Heart of Defiance

by Ryan Kirk

  Bai could tell that Delun knew the answer before she spoke it.

  “It was the monks. Do you have any idea how it feels to know that there are people out there with powers you can’t understand, with the strength to wipe out your house and your livelihood with a gesture from their hand? That fear runs deep, and in that fear, I wasn’t alone. Not all of us feared the elders, but we all fear monks.”

  “But we protect—”

  Bai couldn’t keep the derision from her voice as she interrupted. “Are you so sure about that? I’ve spent time with you, Delun, and I think I know you well enough to understand that you fight for what you believe in. But there is blood on your hands. How many people have you killed to protect your vision of the monasteries? How many families have had to go days or weeks wondering where their father or brother has disappeared off to, never to find an answer? You may justify your violence with your belief, but you are no different. You believe that your strength gives you the right to destroy lives.”

  Bai realized that she had started to sit up in her bed. She couldn’t believe she spoke so forcefully. “I understand Lei. I can see why he would hide in the mountains, away from the empire and the monasteries. But Galan was my home, and Guanyu will make the fear I felt look inconsequential. I will not allow it.”

  Across the room from her, Delun remained silent. She expected him to fight back, to argue and tell her how wrong she was. But his silence spoke volumes.

  When he finally did speak, his voice was soft.

  “Tomorrow, when we go into battle, I will be honored to fight by your side.”

  38

  Delun looked out the window of the common room. A warm cup of tea sat in front of him, and he’d awoken early enough that the inn was still quiet. He cradled the steaming cup gently in his hands, basking in the warmth as it seeped into his fingers.

  He took a slow, deep breath, trying to imprint this memory onto his heart forever. After all the training, conflict, and strife, this was what he truly lived for: a quiet moment and a deep feeling of peace.

  He didn’t sleep well the night before. Although he had been loath to admit it to himself, Bai’s words cut him deeper than he expected. Combined with her unusual gifts, his mind had refused him rest.

  The past few weeks had caused him to doubt most of what he cherished, but he had never doubted himself. Bai changed that. She forced his actions out into the light, casting them from the shadows and showing them for what they were.

  He had never deceived himself. He had always known on some level the actions he had taken on behalf of the monasteries were horrible. But until last night, he’d always believed they were justified, not realizing the ripples he caused with every act of violence he engaged in.

  He spent most of the night thinking about Bai’s words, but he didn’t have any answers to her unspoken questions. In the very early hours of the morning he had settled on a simple truth. All that mattered at the moment was that he give everything to stop the monks of Kulat before this disaster went any further. He would fight, and die if necessary, to prove that the monks were capable of more. He would fight to make sure that none of the children grew up with the fear Bai had described.

  Delun didn’t hold much hope for himself. The enemies they faced were strong. After the last battle, Delun was convinced that Kang was a stronger monk than he was, and Guanyu was on another level entirely. Lei might be able to beat them, but Delun didn’t think he had a chance. If he happened to live through the battle, only then would he worry about his past and future.

  So he sat in the common room, enjoying what he believed would be his last meal. His end didn’t terrify him. He was a monk, and he had been trained to prepare for death his entire life. Now that the moment was finally at hand, he felt a profound peace, a certainty, that was beyond anything he had previously experienced.

  His lingering questions were about Bai. He’d thought much about her the night before, and his thoughts only worried him.

  As though his thoughts had summoned her, Bai came down the stairs, sat down, and poured herself a cup of tea.

  Before she took a sip, she fixed her gaze on him. “What is it about me that frightens you so?”

  Surely she hadn’t added the ability to read thoughts to her list of gifts, had she?

  “Your gifts frighten me. You seem almost perfectly designed for one purpose: to fight and kill monks.”

  She shook her head. “That’s part of it, maybe, but I don’t believe you’re telling me the whole truth.”

  He cursed to himself. Over their past few days together, he’d seen this ability of hers manifest several times. The girl was one of the most intuitive people he’d ever met. At times, he wondered if that had some connection to her powers.

  He could refuse to answer, but the truth was, he trusted her. Despite everything, he did.

  “It’s not just your powers, but what you represent,” he admitted. “Twenty years ago, the monasteries learned that the Dragon’s Fang was possible, that two-handed combat was possible. Now most monks can fight two-handed, and more than a handful are strong enough to attempt the Dragon’s Fang. And now you appear, and the things you do shouldn’t be possible. They go against everything we know.”

  “There’s never been anyone like me?”

  Delun shook his head emphatically. “No. I suppose one could make the argument that we’re just learning more now, but my gut tells me that’s wrong. I think that our gifts are changing, and the monasteries aren’t ready.”

  She sat in silence, digesting his greatest worries. “I suppose that’s something you’ll have to figure out after we defeat Guanyu.”

  He smiled. With one statement, she had acknowledged his ideas weren’t mad and had focused him on the task at hand.

  She was remarkable.

  She took a sip of her tea and smiled. “That’s really good.”

  He nodded in agreement. He’d thought the same.

  Last night he hadn’t lied. He was honored to fight beside her today. If he was to die, at least it would be in good company.

  They sat and drank their tea in companionable silence. The sun rose over a wet and muddy city.

  It wasn’t long before Yang arrived. He looked at both of them. “Everything is prepared.”

  They all shared some glances back and forth and then stood up. There was nothing left for them to say.

  Judgment was here.

  Delun disliked forcing as much responsibility on Bai as he did. Unfortunately, the simple fact of the matter was that she was better equipped for this work than him. They crouched hundreds of paces away from the wall of the monastery, waiting for the signal that would give them permission to attack.

  He wanted to ask Bai what she sensed but restrained himself. There was no point. He had asked her the question three times already in almost as many minutes. The signal would go off when everything was ready. Until then, it seemed unlikely Bai would sense anything unusual from the monastery.

  When the boom rumbled between the walls of the city, shaking dust from the rooftops, Delun opened his eyes in surprise. It sounded like their friends in the Golden Leaf hadn’t been entirely forthright about how much black powder they possessed. That explosion had been tremendous.

  “Did it work?”

  She had her eyes closed, her expression focused. “Yes. They are all approaching the explosion.”

  “Then let’s move.”

  The two of them charged forward. The explosion had taken place opposite the front gate. With luck, it would distract the monks enough that they wouldn’t notice the real assault. Bai led the way, carrying an enormous sledgehammer.

  On her small frame, the weapon seemed foolishly outsized. But with her gifts, she handled it as though it were light as a feather. Even from this distance, Delun could sense the energy that flowed into the weapon. It glowed brightly in his mind.

  They made it to the gate in short order, and they were close enough now that Delun could sense that their deception h
ad worked. There were no guards at the gate. There weren’t enough monks left to go around, and if everything went according to plan, townspeople were now firing arrows at the backside of the monastery, further distracting the monks. The monks would no doubt sense the two of them as they approached, but they only needed enough time to bring down the gate.

  When they reached the gates, Bai swung the hammer with all her might, striking the thick wooden barriers with tremendous force. Under normal circumstances, that hammer would’ve done little but leave a small dent in the gate.

  Augmented by enormous energies, though, the wood first splintered with a ear-splitting crack, then exploded inward, sending shrapnel throughout the courtyard. In an instant, one of the most defensible parts of the monastery was laid low with a single blow. Had he not been there to see it himself, he never would have believed the story.

  A moment later they were in the courtyard, almost as surprised as the monks on the back walls.

  Bai moved like lightning. She darted for the stairs, leaped up them in tremendous bounds, and reached the top of the wall in just a couple of seconds. She jumped into the gathering of monks, tossing them off the walls with abandon and taking full advantage of her additional speed. Delun shook his head, still unable to believe how quickly she could move with the energy coursing through her.

  The monks had learned from their previous battles. Surprised as they were, once they realized who they faced, they altered their tactics. One eager young man struck out at Bai and quickly paid the price, but the other survivors of her initial assault remained far away. They gave up ground willingly and sent short bursts aimed at the walls and ground around her, trying to trip her up. The ideas weren’t poor, but Bai handled the distractions with ease. Lei had trained her well in the short time they’d been together.

  Delun realized too late he’d been paying too much attention to Bai’s fight and not enough to his own surroundings. He sensed Kang’s attack just before the enormous monk released it. Unprepared, Delun dove to the side as the attack blasted through the place he had stood. Before he could reach his feet, another blast caught him full in the chest, causing him to roll end over end. Delun kept his limbs loose and tucked in close to his body, only coming to a stop when he hit the inner wall of the courtyard. He looked up just in time to see that both Kang and Guanyu faced him. Delun cursed as twin attacks flew towards him. He hadn’t even been able to give them a decent fight.

  Then Bai was there, absorbing the energy from the attacks. The two monks had learned their lesson, though. They cut off their attacks immediately, unwilling to give Bai any more energy to use against them.

  Delun struggled to his feet, feeling a bit wobbly. How many times would she save him before she failed?

  Beyond her, Guanyu and Kang conversed for a moment. Then Kang left, running through the broken gate and into Kulat.

  Delun uttered another curse. Clever as they were, they knew either of them was stronger than Delun, and by separating and going into town to threaten civilians, at least one of the two invaders would have to give chase. If both gave chase, the monastery would be safe and prepared for another attack. If they split, they could be defeated individually.

  Bai was about to go after Kang, but Delun put a hand on her shoulder. He hated what they’d been forced into. They couldn’t both leave the monastery. Delun wasn’t sure he could defeat Kang, but of the two warriors, Bai had the better chance of standing up to Guanyu. Delun knew he was hopelessly outmatched against the abbot.

  For all his years of training, when the moment came, he still wasn’t enough.

  He cursed the world. But he would still do what he could.

  “You fight him. I’ll follow Kang.” Bai looked doubtful for a moment, then nodded. The two of them separated. Delun looked at her one last time before he left.

  He didn’t think he would see her again.

  Delun didn’t have to travel far to find Kang. The monk had stopped only a few hundred paces away from the front gate, not too far from where Delun and Bai had waited in hiding earlier.

  Kang stood in the middle of the street, waiting for him. “I wondered if you would choose me, or if you’d send the girl. Do you still think you have a chance?”

  Delun didn’t respond, channeling his energy into both a shield and an attack. He ran at Kang, hoping to close the distance so that Kang would have less time to respond.

  Kang seemed content to let him approach, forming an attack with each hand. The other monk was so confident he didn’t even think he needed a defense. Delun came face to chest with his opponent, throwing a jab up at the man’s face.

  Kang slid to the side and back, releasing one of the attacks he’d formed. Delun spun away, releasing his shield and using that as a weapon, slamming it across Kang’s face. Few monks ever considered the shield as a weapon, and it caught Kang by surprise. The blow knocked him back a few paces.

  That gave Delun the space he needed. He aimed and released the attack, catching Kang off-balance. The technique struck true, energy crashing into the man and sending him flying several feet backward.

  Delun felt a flush of victory. Perhaps he wasn’t the strongest, but he was still more experienced than the other monk. Strength wasn’t everything. He resisted the urge to push the attack. There was too much distance to cover, and overconfidence had felled plenty of monks.

  Kang rolled onto his back and smoothly to his feet, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of his lip. He smiled at Delun.

  “Not bad.”

  Delun’s pride turned to horror. His attack should have broken ribs, at least. The blast had been strong enough to kill many men, and Delun hadn’t held back. He’d been willing to kill. Yet the tower of muscle stood as though he’d been pushed over and nothing more. There wasn’t a hint of pain in the man’s voice.

  Delun knew then he was in for trouble.

  Kang moved with surprising speed. Delun, distracted, hadn’t prepared more attacks, a novice mistake. A meaty fist drove into Delun’s stomach, punching the air from his lungs. With his other hand, Kang made a sign for an attack directly in Delun’s face. The technique wasn’t strong, but it still snapped his head back and made his ears ring. Delun stumbled and fell, blind and deaf from the blast.

  Delun struggled to his feet. He had one trick left to play, but the moment had to be perfect. Right now, Kang stood confident, but he hadn’t dropped his guard.

  “I don’t want to kill you, Delun. You’re a strong monk, and I know our beliefs aren’t that different. Surrender and live. I’ll speak to the abbot for you.”

  For a moment, Delun felt the pull of temptation whispering in his ear. Perhaps he could do more from inside the movement than opposing it. He did want the monasteries to be stronger than they were. It was no more than Kang and Guanyu wanted.

  He almost surrendered.

  But the memories of Bai’s voice in the night and the massacre of Kulat were too fresh. The temptation pulled, but it couldn’t convince. He formed the sign for an attack.

  Kang actually looked disappointed. Before Delun could react, he was hit by two attacks. The first took his feet out from under him and the second caught him in midair, flinging him down the road. Delun groaned and coughed up blood. He could feel his energy fading. If he waited for his moment too long, he might never have a chance.

  Kang stepped forward. He formed several signs, focusing his attack tighter and tighter. It would be the killing blow. Delun tried to catch his breath. He didn’t want to die, but he could barely move.

  “Last chance,” Kang said.

  Delun grabbed the knife in his pocket, pulling it from its sheath. He didn’t know how strong the attack would be, but the blade was still filled with energy. It was a last-ditch effort, but he had nothing left to give. Delun whipped the blade out, willing it to expel energy.

  It worked.

  A razor-sharp line of energy snapped from the blade.

  Kang hadn’t been off-guard, but he hadn’t expected an attack f
rom a weapon. He shifted his weight, turning away from the cut. The energy sliced through his left arm, cutting it off near the shoulder.

  Delun didn’t wait for Kang’s reaction. Summoning every bit of strength he had, he screamed and fought his way to his feet, tackling Kang to the ground. He sat on the man’s chest, holding the now-inert knife in his hand, stabbing repeatedly at Kang’s chest. Red wounds blossomed across the man’s white robes, but none were fatal. The knife wasn’t long enough to pierce beyond the barrel-chested man’s muscles and reach his organs.

  Kang caught Delun’s hand with his right hand, freezing the smaller monk in place. Kang’s eyes were filled with cold fury. He twisted sharply and Delun lost his grip on the bloody knife. With a roar, Kang pulled Delun toward him, then drove his forehead into Delun’s nose, sending stars through Delun’s vision.

  Kang tossed him away with one arm and Delun crumpled to the ground.

  Despite the loss of his arm, Kang stood smoothly. The only hint that he’d been injured was the way he wobbled slightly as he stepped forward. Delun lay on his back, unbelieving. He knew he hadn’t wounded Kang enough for immediate death, but there was no way the man should be standing.

  Kang was the strongest monk Delun had ever met.

  Kang began signing an attack. “You’re not enough to stop me.”

  Scenes flashed in front of Delun. The men he’d killed. Bai’s words. The worlds he’d destroyed. He couldn’t leave like this.

  He felt the flame of anger flicker inside. If he was going to die, it wouldn’t be silently. He could at least take Kang with him. It wouldn’t atone for the wrong he’d done, but it was a start.

  Delun formed the signs for an attack as well, pulling all his energy, leaving nothing behind. It would probably kill him, but he was dead anyway.

  They released their techniques at the same time, two waves of energy crashing into one another.

  Kang’s immediately overwhelmed Delun’s, and the attack came closer and closer to Delun. Delun groaned, pushing with everything he had. There was nothing left after this attack, nothing at all. He either won or died.