by Ryan Kirk
“It is him.”
Juro simply nodded. There wasn’t much else to say.
They stopped about twenty paces away from the lone rider, and Asa looked into Koji’s eyes. The fierceness she had seen in them the last time they met was still present, but now they were tinged with something else: a rage she couldn’t understand.
Asa didn’t want to fight Koji. Not just because he was stronger, but because he was the first person she’d had a good conversation with in many cycles. They barely knew each other, but Asa felt a kinship with the younger man. Even if she drew her sword against him, she worried her heart wouldn’t be in the fight.
Asa spoke first. “Knowing everything, you still follow Minori’s orders?”
Koji turned to her, his expression softening for just a moment before hardening again. “Not quite. My orders were to start with Isamu. This, this is for me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Juro is the lord of the lands that betrayed me and sentenced me to death. I saved the lives of his people, and how does the lord repay me? By ordering my death. He is a man without honor, and I want him to die knowing it was his own mistake that cost his life.”
Juro was confused. “What have I done?” He turned to Asa. “Who is this?”
Koji didn’t give her a chance to answer. “My name is Koji.”
The look of recognition on Juro’s face was immediate. “You? How?”
Koji didn’t bother giving the lord an answer. He kept his gaze on Asa. “I have no quarrel with you. But if you stand between me and him, I will cut you down. I’d rather not do that.”
Asa dismounted. She didn’t want to, but she had given Kiyoshi her word, and she wouldn’t break his service, not when she had just accepted it. “I understand your desire for revenge, Koji, but I can’t let you kill this man. His life can save the lives of many others.”
Koji’s face twisted, and Asa felt a fear she never had before. The forces controlling him were primal. “And if the same was true of Osamu? If his life could save others, what would you do?”
Asa felt his words as deep as any sword. She wanted to claim she would do the right thing and save the most lives, but she wasn’t sure. Osamu deserved to die.
“That’s what I thought.” Koji also dismounted, and Juro, looking one last time at the horizon, got off his horse, too.
Juro drew his sword, and Koji did the same. Looking between the two men, Asa wished there was another way, but she, too, drew her short blade.
Of all of them, she wasn’t expecting Juro to be the one to attack, but he was. Courageousness or foolishness, she wasn’t sure, but the lord charged Koji head-on. Asa sprinted forward, knowing she wouldn’t have much of a chance. Koji easily dodged Juro’s attack, and for a moment, Asa thought the battle was over almost before it began. But Koji didn’t take the killing stroke that was right in front of him. Asa couldn’t believe it. Koji was playing with Juro, prolonging the moment.
His anger gave Asa the time she needed to get to the scene of the fight. She darted in between Koji and Juro, her blade coming up in a defensive posture. But Koji didn’t attack, for he had no interest in her. Asa knew he would try to ignore her if he could, but if Juro was going to have any chance of survival, she needed to engage Koji.
Asa sensed Juro regaining his balance, and Koji tried to dart to Asa’s side. She sensed the move coming and was just as fast. She shifted and kept herself in between him and his prey. Rage consumed his face, and he didn’t restrain himself any longer. He swung at her, but his attack was easy to sense. She moved out of the way and darted in, scoring a shallow cut across his chest.
The cut wasn’t dangerous to Koji, but it seemed to drive some sensibility back into him. A look of control came over his face, and Asa knew she had only succeeded in making her job that much harder. Koji took one of his stances, his sword point held low. Asa stepped back and brought her sword to a defensive position. Now the fight would be serious.
Koji stepped forward, his cut clean and controlled. Asa deflected it, her short sword moving quickly. But Koji had clearly expected the block, moving into his next cut without hesitation. Cut after cut drove Asa back, and she was forced into doing nothing but reacting time and time again. She was moving as fast as she knew how, but Koji was always just a little ahead of her. Behind them, Juro tried to angle his way into the battle, but the two blades moved too quickly for him.
Asa deflected one cut off to the side and realized she was inside his guard. She hesitated for just a moment, uncertain of what to do. Koji, his eyes as cold as steel, didn’t share her hesitation. His knee came up and drove into her stomach. Asa doubled over as she tried to get air into her lungs.
At just that moment, Juro came in. His cuts were well timed, but against someone sense-gifted like Koji, they were obvious and easy to dodge or block. Koji dodged each thrust, not even trying to deflect Juro’s attempts.
Wheezing, Asa caught her breath and moved forward as quickly as she could. Her stomach was still sore where she had been kneed. She joined Juro’s offensive, and Koji was forced to dodge both of them.
It was Juro who made the first mistake. Thinking he had an opening, he made a cut with too much force, allowing himself to lose balance. Koji dodged the cut and moved in toward him. He brought his leg up and kicked Juro in between his legs. Juro’s eyes rolled up, and he collapsed, struggling to get back to his feet.
Asa, knowing she didn’t have many more chances, launched an all-out attack on Koji. She struck as quickly as could, each cut a fatal possibility. But even with all her efforts, Koji was unharmed. Asa had known Koji was a better fighter, but she had never suspected he was this much better. She surged forward again, sacrificing form for speed, and Koji capitalized on the opportunity. He knocked the blade out of her hand and punched her in the stomach, right where he’d hit her earlier.
Asa collapsed, her world going dark. She saw Koji step back toward Juro and forced herself back to awareness. She grabbed her blade and lunged at him, but he must have sensed her coming. He sidestepped her attack easily, pivoting and delivering another blow to her stomach. Asa vomited and collapsed, blackness pressing in on her vision.
Asa grabbed the grass, seeking anything that might provide some purchase, anything her slipping consciousness could hold on to.
In what remained of her vision, she saw Koji kick Juro several times. The lord tried to fight back, but he couldn’t succeed, not against a nightblade gripped by rage.
Asa wanted to fight. She wanted to defend Juro. But there was nothing left. She tried getting up, but she collapsed to the ground, unable to move. The last thing she saw before her world went black was Koji punching Juro, his knuckles bloody and raw.
Chapter 26
The sun dawned on a new day, and Minori awoke uncertain. When he had conceived his plan, it had seemed right, the best path forward. However, the world seemed determined to frustrate him at every turn. If he was playing a chess game, he felt like he wasn’t looking far enough ahead.
Minori looked out the window of his house, which faced in the direction of the palace. Memories of fire engulfed his mind. The action had seemed necessary, but as he looked at the wisps of smoke in the distance, he felt as though he had sacrificed a part of himself.
Two nights had passed since he and Koji had burned the palace to the ground, and still the ruins smoldered. Shin had sent soldiers in with water to try to quench the remaining flames, but no matter what they tried, the ruins continued to give off wisps of smoke, as though ghosts of the palace were trying to escape. Minori wasn’t a superstitious man, but every time he looked at the smoke in the sky, he wondered if it was a sign of his mistakes.
What made the guilt worse was that burning the palace hadn’t mattered. They didn’t have any concrete evidence, but Minori was certain Kiyoshi and the lords had already escaped the city. Koji had disappeared, and if he was completing his mission, then he was out of the city as well. Minori was surprised by how alone he felt. A stra
nge part of him even missed Kiyoshi.
Thoughts of the healer immediately angered him. If not for the old man, Minori was certain events would never have gone this far. But even though he kept a few steps ahead of the dayblade, Kiyoshi always seemed to manage to find a way to destroy his plans. Minori remembered the fear on the face of the messenger who came to report the incident at the gate early yesterday morning. There was no way of knowing who all had left the city, but the nightblade guarding the gate had been knocked unconscious, and the only person in the city capable of doing that worked for Kiyoshi.
Minori tried sitting to meditate, but his thoughts were a turbulent storm. The world was nothing more than a chessboard, but Minori couldn’t focus on all the pieces. All he could see was Kiyoshi on the board.
There was so much more to consider. There were the approaching armies, the other lords, and even the Council of the Blades. All had roles to play, and at one time, Minori had known exactly how to manipulate each of these forces, but they all felt like pawns compared to Kiyoshi.
Minori swore out loud, upset that there wasn’t anyone in the room to feel his anger. He grabbed his blade and walked out into the small courtyard of his house, working his way through practice kata. Normally it was something he only practiced a bit each day, but today he needed more. He kept running through the katas taught to him as a child, which he had practiced almost every day since then. His blade sliced through the air, and even though Minori could hear that his cuts were poor, he kept moving through the motions, his mind elsewhere.
Sweat beaded down his body, and as he continued to run through his katas, his mind began to calm. The world of the sword was easier to understand. Minori imagined cutting down Kiyoshi and Asa and Shin, and he immediately felt better.
Exhausted, Minori sat down at a bench in his courtyard. For the first time that day, he was able to think clearly. He avoided contemplating Kiyoshi, afraid that doing so would wreck the small amount of focus he had. Instead, he thought about Lord Shin. In many ways, Shin was his benefactor, but Minori didn’t trust him. The lord was far too clever, and Minori needed to figure out a way to control his actions before the usurper cemented his power. Shin needed to appear too authoritarian for the citizens of the Kingdom. They needed to want him gone.
Minori realized he needed to leave his house. The news from the gate had thrown him off-balance yesterday, and he had spent the entire day scouring documents and letters, trying to find the big picture he was missing. If he was going to manipulate Shin, he needed more information. He needed to know what was happening in the city. He was just about to go change when he sensed a person at the gate to his home. Given the circumstances, the visitor could only be a messenger. Minori hoped, for the messenger’s sake, that he was carrying good news.
Minori walked to the door and opened it moments before the messenger arrived. “Yes?”
The messenger looked shaken, and Minori delighted in the slight use of his powers.
The messenger quickly recovered. “I come to you from the king. He is making a speech this morning to all the residents of Haven. He requests your presence.”
Minori frowned. “Did he say why?”
The messenger gulped, and Minori thought he must have really intimidated the man. The question wasn’t that hard.
“The king said he wants you there to reassure the public that the monarchy and the blades are working together to find and punish the traitors who burned down the palace.”
Minori contained the laughter he felt. It was a typical move for Shin. Shin would be laughing for days about his speech, promising to pursue the traitors while the person who burned the palace was standing right next to him. But Minori applauded the move. The support of the blades would make a huge difference in the public’s mind, and if Minori made an appearance and could even say a few words, he could establish more trust with the people. The show of support could provide future opportunities to increase the visibility of the blades and their work in the Kingdom.
“I will be there.”
The messenger bowed. “I will take your response to the king. There will be criers going throughout the city soon. The speech will take place in the streets outside the old front gates of the palace.”
Minori nodded. He saw Shin’s influence in everything. It was the perfect spot for a gathering. The smoking ruins of the palace would provide a powerful backdrop for Shin, and he was a talented enough orator that he would make great use of the scene. Minori smiled. Shin wasn’t the only one who could manipulate people. He would speak at the gathering, and he would begin the long process of ushering in a new era for the gifted.
Minori walked toward the palace, his mind occupied. Although the streets were crowded with people wandering toward the gathering, he might as well have been walking on a street alone. His thoughts consumed him as he tried out different arguments in his mind, examining which ones would seize the public’s imagination most.
When he got to the gathering, he worked his way toward the front, where a makeshift platform stood elevated above the crowd. Shin saw him approach and waved the blade up. Minori threaded his way through the crowd without a problem, for as soon as people saw his robes, they moved out of his way. He stood on the platform, and he couldn’t help but feel a small swell of pride as he looked out on the masses.
Minori turned to Shin. “Thank you for inviting me. I’m happy to show the blades’ support for your reign. Would you like me to say a few words?”
“I hadn’t even thought of that, but now that you mention it, yes, it does seem like a good idea. I’ll give my message, and once I’m done, you’re welcome to say whatever you like. I’m sure the crowd will be interested in what you have to say.”
Together they waited for the crowd to finish assembling. The street, while wider than others in Haven for purposes of defense, was still not more than fifty paces wide, and it was packed in each direction with people. Even if Minori shouted, it would be the responsibility of the crowd to carry his message to the farthest corners of the assembly.
Finally Shin stepped forward, and the din of the crowd faded to an eerie silence. Minori had never seen so many people in one place. He couldn’t estimate how many citizens were packed in to the street, but thousands had to be there. To be in the presence of so many and to have such silence was an experience unlike any other. For a moment, Minori wondered if he had suddenly gone deaf.
But then Shin spoke, and the illusion was destroyed. His voice was clear and deep and carried across the crowd. Minori immediately paid attention and found himself impressed by Shin’s speaking power.
“Friends, I did not come here today to mince words or give flowery speeches. Everyone here knows that the time is dire. The Kingdom, for the first time in many lifetimes, is truly at risk. Rumors abound, and I apologize if the actions I’ve had to take have caused further confusion.”
Minori watched the crowd, every face rapt with attention.
“Here are the facts. Our faithful and strong leader, King Masaki, is dead. Everything was done to save his life, but in the end, the Great Cycle claims us all, and Masaki now leads us on the journey we must all take someday. Although his body was lost in the tragic fire that consumed the palace, one day soon he will be honored with a celebration to mark his passing. But first, we must act to protect the Kingdom he loved so much. Before he died, Masaki wrote a letter willing that I become his successor.”
Minori kept his face straight, but it was difficult. The move was bold, but reasonable. Masaki had been a popular king, and his blessing would provide Shin much of the support he needed. The letter would be easy enough to forge, as well. Masaki hadn’t written personally in many cycles, and Minori was certain Shin had seized the royal seal in his coup. The only two who knew differently were the other two lords, which meant Shin had another plan for them.
“King Masaki believed I would be the best leader for the Kingdom, but power and politics must play their ugly role. As we speak, armies march toward Haven,
and shutting the gates was necessary to prevent spies from leaving the city.”
A murmur ran through the crowd, and Minori wondered if Shin had misjudged his audience.
“But have no fear, friends. I have no plans to fight. No good can come from war. Masaki chose me, and I hope that I am worthy, but I will sit down with the other two lords. We will decide the future of the Kingdom not with swords, but with words. That is my promise to you.”
Minori, despite himself, was impressed. Even knowing Shin as he did, he couldn’t detect a trace of false humility in his voice. Every word rang true, and from his view of the crowd, Minori could tell the king’s words had the desired effect. Minori shook his head just the smallest amount. The move was brilliant. If Shin could get the public on his side, and he would if he continued to give such powerful speeches, the other lords would be backed into a corner. Shin controlled Haven, the public believed he was chosen by Masaki, and if this crowd was any indication, the people trusted him. If the other lords cared at all about the Kingdom, they would have little choice but to follow Shin.
The crowd quieted again as Shin raised his hands. The man held their attention like a puppeteer, pulling the strings just right, making them dance to the song only he could hear.
“Friends, although there will not be war, I do come to you with a terrible burden.” He paused, and Minori, just like every other member of the crowd, hung on his next words. “Behind me, you can see the embers of the palace that was the symbol of our Kingdom. It was burned out of hate and spite for our land, and I will not stand for it. My shadows and soldiers have identified the group responsible for burning the palace, and I was very disturbed when I found out who it was.”
Minori wondered what game Shin was playing. Was he going to accuse Kiyoshi of starting the fire? It would be a strong move, but one that could backfire. As Minori had discovered himself, Kiyoshi was well loved by many blades, and they wouldn’t take the accusation lying down.