Their Spirit Unbroken (Relentless Book 3)

by Ryan Kirk

  “I’m not going to leave you.”

  Daiyu squeezed his hands. “I know. Sometimes, I wish you would leave so I could spare you the end. But that’s too selfish.”

  They left the restaurant and enjoyed the view of the stars above. Watching the constellations crawl across the sky had been one of their favorite hobbies back home. They held hands as they walked, Lei enjoying the warmth of her hand in his.

  They returned to their room and began undressing one another. Lei drank in the sight and scent of her body. Their lips met and lingered. Then she smiled a mischievous grin. “I hate seeing you put off the entire empire because of me, but I’m glad you’re here.”

  “I am, too.”

  Her hands ran down his torso, tracing his scars with the tips of her fingers. She looked up at him. “You’re a good man, Lei.”

  He thought then of duty and responsibility, what a true son of the empire would do. Then Daiyu took a step back, her figure silhouetted by light from the window. All thoughts of duty fled. “I’m no hero.”

  She held out a hand to him, inviting him. “But you are no hero,” she agreed.

  With that, she pulled him toward the bed before he could respond.

  19

  Bai perched on the edge of a roof, thinking about Lei, Daiyu, and the empire. Below her, Jihan’s heart beat slow and steady as the evening wore on.

  Lei occupied the most prominent place in her thoughts. His refusal grated on her. She understood, in a way. His obsession with Daiyu was endearing, most days. But the empire crumbled while the two of them relived their early days. The lives of tens of thousands of people hung in the balance, and Lei, perhaps more than anyone else, could shape the course of the future. The blood of an empire would be on his head because of his inaction.

  Bai slammed her fist against the roof, shattering one of the tiles. People were foolish. Often, they resorted to violence when no need existed. The monks and lords were perfect examples. But sometimes they didn’t stir to action even when they should.

  Were Lei’s choices based in love or cowardice?

  She didn’t know.

  Part of her anger was turned inward. She didn’t know what she should do. Yang’s students had started to look up to her, but she remained at a complete loss. They might follow her, but what could she do?

  She had hoped Lei would provide some guidance.

  Instead he pushed her away, forcing her to wander this maze of conflicting interests on her own.

  She should be grateful for his trust.

  But she felt abandoned.

  A tremendous surge of energy interrupted her musings. Bai was more sensitive than most gifted to the power of monks, but for her to feel a blast at that distance, within Jihan, meant it had been an incredible power.

  Like a moth drawn towards light, Bai traced a path across the rooftops toward the blast. That power had been incredible, obtainable by only a few. It signified danger within Jihan, and if Lei would do nothing, Bai would act.

  As she hopped lightly across the rooftops, she kept her senses focused for other monks. Surely she wasn’t the only person in Jihan who felt that? But as she neared the place she believed she’d felt the power, she remained alone. That set her nerves on edge. Why hadn’t the monks come? Were they that scared to leave the walls of their monastery?

  She stopped, scouting the area before jumping down. The source of the blast was obvious enough, though the sight of him stole her breath for a moment. He stood alone in the center of a large abandoned square.

  Delun.

  She hadn’t seen him since Kulat, and had sincerely hoped their paths would never cross again. He was a good man, but they stood on opposite sides of an old conflict. No doubt he detested her. She had hunted and killed several of the men he called brothers.

  Though she recognized him, she made no move to approach. Everything about this encounter screamed danger. She didn’t see any damage nearby, which meant the huge expenditure of energy hadn’t been an attack, at least as far as she could see. What other purpose could it serve?

  Had it been meant to draw her in, or someone like her?

  The only way to find out was to ask.

  Bai kept her distance from Delun. “It’s been a long time.”

  Delun didn’t reply, and Bai’s sharp eye picked up on worrying details. Delun held a stone in his right hand and a small pouch hung at his hip. From the way the cord that held it strained, she guessed it contained something heavy. His left hand gripped a staff, treating it like a walking stick at the moment. It would double as a weapon, though.

  She remembered Delun as an intense man, but the way his eyes bored into her now made her uncomfortable. His silence increased her unease. She couldn’t begin to understand his intent.

  He didn’t speak. He never provided his rationale. He just attacked.

  Her caution saved her. She felt the power focus in his right hand, similar to the second attack the monks learned, but the shape of it was slightly different. Delun’s hand snapped up, aimed at her head. The rock shot out of his grasp, blurring with speed.

  Bai twisted away, the rock grazing her temple. Bright lights swam across her vision, momentarily blinding her.

  When her vision returned she saw Delun closing the distance between them, staff whirling in his hands.

  She fought her disorientation and pulled in more energy, preparing for battle.

  One end of the staff snapped at her head. She dodged, but then the other end attacked her torso. She funneled energy into her arm, barely protecting herself.

  Delun attacked relentlessly. The staff spun and snapped, and Bai struggled to follow the unfamiliar weapon.

  The monk knew his energy attacks wouldn’t work against her. He’d seen her power firsthand.

  She dodged backward, giving up ground in exchange for safety.

  He never allowed her an opening.

  Understanding dawned on her.

  He had been training for this, possibly for years.

  He had prepared for the day when they might have to fight.

  Anger filled her heart. They had once risked their lives for one another. She had helped him when no one else would. And in repayment, he learned techniques specifically designed to kill her.

  She blocked his next attack, then stepped forward. She punched at his face, her frustration building as he retreated, using the staff to prevent her from closing with him. He knew she couldn’t use energy the same way the monks did. She couldn’t attack from distance. So long as he maintained his separation, she couldn’t hit him.

  Bai might as well have been fighting a ghost.

  She leaped at him, trying to get inside the guard of his staff.

  As soon as she did, he brought up his right hand, a rock held firmly within. She felt the same attack as before, that same unusual shape. The rock sped at her, but in midair there was no way to dodge. The stone slammed into her chest, shooting a deep throbbing pain through her ribcage and sending her sprawling to the ground.

  She stood up a moment later, grateful Delun didn’t press his attack. She rubbed at her chest where the rock had landed. Never had she seen a monk use their gifts to manipulate objects in such a way.

  Before tonight, she had believed herself virtually invincible against monks. Certainly, they could get lucky, but the battles were hers to lose. Delun made her wonder if she’d been too confident. She hadn’t even hit him yet.

  She didn’t want to fight Delun. They held different beliefs, but Delun was a decent man. Her quest was against the others, the monks who didn’t understand the consequences of their abuses of power. She’d seen him torn by the horrible actions of other monks.

  “Why?” Bai cried.

  His only answer was the focusing of his energy.

  He ran forward. The staff twirled with deadly grace in his hands, and Bai lost all hope of a peaceful resolution.

  She pulled in more energy, fortifying her arms as she stepped into Delun’s attack. She blocked with one arm
and attacked with the other. But Delun had mastered the use of distance.

  Monks traditionally fought only with their hands and their energy. Bai’s skills had developed in response to that style. She could block Delun’s staff, but he kept enough space between them to prevent her from mounting an effective counterattack. While she struggled to break his guard, he attacked with ease with the greater length of the staff. In a small space she might have had options, but in the wide open courtyard, Delun had plenty of space to give.

  He knew it, too. He never even allowed her to drive him too close to one of the buildings surrounding the courtyard.

  For the first time in a decade, Bai felt completely powerless.

  Two more blows bounced off her arms, ineffective but tiring. She countered again, striking nothing but air. The stalemate couldn’t last forever. One of them would tire or make a mistake. Bai worried it would be her. Delun looked calm and focused, in control.

  Whenever she tried to retreat, to gather herself and think, Delun attacked with the rocks. None of them were big or fast enough to kill, but they had no problem dazing, bruising, and distracting. As he sent another stone at her face, she wondered how many he had left in that pouch. He grabbed them with a quickness that displayed many hours of consistent practice.

  Another two passes resulted in nothing more than two more strikes for Delun. He wouldn’t make a mistake.

  Hopelessness settled under her skin. The warrior she had fought so hard to become was being easily dismantled by Delun’s patient attacks. If she couldn’t fight the monks, what good was she?

  She dodged a small stone aimed at her face, hopelessness morphing into rage.

  How dare he take this away from her?

  She felt the power welling up inside of her, her body’s natural response to anger. Already, she had pulled in much tonight and knew she would regret it come morning. Energy masked pain, but didn’t eliminate it. Every hit Delun had landed would ache as the bruises formed, and her muscles would soon groan in agony.

  Right now, she didn’t care. She wanted Delun’s blood.

  Bai screamed, power flooding through tired muscles. The world sharpened and Delun’s motions slowed. Not much, but enough. She feinted towards him, moved back as he responded, then darted into the opening he left.

  Even with her enhanced speed and senses, the opening closed quickly. Delun retreated a step, bringing the staff around and at Bai’s head. But she was close enough, and her fist landed before the staff. Her punch caught him in the stomach, doubling him over as she kicked at him, sending him sprawling backward.

  She had hoped to bring the fight to a stop, at least, but her hope was futile.

  Delun absorbed the blows and rolled to his feet, attacking with renewed vigor.

  Bai’s anger, relieved by the blows she had landed, no longer focused her.

  She tried to block but found herself too slow. The tip of the staff found her chest, knocking her several steps back. She kept her feet, barely.

  Bai coughed up blood, the idea that she was beaten rooting itself in her mind, as deadly as any cut. She’d never been defeated, not like this.

  Her thoughts turned suddenly to retreat. She didn’t need to fight Delun, not now. Wincing with the effort, she pulled more energy in from the city, knowing she would deeply regret the decision later.

  But regret was better than death.

  She turned away from Delun, muscles tensing to jump, when she heard a brief shout behind her. “No!”

  Bai felt the focus, but her gift couldn’t track the rock. Without sight, she wasn’t sure where he aimed.

  Pain shot up her leg as the stone drilled into her calf. Even with energy pulsing through her legs she could feel it, a red-hot burning that radiated upward.

  Bai stumbled, catching herself against the stone wall of the building she had meant to leap on top of.

  She turned in time to feel Delun focus another attack, this one more familiar to her.

  She grinned viciously. Finally, he had made a mistake. He had forgotten, even if just for a moment, her gift. She would absorb his energy and use it against him.

  His attack wasn’t aimed at her, though. The blast of energy crashed against the building she leaned against. She fell backward, her stone support suddenly gone.

  Walls and supports cracked, and the building groaned like a giant old man about to stumble and fall. Bai felt Delun prepare another attack. The building had no chance.

  She clawed for more power, and Jihan, always so generous, gave more of itself.

  But it was too late. Stones shifted and wood split as the building gave up, finally overwhelmed. Bai only had time to close her eyes as Delun buried her alive.

  20

  Delun sat on top of a roof, overlooking a random street in Jihan. Unlike Bai, he couldn’t leap on top of buildings. He’d had to climb the structure like anyone else.

  Coming up here had been an impulse, a decision he didn’t fully understand himself.

  He turned a stone over in his hand.

  He’d only had three left, at the end.

  Despite his victory, exhaustion left him feeling empty inside.

  Or perhaps the feeling was due to the victory against Bai.

  They never had seen eye to eye, but they had respected one another. Delun believed that was true.

  Her question still stabbed at his heart.

  Why?

  Because she had made enemies in the past decade, enemies who knew how dangerous she was.

  Because she stood in the way of justice for his fallen brothers.

  He knew the explanations. But they meant little to him. They satisfied his mind, but they left his heart wanting more.

  He hadn’t refused to answer because of some cruelty.

  He hadn’t answered because he didn’t know.

  Delun gripped the stone tightly in his hands. How much time had he spent preparing for that fight? He’d never wanted to use those skills, but a part of him had always known Bai might someday stand against him. He had always believed in preparing for every possible opponent. But he’d seen the betrayal on her face. She had never expected them to be enemies.

  Up here, Delun understood why Bai took to the rooftops. Height afforded a different perspective. Up here, insurmountable problems resolved themselves into mere challenges.

  He didn’t know if he had killed Bai. He hoped not. Someday he hoped she would understand, would know that it had never been personal.

  Someday.

  He took a deep breath. None of these doubts mattered. What was done was done. Time only marched forward. He’d completed a task for the wraiths. In exchange he hoped Chao would deliver him the captain of the guard. If the man was responsible, he would know agony beyond understanding.

  Delun put the rock back in the pouch. There was no room for doubt, no room for turning back. Not anymore.

  He’d hoped Chao would visit the next day, but he was disappointed.

  Ping came instead.

  The enthusiastic young man could barely sit still. He rocked back and forth on his feet. Delun wondered what had him so excited.

  Ping launched directly into his questions. “Did you kill her?”

  “I think so.”

  Ping’s face turned in a moment, excitement suddenly replaced by doubt. “You think?”

  Delun waved away his doubt. “I could not recover the body. In the course of our fight, I dropped a building on top of her.”

  Ping raised an eyebrow, impressed.

  “I remained for a few minutes after. I saw and sensed no one.”

  “We had hoped for a body.”

  Delun shrugged.

  Ping studied Delun. The older monk suspected Ping wasn’t used to others treating him so rudely. Eventually, Ping capitulated. “Very well. This evening, Chao is gathering all the wraiths in Jihan. Tonight, we strike the head off the Order of the Serpent.”

  Delun leaned forward. “You’ve found information on the captain?”

  Pin
g nodded. “While you fought Bai, other wraiths completed another mission last night, designed to expose the Order’s leaders.”

  Delun noticed Ping’s deliberate vagueness.

  “It worked, even better than we expected. The Order has been forced into hasty action. They plan on assaulting the monastery tonight and murdering the monks within. Tonight we don’t just cut off the head, we kill the entire snake.”

  Delun didn’t understand. How could so much have been accomplished in so little time? Whatever the rest of the wraiths had done last night, it must have been significant to bring about such a response.

  He found he didn’t care. If it brought the Order out of hiding, into the light where he could hunt them, he approved.

  His fight with Bai had served as a distraction from Chao’s larger plan, then. It took Bai out of the fight, permitting Chao to focus his resources on other problems.

  Ping left, spreading the news to the other wraiths in the house. Delun lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Chao’s accomplishments intimidated him. Chao thought several moves ahead of everyone else, and it had put the wraiths in a powerful position.

  What Chao’s ultimate plan looked like, Delun had no idea. He knew Chao’s goal, but how he expected to get from here to there was far beyond him. But he would follow, if it meant justice for his brothers.

  Delun closed his eyes and attempted to rest. He would need his strength this night.

  The whole small group of monks left the safehouse shortly before the sun set. Ping had insisted they wear their robes. Delun put his on, grateful for the familiar comfort. He hadn’t worn them in weeks, and he realized how little he felt like himself without them. The robes were only a symbol, but they were a powerful one. He felt stronger just wearing them.

  The city was abuzz with activity. City watchmen patrolled the streets, nailing up announcements in every square. A curfew had been established by order of the emperor and the city watch. Anyone found in the streets after curfew would face immediate imprisonment.

  Crowds gathered around the signs, whispered murmurs passing between fearful glances. Other posters offered rewards for information about the destruction of a building in a square in a different part of town. The city watch searched for Delun.