Their Spirit Unbroken (Relentless Book 3)

by Ryan Kirk

  For a terrifying moment, nothing happened. Even with her gifts, her arms lacked the strength to push the stone away. Then something gave and she created a small space. The weight shifted and settled in a new position.

  Cool air burst upon her face. She sucked greedily, coughing as more dust coated her throat.

  All things considered, she’d been fortunate. She’d forced an enormous amount of energy into her body as the building collapsed around her. Her legs were pinned, but not tightly. If she had more room to work, she thought she might be able to free them. As it was, there just wasn’t enough space.

  But she’d created a gap, and air was reaching her lungs. For the moment, she was safe.

  Her memories flashed back to some of her earliest training with Lei. After the battle of Kulat, they had focused for months on mental discipline. Her lack of focus had almost killed her in Kulat and Lei didn’t want the mistake repeated.

  That training brought her some measure of ease now. She closed her eyes and focused on her breath. She released most of the power she held, slowly, ensuring her small cave wouldn’t collapse without her supporting its weight.

  The focus on her breath kept the panic at bay. She had no love for small spaces, and even with her last effort, all she had done was clear a space about a hand’s width wide. She could breathe but little else.

  Exhaustion crept through her aching limbs and she fought the urge to close her eyes. She needed to escape this rubble, but she had so little left to fight with. She’d pulled in strength to run across the roofs, then even more to fight Delun. Her body could only take so much.

  With every passing moment, hopelessness settled heavier on her shoulders. She didn’t know how deeply she was buried. She couldn’t see the sky. Even if she summoned more energy, she wasn’t sure pushing at the walls of her coffin was wise. She had no way of judging the risk. But if she did nothing, her odds were even worse.

  Thoughts of dying, trapped under the ruins of a building, made her heart race. Again, she focused on her breath. There had to be a way. She moved her head, looking around as far as the space would allow.

  Her attention shifted when she felt another gifted approach. Bai cursed. She was defenseless. Had Delun come to finish what he started? That seemed low, even for him.

  She soon decided it wasn’t Delun. The monk felt very different, his power obvious even from a distance. As soon as she focused her attention, she knew who had come. She breathed a sigh of relief.

  Rong stood just beyond the pile of stone.

  Bai licked her lips. “Here!”

  She had meant her voice to be louder, but it came out as a strangled croak.

  Rong heard her, though. She approached closer to the rubble. “Bai?”

  “I’m here.”

  Bai felt Rong’s power grow, and she could hear the sound of rock being moved. From where she lay, though, she couldn’t feel any difference in the weight.

  “Are you okay?” Rong asked.

  “I think so. I’m trapped.”

  “Hold on.”

  Bai had never thought the sound of rock against rock could be so beautiful. Rong worked methodically, and after a few minutes, had uncovered Bai’s face.

  “Hello.”

  Bai laughed, relief flooding through her. She felt euphoric. Her breath came easier.

  Bai summoned some more power, the effort twisting her stomach into knots. Working together, the two women freed Bai from the broken depths of the building.

  Gingerly, Bai tested her mobility. She would have plenty of bruises, but she thought she would be otherwise uninjured. She’d been fortunate to have enough wherewithal to reinforce her limbs as the walls collapsed around her.

  Rong escorted her out of the courtyard to safety.

  They made it to the outskirts of Jihan without problem. Instead of leaving through the gate, as they had before, this time Rong led her to a small house near the wall. Together they stepped in.

  Yang’s students were inside. Questions struggled to find purchase in Bai’s mind, and nothing settled. At the moment, all that mattered was that she was safe.

  Rong led her to a room with a bed, where Bai immediately lay down and fell asleep.

  When she woke, her head pounded and her body complained. Groaning, she sat up and looked out the window. Daylight filtered through it. Despite the hammering in her head, she felt rested, if stiff.

  Her muscles spasmed when she tried to stand and she tumbled to the floor in a heap. The noise brought Rong into the room. The woman saw Bai up, left for a moment, then returned with a pail of water and a ladle.

  “Drink slowly,” she said.

  Bai didn’t need encouragement. Her throat felt like it was cracking open. She took one sip, then another. She wasn’t sure water had ever tasted so wonderful. “Thank you,” she croaked.

  Rong flashed her a sympathetic smile. “How are you feeling?”

  “I used too much energy. Far too much.”

  Rong nodded. “We were worried about you for a while, earlier in the day. Your breathing slowed so much we thought you were near death.”

  “Not yet.”

  Rong sat in silence while Bai sipped more water. Now that her thirst had been slaked, she realized it had been a long time since she’d eaten. Her stomach rumbled loudly, asking the question Bai was ashamed to.

  Rong didn’t seem to mind. “We’ve got food, too.”

  The next hour was one of the most glorious of Bai’s life. Rong and her companions prepared no small amount of food, and Bai ate with a ravenous hunger. She was certain she had never eaten so much in one sitting before. Near the end of her feast, she wondered if she worried her hosts at all.

  Rong, at least, seemed to be the type of person who took all things in stride. Nothing disturbed her calm and friendly nature.

  Eventually, Bai felt like she was ready to be up and about again. She struggled to her feet, wondering if this was how it felt to age. Each of her muscles obeyed her commands, but they did so against their will.

  Rong invited her for a walk. Bai shot a questioning glance outside. “What about threats?”

  The younger warrior shook her head. “Given all that’s been happening, I don’t think we have much to worry about.”

  Bai wasn’t so certain, but Rong had earned her trust. She owed the mysterious woman her life.

  They stepped out into the street together, and Rong led the way, kindly moving slowly for Bai’s sake. Bai’s legs protested the effort initially, but after they had walked for a while, they began to feel much better. A gentle walk had been exactly the remedy she needed.

  Rong led the conversation as well as the walk. “What happened in the courtyard? I felt the energy, although I’m sure almost every monk in Jihan did, too.”

  “I had a run-in with an old friend.” Bai recounted the story.

  “Why didn’t other monks show up? I worried at first, but I was the only one who approached the area.”

  Bai shrugged. “Delun probably set the trap so we wouldn’t be bothered. He had a decent amount of authority in the monasteries a decade ago. I can only imagine he’s developed more over the years.”

  Bai could tell Rong had several things on her mind, but she let the woman take her time. Rong led with the explosive news. “The princess was kidnapped from the palace last night.”

  Bai stopped in her tracks.

  Rong hurried to explain everything she knew. “We believe the attack against you was designed to prevent you from interfering. With the powers you two unleashed, Shu didn’t even feel the fight way out at the palace. We only learned while you were sleeping.”

  Bai looked around at the streets of Jihan, where life proceeded as though nothing had happened. She realized most people didn’t know. “Who told you?”

  “The questioner from Lord Xun, the same man who met us in the monastery. He came early this morning. The wraiths took her.”

  Bai’s head spun. Delun was working with the wraiths. It seemed beyond him, so
mehow. He’d always struck her as a man who leaned more towards moderate solutions. How much had he changed in the past decade?

  Rong looked as though she shared Bai’s uncertainty. “Does it all make sense to you?”

  “Not at all.”

  Rong shuffled her feet, her head down. “Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?”

  Bai shook her head.

  “What was it like, when you found out?”

  Though it had been ten years, the memory was as fresh as those from this morning. “I don’t remember the actual event. But when I learned the truth, I was devastated. I had harmed many people I knew and cared about. You?”

  “Ecstatic.”

  “Do you remember the moment?”

  Rong nodded. “It wasn’t very dramatic, actually. I was making a living as a thief. A monk grabbed me by the wrist once, right after I’d made a mistake and was running from the watch. I felt the power surge through me, and I was able to throw the monk and run faster than I ever had before. That was the incident that brought me to Yang’s attention.”

  Rong spoke of the moment with affection in her voice. Without hearing an explanation, Bai created her own version of Rong’s history.

  A thief, probably struggling to get by, scraping together the money needed to live. One didn’t turn to crime unless the need was high. Bai had no trouble imagining Rong’s past life: bargaining for day-old bread, fighting the temptation to grab food from the market and run, hiding what little coin she had.

  In many ways, Rong’s story wasn’t all that different from Bai’s.

  Bai had never crossed that invisible line that made her a criminal, not until she discovered her power. But it had always beckoned.

  And now?

  Bai saw herself in Rong. They were both criminals, she supposed, although the word didn’t quite fit. But they no longer worried where their next meal would come from. Their sights were set higher than survival, now.

  Bai watched the other woman out of the corner of her eye. Though they barely knew each other, she felt at ease around Rong, like they were friends from childhood. At the moment, the other woman had a question on her mind she hadn’t found the courage to ask. From the way Rong nibbled her lower lip, Bai suspected it was the question she had really been meaning to ask the whole time.

  Finally, it came, spilling out of her like soldiers crashing through the collapse of a besieged wall. “What was it like, attacking Kulat?”

  Bai searched for the best answer. “Terrifying. Thrilling. Foolish. I had just discovered my powers and had people telling me my purpose in life was to fight monks. I believed them.”

  Rong gave her a funny look, noticing her tone. “Aren’t you proud?”

  Bai looked off into the distance, considering the question. She’d spent years thinking about those days, but she wasn’t sure she had answered that for herself yet. “I am proud that we stopped the plans that were in place. I know we saved lives that day, that we prevented a war.” Her memory traveled back to her final fight with the abbot of Kulat, his mangled body a sight she could never unsee, the damage caused by her own fist. “I have always wondered if there was a better way. We created a martyr that day.”

  “You created a legend for yourself, too. All of us talk about that day. We want to be like you.”

  Bai almost laughed, but caught herself before it escaped. The sincerity in Rong’s voice was almost painful to hear. “I do not feel like a legend. I was caught up in the moment, and while I did what I could, it felt more like being caught in a powerful stream, following the current.”

  “Almost like now.”

  Bai nodded. “Exactly like now.”

  23

  Delun and Ping worked their way toward the building Chao believed would host the Order’s leaders this night. The description and directions they’d received were detailed, and the two of them made quick time.

  They arrived well before evening and found a roof across the street where they could watch the building. The location appeared to be an old shop that hadn’t been open for years. Their vantage point allowed them a full view of the building while providing concealment from wary eyes.

  While they waited for the leadership to arrive, Delun’s mind finally had time to wander. After weeks of pointless investigation, events had suddenly moved quickly.

  The captain of the watch was on the forefront of his mind. For weeks, he’d seen nothing but the behavior of a dedicated soldier. Delun believed the captain was guilty, but he’d yet to see any suggestion of guilt firsthand.

  All he had was Chao’s word that the man was the traitor Delun suspected he was.

  Delun knew the danger of accepting any opinion that agreed with his preconceived notions, but his instincts told him the captain was too good to be clean.

  Tonight would be evidence enough. If the captain appeared, Delun considered that an admission of guilt.

  The two wraiths didn’t speak much, mostly content with the silence between them. Delun watched the area. Beside him, Ping quivered with nervous energy. After a while, Delun began to wonder about his compatriot.

  “Are you ready?”

  Ping looked offended, but Delun gestured toward Ping’s hands, which hadn’t been still for over an hour. The younger man blushed. “It’s my first combat.” He spoke the words as though they were an intimate secret.

  Delun controlled his reaction. It wasn’t unusual for a monk not to have seen combat. For the majority of monks, days consisted entirely of training and monastic life. But given Ping’s rhetoric, he’d always assumed the monk had fought before.

  Tonight seemed a poor time to start.

  Shadows lengthened as evening fell, the streets slowly falling into peacefulness below as citizens hurried to get home before the new curfew.

  The moon had just begun to rise when the captain of the city watch came into view. Delun’s heart beat faster. Any lingering doubts dissipated. The captain looked both ways down the street before entering the building.

  Shortly thereafter, four others joined him, trickling into the building singly.

  All five of the highest leaders of the Order of the Serpent were gathered, exactly the number Chao’s intelligence had predicted.

  Delun glanced at Ping, who nodded. Neither saw much point in delaying the inevitable. Moving like their namesakes, the wraiths slid down to ground level without so much as a whisper of fabric.

  Tonight Delun carried a dagger. Unlike some, he didn’t possess the ability to fill the dagger with energy. It was nothing more than a blade in his hand. But sometimes a blade could make all the difference in the world. He’d spent the past decade training with weapons, moving beyond the traditions of the monasteries.

  The abandoned shop had two entrances. Delun paused near the front while Ping made his way to the rear. Delun would be the hammer and Ping the anvil. Delun gave Ping a minute to get in position, then focused energy into his hand and blasted the door off its hinges.

  Delun formed another attack even as he stepped through the doorway. Dust clogged the air as the door clattered to the floor in the center of the room. Delun ensured the first room was clear before stepping deeper into the house.

  He took three steps inside. A man stepped into the doorway from the next room, sword already in hand. Delun lifted his hand and released the attack, blasting the man off his feet until he crashed into the opposite wall ten feet back. The blow probably didn’t kill the serpent, but he would be stunned for several valuable seconds.

  Delun formed another attack and worked his way into the second room. Another sword-wielding soldier greeted him with a deadly shout and an overhand cut. Delun released his attack into the man’s exposed torso, sending him crashing into a different wall.

  He needed to kill the men, and quick. Five against one in a small space was poor odds, even for a monk. Delun darted over to the first man, who was working his way back to his feet. Delun slammed his knee into the man’s nose, shattering the soft bone underneath.
/>   Finally, he drew the dagger and stabbed it deep into the man’s neck.

  When he turned around, the second man was already back to his feet, advancing warily on Delun, sword held out straight in front of him in a defensive stance.

  Delun knew time was against him. Ping guarded the back door, but the longer a fight went on, the more time there was for things to go wrong. Delun sheathed his knife with one hand while the other signed an even more powerful attack.

  The soldier saw the motion and darted in, aiming for a fatal wound before Delun could release his attack.

  The traitor never had a chance. Delun released his power. The soldier, and the wall behind him, collapsed from Delun’s attack.

  Delun darted into the hole he’d just made, seeking out his final opponents. He swore when he saw the back door open.

  A moment later he stood in the alley behind the abandoned shop, surveying the scene before him. Two of the men were clearly dead, their bodies twisted at unnatural angles. The final man, the captain, still lived. His face was broken and bloody, but there was no mistaking the rage in his eyes.

  For all the captain had done to convince the world he was a man of honor, Delun saw the truth reflected in the man’s eyes.

  The captain hated monks. In other circumstances, Delun might have questioned the captain, but face to face with his most detested enemy, he saw no point. They already knew the captain led the Order. All the serpents’ plans would fail tonight. What else was there to know?

  Ping looked calm as ever. He bowed and took a step away. “I figured you might want the honor.”

  Delun found himself moved by the gesture. They had all lost friends in the explosions this man had orchestrated, yet Ping was willing to sacrifice his vengeance for Delun.

  Delun bowed toward Ping. Words failed him.

  He stood over the captain and drew his dagger. The mere sight of the man tinged his vision with red. Justice wasn’t enough. This was the man who had planned Taio’s death and the deaths of so many. Any end was too good for the man.