by Ryan Kirk
17
They had been on the road for a few days, and Moriko was glad to be taking action and moving forward. The spring season had always been her time for leaving, and if not for Ryuu, she would have left much earlier. His healing had taken time, first from the mental blocks he had put in place, then from the cuts he had taken during the attack on the hut. But he rode with strength now, and Moriko dared to hope their ordeal was almost at an end.
Their plan was simple. They would ride to where Akira was camped and let him know everything they had discovered. They would tell him about the monks and Tanak’s betrayal. If he asked for their advice, they would give it, but they would not offer their help. After they were done, they were going to catch a boat traveling up the river. They would get off at Highgate and hopefully be on the island of the blades before summer even came to the Three Kingdoms.
Moriko feared it wouldn’t be that simple. Every night Ryuu used his sense to understand what was happening all over the Three Kingdoms. He spoke little about what he sensed, but Moriko could tell from the expression on his face and his general attitude that life in the Three Kingdoms wasn’t pleasant these days.
She didn’t push the topic. If she did, he would try to dissuade her from leaving the Three Kingdoms. He wanted to help, to do something to keep the people safe, but he had agreed to go with her. It was foolish, but she figured that so long as they didn’t talk openly about it, he would continue to travel with her.
That night was no different. They sat around their fire. Ryuu had his hands to the ground and was using his sense to travel far and wide. Moriko felt a small pang of jealousy. The skill was incredibly useful, and though she had tried many times to duplicate it, it wasn’t within her ability. She took small comfort in the fact Ryuu could no longer even begin to hide his presence. He had gotten too strong, and no amount of effort would dim the energy emanating from him. They had each found their own paths towards strength.
When Ryuu opened his eyes, Moriko could tell it was even worse than usual. Though she hated to bring it up, she couldn’t help herself.
“What’s wrong?”
Ryuu considered her for a moment. “Perhaps it would be easier to show you.”
Moriko frowned. They had tried it before, as it had been the technique Ryuu had used to learn the skill in the first place, but no matter how often they tried, Moriko hadn’t been able to get it to work. There was no reason why tonight should be any different.
Ryuu read her thoughts. “I don’t think it was anything you were doing wrong. I think perhaps the problem might have been more about me, that I didn’t leave myself open enough. Would you like to try again?”
Moriko didn’t, but her curiosity got the better of her. She nodded, stood up and walked to him.
“Try to stay focused on me. I remember that when it first happened to me, I wasn’t able to maintain my focus because of the shock of it, but there’s a lot to show you tonight.”
Moriko nodded. He had given similar instructions before, but it had seemed silly after the fact. Nothing had happened no matter how much Moriko focused her attention.
She put her hand on his shoulder, and felt a small thrill of satisfaction. It had been a long time since they had come together. Despite all the time they had spent living together in the past few moons, there was still a barrier between them, and neither Moriko nor Ryuu knew how to break through it. As she held on to him, she realized how much she missed him, and wondered if they would ever figure out how to live together like they once had.
She focused her thoughts as Ryuu brought his hands down to the ground. She narrowed her sense down to only one target, and that was Ryuu. Everything else fell away. There was no forest, no land around them. For all her sense could tell her, they were in a void, just her and Ryuu. For a moment her thoughts wandered, and she thought such a future wouldn’t be all bad.
At first nothing happened, but when the shift hit, Moriko almost lost her focus completely. She suddenly understood what Ryuu had spoken about. It was as though she was traveling at a high speed, much faster than the fastest horse could gallop. The land sped underneath her, and she struggled to keep focusing on Ryuu. It was a strange sensation. On one level, she knew he was there, that she was standing next to him at a campfire, but everything her mind was telling her was different. In her mind she was flying, free and without care. She knew that if she focused on the freedom she would lose her connection with Ryuu, and she kept her focus.
She couldn’t tell where they were going. The speed was too fast. But in just a moment they stopped, and again Moriko almost lost her focus. She was fighting the sensation of both moving very fast and not moving at all. She sensed the village surrounding her. People were dying, being killed by Azarians. There was no hiding for anyone. All those who fought died. They had no training or skill. But even those who hid were often killed, as they were considered too cowardly and too weak to live by the Azarians.
As quickly as they arrived, they left again. This time Moriko was ready, and the sudden speed didn’t shock her sense again. They went to another village. This one was more peaceful. Azarians were there, but it wasn’t a slaughter. The village was in relative peace, but still Moriko could tell something was wrong. Then she sensed the villagers serving the Azarians. It didn’t feel like slavery, exactly, but it wasn’t that far off.
Again they left, and Moriko sensed Akira, surrounded by loyal soldiers. They were on the move, leaving behind a village that had seen many dead. There was a bright flash of power, and they left Akira and his men behind. They didn’t travel far, but there was an Azarian clan with two hunters. The hunters were turned towards the north, and Moriko realized they were going to hunt Akira.
They kept moving faster now, and in the back of her mind, Moriko wondered if the effort of this was exhausting Ryuu. It was as though she was on his back and he had to carry both of them. More and more flashed across her sense and her mind, but finally they stopped at one last place. Moriko had no problem identifying where they were. As long as she lived, she would remember the sense of that man.
It was Nameless, and he was searching for them.
With a gasp, Moriko’s focus finally broke, and suddenly she was back around the fire again. The disorientation was intense, and Moriko threw up her supper, light as it was. When she cleaned off her mouth and stood back up, she felt better. She glanced over at Ryuu and saw he was coming out of his trance. Sweat glistened on his brow, and she knew she had been right. It had been an effort for him to carry her.
They sat in silence for a few moments as Moriko took in all that she had sensed. It was so much information, and so much of it had just been fleeting impressions. But it was all true. She didn’t even know where to begin.
The effects of the Azarian invasion didn’t surprise her. It was difficult to experience firsthand, but it wasn’t surprising. To the Azarians, the people of the Three Kingdoms would be weak. They killed all those they didn’t consider strong. In their minds, it wasn’t even murder. There would probably be those who would even consider it a favor. They were killing the weak so the strong could survive. It was the way of life they brought to the land.
Likewise, it wasn’t surprising that Akira was being hunted. Nameless was a smart man, and he wouldn’t allow any resistance to form. Akira had already gathered many troops to his cause and would be a danger. Nameless would seek to eliminate it as soon as possible.
She also wasn’t surprised that Nameless would be hunting them himself. She had cut him in front of his men, and that would not be forgivable. No matter how long it took, he would find her. Of that she had no doubt. She had made an enemy for life.
None of it changed her mind though. She still wanted to go to the island, to leave it all behind. She had known the consequences of her actions back when she made the decision. It was difficult to face those consequences first-hand, but she was strong enough to keep moving forward. She was more worried that Ryuu would turn away from her and try to help the peo
ple of the Three Kingdoms.
Moriko looked at Ryuu and saw that he understood her mind. There was a look of sadness on his face.
“My mind isn’t changed,” she said.
“I know. I worry both about Akira and us, though.”
“If we ride hard, we can get to Akira in time. The hunters are just starting out.”
“And us?”
“He is far away still. If we ride hard to Akira, he will still have to track us. Once we make it to the river, he can’t catch us.”
“I fear he will follow us to the island.”
“That’s fine. What better place to fight him than when we have thousands of nightblades at our back?”
Ryuu glanced up at her. “You know he won’t come alone. He is many things, but stupid is not one of them.”
Moriko sighed. “I know. But let’s take it one step at a time. Akira first?”
Ryuu nodded. “Akira first.”
As the fire died down they went to sleep. Come morning they would have a hard ride in front of them.
They moved quickly, as fast as their legs could carry them. Both of them were used to the steady trot that ate up the leagues, and they moved without rest, their feet constantly churning. Moriko’s mind wandered, as though it had separated itself from her body. She knew her body was running, but inside she was focused on completely different questions.
At night they stopped to take a short rest. Ryuu focused and sent his sense out. His worry was evident. They made good time, but they were further away from Akira than the hunters. The hunters were taking their time, but even if they continued at their current pace, Ryuu worried they wouldn’t make it. Regardless, they needed rest. They were able to run the entire night, but they needed strength to fight the hunters.
Moriko wondered if Ryuu was overreacting. Akira had almost a hundred men with him, all of whom were highly trained. But as he lay down, Ryuu explained his concern.
“Did you feel the flash of power last night?”
Moriko nodded. She hadn’t thought much of it, thinking it was some sort of side effect of the technique Ryuu had been using.
“There is a monk with them, and he’s flaring his energy.”
Ryuu didn’t have to say any more. In a normal situation, Akira would be well protected, but if there was a traitor in their midst, a monk who was guiding the hunters to Akira, the situation was more complicated. He could lead Akira away from his protection or set any number of other traps for him. That was Ryuu’s true worry.
They slept for only a little time. They needed to keep running. The moon was still half-full, providing plenty of light to guide their way, and again Moriko fell into a running trance.
The morning came, clear and bright, the sun lighting up the blue sky. The two of them pressed forward, continuing to get closer to Akira. Every once in a while Ryuu would call a halt and place his hands on the ground. They would alter their course slightly and keep running. Moriko kept glancing at Ryuu. He was strong, but he had been recently injured. He was demanding a lot from his body. Not only was he running, he was using a technique which required a significant amount of mental focus. She was worried they would get to the battlefield and he would be useless.
The sun was high in the sky when Ryuu called for another halt. Without even catching his breath, Ryuu put his hands down on the ground. He was focused only for a few moments. “It’s going to be close. We’re about a league away, and they’re about half that distance. But they are cautious. We have no need to be. Let’s go.”
Again they altered their course slightly and took off, now at a mad dash. Moriko brought her focus back, not allowing herself to fall into a trance. She needed to contain her energy perfectly so they wouldn’t sense her coming.
Time and distance passed, and soon her own sense came alive with feelings of life. She could sense Akira’s troops easily. For a while now she had felt the pulse of energy the monk had been releasing, and she felt now that the monk was right in the middle of the troops, probably next to Akira. But she could sense the hunters too. They were close, preparing to strike. Their focus was entirely on the prey in front of them.
Ryuu sensed it too, and put on a burst of speed. His energy burned against her mind. Despite the hunters’ focus, there was no way they wouldn’t know they were being approached. She wondered how they would react. Would they turn and fight or make the attempt on Akira’s life?
She didn’t have long to wonder. The hunters attacked the caravan while she and Ryuu were still about two hundred paces away. Ryuu abandoned all pretense and his energy flared even brighter. Moriko was stunned. She didn’t know where this energy came from. She was sprinting as fast as she could, but he pulled away from her.
It was only a few moments, but they stretched into eternity. Moriko could both sense and see the combat being joined. She had to give credit to Akira’s honor guard. Even though they were taken by surprise, they fought well, and stopped the hunters’ advance. The hunters had needed to break through the guard in one pass, but they had both failed, and were forced to stop and deal with the threat. If they didn’t, they would leave their backs open to the blades of the guards.
Two guards died, but their sacrifice hadn’t been in vain. They gave Ryuu the time he needed to reach the battle, and he exploded on the scene, his blade glaring in the midday light of the sun. Moriko thought Ryuu was even stronger than he had been before, fighting in the clearing by the hut. After two days of running, she didn’t know where he found the energy and the strength.
The two hunters had no choice but to engage Ryuu. If they turned their attention away, even for a moment, they would die. Blades flashed and came together, and the ring of steel could be heard across the plains. Despite being outnumbered, Ryuu had the upper hand. Akira’s honor guard formed a circle of spears around the battle but hesitated to strike, unsure of what was happening in front of them.
Moriko felt Ryuu’s power flicker, a momentary dimming of the energy he possessed. The hunters must have as well, for they redoubled their efforts. Ryuu switched from attack to defense. He was still fast enough to stay in front of their cuts, but he wasn’t fast enough to strike back.
Fortunately, he didn’t have to be. With all the attention on him, no one noticed Moriko. The circle of guards around the hunters was tight, but they were all still mounted. Moriko slid under the ring of horses, kicking up dust as she entered the circle. The hunters never sensed her approach. She came to her feet, drew her blade, and made her cut all in one smooth motion. Her blade sliced through the neck of a hunter, and Ryuu was suddenly freed from having to defend against two attackers. His power flared with renewed effort, and the other hunter fell under the speed of his blade.
Almost as soon as it had started, it was over. Ryuu and Moriko looked around, their incredible effort shocking Akira’s honor guard. They had a host of spears pointed at them, and they looked to Akira for guidance. Akira grinned widely. “Ryuu, Moriko, it’s good to see you again!”
The absurdity of the situation almost made Moriko laugh. All of Akira’s honor guard sat in their saddles, confused, defending their king against these strangers who had appeared in the middle of a battle, and Akira was greeting them as though they were old friends.
Ryuu looked up to Akira. “Good to see you too, Akira.”
Then he collapsed to the ground, his face in the mud of the trail.
It felt a little strange to be walking when everyone else was on horseback, but Moriko didn’t let it bother her. She had had enough of horses in her time in Azaria, and if she didn’t have to ride a horse again in her life, she would be happy. She felt better when she was walking on her own two feet. The distances they traveled didn’t bother her, and they were traveling at a pretty slow speed. She felt more connected to her sense, and she could fight much better on her feet than on a horse. Despite their history together, Moriko couldn’t bring herself to fully trust Akira. He would keep his word if he could, but if he had to kill the nightblades to protect his kin
gdom, he wouldn’t hesitate.
The sun was setting as they made camp. Moriko didn’t want to admit it, but she was grateful. She had run through most of the night and the entire morning, and fought at the end. Granted, it had been a quick and easy battle for Moriko, but the effort still wore on her. She had sat for a while at the scene of the battle, but had been on her feet ever since. She was ready to rest for the night.
Ryuu was carried on a makeshift litter behind a horse. He looked comfortable, but was still unconscious. Moriko had checked to see if any of his scars had opened, but nothing had. Physically, he seemed fine. She suspected he had just used his body too hard and needed rest. His heartbeat was strong and his pulse was steady. Though she could barely sense his presence, she wasn’t too worried about him.
There had been a good deal of confusion following the battle. The attack had come as a surprise, but the rescue even more so. Akira explained that Moriko and Ryuu were some of his best shadows, but he saw the looks of doubt on the men’s faces. They suspected the truth, and it was only loyalty to their leader that allowed Akira to get away with it. Moriko wondered how much longer the lies could last. Time and time again the nightblades were making their presence known in the Three Kingdoms, and it wouldn’t be too long before someone started to connect the rumors together.
The monk had certainly known it was a lie. Moriko sensed the fear emanating from him after the battle, but she pretended not to notice. Her instinct had been to kill him on the spot, but she didn’t know how the situation stood. Indecisive, she feigned ignorance and paid him no mind. Once Ryuu woke up he could discuss it with Akira. The two of them were closer, and Ryuu wouldn’t get them killed through rash actions.
There was no way the monk wouldn’t have felt Ryuu’s strength, and Moriko suspected word of their existence was common knowledge among the monasteries. But the monk had also seen Akira’s casual greeting of the nightblades and knew they had a previous relationship, so he said nothing. Each party was silent, waiting for the other to make the first move. Moriko worried what the monk might do, but figured they would be safe until Ryuu woke up.