by Ryan Kirk
In the pitch darkness of the night Tanak could barely make out the barrels of flammable liquid on the bridge. There were four, two closer to his kingdom, two closer to the other bank. Each side’s barrels were placed out of bow range of the other side. They were a last-ditch defense for both sides. Tanak could clearly see the small fires burning on the walls of the southern fort. Night and day, archers stood near those fires with their bows at the ready. It was the same defense they used on his side. If either kingdom attempted to use the bridge as a means to invasion, the archers could shoot the barrels and burn the bridge down. Tanak needed the bridge, so the barrels were his first obstacle.
Tanak strained all his senses, but he couldn’t observe anything unusual happening below. The bridge was silent. He turned to Renzo, who was standing beside him, patient as a rock. “Tell me, what’s happening down there?”
Renzo glanced at Tanak, his annoyance with Tanak’s impatience clear. “Your men are just getting started. The first two have slipped underneath the bridge, and two more are following now.”
Tanak wished, not for the first time, to be blessed with the sense like his adviser was. Renzo had grown up with his abilities, and Tanak felt he took them for granted. He didn’t understand how much others would covet those same abilities. Tanak was hoping Renzo would give him regular updates, but Renzo was silent and focused. Frustrated, he turned back to the bridge. If Renzo could be patient, so could he. He wondered how far out Renzo’s abilities extended. The bridge was several hundred paces long. Could Renzo sense all the way to the other side of the bridge? His adviser’s face revealed no clue.
As time passed Tanak’s impatience continued to grow. If there hadn’t been hundreds of troops watching him and waiting for their next order, Tanak would have paced like a madman. He knew less time had passed than he thought. The mission wasn’t easy. It was hundreds of paces across the bridge and his men were climbing underneath it. Only four men had been selected and trained. They had equipment that allowed them to claw their way underneath the bridge, but Tanak had little doubt it was a tremendous task for each of them.
His straining ears heard a splash that seemed out of place and he looked immediately to Renzo. Renzo shook his head. “One of your men fell off the bridge. He was swept away. I don’t know if he lives.”
Tanak swore softly to himself. The four men going across the bridge didn’t wear armor, so they should be able to float, but the river was fast and dangerous. Even a strong swimmer could meet his end in the rushing water below.
The silence continued. Tanak couldn’t take much more. He was a leader, unaccustomed to waiting. He considered ordering his men across the bridge. It was a desperate gamble, but better than waiting another cycle to get all the pieces into place. He had committed everything to this task. His kingdom would suffer if they didn’t succeed tonight.
Renzo turned to him. “I think they’ve pushed over the barrels.”
“You think?”
“I’m sorry. I can’t be sure. I am having a hard time sensing them while surrounded by so many people. I am almost certain.”
Tanak stared incredulously at Renzo. Renzo returned his stare, impassive as ever. The decision was Tanak’s to make. It was his kingdom, his war.
Sometimes there was nothing to do but roll the dice and hope for the best. He raised his fist, and he felt the attention of every warrior on him. He gestured forward, and the whole fortress surged for the gate. The invasion had begun.
The gates opened silently and Tanak’s men poured out. The plan had been established long ago. Messengers were sent to the armies hiding behind the hills and the entire operation leapt into motion. Tanak watched with mounting eagerness from the walls, safely out of danger.
Archers went onto the bridge first, unleashing flights of invisible arrows to rain down in the night. Tanak couldn’t see them, but he could imagine the waves of arrows slicing down into the bodies of unsuspecting guards. He could hear the screams carry over the running water below. After several waves had launched Tanak saw the flickering of fires being uncovered, illuminating his archers. More waves of arrows followed, these leaving trails of flame behind them. Tanak closed his eyes but he could still see their deadly arcs burned into his memory. With any luck, the arrows would start the southern shore on fire, killing many of the men inside without having to risk the lives of his own soldiers.
As Tanak saw fire catch in the southern fortress, he heard the sound of alarm bells ringing. Everything was working better than he had hoped. The southerners were caught completely off-guard. A thousand cycles of relative peace had made them soft. Archers continued to rain fire down on the fortress, covering the advance of the infantry. There was so little retaliation it was almost a joke. A scattering of arrows was launched back at the bridge in an attempt to light it on fire, but Tanak’s troops were prepared with blankets to put out any potential dangers. The bridge was far too large to be taken out by any single arrow, but Tanak’s soldiers weren’t taking any chances. They needed the bridge.
The battering ram went across next. It was a bloody business, and Tanak lost men as the southern fortress mounted a token resistance, but Tanak could tell it was only a matter of time. There were uncontrolled fires raging on the other shore, and resistance was scattered at best. The war began with a quiet victory.
Tanak’s prediction turned out to be true. It was easier than he had dared to hope. He had expected the battle to rage almost until morning, but well before the sun rose over the horizon, Tanak’s troops were taking the last of Akira’s men prisoner. The garrison had been smaller than Tanak’s spies had reported. Much of Akira’s Fourth was spread up and down the river. Tanak wondered if he could have just sent Renzo in. He could have taken out the garrison by himself. Tanak shook his head. Better he didn’t. It was still illegal to harbor a nightblade, and the fear of them was so great that even Tanak’s soldiers might have turned on him if they had known. It was better for them to have this victory as the start to their campaign.
Akira’s troops had a reputation of being fierce, well-trained fighters. Tanak didn’t underestimate his opponent, but their easy victory here today gave his troops the sign they needed. They could stand toe-to-toe with Akira’s forces, and when they did, they’d destroy them all.
Tanak slept well for the first time in many moons. When he awoke it was late morning, and he felt as refreshed as though he had slept for days. The sun was bright, beaming through all the smoke from the smoldering fortress. Tanak stood again on the walls of his fortress as he watched his troops camping on the southern side of the river. Today had been designated a day of rest. They had set their perimeter overnight. Today they would take one final deep breath before their push. Every soldier knew the plan and how ambitious it was.
Tanak spent the day in meetings with his generals. Renzo was nowhere to be found. He detested meetings. True to his namesake, he shunned the day, and he tried not to be seen around Tanak more than was necessary. Ambitious advisers were always political targets and Renzo had no desire to bring further attention to himself. However, Tanak took comfort in knowing that Renzo was always somewhere near. With Renzo as a bodyguard, Tanak felt more safe than with an entire regiment guarding him.
The three generals of his armies knew their plans well. Today’s meetings were more about straightening out final details than deciding any strategy. After today they would spread out over substantial distances and getting messages to each other would be challenging. But as he looked around the room, he felt confident in the abilities of each of his generals. They all had worked together for at least ten cycles, and Tanak would trust each of them with his kingdom. Each of them had to succeed. They had the element of surprise, but Akira’s troops were famous for their training. All of Akira’s units cycled through actual combat at the Three Sisters, while few of Tanak’s soldiers had seen true bloodshed. It wouldn’t be an easy campaign.
That evening Tanak met in private with Renzo.
“What are your th
oughts?”
“Last night was successful. It is a good omen. I hope you meet with such success every battle, but do not underestimate Akira. You have caught him unaware, and if you are fast you may make significant progress into his kingdom before he can react, but he is an excellent leader. If trusting to the promises of a treaty is his greatest weakness, he will be a formidable opponent.”
Tanak wondered why Renzo had come to him. His respect for Akira and Sen was apparent, but he was here with Tanak. Tanak knew Renzo was trying to keep him from underestimating his opponents, but when he spoke of the other Lords he held a hint of reverence in his voice that never seemed to be present when he spoke to Tanak.
But Renzo had never led him astray, and his plans aligned with Tanak’s. Tanak wasn’t foolish enough to trust blindly, but he held Renzo in respect.
“What do you think Akira will do?”
Renzo shook his head. “I do not know. The question boils down to his decision about the Three Sisters. Certainly he will be concerned about the lack of an attack this spring. He won’t know what to do. If he holds back an army or two to defend the pass you should be able to defeat him. He has a strong army, but not strong enough to fight a war on two fronts. Your victory is assured.”
Tanak nodded his agreement. There were many pieces in motion. There was no telling how Akira would react. The other wild card was Sen. Tanak hadn’t dared approach him with his plan. Sen was known for his caution, but if Akira was threatened on two fronts, it might be too much of an opportunity for even Sen to pass up. Additionally, if Tanak was successful, the Western Kingdom would be too strong for the Northern Kingdom to resist. Tanak suspected Sen would sit and wait to see how events unfolded.
Tanak knew one fact for sure. The Three Kingdoms would never be the same. They had existed in an uneasy truce for hundreds of cycles, but change was coming, and Tanak was leading it.
Tanak dismissed Renzo and collapsed onto his bed with a smile on his face. Soon, he would be King. A title the Three Kingdoms hadn’t seen for a thousand cycles. And it all started with destroying Akira’s kingdom.
Chapter 4
The sun rose on a beautiful morning. The black of evening gave way to the oranges of the burning sun, dissipating the fog hanging like a blanket over the ground. Ryuu was already up, meditating on the shadow he had encountered almost a half-moon ago. Since that night they had been vigilant, but the shadow hadn’t returned. The fact they hadn’t sensed anyone again was more troublesome to him than the initial contact. Was their opponent evading their sense, or had it disappeared like the morning fog? Ryuu was convinced it had been tracking him, but why had it come, and why had it disappeared? Having an enemy in front of you was one thing. A mystery was another.
Moriko had sensed the person as well, but she didn’t have any answers either. Both of them were lost among possibilities.
He stood up from his meditation. There weren’t any answers for him. He had imagined thousands of possibilities, but none of them seemed more realistic or probable than any other. For all the strength he possessed, he was still frustrated by what he didn’t know. There were days, many days, where he wished Shigeru was still alive. There was still so much more to learn. His adopted father had been taken from him too early. Even now he couldn’t control all his abilities.
Ryuu walked back to the hut where Moriko was up and busy. He frowned. The morning was early yet. She usually slept for another watch or two. He slid the door open to reveal Moriko packing a small sack with some food. She looked up at him and tossed him a fishing spear. “It’s a beautiful day,” she said, “and it’s about time we got out of the hut for a while.”
Ryuu grinned. It sounded perfect. Somehow she always knew what he needed. Her understanding of him was deep. Getting out would distract him from the problems lingering in his mind and keep him focused on the present.
They set off for the stream that ran near the hut. Ryuu held the spear loosely in his hand. Fishing with the sense wasn’t fair. When he focused he knew not just where the fish was, but where it would be. In one attempt he caught a trout as long as his forearm. It would feed both of them. He gave a quick thanks to the fish as it joined the Great Cycle, nourishing them just as one day they would nourish the planet with their own bodies. Ryuu packed the fish in the sack and they kept hiking.
He let Moriko take the lead. In the time they had spent here she had learned the woods just as well as him, if not better. She had a natural affinity for the woods and was never happier than when she was walking peacefully among the trees. Their pace was slow, and Ryuu felt the tension lift from his shoulders. He opened up his sense and everything pressed more sharply against his mind. The bird calls rang crisply through the cool late morning. Ryuu smiled. In another life this was how he had trained with Shigeru. The woods were teeming with life, and for those gifted with the sense it was almost too much to take in. Ryuu couldn’t extend his senses too far, but what he could sense was beautiful.
Ryuu had become so lost in thought he almost ran into Moriko as she slowed to a stop. She naturally suppressed her aura. Most days it wasn’t too much trouble. Ryuu was so attuned to her it was almost impossible for her to hide from him. But lost in thought, open to all the life in the woods, he had lost her for a few moments. He laughed at his awkwardness.
Moriko brought them to a small, secluded clearing where the trees opened up, allowing a soft bed of grass to grow in the sunlight. Ryuu lay down, stretching out as far as he could. Without a word Moriko lay down next to him on her side, her head on his outstretched arm. They lay like that for a while, and Ryuu drifted in and out of sleep. He didn’t care. Life was perfect.
The afternoon wore on, and eventually Ryuu figured they should get their meal started. They had been here before and had cleared a small space for a fire. Ryuu went into the woods and collected fallen dead wood. He returned to the clearing where Moriko arranged and lit a fire. Moriko had been teaching herself how to cook over the past two cycles and had gotten better. Ryuu was still more experienced, but he knew better than to complain when someone cooked him food. She rubbed herbs on the fish and let it roast over the fire. When it came off it was perfect, and both of them dug eagerly into their food.
After dinner they sat and talked, and after their food had settled, they trained for a while. They wore their steel, but they hadn’t brought wooden swords to practice with, so it was all hand-to-hand combat they trained.
As they trained, Ryuu couldn’t help but think about how much stronger Moriko had become. When they had first met, Moriko had been near death. She had healed, but her combat training was nowhere near as complete as Ryuu’s had been. But she was a fast learner, faster perhaps than him. As they traded blows, Ryuu realized he only had the slimmest of edges on her.
She committed to a strike she shouldn’t have, putting too much force into a blow that never landed. Ryuu was behind her and had her in a hold she couldn’t break or throw. He laughed, a combat high washing over him, and he kissed her on the neck. Moriko moaned softly with pleasure. She turned around as he loosened his grasp and her lips met his eagerly. With a quick motion, Ryuu disrobed her and admired her beauty. Her dark hair seemed to glimmer in the early evening sunlight. He ran his hands over the scars that covered her body, marveling both at her mental and physical strength.
Then his robes were off and they were in the grass. Moriko was a quiet and reserved woman, but her passions came out when they lay together. She pushed him down and let herself down on top of him. Ryuu opened up his sense and was lost as the two of them joined together as one.
Afterward they sat in the clearing watching the sun go down below the trees. They used their robes as blankets as it got cooler. Ryuu was moments away from drifting into peaceful oblivion when he felt it again. He cursed. The shadow was back.
Ryuu was on his feet in a moment, Moriko following his lead a heartbeat behind. He wrapped his robes around him and checked the sword at his hip. There was no point in trying to run. If Ryuu was
right, the shadows could sense them already. He would stand and fight.
The shadow reached the edge of the clearing and stopped. Ryuu waited patiently, standing his ground. He had all night, and he could sense the shadow’s presence high in the trees overlooking the clearing. Ryuu and Moriko were in the most defensible position around. He held his stance, still as the night air.
Ryuu wasn’t expecting the shadow to split in two. He doubted his senses for a moment, but there was no time for doubt. Where there had been one shadow, now there were two, moving in opposite directions around the clearing. Ryuu turned to face one as Moriko tracked the other, turning them back to back.
Ryuu barely had time to wonder. His sense had always been precise. But somehow, he struggled to sense these shadows.
The shadows didn’t give him time to puzzle out the solution. They broke from the trees simultaneously, one shadow moving straight for Moriko, the other moving for Ryuu. Within a few paces he could see the outlines of a shadow and the glint of a blade in the starlight, but he couldn’t make out the distinct outline of a human. It had the approximate dimensions of a man, but its edges were blurry. There was nothing his mind could process as an arm or a leg. He shook his head, trying to clear the mist from his vision. He squinted and nothing changed.
There was a glint as a thin blade struck out from the amorphous attacker. Ryuu dove out of the way, seeing it at the last moment. He rolled to his feet, his sword drawn. He focused on his sense, pushing aside the use of his vision. The shift shocked his mind.