by Ryan Kirk
Orochi never saw or sensed it coming. Ryuu’s palm struck his chest with unimaginable force and shoved him off Ryuu’s blade. He had never seen a strike with such power or speed.
Ryuu watched as Orochi tumbled end over end, off his blade, across the field. He had never expected that to happen. He had just planned on stunning Orochi, not knocking him backwards several paces.
With that thought, his world snapped back to normal, and Ryuu realized something inside of him had changed. He pushed the thought aside, focusing on the present. Orochi was still alive. The cut had been fatal, but not immediately. He approached Orochi with caution.
As he did, Orochi struggled to his knees. Like a true warrior, he had not dropped his sword. He set it on his right side, the blade pointing towards him. It was a gesture of peace. Respect for Orochi flooded through Ryuu and he sheathed his sword, though he didn’t drop his guard.
Orochi looked up at him. “You have the gift.”
Ryuu let the comment wash over him. Orochi had known more about Ryuu than Ryuu had. It was best to accept it. It was not the time for questions.
Orochi looked over at Moriko. “Will you take care of her?”
Ryuu shared his gaze. She was, literally, all he had left. “I will.”
Orochi nodded as blood started to trickle out of his mouth. “Good.” He looked up at Ryuu again. “Will you honor your word?”
Ryuu knew that he was referring to the swords. He glanced at them and then at Orochi. “I will.”
Orochi nodded. “Good.” He was starting to have difficulty speaking, but he managed to get one last phrase out. “A warrior’s death, please.”
Ryuu stepped behind him. He felt Orochi settle down on his knees and gave him a moment to say prayers and make his final peace. A small twitch of the head was all the sign he needed, and with one smooth, perfect stroke, he drew his blade and took off Orochi’s head.
Moriko glanced about herself, attempting to maintain the same calm that was frozen upon Ryuu's face. Orochi had been killed. Her mind was still attempting to catch up with what her eyes had seen. As she glanced around, she saw she wasn't the only one.
The entire compound was silent. Every man here was highly trained and every one of them was aware of the significance of what they had just seen. There was no hiding the truth now. It would be loosed upon the land, to what ultimate end no one could guess. It was as if a boulder had been thrown into a pond, stirring up the very fabric of existence. No one alive had seen two nightblades duel.
It didn't take the sense to understand that the place was filled with awe and fear. Although Ryuu and Moriko were outnumbered ten to one, not one soldier attempted to renew the attack. Archers held their bows loosely knocked at their sides and some soldiers were sheathing their blades.
When Ryuu spoke, it even made Moriko jump. He seemed to speak quietly yet his voice was heard throughout the fort.
"We are not here for you. We came for the girl and for your commander. I have no wish to kill more today, but if any would stand in my way, come, and let me finish this so I may bury my dead."
He was greeted with silence. The soldiers glanced from one to another, and as a group silently chose life over death at Ryuu's blade. Once the sound of the first sword being sheathed reached the ears of the rest there was mutual consent.
Ryuu nodded and sheathed his own blade. He looked over at Moriko inquisitively and she nodded her head. She was fine.
Ryuu went back to the center tent and came out a while later with Takako's body in his arms. Moriko could see the tears trickling down the side of his face.
Moriko went over to Orochi's body, deciding what best to do. She motioned a soldier to her, who came despite his obvious reluctance.
"Do you have a cart I may use to transport his body? I can return it later if you wish, but I need to give him a proper rite of passage."
The soldier's face was full of questions, but he didn't ask them. "Yes, sir."
Not long after that, Ryuu and Moriko left the fort through the front gates. Moriko had offered the use of her confiscated cart for Takako's body as well, but Ryuu declined, opting instead to carry her all the way back to their camp.
The journey was uneventful. Each of them built a funeral pyre and each of them placed a body on top. They worked in silence, each of them too wrapped up in their own thoughts to spend time speaking to the other.
When the work was finished they stepped back, each of them hesitating to speak.
Ryuu was the one who broke the silence. "I think that maybe she was right."
Moriko didn't have to ask what he was referring to. "Maybe, there's no way of knowing. I don't think we were wrong though."
"Even at this cost?"
Moriko fixed her gaze on the bodies of her friend and her mentor. "No."
Ryuu changed the subject. "Orochi was a good man."
Moriko agreed. "He was hard, but he was honest and he was fair. He held to his code and did what was asked of him."
"He had a purpose."
"Yes." Moriko read into Ryuu's thoughts. "And now you need to find one. The word will get out. You won’t be able to hide again."
Silence settled over the two of them like a comfortable blanket. They were both lost in thought
Finally he spoke again. “I would rather not draw my blade against another again.”
Moriko studied him. Her heart went out to him, but she suspected there was a deeper truth he didn’t understand quite yet. “I hope you’re right.”
They lit the pyres and watched in silence as a love and a master went up in flames. Moriko would have done anything to get an idea of Ryuu’s thoughts, but he was closed down, and it was only sorrow she sensed.
As she watched the flames dance against the evening sky, Moriko felt a lightening of her spirit. Although she knew it wasn’t true, she finally felt free. She had escaped the monastery, and although she mourned Orochi, a part of her was also aware that he had been the only one who was capable of tracking her down. Since he had rejoined the Great Cycle she knew she was more free than she had been since she was a child.
As she stood next to Ryuu, she knew she wanted to be with him on his journey. There was an understanding between the two of them that she had never shared with anyone before. She acknowledged that it might not be quite fair, as they were the only two nightblades in the world they were aware of, but she also knew him as an honest, kind man. Maybe that was enough.
As the pyre burned low to the ground, Moriko turned to Ryuu and spoke softly. “So, what do we next? It’s all over.”
Moriko was delighted as Ryuu smiled at the use of her “we.”
“Not quite yet. There’s one more thing that we need to do.”
Moriko looked at Ryuu quizzically, but she couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Lord Akira was pacing in his castle, staring at the maps in his study.
For almost a full moon he had been distraught, not eating as usual, nor as calm and confident as was his manner. Rumors had become something more. Not quite fact, but not fiction either. At times it sounded like everyone in the kingdom knew he had a nightblade in his employ.
The news from the fortress had come just days after the battle, delivered by a messenger who had worn out multiple horses and had almost killed himself to bring the news as soon as possible. Despite the attempts to preserve secrecy, too many people had witnessed the events at the fort and the word was out in public.
It caused him to go back through the entire chain of events, trying to find the mistakes, trying to find where he should have acted differently. But what frustrated him was that he wasn’t convinced he should have done anything different. He had gone all the way back to when Orochi first came through his doors, outsmarting and out-fighting his entire guard.
Perhaps he should have turned Orochi away. But the greater part of him believed he had made the right decision. The knowledge that a nightblade existed combined with his offer of services
had been a moment not to pass up.
Akira had lost more than an ally. From the first day they had met, Orochi had made his position with Akira clear. He wanted to use Akira just as Akira wanted to use him. There was no pretense, no hidden agenda. Orochi was not a power-hungry man. He already had power and knew what he hoped to gain from it.
As one of the three Lords it had been a blessing. Akira had fathered no sons and the plots against his reign ranged from silly to subtle. But almost everyone born with ambition was trying to play some angle. Not Orochi. He had been as straight as they came.
Akira looked at the map of the Three Kingdoms arranged before him. He seemed to be the only one who understood that the world was larger than their Three Kingdoms. Yes, there was limited trade with the outside world, but geography and weather had made the Three Kingdoms almost immune to a serious attack the past few hundred cycles. There were the attacks through the southern pass, but Akira and Nori had suspected for some time they were at most a diversionary strategy. Something wicked was brewing in Azaria, but he knew not what.
The Three Kingdoms held sheltered, fertile, and mineral-rich land. They were an ideal location for invasion. Their own legends told of invaders from lands unknown in the days of the One Kingdom. Akira suspected it was only by chance they hadn’t been seen since. But it was too much to ask that they never return. As the Three Kingdoms stood now, they would fall to any organized invader. The majority of troops for all Three Kingdoms were stationed along their own borders with the other Kingdoms, not towards the outside world.
Akira knew the other two Lords also had dreams of unifying the Three Kingdoms and becoming King. But Akira also knew that he was the only one of the three who wanted to do it for the good of the Kingdom.
Despite Nori’s weaknesses he had been a capable general and had seen the bigger picture surrounding the Kingdom. He had been willing to hold the pass with fewer and fewer troops over the past few cycles, knowing that by diverting troops he was preparing for the success of future wars.
Akira wasn’t sure any of his other generals had the same foresight. Toro maybe. They were all capable commanders, but the real promise lay in the generation below them. The generation of Nori’s son and of the new nightblade. They were young and hungry and several were brilliant. Akira’s scouts within the army reported on the progress of several of them. His hope was to have them in command of his armies within three cycles, time to make a killing strike upon the other Kingdoms.
He looked at the map one final time and suppressed the urge to wipe everything off it. He knew what the kingdoms needed to survive, and he knew he possessed the ability to make it happen. He had the leadership, he just didn’t have the resources developed yet. And now two of his most valuable assets had been taken from him by a boy.
As soon as the thought ran through his mind he knew he was not alone. He couldn’t say how he knew, perhaps some vestigial part of the sense everyone possessed. There was only one person who had the slightest chance of getting in here. Deja vu struck in force, and he knew the fear for his own life. He turned and drew his sword with one lightning quick move.
The man, the boy, Akira corrected himself, was leaning against a corner, studying the map Akira had just been looking at. He was of average height, and while obviously strong, didn’t look like the sort of person who could kill Orochi. He looked remarkably average and young. He was still several cycles away from full adulthood. But his robes were as dark as night and caused him to blend into the shadows.
Disbelief almost made Akira laugh, but he knew already what this boy had accomplished. Perhaps he was lucky, but no one had the luck to create the results this boy had. He was the most dangerous man alive inside his kingdom, all three kingdoms, at this moment.
The boy looked up at him. “Bad time?”
Akira held his sword steady and level. He was facing the boy who was bringing his Kingdom to the brink of collapse. Maybe where others had failed, he could succeed. The boy was unarmed. He would be easy to kill. Akira moved in to attack while the boy watched.
Akira didn’t know how to describe what happened next. As he went to strike it seemed like the boy blurred out of his sight. He couldn’t track the motion of the boy’s body. The next thing he knew the sword was out of his hands with the back side of the blade tight against his throat.
Understanding washed over him. The boy wasn’t here to kill him. If he had been he just missed out on the easiest opportunity he had.
The back side of the blade was removed from his throat, and Ryuu handed the sword back to him. “I’m not here to kill you.” He paused. “I don’t think.”
Akira raised an eyebrow. “You sound uncertain.”
“I suppose it depends upon the outcome of this meeting, but I only see it going one way.”
“Are you seeking employment to replace the skills Orochi brought to this Kingdom?”
“No.”
Ryuu turned and gazed over the map. “I’ve never seen an accurate map of the Three Kingdoms. How good is this?”
Akira fought down his warring emotions. A small part of him felt he should be angry. His castle infiltrated, his life threatened, spoken to like a peer of a young man. But the greater part of him couldn’t resist the sheer audacity of the boy and his complete lack of understanding regarding court etiquette. It was a refreshing change from the sycophants and plotters he spent most of every day with. It was much the same appeal that Orochi had possessed.
He couldn’t quite hide the pride in his voice. “I believe it to be the most accurate map of the Three Kingdoms in existence. I have taken extraordinary measures to ensure its accuracy and detail.”
“You want to take over all three Kingdoms.” It was more of a statement than a question.
Akira was startled. How could the boy have known? But he stopped his denial. It was self-evident. There weren’t many other reasons to build the most expensive, accurate map in the Three Kingdoms. It was also a pretty open secret.
“Yes, but so does every Lord. I just believe I’m going to be the one who succeeds.”
“Why?”
Akira stepped back. Such blunt questions were socially shocking, if refreshing. He had never spoken so openly about his plans. But somehow he felt the boy needed to know. If he could convince the nightblade he could convince anyone. He still thought he could convince the boy to work with him.
“Order, strength, discipline. My citizens are generally happy. They may complain about the harshness of the rules we’ve set, but there is little crime and little to fear outside of the normal risks of existence. Our military is strong and fast and we are always on a war footing, unlike the other two Kingdoms, who have begun their fall into decadence. Their peace has made them weak. I also had the service of the best assassin in the Three Kingdoms. He would have been instrumental in a clean campaign.”
Ryuu grunted. “Why take over the other two Kingdoms if your own is going so well? Aren’t you content with the power you possess?”
“I am. But I see a greater responsibility ahead. The Three Kingdoms are part of a larger world, and although geography has helped us remain independent, it will not always be so. We have a rich land here, a land which would mean a lot to other people beyond our shores and ranges. If we don’t unify under a strong hand, we will all fall.”
“Considering the cost it seems like a thin justification for a grab for greater power .”
Akira gazed at Ryuu with a hint of anger. “I am well aware of the shortcomings. I understand that the safety of the whole sometimes overwhelms the needs and lives of more than a few people. That knowledge doesn’t make anything easier, but it doesn’t make it any less necessary.”
Ryuu was angry as well now. “No Kingdom is worth the lives of my master and my friends.”
Akira transfixed him with a steely glare. “The Kingdom is worth that, and much more besides. If I can keep hundreds of thousands of people safe, but must kill a handful of people to make it happen, it is a sacrifice I am mo
re than willing to make.”
Ryuu’s hand went to where his sword would have hung if he had one, briefly, before he took it away. Akira noticed the gesture but didn’t flinch. “You burned down an innocent family, killed my master, and tortured my friend to death. If those are the actions your peace is founded upon, war seems like a more pleasant alternative.”
Ryuu saw the look of sadness flash upon Akira’s face and was surprised.
Akira held his gaze. “I ordered your death, the death of your master, and the death of the girl who started this whole mess. General Nori took his orders further than he should have.” Akira rose his hand to silence Ryuu’s retort. “He was an officer under me, and like all officers in the military, I am responsible for his behavior. I am sorry her family was killed in addition to the women in the brothel, and I have received reports about the torture she suffered. For all these actions, I owe you more than an apology. But I will not apologize for the deaths of your friend and your master. They were the correct order then, and they are the correct order now, even with you here ready to take my life.”
“Why?” Ryuu was barely able to get the question out through his clenched jaw.
“Because your very existence threatens the Kingdom and all the work that I have attempted to perform over the past few cycles. You know better than anyone alive how nightblades are demonized in popular culture. I’m sure by now you realize it’s not accidental. The nightblades split our great Kingdom in three, and that must never be allowed to happen again. Now that the public knows about you, there is no telling what will happen. Everyone is scared, uncertain how the balance of power may be shifted. You are safest dead.”
With a supreme effort of will, Ryuu managed to hold his anger in check. “We were never a danger to anyone.”
Akira raised an eyebrow. “Don’t delude yourself. The first time something happens that threatens you, you attack. When Takako was taken, in a perfectly legal transaction, I’ll remind you, you went into the camp and killed an officer of the army. Not the actions of a peaceful man. When your master was killed, you attacked both a monastery and an army base. Any time something has happened to you, you have responded by sowing disorder and chaos, elements that will tear my Kingdom apart. When you’re unhappy with me, you come personally into my chambers. Hardly the actions of a typical peace-loving citizen.”