Senshi (A Katana Novel)

by Cole Gibsen

  She smiled. “You’re half right. I wanted you dead. But that idiot Zeami was supposed to capture Yoshido and take him to me—alive. But he killed him instead.” Her smiled withered. “Careless. That’s why I beheaded him when he returned to me without Yoshido. And that’s why I’ve vowed to kill him in every life. He will pay for all eternity for killing the man I love.”

  Wow. So there was crazy, and then there was the hot mess standing in front of me who took it to a whole other level. “Okay. But if Zeami hadn’t killed Yoshido, do you really think he would have forgiven you for killing everyone he cared about? Did you really think you two would have lived happily ever after? If you do, then you didn’t know Yoshido at all.”

  “Honey.” Sumi placed her hands on her hips. “With the power I had, it would have been nothing for me to erase his memory. One second you’re the love of his life”—she snapped her fingers—“and the next, he doesn’t even know your name.”

  My fingers tightened on my blade. I’d make her pay for screwing with Kim’s mind and putting us both through hell. But then another thought niggled in the corner of my mind. She had the ability to alter memory and manipulate minds just as Q used his ability to erase the boy’s memory of being a ninja. I connected the dots. “You’re a healer!”

  “Finally figured it out, did you? Yes, this is what a healer can do when they choose not to … heal.” She spoke the word as if it disgusted her. “Instead of taking pain away, I bring it. I can alter the body just as much as I can alter the mind.”

  I shook my head, stunned that someone would twist such a great gift into something so evil. “Your powers were meant to help people.”

  “They do. They help me. Or at least they would if I had my full powers back.” She extended her fingers. “The kanzashi. Now.”

  I was out of time and no closer to a plan. Odds were I was going to have to fight. But how could I fight someone who could inflict pain with a flick of their wrist? Retreat was my best option. But how could I get both Kim and myself out of here before she stopped me? Sumi stood between me and the door. I would need another way out. I did a quick survey of my surroundings, looking for possible escape options. Maybe if I stalled a little bit longer … “I don’t understand why you need the kanzashi. You seem to be doing just fine without it.”

  She waved a hand in the air. “Apparently not. Everyone keeps fighting off my control. You. Your annoying friend. Kim.”

  “What a minute.” Despite the danger, I took a step toward her. My body hummed with the threat of violence. “Kim fought off your mind control?”

  “Not for long,” she mused. “But he’s stronger than most. I have to cloud his mind every night to keep him in line. This evening he broke free long enough to tell me he was too in love with you to go to Japan with me.” She snorted. “Luckily, once I have my kanzashi and transcend, I’ll be able to wipe you from his mind completely.”

  The horror of what she wanted to do twisted barbed wire around my stomach. I couldn’t let her do it. I touched the outside of my pocket where the kanzashi lay. It had been a mistake to bring it. Somehow, I had to keep it away from her.

  As if reading my thoughts, Sumi rolled her eyes. “I’m bored.” She raised her hand in the air and snapped her fingers.

  A chill rippled my skin and I knew that whatever came next, it wasn’t going to be good.

  I caught movement from the far corners of the barn. The shadows seemed to fall from the walls and bleed onto the floor only to rise up into the shapes of three ninja wielding swords.

  Sumi backed away with a smirk as the ninja made their approach. I wondered what poor kids she’d manipulated, but as they drew closer, I noticed something different about these three ninja. As they drew closer, I saw they weren’t wearing masks. And then I noticed another important difference.

  These ninja were my friends.

  “Man,” I whined to myself. As much as having friends who thought they were ninja sucked, it did make sense. If Sumi manipulated their minds, it explained why they’d been blowing me off. And, unfortunately, it also explained why they walked toward me with swinging katanas and menace in their eyes.

  “So what?” I asked Sumi. “You couldn’t get your own friends so you had to brainwash mine?”

  She laughed. “I thought it would be fun to isolate you from the people you cared about, just like I was isolated from my friends and family when the bandits took me.”

  Fair enough.

  Michelle, Braden, and Drew encircled me just like they had the first night I’d met them in Kim’s dojo. Only instead of testing me and my powers, this time they actually wanted to kill me. But it wasn’t their fault. The kunoichi had made them prisoners inside their own heads. I couldn’t let them kill me, but the question was, could I fight them off without hurting them?

  Drew struck first and I met his blade with mine, our steel hissing as we pushed against each other. I shoved forward and he stumbled back but quickly regained his footing. This gave Braden and Michelle time to split and come at me from both sides. I spun out of reach of Michelle’s blade, only to have to drop and roll to avoid a hacking strike from Drew. I climbed to my feet, my mind racing. It wasn’t like I could lash out at them as I would other attackers. But if all I did was deflect their blows, eventually they’d wear me down.

  I opened up my ki, pushed it into my sword, and slammed the blade into the dirt floor. A blue light pulsed once before a blue transparent bubble shimmered around me. Not a permanent fix, but it would buy me some time.

  My three friends approached my shield and hacked at it with their swords. The shield shimmered and swayed, but held strong. I braced my hands on my knees and fought to catch my breath. My friends were wearing me down and, without being able to fight back, I was a goner. Obviously, this was exactly what Sumi had in mind.

  Michelle held her sword over her head and I crawled as close to her as the shield allowed. She swung the sword down where it bounced off the shield only inches from my face. I didn’t flinch. “Michelle, can you hear me? You have to fight this.”

  Her unblinking eyes seemed to look through me. “Kill Rileigh.”

  Sumi laughed. “Do you still think my powers are weak?”

  I raised my middle finger in response.

  She smirked. “You can’t stay in there forever.”

  No duh. I crouched on my heels and watched as my friends continued to hack away at my shield. A tiny hole appeared at the top and grew larger with each strike from Drew’s blade. Great. I was out of time and left with two options:

  Kill my friends or let them kill me.

  52

  Braden spun and kicked his heel against my shield. His foot caught the edge of the hole and tore it wide enough for a person to squeeze through. My three possessed friends grinned.

  So much for that. I pulled my sword from the ground and withdrew what remained of my ki. I didn’t have enough energy left to do any good. My only option left was to fight. I raised my sword in front of me.

  Sumi leaned against one of the barn’s support beams and made an impatient sound. “You’d be saving us a lot of time if you’d just hand over the kanzashi.”

  “And put an end to all this fun?” I grunted and met Michelle’s blade with mine. I shoved hard and she fell on her butt, only to scramble back to her feet. She hadn’t slowed down one bit since the fight began. None of them had. If Sumi’s mind control made it so they didn’t feel fatigued, there was no way I could continue to fight them off without having to hurt or possibly kill them. And that was a choice I couldn’t live with.

  Drew swung and I raised my katana before his blade swept across my neck. But he was stronger. He lifted his elbow so it paralleled his shoulder and pressed forward. My aching arm wobbled as my own blade was pushed dangerously close to my face.

  Lines of sweat trickled down my temples. Of all the ways to die, I’d never guessed it wo
uld be at the hands of one of my friends.

  “Hey, Rileigh! Over here!”

  I chanced a glance at the door just in time to see Q and Whitley rush inside. I’d never been so happy to see my best friend and psychotic arch-nemesis in my life.

  Sumi pushed off the beam, her arms falling to her side. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “We’re here to rescue Rileigh.” Whitley wore the same stupid grin that let me know he was still under the effects of Q’s mood enhancement.

  If I wasn’t balancing razor-sharp steel mere inches from my face, I would have laughed out loud. “Then rescue me, dammit!”

  Q’s eyes widened as he took in the scene. “Right.”

  Whitley nodded and walked forward.

  “Not you!” My sword continued its slow advance toward my face. “You take care of Sumi.” If Whitley tried to stop Drew or the others, I couldn’t trust him enough not to kill them.

  “You got it.” He gave me a thumbs-up, pivoted on his heels, and charged. Sumi reared back, holding her hands in front of her with her fingers pointed down. Praying mantis kung fu, I realized. Definitely not a martial arts style taught at Kim’s dojo. I wondered what else she’d learned from her time with the bandits.

  My muscles burned as I fought to keep Drew from driving my blade into my face. As it was, it was close enough to kiss. “Hurry, Q!”

  “On it!” He darted from the door and wove around Michelle and Braden, who didn’t bother a glance his way. He placed his hand on Drew’s temple and a flash of light glowed from under his fingers.

  Drew’s eyelids fluttered and he dropped the sword. He groaned, swaying on his feet before finally crumpling to the ground.

  I let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks.”

  He smiled. “I told you I could help.”

  “It looks like you might get another chance.” I pushed him to the side and spun the opposite direction just in time to miss Braden’s spinning kick.

  Q blinked from his back on the ground.

  “Are you okay?” I swung my sword, driving Braden back.

  He nodded.

  “Good.” I swung again, purposely going wide so I wouldn’t hit Braden, but he still had to step back. “Hold your hands out,” I told Q.

  He did and I hooked my leg around Braden’s knee. He tumbled backward into Q’s waiting arms. Before Braden could push his way up, Q placed a hand on his temple. Again light flashed from under his fingers and Braden’s body went limp in his arms. Q lowered him to the ground and stood.

  “Rileigh?” From across the room Whitley ducked and dodged a series of viper-fast kicks from Sumi. “I don’t like this. I’m ready to go home now.”

  “Just a little bit longer.” I answered him. If he could keep her busy for a few more minutes, Q and I could take care of Michelle. And maybe then we could figure out a way to get everyone out of here—alive.

  Michelle moved forward with her blade held above her head. I tightened my grip on my katana’s hilt and braced for impact.

  But Q was faster. He snaked an arm around her neck and touched her face. Her eyes widened before they rolled back into her head. She fell to the ground with a thud.

  I dropped my sword. “Man, I wish I could do that.” But even as I said the words, I caught movement in the corner of my eye. “What the—” I jumped back, but not in time to avoid Whitley as he careened into me, knocking us both to the ground.

  “Get off of me.” I pushed him to the side and scrambled to my feet.

  Whitley lifted his head and looked at me, squinting through his good—now swollen and purple—eye. A line of blood trailed from the corner of his mouth. “I don’t know what I’m doing here, but I can assure you I’m not happy about it.”

  “Really? Because I’m having the time of my life. In fact, I’m going to suggest Ninja Death Match as the theme of this year’s prom.” I offered him a hand, but he ignored it and climbed slowly to his feet.

  I turned my attention to Sumi and braced myself for her next move. But she appeared frozen. Her leg was halted in mid-kick, but her eyes were trained on a spot on the ground a couple feet away from me. I followed her gaze and almost choked when I realized what she was staring at—the kanzashi. When Whitley crashed into me, he must have knocked it loose from my pocket.

  “Son of hibachi,” I squeaked.

  Sumi and I dove for it at the same time. We collided, her fingers scratched at my face and ripped my hair. I grabbed her wrists and tried to push her away, but she only dug in deeper. We rolled across the floor, a tangle of nails and teeth.

  “What are you doing?” Whitley called. “Get up! You’re fighting like a couple of girls.”

  I agreed with him, even as I raked my nails down Sumi’s face. I knew I should have been embarrassed. This was not an honorable way to fight. But when you hated someone, there was something so satisfying about digging your fingers into their skin and feeling their blood pool beneath your nails.

  And Whitley could mock all he wanted. It was more than obvious as he hung back against the wall, he wasn’t going anywhere near Sumi.

  Sumi reared back and shook a wad of my freshly ripped hair from her fingers. I reached for her throat. We tumbled and clawed until we came to a stop beside the kanzashi.

  The world seemed frozen in the seconds we blinked at each other, our hands clenched around each other’s necks.

  Then we pounced.

  I reached the comb first, but as I grabbed it, Sumi jammed her fingers into my eyes. Pain exploded in a display of white fireworks behind my eyelids. Tears sprung from my eyes and trailed down my cheeks. I blinked rapidly, but it did nothing to clear the blurriness. Reaching blindly, I made a grab for her but managed to only snag the end of her robe.

  Sumi kicked out and the heel of her shoe connected with my nose. Another explosion of pain crashed into me hard enough to make me sway on my knees. Something warm trickled down my chin. I licked my lip and tasted the coppery tang of blood. I had a brief girly moment where I wondered if she’d broken my nose, but that moment disappeared when I heard Sumi’s triumphant laugh. Then I realized my problems were so much worse than a busted nose.

  I ground the heels of my palms into my eyes and blinked several times. Once my vision cleared, I saw I was too late.

  Sumi held the comb.

  Before I could react, her head snapped back and her mouth peeled into a scream, though no sound came out. I knew what was happening as I’d experienced the same thing several months ago.

  She was transcending.

  53

  Sumi closed her eyes. Her skirt swirled and her hair tangled in a wind that didn’t touch anything else. Sparks jumped from her fingertips, and the hairs rose along my arms as the barn filled with an electric charge.

  Invisible claws of fear dug into my heart. How was I going to get everyone out of here? I chanced a glance at Whitley, who stared back in wide-eyed terror. Q’s face paled to the same colorless hue as his bleached hair. Kim and the other samurai still lay motionless on the floor.

  There wasn’t enough time.

  Sumi opened her eyes. Her pupils dilated and a lazy smile curled on her lips. She looked drunk—and maybe she was from the onslaught of power.

  I was so dead.

  We all were.

  “You.” Her head tipped forward and she glared at me with a look of pure hate. She lifted her hand. Blue lines of electricity danced between her fingers. “Now you die.”

  My muscles tightened as I looked around for opportunity to escape. But I was backed against a wall with nowhere to go. I could only watch as the lightning left her fingers and arced straight for me.

  Q dove forward.

  My breath caught in my throat as I realized what he was trying to do. “No!” I screamed. But he didn’t stop. I dug my heels into the ground, hoping to stand firm, but Q had too much momentum.
He slammed into me, knocking me against the wall while he took the full force of the lightning.

  My head cracked against a wooden plank, but I ignored the pain. “Q!” I pushed off of the wall and fell to my knees beside him. A thin line of smoke curled from the singed fabric of his shirt. He didn’t move.

  “Oh my God, no.” A sob clawed its way up my throat and lodged itself on the back on my tongue. I held my hand above his chest. The heat from his smoldering clothes prickled my skin. “No.” This couldn’t be happening. Q was my best friend. He was going to be the world’s greatest psychologist. He wanted to help people. He tried to help me.

  And this was what he got for it. Sumi dusted her hands on her skirt. “God, he was annoying.”

  Something hard lodged inside my chest—jagged and fire hot. The warmth of it spread across my body, growing hotter until I thought my skin would ignite. I stood, turning away from Q, fueled by a rage I’d only known once before.

  Sumi was going to die.

  I didn’t know where my sword was, I’d lost it during our tussle—but it didn’t matter. When I killed her, I wanted to do it with my bare hands. I wanted to feel the moment her heart stopped beating. I gave a battle cry and launched myself at her.

  She smiled and lifted her hand.

  Before I’d realized what hit me, a cold shock twisted through my body and drove me to my knees. I didn’t hesitate a second before I stood back up. I wasn’t going down that easily.

  Sumi’s eyes narrowed. “That was just a taste.”

  I stood and squared my shoulders, trying my best to contain the spasms that wracked my body.

  Electricity crackled from her curled fingers. “How I’ve waited for this moment—to rid you from Kim’s life the way you pushed me from Yoshido’s.” She lifted her hand and extended her fingers. “Finally.” It was more a sigh of relief than an actual word.