Echoes of a Shattered Age

by R. J. Terrell

  “I must admit my similar curiosity,” Szhegaza added. “This is a large variety of fiends in one place and could prove difficult to control.”

  Brit eyed the two of them. “You need only fear me,” he responded. “Be assured that I am prepared to deal with any … issues. The management of these ‘guests’ falls to one of their own wretched species.” Zreal and Szhegaza looked at each other, still concerned.

  At that, to the left of the nervous zitarian, a black portal opened, and out stepped a mighty figure, fourteen feet tall with clawed hands hanging close to the ground. The horns protruding from its forehead hooked upward and ended in razor-sharp points.

  As it emerged from the blackness, Szhegaza carefully backed away, staring in shock at the hideous thing. Her blade-like nails extended by pure reflex to the horror that towered over her. Although Zreal had seen it before, he felt no less intimidated by the frightening demon.

  “You have done well in assembling the forces,” Kabriza observed. “Perhaps it may be a bit more difficult to dispose of you than first I thought.” The fiend managed what appeared to be a grin.

  “You are amusing, Quentranzi,” Brit said, his dark face a mask of calm. “One day we may see who is the stronger, but now is not the time for small-minded challenges.” The red fire in the Quentranzi’s eyes burned bright while Brit’s entire body began to glow.

  Zreal and Szhegaza slowly backed away from the face-off until they were out of the room.

  “Zreal,” Szhegaza whispered once they were alone. “I think we should put our differences aside, at least for now. If we are to survive this, we’ll need to combine our efforts. I believe Brit would be able to defeat that thing, but we would be fools to think that he will extend his protection to us. I doubt Brit has given much thought to our lives outside of his plans. If we are to survive this alliance, we must work together.”

  Zreal considered her words. “You’re right. We will put our survival above our differences. That mass of demons would rip us apart in the midst of battle no matter what side we are on. I would sooner add to their number of casualties than become one.”

  Szhegaza responded with a wicked smile.

  * * *

  Kenjiro stood at the edge of their campsite, enjoying the sunrise while Akemi finished packing the last of the breakfast supplies.

  “Next time you cook,” she complained. “I hate having to clean up everything while you get to enjoy the dawn.”

  “Have you forgotten who stood the first and longest watch while you slept most of the night?” Kenjiro smiled at her, and Akemi nearly fell over into the hot embers of the campfire. She hid her surprise and gave herself a silent pat on the back. It had been a good idea to rest in Toyotomi after all. The stern samurai seemed to be actually enjoying himself since their stop in the village.

  “We should move on soon,” he said, turning back toward the sunrise. “Our destination is not far from here and we can reach the city before dark.”

  The ninja woman nodded and secured the sack to one of the two horses they had bought. “I have a feeling that Kyokoza will be the place where many pieces to this puzzle will be filled in.” Akemi looked moved beside him. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

  “I do. There is more at work here that we haven’t discovered yet. I think there are more players in this game.”

  The ninja tied the last sack to her horse and mounted, turning toward the road while her brother did the same. “Then let’s get back in the game and see when these players reveal themselves.”

  Kenjiro grunted. “The pawn never sees the player. We know little and less, yet are compelled by some unknown force. Warriors are rarely the players in the game of war.” He looked at her. “Are we the pawns, or the players?”

  Akemi shrugged. “At this point, it matters little. Aside from dispatching a few demons, we’ve seen no strings tying us to the fingers of any would be puppeteers.”

  Again, the samurai grunted. “Like the pawn, the puppet never sees the strings that move his body.” Before Akemi could express her exasperation, he changed the subject. “What do you think of the strider?”

  “Tough to say,” she replied. “He seemed genuine, yet cryptic as to his intentions. But he’s a strider. They’re not known for being even as social as he was, let alone explaining anything to anyone.”

  “Striders. They have existed for as long as the samurai, yet I have never met one. I have a feeling we will see him again.”

  “Time will tell,” Akemi yawned.

  * * *

  Kita took the lead on the narrow trail across the ravine leading into a patch of forest.

  “I’ve seen this before,” Kenyatta called from behind. Kita shuddered at the thought of passing through another forest. Their narrow escape from death in the previous passage still fresh in their minds, neither man was eager to pass through any place that had more than a handful of trees. Their weapons were not yet charged with this demon-fighting enhancement that Taliah promised, which meant that the most they could do was slow the shadow creatures. Both prayed they did not encounter anything else unnatural before they reached Kyokoza.

  Once inside the forest, they slowed their mounts and proceeded to a nearby stream. While the horses drank, the two warriors had a snack of cheese and bread.

  “You feel that?” Kenyatta asked, swallowing his last bite. “Someone’s nearby.”

  “You think so?” Kita replied.

  “Don’t you feel it? It’s like that same feeling back in Nijika.”

  Kita rolled his eyes. “You mean Toyotomi.” His voice dripped with sarcasm with the reminder of the two-named village, as they’d come to learn.

  “Yeah, right,” Kenyatta said, equally sarcastic. It can be pretty confusing to folks not from around here when locals call it by two different names. Thought we were in da wrong place when first we got der.

  “Nijika to the country folk, Toyotomi to the people who actually live there.” Kita shook his head. What the hell is all that about, anyway?”

  “Forget it,” Kenyatta said. “A pointless stumble along the way. Nothing more.”

  “And back to the other point,” Kita said, “someone is following us for sure, but what I’m not sure of is whether or not they know they are following us.” Kita pointed to the path they had just traveled. “This road hasn’t been easy for horses to travel. If someone was pursuing us with purpose, they would have caught up to us a while ago.”

  Kenyatta stared back at the trail. “Good point. But I still won’t feel any better about dis ting until we find out.”

  “Guess we’ll find out when we do.” They saw that the horses had finished their drink and were now lazily grazing next to each other. “Let’s get moving.” Kita said. “I’ve had my fill of forests.”

  * * *

  Miles from humble Toyotomi, Kenjiro and Akemi came to a forest where they were forced to move at a slower pace, mindful of the shadow dwelling Kalistyi. On instinct, they dismounted and scanned the woods. The forest was eerily quiet and the horses began to whicker and shuffle nervously.

  They took defensive stances with the horses between them. A dark figure dropped from the trees and landed in a crouch so low, its knees were side by side with its shoulders. Akemi moved around the horses to stand beside her brother. No one said a word, all waiting for the other to make the first move.

  The figure slowly and deliberately straightened into an unorthodox stance, its right foot in front and facing the two warriors. Its left leg was positioned directly behind the right, with its foot also facing forward. From the shadows of the dense foliage, the two warriors could not see much of the stranger, but it seemed to be analyzing them.

  “We are travelers passing through this place,” Kenjiro began. “If you wish us to leave you need only step aside.…”

  Before the samurai could finish, the figure darted backward into the shadows and disappeared. An instant later, both warriors leapt in opposite directions just as a large disc with four long straight blades
sliced into the ground where they had been standing.

  Kenjiro and Akemi turned as soon as they landed, only to find that the weapon was gone, and there was no sign of the attacker.

  A high-pitched sound cut through the air and Kenjiro ducked as the vicious weapon sliced through the space where his head had been only an instant earlier. The samurai rolled to the left and crossed his sword before him defensively. Again, there was nothing there.

  Akemi had watched the attack, but it happened so fast she was barely able to follow. Her instincts screamed at her, and she rolled to her left just as the bladed disc sliced through the ground from behind. As soon as her feet were under her, Akemi spun and released a dozen shurikens in the direction the disc had come.

  She couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw every one of the blades deeply embedded in the trees in the distance. The ninja did, however, catch a glimpse of the strange chain-like cord that the disc weapon was connected to. The cord bent into a wide arc and pulled the disc into the air following the dark figure that glided through the air to land between them.

  This guy is good, Akemi thought. She could see by the look in his eyes that Kenjiro was having similar thoughts. Anyone who would intentionally land between them and put himself at a disadvantage was worthy of their respect. The dark fighter stood between the two warriors, not facing either of them, but merely standing in that strange stance as if waiting for them to make the next move.

  Now granted a closer look, Akemi could see that it was a male barely above five feet in height. He wore nothing more than a thick, tattered loincloth covered by old shredded strips of leather hanging from his waste. His brown skin contrasted sharply with shoulder length hair that was so black it looked blue. His small frame was covered with lean, rod-like muscles.

  This fighter had the frame of one who lived his life in the jungles and used wit and skill to survive. Akemi was pulled from her consideration of the man by a nod from the samurai, and both warriors dashed in for the attack. To their surprise, the warrior did not leap away from them as before, but held his position while parrying and dodging every attack. They had never seen such technique before. This man, whoever he was, fought with unorthodox but tremendous skill.

  Kenjiro delivered a short vertical strike, which the dark fighter avoided by leaning backward. Akemi smirked as she struck horizontally at his head. To her surprise, he ducked the attack with impossible speed and agility. Both warriors hopped back and watched him.

  “I can think of a more friendly way to test your skill, strange one,” Akemi remarked. The dark fighter slowly turned his head to face the ninja. His eyes could not be seen through the wild hair that hung over his face. “Now it is time for you to make a choice.” She winked.

  Kenjiro charged forward and Akemi leaped backward high into the air. While the samurai came in fast, the sky rained with shurikens. Kenjiro delivered a combination of horizontal and vertical strikes that the warrior avoided, rather than parried. With the storm of shurikens within a few feet of their mark, the wild fighter darted away to safety, and in the same instant, Kenjiro rolled backward, and the descending shurikens passed over him.

  His escape was not complete, for one of the airborne blades had found its mark in his shoulder. The samurai ignored the pain as he parried every attack the incredibly fast fighter delivered. Kenjiro was in disbelief at the speed and strength of someone so small. After his first round with this thing—he wasn’t entirely sure it was human—he knew he was in trouble. The samurai would have to find an opening to strike or retreat before his adversary overwhelmed him with speed.

  Akemi, still gliding backward, grabbed hold of a branch and propelled herself back toward the fight. She launched another handful of shurikens to distract, just long enough for Kenjiro to gain some distance and recover.

  The fighter leaped backward, all the while bending and twisting in every direction to avoid the barrage of shurikens. After dodging the last of the airborne missiles, the warrior froze, then ducked to avoid a horizontal strike at his head. He then spun to the side to avoid a vertical swipe that followed. With untiring agility and speed, the fighter leaped forward and launched his weapon at the two siblings, who dove to either side.

  As soon as his feet touched the ground, the small warrior rolled to the side to avoid an overhead descending blow from the trees. Akemi and Kenjiro looked on in confusion as this unusual fighter now matched the fury of two new fighters, blow for blow. One of the warriors was almost the same complexion as the wild fighter, but larger, while the other was lighter in complexion but with a similar build.

  It was an awesome display of skill as these two newcomers battled the wild fighter. With a nod to each other, Kenjiro and Akemi leaped into the fight in attempt to overwhelm their foe. Against all that seemed possible, this one fighter defended against all of them!

  The two new warriors were clearly skilled, yet this wild fighter fended off every attack. The fighter with the spear-tipped staff stabbed forward, which the wild fighter spun around while ducking a cut at his head at the same time. The new dark fighter with the two swords slashed horizontal, then vertical with each weapon and struck only air. The wild fighter planted his feet and gripped the disc in his hands. His arms were a blur of motion as he blocked every sword or staff that came at him.

  Just as the wild fighter seemed to be moving even faster, overwhelming them all, the new stranger with the two swords snarled and increased his own speed. For the span of a heartbeat, it looked as though he was gaining the upper hand, then the wild man ducked a cut aimed at his head and brought that bladed disc around for a diagonal slash downward, bringing the weapon back up for a horizontal spin, driving all four warriors back and stirring up dust and leaves. In the next instant he was gone.

  Kenjiro, however, caught a glimpse of a few leaves falling from above and knew the fighter had retreated through the trees.

  The four warriors instinctively leaped back and faced off. At first, no one spoke. Then the dark warrior spoke.

  “We are not enemies.”

  “Who is to say?” Akemi asked, hiding her surprise that he spoke their language.

  At that comment, all warriors straightened and, watching each other, put their weapons away.

  “You are not Japanese, yet you speak perfectly,” Akemi observed.

  “When you spend some years in a place, you learn the language,” the warrior responded in a friendly tone. He moved a few short locks of twisted hair from in front of his face and smiled.

  ***

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Akemi examined the strangers while her brother took note of their surroundings as if expecting another attack.

  “See something you like?” the darker of the two asked with a grin. The ninja cut him a sharp look, irritated with herself for heat that was rising in her cheeks at the comment.

  “You fight well,” the samurai remarked. “Where could two such as yourselves acquire such skill?”

  “Many places,” the lighter foreigner answered. “We have had the opportunity to travel to many countries throughout this ever-changing world and come away with a variety of skills.”

  Akemi eyed the man who spoke. “Why did you help us? We did not request help nor did we require any.”

  “I’m sure,” came a facetious reply. “Under normal circumstances you may have turned on us for interfering in your fight, but you offered no resistance to our aid.”

  The ninja noticed the darker warrior take note of her brother, who visibly stiffened.

  “The truth is,” he continued. “We encountered that strange individual a while before you arrived and neither myself nor my friend here believe in coincidence.”

  “And what coincidence are you referring to?” Akemi asked.

  Securing his spear behind his back, the foreigner pointed down the trail from which they all came.

  “We could feel someone behind us and we’re not having anyone at our backs that we don’t know. Then our friend from the trees came and
gave us the toughest fight we’ve have had in some time, possibly the toughest fight we’ve ever had.” He smiled as he studied the two siblings. “I don’t think you would disagree?”

  “And now,” the other interrupted. “Maybe we could reverse the conversation, if you don’t mind?”

  Akemi cut the other man a sharp look. “We follow no one,” she stated. “You happen to be traveling the same trail as us. We have no more business with you than you with us.”

  “I’m not sure of that,” the man replied. She narrowed her eyes and he raised his hands, palms out and shrugged his shoulders. “Coincidence is a convenient excuse,” he said, “but fortune is a better explanation. The web of life connects everyone in different ways, and I have a feeling that the strands that connect us are longer than a brief meeting after a fight with a mysterious opponent.” He smiled, and Akemi found it to be a rather handsome smile. From the derisive sigh from her brother, her features must have betrayed her thoughts.

  “My name is Kenyatta,” the dark man with the twisted locks said. “And this is Kita,” He indicated the man next to him. “As you have already figured, we’re not from here. I am from the island of Jamaica and he the Philippines.” Without any further pleasantries, Kenyatta knelt and studied the trail. It was dry with only a hint of moisture making the ground a bit soft. At one time the road had been heavily traveled, but that was long ago. The wear was ages old it seemed, and there was no sign of any recent use by horse or cart.

  “What takes you to the city of Kyokoza?” the samurai demanded, ever suspicious. Kita gave a sidelong glance at the road in the direction they had all been traveling.

  “What makes you believe that is our destination? And even so, your companion here has already informed us that we have no business beyond this soon-to-be brief meeting.”

  A hint of a smirk showed on the samurai’s face. “Your friend has taken an interest in the road that leads directly to Kyokoza.”