by Jon F. Merz
But even as he got hit, Ran kept moving. He knew it was tougher for Kan-Gul to hit a moving target than a stationary one. And as he moved inside the range of yet another attack, Ran threw an elbow into Kan-Gul’s sternum, hoping to break the bones there and pierce the evil warlock’s heart.
Kan-Gul grunted and drew back. Ran followed and grabbed the staff, breaking it out of Kan-Gul’s grasp. Kan-Gul kicked him as he did so, and Ran lost control of it, dropping it. He watched it fall over the side of the trail.
Both men were now unarmed.
Kan-Gul ripped off his linen shirt. Sweat flowed from his pores and pooled in the crevices of his muscles. He wiped a hand along his mouth and regarded Ran. “Are you as gifted with your hands as you are with your weapons?”
Ran smiled. “It’s the first thing we learn.”
Kan-Gul rushed him, launching a massive arcing kick aimed at Ran’s head. Ran dropped under it and waited for the limb to pass overhead before coming up with a series of punches into Kan-Gul’s lower back. The sorcerer leapt away, surprisingly agile for someone as old as he was.
He circled Ran now, much more wary than he had been initially. “Impressive.”
Ran said nothing, but kept his hands up, alert for the next attack.
Kan-Gul feinted with a punch and immediately went low, trying to tackle Ran around the waist. Ran stumbled back, taken by the head butt to his stomach, and then found himself falling onto his back. Kan-Gul snaked up his body, driving elbows and knees into all of Ran’s crevices. Shots of pain riddled Ran as Kan-Gul used his body weight to keep in control.
Ran felt Kan-Gul’s hands encircle his neck, squeezing and choking. Kan-Gul’s face swam into view. Ran could smell his rancid breath. Drops of sweat spilled from Kan-Gul’s face onto Ran’s. And then the evil warlock leaned closer, so they were only inches apart.
“Tell me, shadow warrior, are you truly living right now? This is what you wanted, isn’t it? The challenge? Well, here it is.”
His bony fingers continued to crush Ran’s trachea. Ran’s vision melted into blackness. He could get no oxygen into his lungs. He heard the slowing pulse in his ears. Felt his muscles slacking.
Heard Kan-Gul chortling with glee.
“Time to die, Ran.”
No.
Ran had tried with all of his strength to push back, but Kan-Gul had met him power for power. They were locked together, each pushing against the other, and Kan-Gul was slowly winning.
So Ran let himself go utterly slack.
The sudden release of power caused Kan-Gul to fall forward slightly. And there, in that smallest instant of possibility, Ran bucked his hips and brought his hands up behind Kan-Gul’s elbows, smacking them off. Ran continued to roll, dislodging the warlock. Kan-Gul sprawled in the grass as Ran got to his feet, coughing and unsteady as he was.
He drew in several quick breaths and steadied himself. Kan-Gul was already on his feet and rushing back in at him. The sorcerer threw kick after kick, but Ran moved easily out of the way as each flew past. Kan-Gul’s breath was audible now, and it came in stuttering spurts that betrayed his faltering strength.
Ran waited until he overcommitted on a chopping strike aimed at his neck. Then he stepped inside of the strike, drove another elbow into Kan-Gul’s chest, and then straightened his arm, using the edge of his hand to chop horizontally into Kan-Gul’s throat.
The effect was instant. Kan-Gul’s hands flew to his throat, trying to free the pressure from the collapsed trachea. His torso convulsed as he vomited, but nothing could escape because his throat was permanently damaged. As Kan-Gul sank to his knees, still trying to work his bony fingers into his mouth in a vain attempt to open his airway, Ran stepped into the grass and searched for his sword.
As his hand closed around the handle, he looked back. Kan-Gul’s eyes were already starting to roll over white.
Ran stepped out of the grass and stood before the sorcerer. Kan-Gul grunted as bile spilled from his lips. There was hatred in his eyes, but Ran never gave him the chance to utter a thing. With one sweep of his sword, the blade cut through the thin neck and severed it from the rest of his body. A small stream of blood shot from the neck as Kan-Gul’s head dropped to the grass. His body slumped to the ground.
Ran picked up his head and walked back to the top of the cliff. He bypassed Jysal and stood near the edge. Below him, the sea churned. and the white froth of colliding waves called to him.
He hesitated only a moment before lofting the head as far as he could out to sea. He watched it tumble through the air, end over end, and then splash into the ocean. For a split second, it seemed to want to float. But then a wave swept over the grisly trophy, and it slipped beneath the waves.
Kan-Gul was dead.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
“I thought you were dead.”
Jysal smiled. “I very nearly was. I’m still not entirely sure what happened. After that initial use of magic, my body shut down. It was as if I’d tapped into something so overwhelming that my body couldn’t deal with it so it closed down. For the longest time, it felt like I was floating in darkness. I couldn’t hear anything, see anything. Maybe it was like being suspended in time or something.”
“What brought you back?”
Jysal frowned. “I don’t know. Maybe if I was more experienced at using magic, I could answer that question. But something nudged me to wake up, and as soon as that happened, all of this amazing energy flowed into me. I felt more alive than I’d ever felt before.”
“And apparently able to wield magic,” said Ran with a smirk. “That certainly came in handy.”
“I was always able to wield magic,” said Jysal. “But I was held back by fear of the unknown. The consequences of using it scared me. It didn’t help that Neviah filled my head with all of these crazy images and thoughts of what might happen.”
“She was only trying to protect you,” said Ran. “You can’t blame her.”
“If I’d used magic earlier, she might still be alive.”
“Or she might not,” said Ran. “You can’t blame yourself for her death. Neviah never stopped trying to help us. The attempt she made on Kan-Gul’s life shocked even me.”
“She was a credit to the school of protectors she came from.” She walked over to where the bodies of Kancho and his daughter, Yuki, lay. “Such a waste of life. I feel awful he is dead.”
“He died in battle. He wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. If he was unable to live, then death by this method brings him the most honor.”
“And her? What does she gain by her death?”
Ran squatted beside Yuki and pulled Kancho’s sword out of her. Then he arranged their bodies side by side and laid Kancho’s sword between them. “She gains honor. Perhaps enough to offset the dishonor Kancho brought upon them by coming to rescue her in the first place.”
“I don’t understand,” said Jysal. “She gave up.”
“No,” said Ran. “She refused to submit. There’s a difference. Yuki was no warrior, but she was Murai. This was the only path open to her that would have enabled her to retain her honor and restore her family’s name. Despite her youth, she understood this. And she displayed incredible courage by doing so.”
“I still think it’s a waste,” said Jysal.
“It is a waste,” said Ran. “But that is how the Murai think. I don’t fault her for doing what she did. If I had been in her place, I might have done the same thing.” He stood and gathered some sticks nearby. “We’ll need to gather wood for a funeral pyre. I won’t leave their bodies here for scavengers to pick through. Neviah, too.”
Jysal nodded and started helping him gather wood. “It will be strange to not have her around any longer.”
It took them an hour to scour the surrounding area for enough wood for such a large fire. They dragged several big pieces of driftwood back up from the beach, but eventually gathered enough. Ran started a small fire and then held it out to the wood. The blaze quickly spread and raced along th
e bodies of their three comrades. In seconds, the air filled with dense black smoke. Ran and Jysal stood there a moment longer, each lost in their own thoughts. Then Ran bowed quickly and walked off down the path with Jysal.
“What will you do now? You don’t need schooling anymore, judging by what I saw happen here.”
Jysal touched his arm. “I need to reach the temple now more than ever before. True, I wielded enough magic to help us here, but it’s still untempered. I need guidance that only experienced magic wielders can give me. To go out into the world now would simply be foolish. I’m more a danger than an asset. It’s vital I reach the temple.”
“I’ll take you,” said Ran. “I have no idea where it is, but I’ll accompany you for as long as it takes.”
“I know the way,” said Jysal. “And it shouldn’t take you off the path you’re on, either.”
“My path?” Ran cocked an eyebrow. “How would you know where I’m headed?”
“You’re a shadow warrior. It’s your job to gather information. And Kan-Gul’s death doesn’t change the fact that there’s a huge army massing to the north. If they cross the mountains and come down here, then we are all in danger. Unless I’m badly mistaken, you’ll be heading north to see what you can find out about the invaders.” She turned to look at him. “And making clandestine contact with a member of your clan to send a warning to your people.”
Ran grinned. “I can neither confirm nor deny that.”
Jysal smiled. “But you can accompany me, right? After all, the roads of this land are no place for a single traveler to wander.”
“Even one as dangerous as you are.”
“Dangerous? Me?”
“And beautiful,” said Ran. “Especially beautiful.”
Jysal tucked her arm in Ran’s. “Fortunately, I have a guardian at my side.”
“Me? I’m just another warrior for hire.”
“Of course you are,” laughed Jysal. “Of course you are.”
THE END