei attempted to keep the amazement off his face but failed. The powers were eerily similar to Bai’s. Bai was capable of greater power, but Lei wasn’t sure she had the same control this young woman did.
“Her name is Rong. She was the first one I found.”
Lei tore his gaze away from the young woman to stare at the abbot. “The first?”
“There are over a dozen now. Men, women, even two children.”
“All like her?”
Yang shook his head. “The power manifests differently in each.”
Lei felt the world shift underneath his feet. Such variety? “How far have you searched?”
“No more than three days’ journey away from Kulat.”
“So many?”
Yang just nodded, giving Lei a chance to absorb the information.
The abbot might as well have appeared and claimed that humans could now fly. Lei had suspected change was in the air, but he had never imagined it would come so fast and be so widespread. “What about the other monasteries?”
“They cling to the past, as they always have. We are building something new in Kulat, Lei. I believe you need to be a part of it.”
Lei wasn’t sure what to say. He had guessed something like this had been Yang’s purpose, but he’d never imagined that he’d be tempted, especially after the news Daiyu had learned just a week ago. “I cannot,” he said.
Yang didn’t look surprised. “Don’t you see, Lei? You were the harbinger of it all, the one who pierced the mysteries. Before you, no one had connected to the source. Now, many can. Then Bai came with gifts we had never seen before. Today there are more, with gifts no other abbot would even dare to recognize. The gift, our powers, are changing before our very eyes. And we are here to witness it, to guide it, even. I need your strength, but more than that, I need your wisdom.”
Lei met Yang’s gaze. “Daiyu is dying.”
Yang didn’t answer, but Lei saw the surprise in his eyes. “You’re sure?”
Lei nodded. “The best healers have come in response to my summons. The growth is large and incurable.”
“How long?”
Lei shrugged. “Months, maybe. Perhaps less.”
Yang looked devastated. Lei knew he disappointed the abbot with the news, but not because Yang was close to Daiyu. The abbot respected Lei’s wife, but his sorrow was more personal. Yang now knew that no matter what he said, Lei would not join him.
The abbot did not push further. He stepped up to Lei. “I am truly sorry, Lei. Just know that our doors in Kulat are always open. It would delight us to have you.”
“For what it is worth, Yang, I appreciate all that you have done. If I am able, I will help how I can. Like you, I am fascinated by these developments.”
Yang acknowledged the kindness, then turned down the mountain with Rong in tow. His visit had been short, but Yang had never wasted time. Lei watched them go, wondering on Yang’s words.
Although few people admitted it, the monasteries had given the empire peace and prosperity for decades. If the power the monasteries relied on was changing, Lei feared what would become of the empire.
4
Bai sipped at her tea while watching the busy streets. She tapped her fingers against the side of the cup, glancing back and forth between the street and her companion. She didn’t like this setup.
Hien had met with the woman this morning. The conversation had been quick and discreet. Two private guards, hired by the brothel, watched the woman as she moved through town. Hien had pulled the woman aside as Bai created a commotion behind the guards, drawing their attention for a few minutes.
Their final plan was as simple as they came. The woman would make an excuse to leave sometime this afternoon. She’d bring anything she could. Bai and Hien would take care of the guards and they would be out of Windown before anyone was the wiser.
Simple and easy. No different than a dozen times before.
Except for the monks.
They kept wandering the street outside the teahouse. Enough monks had passed by that Bai worried they’d noticed her. But the monks raised no alarm. They didn’t even glance in her direction.
Across from her, Hien raised an eyebrow. “Could you stop?”
Bai forced her fingers to relax. She spread them out wide and laid them on the table.
“Your knee, too?”
She hadn’t even realized. Obediently, she quit.
“Why are you nervous?”
“Another monk passed a minute ago.”
Hien sighed. “If they haven’t attacked, they haven’t noticed you.”
Most days Bai would have agreed. Today, something didn’t sit well with her, but she had no detail, no fact she could use to prove her case. She tried to relax, turning her attention to Hien.
Though her friend’s appearance wouldn’t alarm a random passerby, Bai’s trained eye picked up on details most missed. To a stranger, Hien looked like an older woman, hair starting to gray, skin beginning to wrinkle. If that stranger watched Hien for a few moments, they might admire the energy with which she moved, but little else.
Bai saw a warrior. Perhaps past her physical prime, but decades of experience made her more dangerous than ever. Small bulges sometimes appeared as Hien shifted in her seat, briefly revealing the wide array of weaponry the woman wore hidden under her loose-fitting clothes. Bai had known Hien for over ten years, and she’d never known the woman to carry less than five blades. It was a wonder she didn’t stab herself every time she moved.
Her friend had a concerned look on her face. The question came out of the blue. “Will you return home with me, once this is over?”
Bai broke away from Hien’s gaze and turned to the street. Hien had decided that after this rescue she would make the long journey across the empire back to Lei’s village. It was the place they both called home, though neither spent much time there. She’d invited Bai to join her.
Bai didn’t know. Seeing friendly faces always appealed to her, but Bai had little reason to return. Hien wanted her back in the area for another reason.
Rumors claimed that the monastery in Kulat had changed its direction. Both Bai and Hien listened to tales of strange warriors. Bai couldn’t separate truth from the fantastic. Hien argued that Bai should return and seek others like her.
Bai had little desire. The last time she visited Kulat she had killed the previous abbot as he rebelled against the empire. Although she knew Yang, the current abbot, would welcome her, she saw few compelling reasons to return to a place that held only terrible memories.
The sight of a woman walking down the street saved her from further contemplation.
The woman they had been waiting for.
Bai didn’t know her name. Hien had mentioned it several times, but she had promptly forgotten.
The woman had seen better days. She wore heavy makeup that made her look ready for the evening, but her sunken eyes and slouched shoulders told an entirely different story. A large man walked in front of her. He wasn’t overtly menacing, but he cleared a path for both of them. A triad.
Hien was about to set a few coins on the table, but Bai was quicker. The older woman smiled. “I should be paying for you, for your help.”
“For the pleasure of your company.”
They left the teahouse and separated, their long experience guiding them. Hien took point. Bai was stronger and faster, but Hien had made first contact and would escor
t the woman away from the town to a safe location. Bai usually observed, only acting when the escapes went wrong.
Watching Hien work still inspired Bai. She almost vanished like a ghost in the crowds, and if Bai hadn’t kept an eye on her, she would have been nearly impossible to track. The lone triad, so confident in his own superiority, would never see her coming.
Bai’s prediction became a reality soon enough. A hood pulled over her head, Hien slipped through the crowd until she walked beside the triad, slightly behind him. He never saw her. Bai couldn’t see the small dagger, but she saw the quick motion of Hien’s arm, saw the triad stumble, suddenly supported and guided to the edge of the street by Hien.
The dagger was poisoned. Not to kill, but for sleep. The triad never saw Hien’s face, and his stumble didn’t attract attention. A drunk triad at this time of the afternoon barely merited a notice.
Then Hien made contact with the woman. As they spoke, Bai took point, scouting the area. The woman might never even know Bai had helped, but Bai acted as the eyes and ears that allowed Hien to focus more on the woman. Once outside of Windown, Hien would take the woman the rest of the way to the shelter alone. There would be little danger once they escaped the city limits.
Watching Hien comfort the woman made Bai think of their own first meeting. Hien had broken her out of a cell, helped her escape from a town that wanted her blood. Bai didn’t know exactly what Hien was telling the woman, but she could imagine. She’d heard much the same so many years ago, even if the words were different.
It will be okay.
From anyone else, the words may have sounded trite and empty. But Hien inspired trust. Looking back on their escape from Galan, Bai couldn’t believe Hien had managed to both calm her and guide her as well as she had.
The woman tonight was no different. Within moments she was following Hien, taking the first steps toward her new life.
Bai and Hien exchanged a quick glance. Hien gave a short nod, and Bai turned and led the way, alert for the first sign of trouble.
Everything seemed safe enough. Windown, like every town and city in the empire, was preparing for the Harvest Festival. Held every year to celebrate the conclusion of the harvest, it was one of the largest celebrations, bringing in people from all over the land. During the day, merchants bustled about, preparing for some of the most profitable days of the year. The activity provided plenty of cover for the three women.
Bai felt the energy of the city, like a beating heart underneath her feet.
She led the women toward the main road that led out of the city. Hien’s rescue had gone so well, she didn’t see any need to run through the back alleys. She took wide streets that led them out of town.
Bai was twenty paces ahead of Hien and the woman when she turned a corner and came face to face with a group of six men blocking the road.
Bai’s first instinct was to label them triads, warriors sent to retrieve the woman, but a quick glance gave lie to that explanation. The men all had shaven heads, and even their resting stances were similar to one another. Now that they had her attention, she felt them, too. She’d been so focused on spotting guards from the brothel she’d forgotten completely about her first fear.
They didn’t wear white robes, but their shared identity was obvious.
Monks.
Bai didn’t panic. Even this close, they might not sense her. Only a trickle of energy flowed through her at the moment, and it would take a sensitive monk getting close to her to notice.
She changed direction, but saw the way the eyes of the men followed her.
She stopped and cursed.
They had cleared the area, meaning they likely had one outcome in mind.
A few moments later Hien came up behind her. Her stance was wary. No doubt she’d noticed Bai’s shifting behavior. She’d left the woman ten paces behind. Hien looked at the group arrayed in front of them. She identified them quickly enough, even though she wasn’t gifted.
“Monks.”
Bai nodded. “They’re for me. Go on.”
Hien didn’t move. “I can help.”
Most people would run in fear of confronting a monk. Hien didn’t, and Bai knew the woman’s words weren’t an empty boast.
“No. She needs you more.”
Hien looked torn.
“I’ll be fine. Go.”
Without another word, Hien retrieved the woman. They walked away. The monks followed Hien and the other woman with their eyes, but did not pursue. Bai was grateful. Her assumption had been correct.
The monks advanced on her. She drew power into herself. Her senses sharpened and her limbs filled with new energy. Inside Windown, surrounded by so much life, the energy she could draw from was vast.
Usually her talent surprised monks. But these expected it, because their advance never faltered. They knew who she was and what gifts she possessed. They responded by forming the signs of attacks and shields with their hands. Two of the six drew daggers.
Bai’s eyes widened at that. Weapons weren’t permitted for monks. For some, it made them too dangerous. The question was, were the monks able to channel their energy into the weapons, or did they intend to stab her?
She hoped it was the latter. She’d never fought against energy-infused weapons, but she’d seen firsthand the damage such attacks created.
The semicircle of monks advanced on her. Their eyes glittered with hate.
“For our fallen brothers!” The monk who shouted was one of the two that held a dagger. Bai pegged him as the leader.
The monks attacked together. Waves of invisible energy darted at her, her own gift warning her of the blows.
She stepped into them, feeling the attacks infuse every inch of her body with additional power. She sprinted forward, the shields the monks relied on for protection only slowing her for a moment. Bai drove her fist into one monk’s stomach, then spun around and snapped a roundhouse kick at another’s chin.
She controlled her strength. With the power she’d already absorbed, she easily could have killed both with her blows. Holding back, she merely left them unconscious.
Amid the remaining monks, she barely had time to react against the next wave of attacks. Two attacks felt familiar, but two techniques surprised her. Sharp crescents of energy snapped at her. Afraid for the first time in years, she leaped high over the attacks, landing softly on a roof above and behind her.
Despite her soft landing, the roof crumbled as soon as her weight settled. For a second, she wondered why. As the cracking sound from the walls below reached her ears, she understood.
The attacks from the daggers had cut through the whole house.
As stone and wood collapsed, Bai leaped from one rooftop to another. Thankfully, the second house remained firm under her feet.
The monks tracked her, hands focusing power as they prepared their next assault.
She couldn’t allow them the opportunity, especially not the two with daggers. Families lived in these houses. She leaped down, drawing power into her fist as she punched at the two dagger-wielding monks. They were agile, though, giving up ground and avoiding her blows.
She pressed forward, letting more strength rush into her legs. The two monks couldn’t backpedal quickly enough. She caught one with a kick across the shins, crashing him to the ground. Before he recovered, she snapped another kick at his head, causing his eyes to lose focus and his face to go slack.
In the time she took to disable the first weapon-wielding monk, the second gathered all his strength into his dagger. With rage burning in his eyes, he lashed out, a sharp wave of energy sending the dirt of the road underneath their feet flying.
She stood too close to dodge. Without thinking, she held out her left hand, as though she could stop the blow with a feeble gesture. She felt a sharp, fiery pain as the cut struck her hand, but her body absorbed the energy.
Bai clenched her hand into a fist. The attack had been terribly focused, filling her entire body with fire. She had encountered th
is before. Her body threatened to burst like an overfilled water skin.
She stepped forward. To her perception the action had been simple enough: a single step toward her assailant. But that single step carried her directly in front of him. Her control over her body faded as the energy coursed through her limbs.
Bai raised her right hand and made the symbol for the first attack, holding the attack right in the monk’s face. Her ability to project energy like the monks was nearly useless. But she’d absorbed so much power even she couldn’t fail.
She released the power from her hand, like pricking the water skin with a knife point. The strength rushed out of her, directly at the monk’s head.
The result shocked her. The monk flew, his body landing at an unnatural angle against the ground. Without having to check, Bai was certain the monk was dead.
The final two monks, unarmed and terrified of suffering the same fate as their brothers, turned and ran.
Bai was about to chase them when she noticed the blood dripping from her left hand. She opened it and looked at her palm. A gash ran from her fourth finger down nearly to her wrist. Though not deep, it bled freely. As the excitement faded from her body, the pain worsened.
She looked up at the fleeing monks and decided they weren’t worth her time. She had more pressing concerns.
The monks had figured out how to hurt her.
5
Delun stood on the wall of his monastery, staring out at the impressive vista below.
Though the harvest festival didn’t begin until this evening, the season’s first snows had already fallen on the monastery courtyard. The wall gave visitors an expansive view of the jagged mountains to the east and glimpses of the valley to the west.
Delun gazed at the snow-capped peaks, tall and mysterious. The mountains pulled at him, calling him with promises of brutal simplicity. Survive or die. Brave expeditions sometimes wandered into the range. They rarely returned, but when they did, it was with tales of hardship and failure.