by Ryan Kirk
Eventually, he found Chao by his side. The monk waited patiently as Delun recounted the story one last time, then pulled the favored warrior aside. “How are you?”
“I am doing well.” Delun realized he meant it, too. How long had it been since he’d been able to honestly answer that question with a positive response?
“Will you come with me?”
At that moment, Delun would have followed Chao through a wall of fire. He nodded and trailed Chao through the warehouse to the rooms near the rear of the building. Chao stepped into one and asked Delun to close the door behind them.
The door shut out the growing chorus of sounds coming from the main area. If not for the enormous power Delun felt pressing against his senses, he might have thought the warehouse empty.
Delun ran his eyes around the room. A glance told him this was where Chao planned his operation. A large table dominated the center of the room. Delun stepped up to it and saw a map of the empire rested on it, with another detailed map of Jihan off to one side. The map was covered in small flags.
Chao noticed Delun’s interest. “The Order of the Serpent was not just in Jihan. The map shows all their locations. Different flags represent our latest news. Last night we hoped to ambush the Order throughout the empire. Now I just wait for word.”
Delun studied the map. The number of flags surprised him. The Order, it appeared, had spread further than he expected. The only area of the empire without a strong presence, it seemed, was near Kulat. Delun ignored that. It saddened him, though, to see in one map how far the discontent had spread.
But Chao’s explanation only covered some of the flags. Delun guessed at some others. “There are wraiths in all these places?” He pointed.
The corner of Chao’s lip turned up briefly. “That surprises you?”
“Yes.”
“We’ve been working toward this moment since even before the Massacre of Kulat, Delun.”
“How many do you have?”
“Over a hundred pledged. But I believe that when word of our deed last night spreads, nearly all the monks will join us.”
Delun nodded. A hundred was less than he would have guessed. Chao had most of his force here in Jihan already.
Chao turned to the map of Jihan, as though answering the unasked question. “This is where our campaign begins and ends. The emperor has already sent us his congratulations. He is grateful that the traitorous order has been eliminated. Soon, we will be guaranteed seats on the council.”
With that, Delun finally understood Chao’s ultimate plan, the goal that had eluded his questioning. His ambition was breathtaking.
The emperor sat at the head of the empire, but his council stood right behind him. Currently limited to a half-dozen lords, a seat on the council gave one direct access to the emperor. Should the emperor die without an heir, or should an heir be found unsuitable, only members of the council could ascend to the throne.
Monasteries had never been given a seat on the council. Long tradition stood against them. The acquisition of a council seat could change everything. It also opened up the possibility of having a gifted emperor.
Chao planned to someday put a gifted monk on the throne. His vision was long.
Delun approved. The same objective had long appealed to him, but somehow Chao had found a path to the goal.
Chao’s statements revealed one of his advantages. The man had connections at court. How else would he be in nearly direct communication with the emperor?
Chao looked up from the map and at Delun. “One large hurdle remains in our way, one that I think only you have a chance at resolving.”
Delun could only think of one hindrance. He knew Chao’s request before it was even spoken. “Bai and Lei,” he said.
Lei’s strength was unknown. He’d torn up no small part of Jihan thirty years ago. If he’d gotten stronger since, his threat couldn’t be underestimated. Delun knew Lei was stronger than him. And Bai’s gift made her the perfect warrior to fight against monks. Together, their threat couldn’t be overstated.
Thoughts of them caused Delun’s doubt to resurface. He didn’t want to fight them.
“Yes. They need to be removed,” Chao said. “We do not know how they will act, but we can assume they will respond. Bai, in particular, has never been a friend of the monasteries.”
Delun chuckled softly at that. Chao had a gift for understatement.
Chao gazed earnestly at Delun. “Truthfully, I do not know how to handle them. They are strong and possess unnatural gifts. If anyone can figure them out, I believe it is you.”
Delun didn’t know how he would accomplish Chao’s mission, but he understood the importance. They were so close to gaining everything they wanted. Lei and Bai wouldn’t understand. This needed to be done, for the good of the monasteries.
He didn’t know how he would solve the problem.
But he knew he would try.
“I will do it. Can you give me a few days?”
Chao looked down at his maps. “I think so. Our strike last night has given us some breathing room.” He paused. “I have called all monks together for an assembly.”
Delun couldn’t hide his shock. Assemblies were only called on rare occasions, a summoning of every monk willing to make the journey. How many would respond to Chao’s call? “Here?”
Chao nodded. “This will be where the emperor will make his announcement. I’ve given everyone a few weeks to get here. So long as Lei and Bai are taken care of by then, you should be fine.”
Delun felt the importance of the moment, the excitement that rang in his bones. It was happening.
In his lifetime.
The monks would finally step out of the shadows and become the leaders of the empire they were meant to be.
The cost was high, but he was willing to pay it.
They stepped out of the room and walked back down the narrow hallway leading to the renewed festivities. Delun’s mind already churned on the problem of Lei and Bai. Still, he noticed the energy of a gifted warrior in another room.
The energy was unlike that of a normal monk. Delun barely recognized it as being gifted. He paused. “Who is that?”
Chao waved it away. “Another traitor we caught, one of those unnaturally gifted. She’s nothing for you to worry about.”
Delun took one last look at the door, then continued on his way. For the first time in ages, he felt as though he was actually making progress. Thanks to Chao and his connections to the emperor, the monks were only weeks away from obtaining the power they deserved.
Now he only needed to figure out how to get rid of two of the strongest warriors the world had ever seen.
30
Lei watched Daiyu sleep, the steady rise and fall of her chest belying the frail state of her body. She had barely finished lunch before asking Lei if he would mind lying down with her. They’d been resting for less than a minute when he heard her snoring softly.
Watching her tore at his heart. He loved her, and step by step, she was leaving this world. No matter how comfortable he was with risking his own life, he couldn’t imagine his days without her.
He would soon have to, though.
Lei stood up and walked to the window that looked out on the street beyond. The Heron was in a nice neighborhood where the streets were rarely loud. Today, though, they looked deserted. Two days had passed since the wraiths had struck at the Order of the Serpent, but citizens only stepped out into the streets if they needed to. Most people probably considered their homes the safest places around, and Lei didn’t blame them at all.
Bai and the others had decided to settle down at the monastery. Their alliance with the remaining monks provided them some protection from the wraiths. The abbot of Jihan had no interest in fighting other monks, but he would help Yang’s students with their search.
Lei still found it difficult to believe the world had gone so sideways. Growing up in the monasteries, he never could have pictured monks fighting against monks. Yet
day by day, the wraiths asserted their control over the direction of the monasteries. If the more moderate monks didn’t fight, what would be left for them?
Lei pressed his forehead against the cool wall of their room, absorbing strength from the sturdy inn that had lasted for decades. He was losing everything he knew.
He sat back down by the bedside, his thoughts a jumbled mess. His reverie was interrupted by a soft knock at the door.
Lei opened it to find the innkeeper, nervously looking up at him. “Apologies, Master Lei, but there is a man here looking for you, and he is quite insistent.”
Forced from his trance, Lei realized he could feel the presence of his visitor. How distracted had he been to miss such a power? “It is no problem. I will meet him in the skywell in just a moment.”
The innkeeper scurried away. Lei took one last look at Daiyu. Delun would not threaten her. Despite their differences, he trusted the other man that much. Lei tied his sword to his hip and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.
Lei stepped out into the skywell, ignoring Delun for a moment. The sky was cloudless and sunny above him, the barest whisper of a breeze rustling the few remaining leaves near the tree that grew in the center of the space. That same tree cast a large shadow during the summer, cooling the space nicely. Now that winter was near, the bare tree let the sun’s light warm the area.
Lei sat down across from Delun. He hadn’t seen the monk properly in years, not since the incident at Kulat over a decade ago. Although Delun’s strength wasn’t in question, Lei thought the monk looked more unwell than he had years ago. He carried too much of the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“Delun. Thank you for visiting.”
The monk inclined his head, his only acknowledgment of Lei’s words. He seemed distracted and unfocused. But the monk’s question still cut like a dagger. “What was it like, fighting again within the walls of Jihan?”
“I had hoped never to return. Once I returned, I hoped never to fight. Now that I have fought, my greatest desire is to leave again. I do not wish to bring any more harm to those who live here.”
“Then why do you remain?”
Lei nodded toward his room. “Daiyu is dying. She is not well enough to travel. She, more than anyone else, brought me here, and I expect she plans to die here.”
Delun’s emotions broke through his distraction. “I am sorry to hear that. I did not know.”
Something about Delun’s response set the hairs on Lei’s arm to standing. The man hadn’t come here without reason. “Why are you here?”
“I had hoped to convince you to leave.”
“I am not the one you need to convince. I agreed to follow Daiyu here, but little would bring me more joy than to leave this all behind me.” Delun looked surprised by the answer. Lei spoke before he could respond. “I am surprised you joined with the wraiths. Their methods seem too violent for you.”
Delun shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I have been convinced. Their goals are worthy. Some have gone too far, but that has always been true.”
Lei leaned forward. “It’s also not like you to equivocate.”
Delun stiffened, power flooding through his body. Lei had struck a nerve there.
For a moment, Lei thought Delun might attack. Tension hung over the table. Delun was strong, but Lei had no doubts as to who would win a duel between them.
Delun visibly relaxed. “You should leave, Lei. Return home, where you belong.”
“Once the princess is safe.”
Delun’s eyes focused on Lei. “What did you say?”
The monk’s surprise had been genuine. Interesting. “The wraiths kidnapped the princess, the same night you fought Bai and left her for dead.”
Lei saw the denial on Delun’s lips. Then his eyes darted to the side. He was thinking.
Watching Delun was like looking straight into the man’s soul. He searched, then found something that disturbed his calm. Finally, the storm passed. The monk believed him, but his course remained unchanged.
This wasn’t the same Delun Lei had once known. This was a man worn down by time and tragedy, a man who saw hope in an insane chase.
Delun’s gaze flickered to something happening behind Lei. He turned his head to see Daiyu enter the room.
Even ill, she seemed the ideal of beauty. He rose to greet her, offering her his arm as he guided her to the table.
Delun’s behavior changed suddenly. He stood and bowed, showing her even more respect than she was due. Lei noted the behavior. The Delun he was familiar with still existed, but he had been buried by the sands of time.
For a moment, the three of them sat awkwardly, none quite sure what to say. Daiyu, as always, found the way forward. “Master Delun, it is a true pleasure to see you again. It has been so long since you visited our home.”
Lei marveled at his wife. In a few short phrases, she reminded Delun of the alliance they had once shared, and had accorded him all the honor due his position.
Delun remained still, but Lei had the impression of a man squirming in his seat. “Lei was just telling me of your illness. I am truly sorry.”
His regret was genuine.
Life was indeed a strange thing, to turn those who agreed on so much into enemies.
Daiyu shrugged away the sympathy. She had little time for it, as always. “It happens to us all, I suppose. Few of us are fortunate enough to see it coming.”
Delun smiled at that. “You are indeed a remarkable woman. Lei is a lucky man.”
“He is, but that’s not why you’re here, is it?”
“I was trying to convince your husband to leave the city.”
“Why?”
Delun leaned back, clearly enjoying his verbal sparring with Daiyu. Although Lei wished she would stay in bed, he was grateful for her presence. Negotiations were her battlefield much more than his. He had never possessed her sharp wit or quick retorts.
Eventually, Delun answered. “Because I have been asked to kill you, and I have no wish to do so.”
With that simple statement, Lei viewed the whole conversation in an entirely different light. Delun believed in the wraiths. Lei didn’t doubt that. But the morals hadn’t been driven out of the monk. Not completely.
Daiyu barely looked up from the menu, as though she heard about shadowy organizations wanting to murder her husband every evening. “You want Lei out of the way.”
Delun shrugged. “Personally, I do not understand the wraiths’ strategy, but they wish your departure strongly.”
Lei saw an opening. A chance for him to get everything that he wanted. He turned to Daiyu. “Perhaps we should leave.”
She gave him a slim smile that let him know that he wouldn’t be escaping that easily. She then caught the attention of the staff. “A reunion requires wine, does it not?”
Lei thought a drink sounded excellent, and to his surprise, Delun also agreed.
A few minutes later a carafe and cups arrived. Daiyu poured the rich liquid and served them all. Delun bowed to them as he accepted the cup.
Daiyu took a sip of her drink, then turned her attention fully on the monk. “You ask us to take a lot on faith. Lei might be exactly the deterrent the city needs.”
“I agree. If this comes to a fight, there is no one I would rather have on my side than Lei. But Chao, the man who leads the wraiths, has sent birds throughout the empire, calling upon every wraith to gather here in Jihan.”
Lei, mid-sip, started at that. “Every wraith?”
“Yes. He is poised to have more monks listening to him than anyone has before.”
“Do you believe that is wise?” Daiyu asked. Lei realized she was genuinely curious. She trusted Delun and his judgment.
Delun seemed to understand the same. He pursed his lips. “I’m not sure. The situation in the monasteries is delicate. Chao has seized authority for himself during a time that many monks are willing to listen to him. His beliefs are persuasive.” He turned and looked at Lei. “If
you are here when the monks arrive, I tremble to think of the damage that Jihan will suffer.”
Lei grimaced. As much as he hated feeling like he was being manipulated, Delun was right. Not only was there the question of whether or not he even had a chance against such a gathering, but the harm caused to the city could be irreparable. One pressing question remained. “What will you do?”
“I do not know. I only know this must be done.”
Daiyu poured another cup for both her and Lei. “If Lei leaves, though, there is no one to check the wraiths’ power.”
“It’s a risk I need to take. I can’t have the lives of so many citizens at stake.”
Lei looked between the two people. He noticed that Daiyu looked sleepy. She really needed more rest. Perhaps she would disagree, but Lei found that he agreed with Delun. Not just because he wanted to leave the town anyway, but because the man’s argument made sense. “We’ll do it, Delun. I’m not sure how far we’ll be able to travel, but we’ll leave today.”
He turned to Daiyu, expecting to see her disapproving gaze. Instead, he saw that she was slumped over in her chair. For a moment, he feared the worst had happened. Then he saw her chest rise and fall and knew she was asleep. She really should have kept resting. Her condition was getting worse.
“I’m sorry, Delun. She’s been so tired lately and…” Lei’s voice trailed off as he, too, suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion crash over him.
He looked at Delun, who was studying him closely, regret on his face. Realization dawned, too late. Already, he felt his limbs getting heavy. He fought to keep his eyes open.
Delun turned and made a gesture. Through Lei’s rapidly closing eyelids, he saw the waiter approach. The man’s bearing was completely different than it had been a few minutes ago when he brought the wine. He walked like a monk.
Delun leaned forward. “I am sorry, Lei. I truly am. I admire you, but I couldn’t take the chance that you would turn me down.”
Lei wanted to be angry.
He wanted to scream, to clench his fists and punch at the man who betrayed him.