by Ryan Kirk
Dust from the rubble still settled, choking the air and reducing visibility. The monks had used black powder, the same substance that had brought so much pain to their own ranks.
He suspected they were not out of the ambush yet. Barrels had been placed around the intersection, and Lei had a sneaking suspicion he knew what they contained. With a little bit of flame, this entire intersection would blow.
For now, his shield held. The attacks against it had ceased, and Lei thought he felt the wraiths moving away. He couldn’t guess what they planned next.
A few steps away, the princess waited, remarkably calm for the events she had just undergone. Lei wondered at that, but he couldn’t ask her now. Right now, his only real concern was their survival. His strength was immense, but even his body could only take so much.
“We have to go,” Lei said.
Bai stood up. “We should take Delun with us.”
Lei opened his mouth to argue. The body would only slow them down, and Delun himself wouldn’t have cared. When he saw the look in Bai’s eyes, though, he knew it was an argument he would not win. Instead, he asked, “Can you carry him?”
Bai nodded.
Lei wondered at that. Bai’s arm was bloody and she looked pale from blood loss, but there was little point arguing with the determination in her eyes.
“Everybody! Gather near me!” Lei’s voice boomed in the intersection beyond the rubble.
The small group of warriors pressed close around Lei, forming a loose circle around him. The princess took her place as well.
As soon as they gathered, Lei saw an arrow fly overhead, lit by flame. He cursed, throwing more energy into his shield. The arrow embedded deep in a barrel, depositing the deadly fire. A moment later the world exploded, the first barrel leading others in a continuous roar of fire. Waves of pressure rocked the buildings surrounding the intersection and the ground trembled beneath their feet.
The pressure strained against his shield, but he held.
The world shifted around him, his vision dancing, voices ringing in his ears. He had one foot in this world and the other somewhere he couldn’t describe.
He waited for the flame to die down before he released his shield. His vision mostly returned to normal, only a few ghostly outlines wandering through his gaze.
All the buildings which had stood in front of the warehouse were nothing but smoking ruins. The powder had leveled the entire area. The people within Lei’s circle survived without injury, though.
He looked at Bai. “We need to go, now.”
Rong led the way. As the woman moved, Lei couldn’t help but think of a younger Bai. The two moved as though they were of one mind.
The princess followed and Lei took the rear. They stayed tight together, and Lei had a shield ready to go at any sign of danger.
Before they even cleared the ruins, they ran into another ambush. Archers stood on nearby buildings and in windows, launching waves of arrows.
Lei cast a shield, calmly surveying the situation.
They hadn’t anticipated this, but Chao had. The monk had prepared barrels, archers, and his own warriors for an assault on the warehouse. From the degree of preparation, it seemed as though he had expected far more than the three of them.
But they were the ones trapped now. Lei couldn’t shield them forever.
They needed transport. Rong could move quickly, but Bai carried Delun’s body and was already looking pale. The princess was gifted, but Lei didn’t know her powers. If they tried to escape on foot they would continue to be harried until they cracked.
Lei grabbed Rong by the shoulder. “We need horses.”
Rong looked uncertain for a moment, then nodded. Lei pointed down the street he planned on taking. “We’ll start that direction. Hurry.”
With that, Rong was off. She darted away before the archers or the monks could take her down. She cut an impressive sight.
Lei looked at the other two women. “Let’s get going.”
Before long, the wraiths resumed their attacks. Blasts of energy crashed against Lei’s shield. He didn’t worry about them breaking through; his worry was how much longer his body could sustain this effort. Whatever he was tapping into, he became more certain it wasn’t something he was supposed to. It wasn’t a power meant for living beings.
He saw ghosts, more spirits than he could count, flowing into and out of buildings, pressing against his shield with expressions of rapt curiosity.
Had he pierced the veil, or was his mind losing its grip on reality?
He didn’t know. He just kept putting one foot in front of the other. Beside him, Bai didn’t seem to be moving any faster. Her steps faltered, and she left a trail of blood behind her.
Only the princess seemed relatively unharmed, but there was little for her to do. She walked a few paces in front of them. Lei felt the focused energy running along her limbs. In other circumstances it could be a useful skill. But against the ranged attacks of archers and wraiths, she could do little but hide behind Lei’s shield.
They made it two blocks under withering fire before they had to pause. Lei could feel the muscles spasm as he took each step. He couldn’t last much longer.
The sound of thundering hooves lifted his spirits. Lei looked up to find Rong on a horse, another pulled behind. Gathering more strength, his reality fading as he did, Lei launched attacks at the surrounding buildings.
The attacks weren’t strong enough to kill. They weren’t enough to bring down buildings. But they forced the monks and archers back, if only for a moment.
Lei dropped the shield so Rong and the horses could enter. Then he cast it again, collapsing to his knees with the effort.
Blasts ringing against the shield told him he hadn’t gotten the protection up a moment too soon. Rong looked to him, and he gestured to the princess and Bai. “Get them mounted first.”
The princess took the reins of the first horse. Lei was grateful to see she seemed comfortable with the beast. Bai climbed up as well, then helped position Delun’s body behind them.
Once that was done, Rong helped Lei onto the other horse. He felt the power coursing through her arms, giving her the strength to lift everyone up.
If they survived, all of them would suffer through a very unpleasant tomorrow.
They rode. They couldn’t move too quickly. The princess’s horse carried an unwieldy load, and galloping through the streets of Jihan risked other disasters.
But they moved faster than they could on foot, and Lei could focus on maintaining his shield. The horses plowed through the streets close together, Lei’s shield clearing a path for them.
After a minute, the attacks had lessened. Their assailants couldn’t keep up with the increased pace.
Another few minutes passed and the last attack faded. They were close to the monastery now.
Lei didn’t think he’d ever been so happy to see the walls of a monastery in his life.
He didn’t last through the whole ride. His world went to black as he slumped against Rong before they even passed through the walls.
40
Bai leaned against the cold stone walls of the monastery. Her body had found a place beyond exhaustion. Blackness nibbled at the edges of her vision, but sleep wouldn’t come. Her mind raced in circles. They had saved the princess. And Delun had died for them.
A dozen tasks demanded her attention, but for now she needed space. She needed time, sleep, and a healer.
The healer found her after attending to the princess.
He looked at her arm, most of an arrow still through it.
“How is she?” Bai asked.
“She’ll be fine. The arrow cut fairly deep, but the wound is clean and stitched shut now. Your arm will be worse.”
“Just get it over with.”
The healer nodded. He examined the arrow, then looked up to her. “Ready?”
Before she could reply, he pulled the arrow out. Red hot fire burned over her arm. For a moment, the blackness
swallowed her whole.
Her awareness returned with blinding suddenness as the healer cleaned the wound. She wished the blackness had lasted for much longer.
After another few minutes of unending agony, the healer was done, clean white bandages wrapped around her arm. He stood up. “Try not to use it, if you can.” With that, he walked away, leaving Bai to her thoughts.
They had done it. The princess was safe, at least for the moment.
She could feel the eyes of Rong and the other students on her. Even the other monks inside the monastery kept glancing at her, looking to her for some direction.
But she had nothing to say. She had no idea what came next, and she needed rest. But there were things to do first. She wouldn’t sleep until they had taken care of Delun’s body.
She sensed a presence next to her. A gifted, but not a monk. Bai cracked open her eyes to see the princess standing next to her, staring at the body lying in the center of the courtyard. There was a hint of tears in the princess’s eyes. “He and I spoke, a few times, before he died.”
Despite herself, curiosity won Bai over. She stood and joined the princess in looking at Delun’s body.
The princess continued. “He always seemed torn between what he knew was right and his own desires.”
Bai thought about that. The princess was on to something. She replied, her voice soft. “Our paths only crossed twice, but both times he was forced to turn against the brothers he spent his entire life trying to protect.”
The princess nodded. “I would have liked to know him better.”
“I think he would have felt the same.” Bai wasn’t sure what led her to say that. She’d just met the princess, but the woman impressed her. Throughout the escape the princess had remained calm, and Bai had felt her gift as well. She was a force not to be dismissed. Bai could see Delun enjoying her company.
The princess seemed lost in thought for a minute, then turned her attention back to Bai. “What comes next?”
Bai bit her tongue to prevent her retort. Why did everyone assume she had a plan?
It wasn’t the answer the princess was looking for, but Bai did know what needed to happen now. “We need to light a burial pyre for Delun.”
“May I help?”
Bai nodded, touched by the gesture. They set to work.
There was much to be done. Bai spoke with the monks, asking for enough wood for a pyre. They not only showed her where they stored their firewood, they helped carry it to a corner of the courtyard. The blackened stone told Bai it wasn’t the first pyre lit within these walls.
Everyone began to pitch in. Bai watched the monks and Yang’s students work side by side. She could do little but direct the process. Her one good arm prevented her from being useful. While they worked, she went over to Delun and tried to straighten out his robes. She was grateful he had died in them, at least. He had died as he had lived, honoring the monastic traditions.
As her hand wandered over the folds of his robe, she felt and heard the crinkle of paper underneath. She reached into his pockets, wondering what he had died with.
When she saw the seal, she knew it was important. Her eyes ran over the letter once, then once again to make sure. Mysteries unraveled in front of her. Even in death, Delun had aided them. She bowed to his corpse, thanking him.
There would be time to discuss the letter later. For now, it was time to honor Delun.
They finished building the pyre not long before the sun was to set, the symbolic time when monks said goodbye to their brothers.
Every monk in the monastery gathered in the courtyard. There were more than Bai realized. Yang’s students joined them.
Only Lei was absent, but he had seen enough death lately, and she wasn’t sure she could wake him even if she wanted to. He needed rest.
Again, everyone looked to her. This time, she didn’t mind. She had fought by Delun’s side twice, and she wanted to speak for him.
She approached the pyre, then turned to address the gathering. What could she say about Delun that did his life justice? She didn’t want to lie about his failings. He had committed horrible crimes in the course of his life, but he had done great deeds as well. Both sides were a part of the man she had known.
“Delun’s life is both an inspiration and a caution to us all,” she began. “He was a man of tremendous strength, discipline, and loyalty. If he called you a friend, or fought by your side, you couldn’t ask for a better ally.
“But those same strengths were also his weaknesses. He didn’t understand the consequences of his actions until it was too late. His belief made him a killer. He took fathers away from their families. He tortured enemies.”
Bai paused. “He also stopped the monks of Kulat before they could harm even more innocents. He saved a princess and gave his life. I do not know if Delun is a hero or a villain, but I am grateful that I have known him.
“Let us remember Delun as we walk our own paths. Belief can give us strength. Taken too far, it can also destroy us and those we love.”
The wood, dry from being sheltered for months, caught without problem, the flames eagerly jumping over Delun’s corpse. Bai wanted to cry for the man she dared call a friend, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. He had her sympathy, but little else.
The flames licked at the sky, sending the remainder of Delun’s soul on to whatever existed past death.
41
Lei ran the edge of his sword across the whetstone, the distinctive sound of the blade against the stone soothing his frayed nerves. The routine, so long embedded in his life, brought him a measure of ease that he couldn’t find any other way.
After the death of his parents and the murder of his brother, Lei thought that he had learned all of life’s lessons concerning grief. The loss of Daiyu was teaching him otherwise.
He supposed it stood to reason. He lost his parents when he was young, and after their death he had never been alone. His brother had stood by his side, a rock to brace himself against whatever grief washed over him.
His brother’s death had been a complicated affair. The two of them had not been on speaking terms when Jian died, and the grief from that death had trickled in through Lei’s defenses one drip at a time, like a leaking roof under a constant drizzle.
Daiyu’s loss was like nothing else. Despite the company and warmth of Bai and her friends, Lei bore his grief alone. He was part of this world and yet not. When he closed his eyes, he thought he heard her voice.
She had been the tree that he built his life around, and that tree had suddenly been uprooted. Even though he had known the storm was coming, he had not been prepared.
His grief was like the tides of the ocean. For hours, he would be fine. He went through life the same way he did every day before. Then his whole outlook would change, and a giant wave would rise up and swallow him whole, consuming every thought and action. When those waves crested he felt truly helpless, alone and abandoned against a force he could not fight.
And yet he could not bring himself to surrender. Not yet.
He didn’t understand the changes afflicting his body and mind. After the energy he’d used outside the warehouse, he should be on death’s door. But after his sleep, his body felt as light as a feather. Bai had brought him food that he had only nibbled at. He wasn’t hungry.
Bai couldn’t hide the concern from her eyes, but she’d deferred to him in the end.
Since then he remained alone in his room, his thoughts his only company.
His silence was interrupted by a knock at his door. He glanced up, extending his sense and feeling the power on the other side. “Come in.”
The door opened slowly, revealing the hesitation of the person on the other side.
Although Lei had known who his guest was, he still found himself slightly surprised when the princess poked her head around the edge of the door. She took in his posture and his blade in one sweeping glance. “Is this a bad time?”
Lei made a few final polishing stro
kes. The truth of the matter was, he had already been done for quite some time. “No. I was just finishing up.”
The princess gave a smile, clearly not believing him. But she stepped in all the same.
“I’m sorry to bother you like this,” she began. “But I have some questions, and I was hoping you could help me.”
“I would be honored. Please, come in and make yourself comfortable.”
The princess followed the first instruction, but the second seemed beyond her ability. She sat in the lone chair in the corner of the room, but she kept fidgeting. Lei maintained his silence, wondering what help she thought he could give.
“I don’t understand your power,” the princess said, her eyes focusing on Lei’s sword. “How do you do it?”
He heard the curiosity in her voice, the concern.
He was a weapon she didn’t understand. Her first reaction was to learn more.
Combined with her composure outside the warehouse, Lei painted a picture of this woman. She was strong, and ready to rule.
“I have a connection to the source of energy that gives all gifted their strength,” he began.
The princess shook her head. “I’m sorry, that wasn’t the right question. What I mean to ask is, the power that you possess is incredible. Doesn’t it frighten you?”
Lei leaned back. “All the time.”
The princess’s eyes widened, genuinely surprised by his answer. She leaned forward. “Then how do you decide to act? How do you fight with that knowledge of what you are capable of?”
Lei sheathed his sword, for no other reason than to give him something to do while he considered his answer. He took a deep breath. “Training and experience is one part of your answer. You see only the results, but I have spent over thirty years of my life training for most of the hours of the day. I mostly know what I can do. That knowledge is deep within me, and I am not sure I would fight without that certainty. I did when I was younger, and the cost was too great.”
