by Ryan Kirk
Even Koji, normally sure in his abilities, experienced doubt. No matter how magnificent he was with a sword, there wasn’t much he could do against a falling boulder. He had experienced, for one of the few times in his life, the limits of his abilities. He wasn’t pleased.
Not only had the battle shaken the blades’ confidence in themselves; it had shaken their confidence in their entire mission. They had lost almost a third of their companions in one attack, and they weren’t being replaced. All knew they were holding back the surge of war, but they were just beginning to realize that simple attrition would eventually cause them to fail.
When Asa found her fellow warriors, the presence of another nightblade seemed to light a fire underneath them all, but none more so than Koji. She was still in his thoughts daily, and seeing her ride toward them lifted his spirits.
She went directly to Koji, dropping nimbly off her horse and approaching him. There was a single moment of awkwardness, and then Asa embraced him. Koji couldn’t have been more surprised if the sun had disappeared. He returned her embrace, glad to see her again.
They broke apart, and Asa looked up at him. “It’s good to see you again, Koji. There’s much to talk about, but I need to meet with your commander first.”
Before he could reply, she was gone. Koji watched as she walked away, truly enamored for the first time in his life.
He watched as Asa and Ikko spoke, Asa dropping a large pile of letters in his arms. They talked for some time, but Koji found that he had a hard time looking away.
When Asa came back, Koji would have sworn there was a glow about her. She sat down next to him, and they looked out on the scene before them.
Despite the difficult traveling conditions, Koji had to admit the lands of House Kita were some of the most gorgeous he’d ever seen. He’d been in the area before but had never really paid much attention to the silent, imposing majesty of the mountains.
Koji’s question was burning. “What happened to you?”
Asa’s smile was soft but genuine. “I’m not sure myself. Do you ever feel like you’re doing the right thing? That everything seems to make sense?”
Koji did understand. For the first time in his life, he felt as though he was fighting for something that mattered. He gestured toward his commander’s tent. “What’s happening?”
“A chance for peace. I left Mari not too many days ago. She convinced her brother to ally with the blades.”
Asa continued to tell him what Mari had planned. Koji was shocked to hear that Starfall might be under attack soon.
They were interrupted by Koji’s commander shouting orders. Koji didn’t want to ride anymore, but perhaps their journey was almost at an end. Wearily they climbed back onto their mounts and turned toward Starfall as per Mari’s last orders. He hoped that soon it would all be over.
Koji could sense they were close even before they could see Starfall. With so many of the gifted enclosed in such a small space, it was impossible not to sense the life energy. The group rode forward warily, making sure to avoid whatever patrols wandered the area around the city.
Eventually they came to a place where they could look upon the city, and Koji was amazed. He was sure he had never seen so many people at once. On each side of the city, an army was encamped, and Starfall itself was still ablaze with the energy of hundreds of lives.
His spirits had been buoyed by the past few days with Asa. The road had been hard and long, but if her news was true, hope was alive, which he hadn’t dared to feel in a long time. All the fighting and struggle could finally be over.
When he saw the situation below them, his heart sank faster than a stone thrown in a river. They had known what they were going to see. Asa had told them that Hiromi was going to march his army to Starfall to be a countering force against Katashi’s. But hearing something was going to happen and seeing it in front of you were as different as night and day.
Koji saw a situation ripe to explode. He could take in the sight of both armies without even having to move his eyes. They were far less than a day’s march apart, much too close for comfort. Even a few soldiers too drunk for their own good could ignite the war. He desperately hoped that Mari knew what she was doing.
The blades had arrived near dusk and made the decision to set up camp away from the excitement below. They were still fugitives and didn’t want to try for Starfall when it was surrounded by soldiers. Asa would try to find Mari the next day and get a better idea of their next steps.
Koji awoke in the early morning as the very first hints of the sun started to peek above the horizon. He rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, but something was off, something he couldn’t place right away.
Uncertain, he pushed himself up and looked around, bleary-eyed. The rest of their group was still asleep, and his sense told him that no one else was nearby. But he couldn’t shake the feeling something was amiss.
He turned and looked down toward Starfall, immediately seeing the problem. Both armies had moved even closer to the city, each just outside of bow range. So far, nothing had happened, but the coordinated movements were ominous. Koji woke the rest of the group to grumbles and moans, but they all went silent when they saw what was happening.
The blades were far enough away that the advance of the armies could barely be heard, almost like a thunderstorm far on the horizon, a distant, continuous rumble. But they noticed when the early morning sky was blackened by clouds of arrows.
When the first wave happened, Koji almost fell backward. There were so many arrows it seemed impossible that anyone could live underneath the onslaught. Black smoke trailed behind, and Koji knew they were fire arrows, designed to kill and burn.
The second wave was just as orderly as the first, a tremendous mass all released at once. The black streaks of fire burned over the walls of Starfall, thousands of death’s messengers rushing to their destination.
The response from Starfall was weak. A few scattered arrows were returned, but nothing else. The walls were almost as silent as if the city was deserted.
The lack of reaction from the home of the blades was disappointing, but Koji wasn’t surprised. Despite the walls, Starfall hadn’t been built to withstand a coordinated siege. The city held no catapults, no boiling cauldrons of pitch to dump upon invaders. Blades despised siege engines and tactics, finding honor and glory only in personal combat.
That rigidity, combined with the belief that no one would dare attack the city, would be the end of them.
The belief wasn’t hard to fathom. In their entire recorded past, Starfall had never been attacked. The mythology surrounding the blades and their historic role in the Kingdom had guaranteed their safety. But now the Kingdom had changed faster than the blades’ worldview.
Koji gazed in horror as the scene unfolded below, the deadly beauty of the massed arrows turning his beloved Starfall into a grave.
He turned his attention from the arrows to the city itself. Not every arrow started a fire, but not every one had to. Koji could see dozens of fires already, and more seemed to become visible every moment he watched.
Koji looked around at the other blades assembled. “We need to help them,” he said.
Asa glanced up at him, her eyes red with anger and sorrow. “How? There’s not many of us, and thousands of them. If we attack, all we’ll earn is our own deaths.”
Koji’s anger erupted. “We have to do something! I refuse to sit here while our home is burned before our eyes.”
The group seemed to agree with him, but none moved. Even in his anger, Koji knew Asa was right.
The thought led to another. What had happened to Mari? How was it that the person who held all their hopes was letting the attack happen?
Two explanations came immediately to mind. Either Mari was a captive of her brother’s, or she had betrayed them all. Koji absolutely refused to believe the latter possibility, but either way, they needed to get to her. Now he had a focus.
His thoughts were interrupted b
y a change in events below. The massive gates of Starfall swung open, and a group of nightblades, about fifty strong by Koji’s estimation, attacked Lord Katashi’s army.
Immediately Koji thought of joining forces with the blades from the city, but his half-formed plans were dashed before he could even begin to make them a reality. Hundreds of bowmen turned their sights from the city to the charging blades, and the air was thick with incoming arrows.
Many of the blades had the foresight to bring shields, but even they couldn’t defend against the sheer volume sent against them. Many of the nightblades fell in the attempt. Of those who survived, some were brought down by spears at the front lines. The few who made it through caused chaos in the ranks, but from his vantage point, he watched the disturbances fade as the blades were brought down one at a time.
Koji cursed in anger, kicking at the ground.
He focused on what he could do. “We need to get to Mari,” he said.
That drew their attention. Finding their leader was a manageable task. The party started toward their gear, but Koji held them up.
“No, it’s better that a small group go than a large one. We’ve seen what happens when the blades attack an army. Better to rely on stealth. I assume she’s being held captive among her people.”
Asa volunteered to join him. The two of them combined would be enough.
They both donned the uniforms of House Kita. Asa’s was hooded so she wouldn’t draw attention for being a woman. Asa spoke a final word to the commander before they left.
She answered Koji’s unspoken question as they started down. “I suggested that he start trying to find all the blades in the area. Once Mari’s letters make it through, more will be coming this way, and it’s better if they’re stopped before they arrive.”
Koji didn’t say what was on his mind. By the time any more of Mari’s units arrived, it would be far too late. This siege would last at most a few more days, and the other groups would take longer than that to arrive. The fight was over before it had even begun.
They made it to the outskirts of the encampment with little difficulty. In the chaos of battle, troops were moving everywhere, and blending in was easy. Koji didn’t expect to have any problems until he and Asa were actually in the camp.
She insisted on leading the way once they were among the tents. Koji didn’t argue, electing instead to follow her on her winding path. He was confused at first, but as they got deeper into the camp, Koji realized he hadn’t seen another person since they broke the perimeter. He looked at Asa with a new respect. She was guiding them well, keeping track of far more than he had ever attempted to.
Asa’s face was set with focus, and Koji decided not to compliment her on her skill. He just followed, growing more and more impressed as the small changes in their direction and speed kept them from detection.
Her gift was no small feat. Even in the midst of battle, the camp was crawling with people. Some soldiers seemed to be patrolling; others were clearly messengers, sprinting back and forth with commands. As the duo got closer to the center of the camp, more guards were present. The gaps in attention got smaller, and Koji wasn’t certain how much longer Asa could prevent detection.
She kept pushing forward. Time was an enemy, and Koji understood that at some point, they would switch from stealth to force. He remained ready to draw.
The moment came soon. Eventually Asa broke through the final line of tents surrounding the center ring. A wide gap was there, full of so many troops there was no getting through. Asa stepped boldly into the open, pretending they belonged. Her ruse didn’t work. They were almost immediately stopped by a pair of guards.
Asa stepped forward, blocking Koji’s easy cut before he could draw.
She pulled out a sheet of paper, on which Koji could plainly see Mari’s seal. The guard looked at it, looked at Asa, and looked at the paper again.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Both Asa and Koji sensed that the guard was about to yell. Less than a heartbeat after that, Koji sensed Asa going for her sword. The die had been cast.
Asa’s cut was clean, slicing across the man’s throat and cutting off his scream before it could leave his lips. Koji’s was no less perfect, killing the guard’s partner in one stroke. Despite the seriousness of their situation, Koji was impressed. Together, the two of them felt unstoppable.
Another pair of guards was on them in an instant. Koji watched in fascination as Asa drew a second, short sword. She dealt with both guards in less than a heartbeat, one of her swords blocking an attack while the other made deadly cuts.
Asa sprinted toward the center tent, slicing it wide open and leaping through. Koji followed a moment later.
His eyes adjusted after a few moments. There were a few people inside, but no one was fighting, not yet. He looked around. There, beside Asa, was another woman who resembled Mari but certainly wasn’t their leader. Koji blinked, thinking he was hallucinating. Asa had her head cocked to the side, like she was trying to understand something she’d never seen before.
A whole group of guards burst through the tent, and battle commenced. Koji slipped between the enemy swords with ease, his own taking a life whenever it cut, his movements smooth and controlled.
In the corner of his vision, Asa was no less impressive. Koji had never seen a real two-sword style before, and she was far more dangerous than the last time they had dueled. Asa kept deflecting and cutting, deflecting and cutting, slicing down any opponent who dared come near her.
They both knew that if they remained, it was only a matter of time before they fell.
Koji led the way, clearing a path to the front entrance of the tent. Asa followed close behind, and the two naturally fell into protecting the other’s back. Once they were clear of the tent, Asa made a break for it. Koji felled one more guard and followed her.
Even though they had just been in the heat of battle, the look of calm focus on Asa’s face was unmistakable. They ran through the camp, turning frequently, their pursuers always right behind them.
Step-by-step they increased the distance from their enemies. Asa cut down one poor guard who stumbled unintentionally into their path, but otherwise she kept them away from crowds. Koji’s sense was the only warning he had when she stopped suddenly and cut a hole in a tent, ducking in.
He followed, and Asa grabbed the open flaps and held them shut. The solution was far from perfect, but Koji knew as he sensed the guards rush past that they didn’t need perfect. He was about to speak to Asa when she reopened the cut in the tent and stepped back out.
The trick had earned them a few moments, but now the rest was up to her.
Koji wasn’t sure how long the pursuit lasted. They walked in a crouch, stopping and then sprinting. Once more they hid in an abandoned tent. The call had gone out, and every guard in the camp was searching for them.
Throughout it all, Asa silently guided them, avoiding every patrol even as they passed just paces away. By the time they reached the outskirts of the camp and had snuck away, night was falling.
Once they were safe, Koji looked back at both the camp and Starfall behind it. His home was on fire, large portions of the city sending up tall plumes of smoke that merged with the evening sky. His heart was torn in two, every hope he had felt dashed. Something had happened to Mari, and Starfall had been taken completely by surprise.
Asa eventually came and stood next to him, their hands intertwining. Her voice was soft. “We need to find out what happened. We need to see how we can make this right.”
Her words stirred some hope in him but not much. As he looked upon the burning city of blades, he wished he could share Asa’s optimism.
Chapter 23
Off in the distance, Starfall burned. Asa stared at the sight with empty eyes. So much had burned in her life lately. Haven. Kiyoshi’s body. Now Starfall.
She had never really thought of Starfall as home. It had always simply been the place she returned to. She was surprised to feel so sorrowf
ul about its destruction. As she watched the fires burn, she realized it was because Starfall had always been a safe place, the calm for any storm in her life. If Starfall fell, blades would have nowhere left to live in peace.
From the distance, the fires looked like a campfire that gave no warmth. More than once Asa had started to reach out toward them, but she felt only the cool night air on her hands.
Koji sat next to her, honoring her silence. She was grateful for his strength and his respect. Now, more than ever, she needed something to hold on to.
Her memories danced along with the flames. She didn’t understand what she had seen in that tent. At first glance, Mari had been there, but when her eyes adjusted, the figure hadn’t been Mari. Just a woman who dressed in Mari’s style of clothes.
Asa’s head was spinning. She turned to Koji. “Do you understand what we saw in the tent?”
“That woman wasn’t Mari.”
At first Asa was tempted to shout. Of course, the woman wasn’t Mari. Even she knew that. But Koji worked through problems differently. He focused on one step at a time, she reminded herself. He wasn’t just stating the obvious; he was starting on the problem by beginning with what they knew.
“So who was she, and why was she there?”
He scratched at his bare chin. “I don’t think who she is matters. But why she was there, that is the question.”
“Maybe she was a servant?”
Koji shook his head. “Her clothes were those of a lady.”
“A mistress of Hiromi’s?”
“Perhaps, although the similarity to Mari’s appearance raises disturbing questions.”
Asa agreed, unwilling to name the option they both suspected. Koji spoke their fears out loud.
“My gut tells me that woman was there to look like Mari.”
Asa thought so as well, but she couldn’t understand why a double would be in place. When she had left, Mari and Hiromi seemed as though they were on good terms. Why would they need a double? Someone needed to convince others that Mari was still there. She said as much to Koji, who agreed.