by Ryan Kirk
Daiki turned to her and bowed deeply, his gratitude unspoken.
They stood up, and Asa thought Daiki looked a bit older than he had before, his limbs a little less mobile than they had been yesterday. He took one last look at the shrine.
“I so desperately want my son to be alive. I want to embrace him tightly, even if he tries to break away. My desire is so real, sometimes when you walk into the room, I think for a moment you are him. But I’ve heard the same rumors everyone else has. The houses are at war, and it’s likely my son is dead.”
Asa stopped him. “You can’t think that way. You need to keep up your hopes.”
Daiki shook his head back and forth slowly. “No. Perhaps in front of my wife I can keep up pretenses, but I’ve always believed that it’s important to see things as they are, not as we wish them to be.”
Asa didn’t have a reply to that. She agreed with Daiki and could bring no comfort to him.
He looked up at her and smiled, an expression that communicated a deeper sadness than any tear ever could.
“Come, we have work to do.”
Asa awoke with a start. The first hints of sunlight were just beginning to crawl through the window, and her room felt bitterly cold.
Her gut told her something was wrong. Something had startled her from sleep, but she wasn’t sure what. She gently extended her sense. Ayano and Daiki were sleeping in the next room. Outside, everything was quiet. From her bed, Asa could see the sky, perfectly clear and cloudless. All in all, a perfect, if chilly, autumn day was promised by the rising sun.
But she had learned to trust her instincts, and something had awoken her. She sat up and took another glance out the window. Everything was just as it had first appeared. The world outside was quiet, even the animals not yet awake.
A feeling of unease grew in Asa’s stomach, twisting it tightly. Her gift of the sense was average at best. If something had awoken her with a start, something big was wrong.
Asa took a deep breath and threw her sense out wide. When she discovered the truth, she felt as though she had been stabbed deep in the chest. For a few moments, she struggled to breathe.
River’s End was surrounded. Asa couldn’t sense the blades, but she could sense their gifts, like hers, spread wide like a net across the village.
Asa cursed. She couldn’t make out the number, but there had to be more than a dozen. Why would so many blades be here? In her heart, she knew that such a large gathering of blades couldn’t portend anything good.
She raced through her options. There wasn’t any escape from the village. She could sense the gifts of the others all around her.
She could go out and talk to her peers, reason with them. The idea had some merit, but Asa didn’t think it would work. If the blades had been peaceful, they wouldn’t have surrounded the village. She tried to think of a benevolent reason they would be in such a formation, but none came to her.
She could fight, but a strong enough nightblade would kill her in a duel. There was no chance she could take on more than a dozen.
Asa swore. They might spare her, but she wasn’t the one she cared about. Her thoughts focused on Daiki and Ayano, waiting to see their son again. Could she escape with them in the confusion of the attack?
Her only option, as little as she liked it, was to go out and speak with the attackers. She didn’t think she had a hope of succeeding, but even the slimmest chance was better than where she stood otherwise.
Asa strapped on all her weapons, worried that she would need them again for the first time in what felt like forever.
She snuck quietly out of the house and beyond the outskirts of River’s End. A small rise overlooked the village to the south, and she imagined that if this raid had a commander, she would find that person there.
Asa wasn’t disappointed. As she crested the rise, she came upon a line of blades, almost all nightblades. But Asa saw two who wore the white robes of the dayblades. Her sense and sight confirmed that the situation was worse than she had thought. More than two dozen blades surrounded the village.
Asa was soon greeted by another nightblade, a woman who stood at least a head taller than she. Asa looked up and gave her a short bow, a courtesy among peers. The bow wasn’t returned.
“What business do you have in River’s End?” Asa asked.
The question sounded hollow, even to her. Whatever the taller nightblade’s business was, she had the power to make it happen. With the number of blades apparently at her command, she could attack and hold a city.
The other woman didn’t respond to Asa’s question. “I could ask you the same thing. What is a blade doing surrounded by civilians?”
The inquiry struck Asa as being incredibly odd. There weren’t that many blades in the world, and almost all of them spent most of their time being surrounded by civilians. The question was a glimpse into the mind of the woman, and Asa didn’t like what she saw.
“I have taken refuge from the storm of hatred pursuing us. There is a kind old couple who have sheltered me for many days.”
“They know you are a nightblade?”
Asa nodded. It was a half truth at least.
Asa had hoped that perhaps her statement would elicit some sort of positive response, but she was disappointed.
“Good, then they will be willing servants once we move in.”
Asa had suspected the group’s plan, but the woman’s comment confirmed her fears. The nightblades were trying to take over a village and make it their own. Asa couldn’t help but think of her time with Kiyoshi and her knowledge of the massacre at Two Falls. That had been a horrible day for the Kingdom, and this didn’t seem to be any different.
Looking at the stern faces she was flanked by, Asa realized that her only hope of surviving, her only hope of saving the couple she had come to care for, was deception.
She didn’t mind. Honor meant little to her.
“If you’re planning on taking over the village, I can give you whatever information you like. I know where they store their food and which villagers might pose a problem.”
The other woman looked at her coldly. “We already have all the information we need. And none of the villagers are going to give us a problem.”
The woman’s tone of voice was clear. She planned on killing all the villagers. She wanted their property, not their lives.
Asa was careful to keep her face as blank as a stone. If there was any chance of saving Ayano and Daiki, she needed to take part in the attack.
The woman didn’t seem like she was going to offer, so Asa was forced to ask. “If you are setting up a place for us to live, I would like to join you. My name is Asa.”
The woman’s stare was cooler than the morning air, but eventually she nodded. “Very well. We’ll talk more after our work here is done. My name is Akane, and I lead this band of blades.”
Asa understood she was only a distraction, so she left and joined the loose ring of blades that circled the town. She studied each one, trying to measure their strength. After a few, though, she gave up. Saving Daiki and Ayano was almost hopeless. But still, her determination was as sharp as her swords. If she wasn’t willing to fight here, she was worthless.
In the few moments before the charge into the village began, Asa felt herself completely relax. There was nothing else for her to do. She would either save her hosts or die in the trying. Her life had quickly become very simple.
Akane drew her sword, and the ring of blades around Asa screamed a battle cry. Asa joined in, but she felt as though her voice was empty.
The small village of River’s End came alive quickly. Some residents poked their heads outside in confusion, but as soon as the first alarm was raised, villagers started stumbling out with scythes and homemade spears. Their eyes were bleary with sleep, their reactions dulled. She saw a glimpse of steel in the small gathering crowd and wondered if Daiki was there, holding a sword. What would he think when his home was attacked by blades and the one he had hosted for almost a
quarter moon was gone?
Asa shoved the thought out of her mind as she charged with the rest of the blades. There wasn’t any plan or strategy that she could discern, the attack more a slaughter than a battle.
She almost cut down the blade next to her the moment they entered the village. The two were out of sight from the others, and the temptation was strong. She held her swords back, though. She was only going to have one moment to betray her fellow blades, and she wanted to make the best of it.
Around her, the raid began. Asa didn’t partake, working her way through the chaos toward the other edge of town to Daiki’s house. One villager took a swing at her with a scythe that she easily ducked under.
She could sense what was happening. The ring was closing on River’s End, cutting off all escape. The blades were working methodically, advancing slowly from the edges of the village into the center. Asa needed to get to the other edge of the village before the blades on that side of the ring made it through her new home.
She sprinted through the center of the village, surrounded by citizens who screamed for her blood. Those who didn’t tried to stay as far away from her as possible.
Some weren’t so wise. One old farmer stabbed at her with a homemade spear. She sidestepped the attack easily and sprinted past him, almost running headfirst into a young man with fire in his eyes.
The youth was unarmed, but he threw a punch at her with all his strength. Asa didn’t have the space to dodge but deflected his blow and pushed against the back of his head, sending him hurtling beyond her.
Asa crashed through the front door of Daiki’s house, certain she’d made it just a few moments before anyone else. Her sense warned her of danger, and she stepped back as a huge kettle swung in front of her face. Ayano was behind the attack, and when she saw Asa, a look of confusion came across her face.
“Asa, what’s happening?” The voice was childlike, weak and scared.
“Your village is being attacked. We need to get you out of here while we still can.”
As Asa finished speaking, Daiki came out of the couple’s bedroom. Despite the chaos, despite everything that had happened, the sight of him brought a smile to Asa’s face. He was wearing an old military uniform. The outfit, once a bright blue, had faded to a sky blue over the cycles. At his side was a sword. If the condition of the hilt and scabbard was any indication, the steel was plenty sharp. Daiki was a warrior, even if he wouldn’t call himself one.
They shared a look that communicated everything they needed to know. Asa breathed a little easier knowing that he had never doubted her.
Ayano, however, was a different problem. She noticed for the first time Asa’s swords, hanging outside her clothes in almost a moon. Understanding dawned on her brow, and she lunged, attempting to claw at Asa’s face. “You dare to come into our house! You ate my food!”
Avoiding Ayano in the small space of the house was no easy feat, but Asa managed. Daiki grabbed his wife, and although the anger in her eyes burned as hot as it ever had, she didn’t strike. Asa would need to be careful. She knew if she gave Ayano the chance, one of Asa’s own daggers might find its way into her back.
Asa stepped forward, hoping the action would get their attention. “Stop!”
They both paused, fear instinctively taking control. Asa used the moment to her advantage.
“We don’t have any time for this. Blades are attacking the village and killing everyone. We need to get you out.”
Just as Asa finished speaking, two more blades stepped into the house.
Confusion was the order of the day. The other warriors could sense that Asa was a nightblade, but they didn’t recognize her. They hadn’t observed the exchange with Akane on the other side of the village.
Asa drew her sword and sprinted at the two, surprise her only advantage.
The warrior closer to her reacted too slowly, his movement slowed by confusion. Her steel opened up his thigh and sword arm in quick succession, sending blood spraying across the spotless room and the priceless woodworking.
His partner didn’t have the same problem. She was fast, although not quite as fast as Asa. She was a taller woman with long arms, and her sword held Asa at bay as her mind tried to comprehend what had just happened.
Asa didn’t have the time to wait for an opening. Every blade in the village would have sensed one of their own dying, the gift winking out like a candle in the dark. They would be drawn to the event, knowing someone was strong enough to kill one of their own.
Daiki stepped in and made a cut at the enemy blade. The tall woman deflected the strike without a problem, but the move left her in a vulnerable position. Asa stepped in, her short sword keeping the woman’s longer one away just long enough for her to reach with a dagger and thrust it repeatedly into the woman’s stomach. She collapsed, her insides threatening to spill out on the floor.
Asa felt sick bringing such violence to the house where she had found a temporary measure of peace. But there was no time. Already she could feel the flames of the other sense-gifted approaching the house.
As a complaint died on the older woman’s lips, Asa grabbed Ayano and dragged her out of the house into the open. She used a precious moment to look around and confirm what she had sensed. The rout of the village had happened even more quickly than she had expected. The few survivors were being slaughtered in a small open space in the center of River’s End. Most of the blades had turned their attention to the house, upset that two of their own had rejoined the Great Cycle.
Asa saw Akane and knew they were doomed. With a yell, Akane summoned the attention of all the blades and pointed at Asa. “Kill the betrayer!”
A savage shout came up from the assembled blades. Asa glanced back and saw that there was no one between them and the rest of the world. Unintentionally, the trio had broken through the advancing ring of blades. She stared at Daiki as she pushed the two of them away out into the fields that surrounded the village. “Run, now! There might be horses nearby.”
Her two hosts were silent and still as statues, and Asa pushed even harder. None of them had time for indecision. “You need to leave! I’ll try to hold them back for as long as I can.”
The reality of their situation finally seemed to sink in, and both spun toward the open fields. Daiki turned around and looked at her once as they ran. She bowed low to him and whirled to face the incoming wave of blades, her death certain at the hands of those she’d once trained with.
Steel met steel, and the sound of battle rang throughout the village. Asa used her left hand to fling throwing knives, trying to deflect the wall of steel coming toward her. For one pass she held them off. Then for a second pass. On the third, her sword was knocked from her hands. She heard a commanding voice—Akane’s. “Don’t kill her but teach her, friends.”
With that, Asa’s life became a living nightmare. Flashes of steel cut into her. Once she lost her balance and fell, kicks rained down on her. She felt the blood pouring from her nose, and stars lit her vision as a toe caught her directly under the eye. At first she tried to get back up, tried to give Ayano and Daiki a few more moments, but a series of brutal kicks rendered her useless.
The blows subsided, but Asa couldn’t move, couldn’t open her eyes to see what was happening. She tried to push past the pain and focus on her sense, but her mind was too disjointed. Blinded in every way that mattered, Asa lay there, waiting helplessly to see what would happen next.
Asa was startled by a crunch of snow right in front of her. Two strong hands lifted her head up, causing unimaginable agony. Why couldn’t they just let her die? Why torture her anymore?
Asa’s arms were grabbed by two more people, and she was lifted off the ground. She wanted to kick out at whoever was holding her, but her body wouldn’t respond to her commands.
The same strong hands that had first grabbed her head rubbed their thumbs against her eyes, removing freshly crusted blood. Asa found that she could open her eyes. When she did, she saw Akane looming over
her, a triumphant grin on the commander’s face.
Asa wanted to spit or scream or kick, but she was dead on her feet.
Akane leaned close. “I will kill you, young blade. Don’t worry. But I want you to rejoin the Great Cycle understanding what is going to happen, not just here, but to the Kingdom. The blades are going to take their rightful place as rulers of this land. Those who fight against us will be taught lessons they will never forget. You will learn a lesson that will follow you in whatever future awaits you.”
There was a commotion off to the side, and Ayano and Daiki were thrown down in front of her. Daiki was clutching his right arm, and Asa saw that his hand had been cut off at the wrist. Like her, he was dead, but his body just hadn’t realized it yet. Ayano was covered in blood, but Asa couldn’t tell how much of it was hers and how much was Daiki’s.
A despair of a kind she had never known washed over her.
Akane looked at her. “I will give you a choice, young blade. You fought to protect these two, killing some of my warriors. But resistance against us is helpless. You can’t fight the storm any more than you can fight what’s coming to the Kingdom. Either you can kill them yourself, as quickly as you like, or you can watch them die, very slowly and painfully.”
Asa felt as though all her emotions had been wrung from her, leaving only a deep sorrow, a sadness that had no bottom, no place to try to get up from. No right choice materialized, no action that wouldn’t haunt her dreams in the future.
A glance at Daiki made the decision for her. He was a warrior who deserved a warrior’s death. These blades would never give him one. Their eyes met, and an understanding passed between them. He actually smiled at her, bowing his head slightly in her direction.
She wasn’t sure that she was strong enough to make the cuts.
“I will kill them.”
Ayano spat into the ground, leaving yet another bloody streak in the snow. She didn’t fully understand what was happening, and Asa didn’t think she’d have the time to explain. That was regrettable but better than the alternative. Either way, Ayano would die hating her. Asa might as well show her what mercy she could.