Second Born

by Lance Wilson

  “Attonnan did you hear me” sun ask taking a long deep breath

  “Go ahead” Attonnan says not taking his eyes of the island in the horizon.

  “Some of the cargo is tar and oil. At least ten casks of it. We can use that to our advantage. I don’t think the captain will be to happy to part with it though” sun says and takes a deep breath.

  “Leave the captain to me. I shall handle him.” Attonnan says and walks to the captain’s quarters.

  Slowly Attonnan taps on the door but before there is even an answer he walks in seeing the captain sitting behind his desk. The captain not having said anything about him walking in growls and looks up.

  “I don’t know what your thinking, but this is my ship, and on my ship you will follow my orders, from the ones that may save your life to the ones that are just simple manners, such as waiting to be told to ender my quarters. Do you hear me?” The captain says his voice a low threatening growl.

  “I hear you, and I don’t care. You have ten casks of what I am told is oil and tar. My men will be taking those when we leave the ship” Attonnan says and turns to walk out.

  “How dare you. You have no right to that cargo. It is due and expected in Vivec” the captain says and rises from his seat.

  Attonnan slowly takes his hand off the door and turns to face the captain. How dare he, how dare he challenge him. His ship or not he will not be challenged.

  “Captain, I suggest for your own health that you sit back down, do as your told and understand that what I say is the word of god here. Question my orders again and I will cut you down without a second though” Attonnan says his voice now more like an animals growl. Low and harsh, full of animosity and hate.

  “You wouldn’t dare” The captain says and lays his hand on the cutlass at his side.

  Attonnan stands there loose, ready for the moment that will decide this. He knows his move, the moment that hand tightens he will let loose with his own draw and cleave the captain in two. But the hand never tightens instead as he stares into Attonnan’s eyes his hand moves away from the blade and the captain turns his back

  “I thought so” Attonnan says and chuckles to himself.

  Attonnan then walks out of the room and back to sun

  “The casks are ours. When the ship lands you and I will scout ahead decide where and how to lay them out. Then we will summon the others and prepare for the ambush.” Attonnan says, his words sounding hollow even in his own ears.

  Attonnan then watches as the ship circles around the island until it docks right where he had directed. The captain nods to the dock insisting that they get off without so much as a word. Sun and Attonnan take the hint and move down the plank to the shores. Sun only chuckles the captain obviously hates Attonnan and he has no remorse for it. Sun smiles the captain obviously has no idea who he was dealing with. Attonnan is not a man to be challenged. The two of them walk and scout out the area of the attack. It is a small outcome with an only one path running though it. All round it are sharp rocky crags if he can hide his men all around in the crags then they will have the advantage. Sun and him both study the alcove quietly and calmly.

  “Here is how I see it. Lay out the oil and tar along the entrance and exit of the path. Then make strips like a grid. Cover it with dirt but still make sure that it can still be ignited” fang says and smiles thinking about the battle to come

  “This is a bit drastic don’t you think, with our people in the crags armed with bows and them down below engulfed in flame. They will be destroyed the killing will be merciless. A horrible way to go” Sun says looking at what will be the battlefield, although he would barely call it that, to him it is more a killing field, a place where men will be massacred. Death is waiting here, and Attonnan will oblige him.

  “Sun, I need to know and know now. Will you carry out my orders” Attonnan says looking hard into his eyes.

  “Tell me why Attonnan, why go this far” sun says gesturing all around him.

  “Hellgates, Omashu. Those are enough reasons for me” Sun only looks down. He understands perfectly. Before he even knew Attonnan he was told about the battle of Omashu, that battle Attonnan and Kenshi first met. All of Attonnan’s men died under him, including a friend named Aang. He still has his headband from the Fuma clan, he wasn’t at the battle of hellgates, but he saw that after the surrender of Musashi, the only survivors were Attonnan and Toph. He is sure that is why Toph was not allowed at this battle.

  “With this battle the other side will be completely destroyed, but our side will have no looses. This time everyone goes home.” Attonnan says and smiles, he admits he feels horrible for those that will stand against him, but to get his men back alive he will do anything.

  “I shall get the men together, we can prepare this thing.” Sun says and makes his way back to the ship to get the men.

  Sun makes his way to the ship and gathers the men. The captain growls as he watches the soldiers grab casks of oil and tar but he knows at this point there is nothing he can do about it. Maybe when he gets back to Shimazu he will talk to Kenshi, but until then he will just have to grin and bare it.

  The men walked down the board of the ship, the last men in the group caring the casks. As they march they all begin to sing a simple marching song. Something taught to them when they were only new recruits. Sun chuckles hearing it, it doesn’t take them long to get to the alcove that Attonnan is waiting in. quickly Attonnan hands down the orders of what is to be done and how it is to be done. The men quickly do their orders and lay out a grid of oil and tar, then a wide strip at the entrance and exit of the alcove. Once the tar and oil are set and covered Attonnan sets his two best archers ready to ignite the trap when he gives the signal. Once al this is done he makes sure that his men are hidden. After everyone has taken there possessions he glances around to make sure nothing of them can be seen. It is perfect. They can’t be seen when the army comes they will be destroyed. Now for the bait. Attonnan slowly pulls a bow out from his saddlebags and then an arrow painted bright green. Smiling he lights the tip of the arrow and shoots straight into the air. As it hits high enough in the air there is a bright green flash of light. A signal, bait.

  Only yards away the council watches as the signal flair ignites. Nagamasa is the first to the window. A green flare, a signal to others that a man is down and that a unit needs a pick up. Normally he would jump to the aid of another unit, but he has already accounted for all of his men, they are all here and all fine. It must be a trap. Who would be so daring as to try to lure them on there own island? Only one man comes to mind, only two men come to mind Fuma Hojo or Mecmed. He is sure that it has to be one of them.

  “Your orders sir” one of his generals says calmly

  “Gather our armies, we shall ride out to them, they are fools to think that we can be taken on our own island” Nagamasa says and laughs.

  The generals all look at each other in doubt. It is true that Nagamasa is a great fighter, but not the tactician that his father was, or his brother Byrdi.

  “As you wish lord” The generals say and move to the main courtyard. Just like that Nagamasa hears his war horn blown as a summons to the army. He smiles and moves to his room and equips himself with his best armor and weapons. Once equipped he makes his way to the courtyard where his men are waiting. They all stand there waiting for his orders.

  “I’m sure you all saw the flare. I want to go check it out. This could vary well be a trap but I want to see to it that no one dares think that they can take us on our island. Do you understand.”? Nagamasa says, the reply is instant the men shout out in readiness.

  With that he mounts his horse and once the gate is opened he makes his way to the place the flare was shot from. The men march with pleasure and excitement. It has been a while since they had been in a battle. The army marches to what is known as the glass gates. A large canyon with sha
rp glass like rocks on either side. At first Nagamasa fears that his first suspicions might be right, perhaps this is an abuse, but who would dare set up an ambush. But it would risk all of the men to hide in these razor sharp mountainsides. They move though the canyon for a few minutes and soon find themselves looking at a young man dressed all in white. Attonnan stands in the middle of the canyon, waiting, as the army approaches he takes a long deep breath, he doesn’t want this, this is not his battle, not his war. But this is what Kenshi has asked him for, this is what is needed. Slowly Attonnan turns to face them. His face his calm and cool, his resolve is solid. He cannot falter, not even a razors edge.

  “Relinquish your weapons, lay down your arms and swear loyalty to Kenshi and the Takada army. And your lives will be spared.” Attonnan says his voice as cold as an artic wind.

  Nagamasa stares at the youth, there is something about him, and something he can’t quite put his finger on. But he is the son of the great Musashi Hitori, he yields to know one.

  “It is one against an army, I don’t know what your doing here, perhaps, perhaps you could lay down your own blade and we can talk. To move along with this is suicide” Nagamasa says and smiles at him. He can’t say why but he feels he has to play it cautious with this youth.

  “That is not an option. Give me a yes or no now. Are you ready to end this one way or another” Attonnan says and drops to his drawing stance.

  “I’m sorry I cannot” he says and signals to his men to attack.

  Attonnan sees it all coming and draws his blade, making it spark against the rocks. It is the signal, from the glass rocks an arrow of fire shoots into the ground, the whole ground ignites in a blaze. Nagamasa’s army shouts in fear and pain as many are set on fire. Attonnan waists no time. Moving like the wind he slips though the crowd cutting down everyone in his path. Nagamasa is astonished at it all. Frozen in place he can only watch. His men are cut down. Watching the youth is like watching something not of this world. He takes a few steps, cuts a man down, then takes a few more and vanishes leaving only swirls of what looks like white sand. Then in the blink of an eye he is somewhere else killing another, then gone again. It’s like time and space mean nothing to him. Arrows fly down from all around them as the youth works. The fire, the arrows, the young blade master, it is all too much his whole army is cut down in a matter of minutes. Snapping back to himself he sees that the battle is now over and walking toward him is the young man that warned him to surrender. Fire and bodies, the smell of burning flesh surround the both of them; blood and gore fill his nostrils making his stomach wretch. Nagamasa cannot help himself and becomes sick over his shoes. Looking up the youth now stands before him. Attonnan glares at Nagamasa, he can see it, the fear in his eyes, he can even smell it in the air. In a flash his blade whips through the air, but stops, stops just short of the neck of Nagamasa.

  “Go, run Nagamasa, run and never enter this war again. My men will swear loyalty to me and say nothing of us or this” Attonnan says and turns his back to him.

  Nagamasa trembling runs, his men gone his island lost, he will take this youths advice and run, run and never come back. He will go home, back to the Hitori palace.

  Attonnan turns to his men and nods. The signal is given and the rest of the men are set alight. Let the fires take them and let there souls find the afterlife for which they al seek. Attonnan stands at the edge of the canyon, the vary gates he set the trap and cries, his face like a mask of stone with tears weeping from it. It is always like this, he sheds the tears for men he never knew and for reasons he doesn’t know, perhaps he will never know. Sun watches as he helps the men with the bodies, he wonders why Attonnan let the blue dragon of the Hitori live, even more he wonders if he should tell his brother. So badly he wants to go to Attonnan, lay a hand on his shoulder and tell him that it will be all right. But will it. He has his doubts. Something deep inside tells him that this is only the beginning. It takes them only a few hours to burn the army leaving only ashes and markers, also ordered by Attonnan. Sun watches as the sun begins to go down. As the rest of the camp stand wondering what is to be done next Sun watches Attonnan walk among the markers of the dead.

  “So this is a land without war, there is no struggle here. I made sure of that” Attonnan says his voice barely a whisper, a deep sadness echoing in his words.

  “Attonnan” Sun says slowly approaching

  Sun then watches as Attonnan drops his blade then drops to his knees

  “What was I thinking.”? Attonnan says his voice that of a helpless child now.

  “Attonnan, please” sun says his voice laced with worry and fear.

  “My dream is to bring an end to the constant state of war. I sought a lord capable of doing so and found him in lord Kenshi. I serve him cause he can end the suffering that the elflands people currently endure, I would serve anyone who could.” Attonnan says and looks high into the sky watching it turn a blood red color.

  Suddenly the surroundings fade around him and all he sees is a light tan background with a desert all around him. Filling the ground are flags and markers of all those that he killed. The flags are askew and tattered. The ground is littered with broken and discarded weapons. So this is it, this is all that his life has amounted to so far, death.

  “Wait, that’s it, I can realize my own dream. With my own hands I can end the chaos.” With those words the scene vanishes from him and again he is on his knees in the canyon.

  Quickly he snatches up his sword and turns to his men.

  “The enemy is at Omashu,” He shouts pointing his blade in the direction of the ship.

  All this confuses the men, they came from Omashu, there lord, and Kenshi is there. Why would Attonnan say that the enemy is there? But they do not question it. Instead they gather their things and make there way to the ship. In no time they are aboard the ship and heading back. Sun watches as Attonnan is up in the crow’s nest looking out to the destination. He wonders on all that has happened and how things have changed so much. Just moments ago Kenshi and Attonnan were good friends and once lovers, now, if he had heard Attonnan was correct they are marching on his brother.

  It is only a short trip to the docks of Shimazu. Instantly the stable master brings the horses that they left there. The army is mounted and ready to ride in a matter of seconds.

  As the cool night wind blows through the city of Omashu Toph stands outside on the balcony of the war room. She has stood there for some time looking out into the night sky. Kenshi watches her from the shadows of the war room. She doesn’t know he is watching, he doesn’t want her to know. He has watched her for some time and knows that she feels things for Attonnan, and sometimes there is a connection with the two of them.

  “Do I hear what I think I’m hearing? Do you see the signs I think I see, or is it just a fantasy?” She sings in a soft voice almost like a haunting child’s voice.

  Kenshi smiles hearing the song, it is not one he has heard but it does tell him much. It’s telling him that Attonnan is coming and that somehow she senses it.

  “Is it true that the beast is waking, stirring in his restless sleep tonight, in the pale moon light” She continues, now looking out in the direction of Shimazu.

  “In the grip of this cold December, you and I will have reason to remember” She finishes and then lays her hands down on the balcony.

  His plan has come to flourish. Attonnan is coming, coming to end the war, to end it by ending him. That last mission was the final push that he needed. Now he realizes that he needs to stop following lords and start carving his own path. With that thought out of nowhere he hears the sound of thunder, lightning soon follows filling the place with a brilliant light. Rain pours down as if the heavens just opened up. He stays hidden in the shadows as he watches that Toph doesn’t move.

  “What’s that sound what’s that dreadful rumble, in the distance but drawing near? Is it onl
y a storm approaching, all that thunder and the blinding light, in this winter night? In the grip of this cold December you and I will have reason to remember” She continues her song leaning forward now her stare to the city of Shimazu now growing intense.

  Kenshi’s eyes grow intense as well; he can see it, just a hint of torchlight moving down the path. He is here. Good, all things have been prepared, the army has been dismissed the lords have all agreed that when this is said and done they will follow Attonnan.

  “Soldiers write the songs that soldiers sing, the songs that you and I don’t sing. They blow their horns and march along; they drum their drums and look so strong. You’d think that nothing in the world was wrong. Soldiers write the songs that soldiers sing, the songs that you and I wont sing. Lets not look the other way, taking a chance, cause if the bugler starts to play, we too must dance.” she says and goes to walk out of the war room, gripping her blade.

  “You’re not going anywhere Toph” Kenshi says and steps in her way.

  “What, lord Kenshi, I” She stammers but then looks down at the floor.

  “I know what you’re thinking, your thinking of going out and talking Attonnan out of his current actions, perhaps even fight him. This is between him and I. he will need you when all this is said and done. That is where I need you” Kenshi says and lays a hand on her shoulder. She then looks up to watch Kenshi reach over and pick up his spear. She goes to follow him out of the room but he quickly shuts the door behind himself and slaps something against the door. Kenshi smiles as he lays the bar against the door. She won’t get out. Attonnan will find her and then they can work through all this, let her hate him for this for now, she’s not the one he’s working on.

  Once the armies get close to Omashu Attonnan gives the orders to light the lesser buildings on fire, he wants to draw the army out, draw Kenshi out. In no time the city is ablaze, but something is wrong, the army is not there, no one comes running. Attonnan orders his men to stay outside the gates of the main courtyard. He will not have them walk into an ambush. Attonnan walks into the courtyard to find Kenshi waiting for him. He is dressed just as he was when they first met. He takes a deep breath and walks over to him. When they are only a few feet away Kenshi turns looking at the sky.