by Ryan Kirk
The walk was cool but pleasant. Moriko had dressed in simple garb so she wouldn’t be recognized, her sword hidden on her back, covered by the bulky medicine cabinet. It would be awkward to draw, but she kept her sense alive and expanded. She didn’t worry about anyone sneaking up on her.
She arrived at the village without incident, but when she arrived, she thought for a moment that the village had been abandoned. It was small, about sixty people in all, mostly farmers. But though the village was small, it had always been lively. Most days people were outside working or talking with neighbors. People rarely stayed in. It wasn’t their way.
When the village first came into view, Moriko couldn’t see a single person. She worried for a moment, but when she extended her sense in the direction of the village she could sense the warm glow of life. Moriko frowned. It was cold, but not so cold people would stay inside. She didn’t sense any danger, so she came down among the houses.
It was an eerie experience, standing in the middle of the village without anyone to greet her. She and Ryuu came through infrequently, but when they did, they had always been welcomed warmly. Today doors and windows were shut against the outside, and no one even knew she was there. Moriko wandered over to the house of the village matriarch. She had seen almost sixty cycles, and her house was the center of all activity.
Moriko knocked softly against the door. “Hello?”
She didn’t hear anything, but she could sense the fear and panic in the house. She knocked softly again, and finally she sensed the old woman coming towards the door.
The door opened, just a crack, and Moriko saw a small fire burning in the center of the hut. When the old woman saw who it was, there was a commotion inside and the door opened all the way. Moriko was ushered into the house, quickly, and the door was shut behind her.
“What are you doing outside?”
Moriko wasn’t sure what her best answer was. Something was happening, and if she was a wandering healer, she would be aware of it. She needed a story, but her mind didn’t seem to work fast enough.
“I’ve been wandering for some time. I figured it was time to come to the village and see how you all were doing.”
The old woman eyed her with a hint of suspicion. Moriko was surprised. They had always received such a warm welcome. What could be happening to make them act like this?
"I am sorry," said Moriko, "I have been in the deep woods for over a moon caring for an old man who behaves like a hermit. I have had no news in that time. What has happened? Why are you all inside huddled together with so much fear?"
The cloak of suspicion the old woman wore dropped in a moment. Despite her fear, she was still the matriarch of the village, and she believed in kindness and hospitality. "I am sorry too, my dear, but these are dangerous times, and no one travels the roads."
Moriko frowned. She had only been back in the Three Kingdoms for about two moons. How much had happened in that time to instill such fear in the people? "What do you mean? What has happened?"
The old woman looked around, as though the very mention of the danger might bring it into her household. "There are strange rumors going about. All we hear from everyone on the road is how entire villages are disappearing. The people in them vanish. Families have lost fathers, sons and daughters. Other travelers speak of horrible deeds, of villages massacred with no one left alive. They say that villages are red from the blood that has been spilled. I do not know what to believe, but we have heard the rumors enough times to know something is wrong."
Moriko shook her head. If what the old woman was saying was true, something was happening in the Southern Kingdom, something besides an invasion. Her mind raced, but couldn’t come up with an explanation for the rumors.
"How long have these rumors been spreading?"
The old woman shrugged. "It has been maybe a moon, maybe a moon and a half since we heard the first rumor. At first I dismissed it as the ravings of a lone traveler, but more and more we've heard stories from different sources, and now there are no travelers in this area. Whatever is happening sounds as though it started further to the south and is working its way north. We have thought about leaving the village and heading to New Haven. But it is hard to leave the land, and harder still to carry the supplies we would need for winter."
The old woman had said her piece, and a silence settled over the room. Moriko pondered what the old woman had said, but couldn't decide what was happening. It had to be related to the Azarians, but she wasn't sure how. Regardless, it wasn't why she had come.
"I'm sorry to hear such ill tidings, but I must be on the road again by tomorrow. Is there anyone who needs healing?"
The old woman nodded. "A fever has taken one of the older women, and one of our boys has broken a leg. Your services would be appreciated."
Moriko's presence in the village drew people from their homes, if only for a little bit. Children, tired of being cooped up in their houses, ran around the village freely, although Moriko could see their mothers kept a watchful eye on them to ensure they didn't leave the village, not even to play in the adjoining fields.
Moriko did what she could for the people of the village. The older woman's fever concerned her the most. They had already been doing everything they could to break the fever. Moriko gave them some herbs she hoped would help, but as she examined the old woman, she feared she had come too late and that the old woman would rejoin the Great Cycle soon. The young boy was a much different matter. The break was almost brand-new, and Moriko was able to set the bone and splint it. Her work with the young man made her think of her time with the Azarians. In their culture, such a break could've been fatal. But here the boy would live to hopefully see many more days.
When she was done, Moriko went back to the old woman and bartered for some food. She wasn't able to get as much as she would've liked, but it was enough for now, and she could see the fear in the eyes of everyone she met. She couldn't bring herself to push for more.
They begged her to stay. In their eyes, being on the road was tantamount to suicide, but she was able to convince them that as a healer she was honor-bound to stay on the road and provide what help she could. It was clear they didn't agree, but they couldn’t force her, and as the sun set on that day, Moriko left the village with a heavy heart.
Moriko was loath to admit it, but her visit to the village had made her nervous. There was no doubt in her mind something was happening in the Southern Kingdom, and if she had to guess, the Azarian hunters had something to do with it. They were the only warriors she knew of with the strength to eliminate entire villages and disappear without a trace. She thought about General Toro. Had something horrible happened down in the pass? She felt a twinge of guilt. Perhaps she should have stayed there.
Moriko shook her head. If the Three Sisters had fallen, there was little she could have done to prevent it. She was strong, but there were far more hunters than she could handle, and if the general had died defending the pass, she would've died there with him. She had made the right decision.
Nevertheless, her own safety was at stake. She had told Ryuu in her letter she would stay at the hut until spring came. At the time she had believed it would be safe to stay in the Southern Kingdom until then, but if the hunters were active in the Southern Kingdom, there wouldn't be any safety to be found.
Moriko was torn between her desire to leave the problems of the Three Kingdoms behind her and her desire to wait for Ryuu, to see what he would decide. Unable to choose, she chose a middle path, deciding to scout more regularly to the south of the hut. The rumors had placed the hunters, if Moriko was right, further to the south. If she was going to find them, that was the direction to search.
As the moon grew brighter in the sky, Moriko's daily pattern changed. Instead of spending her time in the old woods surrounding the hut, she would wander further south. There were two villages in that general direction, both about four days’ walk from her hut. She traveled to both of them, scouting to make sure they were saf
e. She did not enter the villages, electing instead to remain hidden from sight. Both villages were quiet, sealed in like the one she had visited earlier, but were otherwise unharmed. Moriko was grateful. If the rumors were true, this meant the hunters were not yet nearby.
Moriko no longer traveled the roads. Instead, she followed game trails that kept the road in view or in range of her sense. In this way she was able to keep track not just of the villages, but of the travelers who roamed from village to village in these dangerous times.
It was on one of these journeys that Moriko encountered a pair of hunters. She sensed them far before she was in sight of them. She pushed down the fear that threatened to take hold of her. If there was anyone in the world still a danger to her, it would be a hunter. But she had faced them before, and they had joined the Great Cycle while she was still here, pursuing those who thought themselves invincible. They were dangerous, but so was she.
The afternoon sun was burning low when she sensed them, and she crept quietly towards them, making sure her own presence was completely suppressed. There was no way they would know she was watching them. She hid deep in the brush, keeping as much distance as possible between her and them. More than once she had been discovered by smell, and she had no intention of repeating that mistake.
Moriko squinted when she saw the hunters. The two of them were unmistakable in their Azarian garb. Their tall stature and easy grace made them easy to pick out. But they were meeting with someone who looked to be from the Three Kingdoms.
Moriko pushed her fear down. The hunters were in front of her, and it was she who was hunting them. They no longer had any power over her. She crept closer, trying to learn more. The person they were talking to didn't seem to fear them, and in fact seemed to be on equal terms with them. She felt like she was on the verge of solving a puzzle, the answer nibbling away at the edges of her mind, but she couldn't figure out why.
The man they were talking to was normal as far as Moriko could see. He was of nondescript height, and his clothes didn't mark him as rich. His features were covered by a hood, and Moriko didn't dare get close enough to see if she recognized him.
She sat there as the hunters and the man conversed, debating what to do. Her instinct was to kill all three of them and be done with it, but it was full daylight, and she was most dangerous in the night when the shadows were her friends.
When it hit Moriko, she couldn't believe she hadn't noticed it before. The hunters were so strong all of her attention had been focused on them, but there was another person using the sense in the area, and when Moriko first noticed it, she realized it was coming from the third man.
The realization rocked her back on her feet, and she retreated to the shadows of the bushes and trees. If the hunters were meeting with someone who possessed the sense, it had to mean they were meeting with a monk. The more Moriko focused her sense on the third person, the more convinced she became. The sense manifested differently in different people, but all monks had the same training, using the sense in a very particular way. Moriko had grown up around such abilities, and now that she was focused, there was no doubt the man was a monk.
Moriko's mind raced through the possibilities. She tried to remember every memory she had of the monasteries. Never in her knowledge had a hunter visited, and she had never had any indication they were united in purpose. But she had been young. Perhaps she had missed the signs in the ignorance of her youth. Memories ran though her mind, but she couldn't come up with anything to make her believe the monasteries would work with the hunters. The evidence, however, was right in front of her.
The consequences frightened her. The monks were weak compared to nightblades, but they were still fearsome opponents, and the common citizen of the Three Kingdoms held them in reverence. If the monks cooperated with the hunters, the Three Kingdoms would fall. There wasn't a doubt in her mind.
The urge to jump out and strike was stronger than ever. Moriko had managed to move past the harms done to her while she was in the monastery, but she had never managed to forgive. The monks were as good as dead to her. But reason held her back. She was strong, but fighting three powerful opponents in the daylight was courting disaster. She would follow them until nightfall. Then she would strike and take their lives.
The hunters and the monk spoke for some time. Moriko waited patiently. Every moment they tarried was a moment the sun fell closer to the horizon, and the closer their deaths came. She hunted the hunters, and she was in no rush.
Moriko was disappointed when the hunters and the monk separated. She had hoped they would stay together so she could kill them all together. Unfortunately, their plans didn't coincide with hers. The monk turned to take the path south and the hunters turned to take the path north. Moriko was faced with a decision. She couldn't follow both of them. She suspected the hunters would be on the way to destroy another village, but the monk seemed important. He had been speaking with the hunters for some time, and they had treated each other as equals. The monk was carrying a bag, and if the bag held important information, it might be worth the price of several villages.
Moriko's hesitation lasted only a moment. She wanted to pursue the hunters, but alone, the monk was an easy target. She would kill him and track down the two hunters again. If she was fast, it wouldn't be difficult at all.
Moriko raced after the monk, staying well off the road. She wanted to get ahead of him and ambush him. She would have his bag and be away before the hunters got too far.
Eventually, Moriko cut towards the road. She found a tree that was easy to climb that stood near the path. She clambered up the branches, finding a perch about five paces above the trail. From her branch she would see the monk coming and surprise him. She wasn't well hidden, but no one ever looked up.
When the monk came into view, she thought she saw him slow down for a moment, and she was instantly suspicious. There wasn't any way he should be able to sense her, but if the past cycle had taught her anything, it was that she still had a lot to learn about what the sense could do. But the monk kept walking and her nerves were calmed.
The monk stopped a few paces ahead of where she sat. He looked up, and Moriko almost fell off her perch. There was no way it could be true, but the evidence was right there in front of her.
The face that looked at her was smiling, a ghost from the past, a smile that held no warmth. "Hello, Moriko. Come on down." His name was Tomotsu, and Moriko had thought he died many cycles ago.
She dropped from her tree, landing softly on the path in front of him. They stood a few paces apart. They were safe from each other for now, but were within a step or two of striking distance.
Tomotsu had been one of the first people she met when she had been taken to Perseverance. He was a cycle or two older than her, but she had been young and impressionable, and she had pinned all her hopes on him. He had cared for her after she'd been beaten, but she soon realized the monastery had him, heart and soul. When Ryuu had rescued her from the monastery, she assumed Tomotsu had been killed with the other monks.
For a moment, she was glad her assumption was wrong. Even though Tomotsu had pledged himself fully to the monastery, he had always been kind to her, even when their viewpoints had been so obviously different. Even after Orochi trained her, Tomotsu still kept in touch. But as she studied his face, she knew something in him had changed.
"Hello, Tomotsu," she said.
"It seems the Great Cycle has brought us together again. It has been a long time."
She nodded. "It has. I am glad to see you."
Tomotsu barked out a harsh laugh. "You mean after you betrayed our monastery and the nightblade came and killed most of us?"
Moriko moved to speak, but Tomotsu held up his hand. "No. There is no point in conversation. This only ends one way."
Moriko interrupted him. "How can you be so blind? You saw what the Abbot did. How can you believe in a system that teaches such violence is justified?"
Tomotsu drew his sword. It didn't wave
r at all as he pointed it at Moriko. She understood, as she watched the point of his sword, how much rage he had carried for all this time. "I don't know how you can doubt the teachings of the Great Cycle,” Tomotsu spat in her direction. “Even you have to see that the Cycle is coming to a close. What are the odds of you and me coming together, again, like this? The Abbot's teachings may have been hard, but it was the nightblade who established my faith. For the first time, I saw how dangerous the nightblades were, and I dedicated my life to killing them all. Those who don't believe must die."
Moriko opened her mouth to argue, but Tomotsu dashed forward, his blade eager for blood. Moriko dove out of the way and drew her sword, but she hesitated. This was Tomotsu, perhaps the first friend she had ever had in the world beyond her family. But as he came in again, there was nothing of the kind boy she had once known. He had been broken by grief. Moriko's sorrow was replaced by anger, and she attacked.
Tomotsu had no chance against her. He was well-trained and driven, but she was much stronger than him. In two passes he fell to her blade, his dying eyes filled with hate.
Moriko observed his passing into the Great Cycle. He deserved that much at least. When he was gone she closed his eyes and grabbed his bag. It was full of papers, a small fortune's worth. She stood for a moment over her first friend, and then the world came rushing back to her. There were still two hunters she needed to kill. The sun was setting, but if she hurried she could get to them before they caused any more destruction.
Despite her repeated checks, Moriko did not find any trace of the hunters besides the tracks they left, and even those were few and far between. Moriko began to wonder if they were moving faster than she had anticipated. Were they trying to reach the village during the day? If so, she didn’t have a chance of catching them.
Moriko fought her urge to sprint after the hunters. It was possible they were moving much faster than she expected, but it was just as likely they were playing another game altogether. She didn't know what skills the hunters might possess, and there was certainly a possibility she was not the only person capable of hiding her presence from those with the sense. She had to be cautious, otherwise they could sneak up on her as easily as she could sneak up on them.