The Lady of Toryn Anthology (Lady of Toryn trilogy)

by Charity Santiago

  Ashlyn let herself fall backwards onto her hands, the machete clanging against the stone floor. She lashed out with one foot, kicking Kou in the thigh, halfway between his hip and his knee. Kou yelped as his leg gave out beneath him, but he managed to collect himself enough to roll backwards and sideways.

  She didn’t let him rest, rushing forward as he came up from his backwards somersault and parried her jab. Ashlyn pushed him towards the wall, attacking furiously. He ducked under one swing and sidestepped another, and on her third jab, he grabbed her wrist and spun, driving the machete into the wall. Ashlyn’s shoulder rammed painfully into the wall, but she yanked her other hand free and chopped his forearm, forcing him to drop the katana. With her foot she kicked it across the room.

  Kou backhanded her across the face, and she went flying onto the table, landing heavily on her back. He came at her and swung hard, aiming for her neck, but she rolled onto the floor and his fist smashed into the wood, splintering the surface of the table. He moved to go around the table and attack her again. Ashlyn grabbed the edge of the table and spun it with her as she moved sideways. When Kou was up against the wall, she flipped the table up, pushing him back, and did a half-spin, executing a solid kick that sent both Kou and the table crashing into the wall.

  The already-splintered wood broke into pieces on impact, sending shards and splinters flying everywhere. Kou came charging out from behind it, and Ashlyn dropped to her knees, throwing a furious flurry of punches into his unprotected stomach. He grabbed her shoulders and flipped over her, using his momentum to escape. Ashlyn rolled sideways just as the katana sliced through the air where she had been kneeling.

  The entire room shook with the force of Skye smashing into the door from the outside, and Ashlyn heard the door cracking under his weight. She took a step back, a little closer to the door.

  Kou advanced with the sword, and she snatched up a table leg to block his first blow. When the force of his second blow impacted solidly enough with the table leg to drive Ashlyn to her knees, she took the opportunity to snatch up a second table leg. Now the odds were a little more even.

  She blocked his downward swing with the table leg in her right hand and slammed the other table leg into his hip. He stumbled back and she took the opportunity to rap the table leg across his knuckles, forcing him to drop the katana again.

  He lunged forward and tackled her, hitting her in the gut and knocking the breath out of her- and the table legs from her hands. She gasped for air as she hit the floor, and suddenly Kou’s hands were closing around her throat, squeezing.

  He was straddling her hips, pinning her legs down. Ashlyn bucked furiously, trying to knock him off, but he was too heavy. She lifted her left arm and rotated her torso as much as she could, bringing her arm down to break the hold. The attempt was too weak, and he slapped her hand away, squeezing harder.

  Ashlyn kicked out weakly, tears streaking her temples as her lungs screamed for air. She brought her hand down, beating the floor with her fists, and a chunk of wood scraped her left wrist. She grasped for it with her fingers, knowing that this was her last, desperate chance.

  The wood felt solid in her hand, but it was shorter than the length of her finger, and about the same thickness. Ashlyn looked up at Kou, looked at his black hair escaping from its ponytail, at his angry, flushed face, and his soulless black eyes.

  I’m so sorry I didn’t do this sooner, Dad, Ashlyn screamed in her mind, and brought her right hand up, scrabbling at Kou’s face uselessly. He turned his head impatiently to the side, evading her poking fingers.

  Ashlyn raised the sliver of wood with her opposite hand, and stabbed it into his eye as hard as she could.

  Kou shrieked and reeled backwards, hands prying loose of her throat and covering his bloody face. His body still pinned her legs, leaving Ashlyn helpless to escape.

  At that moment the door finally gave beneath Skye’s onslaught, and the top half of the door came flying into the room, narrowly missing Ashlyn as it landed and skidded across the stone floor. There was a flash of silver, and the hilt of Skye’s sword was suddenly protruding from Kou’s chest.

  The Toryn warrior gasped, and the air gurgled in his throat. Ashlyn recoiled from the horrible sight, trying desperately to pull herself out from under Kou. She needn’t have worried. In the next heartbeat a huge web of fire smashed into Kou and catapulted him into the opposite wall so hard that the shelves he crashed into buckled under the impact. Both Kou and the bookshelf fell to the floor, and soon both were consumed in flames.

  Skye leaped over the bookshelf and crouched beside her. “Are you okay?” he shouted over the crackling of the fire.

  Ashlyn nodded, unable to speak, and pointed to the flames, pleading with her eyes. Skye got the hint, and cast an ice spell, freezing the flames and preventing any further destruction of the library.

  He helped her sit up, rubbing her back as she coughed weakly.

  “I get…in trouble…even when I’m not looking for it,” she rasped out, and Skye chuckled.

  “I have a feeling that this is the last of your worries for a while,” he answered, squeezing her shoulder.

  “Hello?” Restlyn’s voice came from the top of the stairwell. Ashlyn wasn’t surprised- honestly, with all the noise that Skye had been making, she expected that others should have been here sooner.

  “It’s okay. It’s just us,” Skye called. He looked down at Ashlyn. “You okay for just a second?”

  She nodded, and he stood up, vaulting back over the bookshelf.

  Ashlyn massaged her bruised neck, wincing a little, and looked around at the damage. Thank goodness Skye had stopped the fire. Most of the books were safe, even though every book from the shelf behind her was scattered across the floor, some with pages spilling out.

  The one closest to her lay open, and something about the yellowed pages and the uniform, list-like style of writing caught Ashlyn’s eye. She leaned closer, and her breath caught when she realized what it was.

  At the bottom of the page was her name- her full name, complete with her six middle names.

  This was the book of naming. The very book that she’d come here to retrieve.

  Did you do that, Dad? she thought wryly, casting a glance towards the ceiling. It couldn’t be coincidence.

  Kou’s name was nowhere to be found, which made sense since he’d never officially been made Lord of Toryn- he’d only managed to start the rumor in the hopes that Ashlyn would show up sooner or later.

  To the right of her name was the space where her official name would be written after her coronation. Lady Li, it would say tomorrow morning. She wouldn’t be Ashlyn any more, after that.

  Her eyes flicked further up the page, to her father’s name, and her heart sank.

  Restyn Asheron Hiroyuki Li.

  And just to the right of that was written, Lord Li, in the space showing that he had given up his name to become Lord of Toryn.

  Restlyn was her sister.

  For a long moment, Ashlyn held her breath, two desires warring within her breast.

  She was going to be Lady of Toryn. It was her birthright.

  Nobody has to know.

  I would know.

  And then her father’s words. I would hate to see your spirit broken by the burden of deception.

  A year ago, even a month ago, if she’d been faced with the prospect of giving up something she truly wanted in order to benefit someone else, there would have been no question about it. She would have grabbed the prize and run.

  But she wasn’t that girl anymore.

  Skye came back over the bookcase and crouched beside her. “Restlyn’s getting some people up to help with the clean-up,” he said. “Don’t worry, we’ll get this back to…what’s wrong?”

  Ashlyn shook her head, tears spilling over her cheeks. She felt so stupid and immature for crying, because she’d cried so much since that first night in Storim, but this time she simply couldn’t help herself.

  “Hey,” Skye
said gently. “It’s okay. I bet none of the books are that badly damaged.”

  She snorted though her tears, wiping uselessly at her face with dirty hands. “I don’t care about the books, you moron.”

  He lapsed into a confused kind of silence, and Ashlyn laughed humorlessly, imagining what must be going through his head. Skye was hopeless at emotional support.

  She took a deep breath. This isn’t the end of the world, Ash. This is your chance to do the right thing, the unselfish thing.

  “I need your help,” she said, sniffling. “Aaron needs to go to Cosmea…tonight. I need Aik here, and I need to send a letter with Aaron so Aik knows what to bring with him.”

  Skye didn’t say anything, and when she looked up at him, the expression on his face was skeptical.

  “Skye,” she said gently, touching his hand. “Trust me. You want me to be a leader. That’s what I’m doing. I promise. Can you please just go wake Aaron up and tell him to get ready to leave?”

  The blond swordsmen finally nodded. “Do you need help getting up?”

  She shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”

  He left, jumping effortlessly over the giant bookcase one more time. Ashlyn climbed to her feet slowly, her body aching, her heart splintering within her.

  Chapter Eight

  To the Edge

  The ninja threw a punch at Ashlyn, then another, and she blocked them both, taking a step back to steady herself before making a jab at his throat. He blocked that one too, and they parried back and forth, neither quite gaining the advantage nor losing ground.

  “What are you doing to do?” Restyn Li, Lord of Toryn, asked Ashlyn as he smoothly threw up a fist to block her swing.

  He was as young as she remembered him from her childhood, or maybe younger still, appearing close to her age. Ashlyn landed a blow to his chest using the heel of her hand, and quickly dropped into a leg sweep, but he jumped over it and flipped aside, surprising her with his agility.

  “You’re in better shape than I remember,” she said, deliberately avoiding his question.

  “Unexpected, is it not?” he said, grinning, his dark eyes sparkling. “This is the first time we have been equally matched, you and I. Even death has its own rewards.”

  She jumped forward at that, but he managed to block or dodge her flurry of punches, still grinning.

  “There’s nothing rewarding at all about you being dead,” she snapped, finally giving up and backing off. “All it means is that I’m left with a whole lot of unanswered questions and really tough decisions to make.”

  “You are not the first Li to feel that way.” He whirled, arms extended as he moved towards her, attacking her with each fist in turn as he spun.

  Ashlyn grabbed his forearm and twisted, using his momentum to flip Lord Li over her shoulder. He somersaulted over her back and landed neatly, lifting one booted foot and driving it at her midsection. Ashlyn turned twice, tried to elbow him in the side of the head, but he was turning too, perfectly evading her attack.

  “I’m not a Li at all,” she retorted, out of breath. “And you’re really ticking me off by insisting that I am. I’ve had enough of your lies for a lifetime.”

  He stopped, dropping his fists and straightening. His eyes were like coal, boring into her so intensely that Ashlyn squirmed under his stare. “You risked your life to avenge my death, Ashlyn. Surely you do not expect me to believe that you are renouncing our blood ties.”

  She shrugged awkwardly. “I can’t renounce something that wasn’t mine in the first place. I still love you, Dad, and I always will, but you let me grow up believing a lie. Now everything’s gone. Everything I ever thought was mine…it’s all gone. What do I do now? What am I supposed to do? I’ve wasted the last month trying to become the leader you told me I was destined to be. Now I’m nothing. I’m not the Elder Heir- I’m not even a true Toryn.” She shook her head, touching a hand to her temple, frustrated at the swirling, conflicting emotions within her. “And I’m tired of listening to myself whine about it. I’m tired of thinking about it! Why am I even here?”

  “This is your dream,” her father pointed out.

  “Then why are you here? Why are you haunting me? Aren’t you happy with your handiwork? Can’t you just leave me alone?” She turned away, irritated.

  They were suddenly on top of Na Michico again, where she’d fought Kou just before Drake had shot him. Gravel crunched beneath her feet. The sky was gray above her, the clouds churning ominously.

  “Am I a ghost?” Lord Li said, stepping up beside her. “Who is to say I am not a figment of your imagination? Perhaps you conjured me up, looking for redemption.”

  “If that were the case, I’d have wished you away long before now,” she replied grumpily. “There is no redemption for what I’ve done.”

  “My sweet girl,” he chided gently, reaching out to touch his fingers to her chin and turn her face towards him. “No one passes through life without fault. I could have rescinded my decision to Scorn your sister at any time over the past three years. I could have revealed her parentage and saved you the heartache of finding out yourself. I chose not to, for my own selfish reasons. At this very moment you are presented with a chance to redeem yourself, and yet you are struggling with that decision. Why do you insist on bearing the weight of the world on your shoulders?”

  Ashlyn looked at her dad, noting the clean lines of his face, the youthful gleam in his dark eyes, the sweep of raven hair that cascaded sleekly down his shoulders. He was the man she’d adored unequivocally as a child, the father who had all but disappeared from her life after the war had begun.

  “I guess I don’t have to,” she conceded, “but- honestly, Dad, I just wish you’d told me the truth. It hurts that you lied to me for so long.”

  He nodded. “I know.”

  He didn’t apologize, and for that she was glad. Ashlyn hugged him tightly, resting her head against his chest and wishing fitfully that she’d had more time with him- or maybe that she hadn’t wasted the time she was given. It was much too late now, and nothing she could do or say, even in her dreams, would change that.

  “I am so proud of you, Ashlyn,” he murmured against her hair.

  “Thanks, Dad.” She sniffled a little, and pulled back, rubbing at her eyes. “Maybe next time you show up in my dreams you can bring some cards. I bet I can still beat you at gin rummy.”

  “You always cheated,” he responded lightly, then grew more serious. “I will not be coming back, Ashlyn.”

  She tried to keep her tone even. “Bored with haunting me already?”

  He was watching her face closely, looking for a reaction. “Today is your nineteenth birthday. You have grown into a beautiful, capable young woman. Perhaps I can see that you are ready to move on with your life, and I have no place in it.”

  She chucked him lightly in the shoulder, and he caught her hand. “You’ll always have a place in my life, Dad.”

  He turned her wrist, kissing her palm. “I will always be watching, Ashlyn. You will see me…if you look hard enough.”

  “What am I supposed to look for?” she asked, but then someone was shaking her shoulders, and she started awake, surprised to see Restlyn crouching in front of her.

  “What are you doing out here?” the older girl asked in exasperation. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

  Ashlyn blinked, and her surroundings slowly came into focus. She was slumped against the side of the stone waterfall in the memorial pagoda. To her left was the cobblestone walkway, and to her right was the tranquil pond where her father’s urn floated, surrounded by lilies and lily pads.

  “I couldn’t sleep,” she said thickly, and struggled into a sitting position, rubbing at her eyes. “That was lousy timing, Restlyn. I was having a…a really intriguing dream.”

  “I hope you were reciting your coronation speech in your dream,” Restlyn replied sternly, “because that’s what’s happening in two hours.”

  “Two hours?” Ashlyn bolted
upright. “Is Aaron back yet?”

  “No. Skye said he’d try to make it back before the ceremony.” Restlyn sat back on her heels, eyes questioning. “Why does Aik need to be here anyway?”

  Ashlyn did not feel like explaining at this point. “I just…want him here. I hope they hurry.” It was practically superhuman to expect Aaron to make the trip to and from Cosmea in just one night, but for all their sakes, she was pinning her hopes on him. “I…I guess I do need to write my acceptance speech, huh?” She’d never been particularly good at public speaking.

  “That’s probably a good idea.” Restlyn stood, brushing a strand of chocolate-colored hair out of her eyes, and held out her hand to help Ashlyn up.

  Ashlyn accepted the hand and stood, picking up the book of naming from the floor beside her. “Did you guys get the library all cleaned up?”

  “I didn’t- not personally. But some of the soldiers finished the job. They, um, took care of Kou, too. He had this on him,” Restlyn said, drawing a green stane from her pocket and holding it out. “It was the only stane he had.”

  As Ashlyn took the shift stane from her sister, a lump formed in her throat. The gem hummed with magic against her palm. It was the last of the shift stanes, her final link to the magic that was indigenous to the Li bloodline.

  “Why…why didn’t you destroy it?” she asked, her voice rasping.

  “I don’t know,” Restlyn answered. “I guess I thought maybe you’d want it.”

  Could she blame the magic for ruining her life? Today’s events were the meeting point of so many separate paths. Ashlyn closed her fingers over the stane.

  “Thanks,” she said. “I guess I’d better get to work on my speech.”

  But she didn’t work on her speech. Instead, she found herself sitting at a low table several minutes later, dipping an old-fashioned quill pen into an inkwell.

  Dear Vargo, she wrote, and paused, thinking about what was going to happen today. Would Aik arrive in time? The documents she’d asked him to bring were essential to her plan, and if he wasn’t at the coronation, then Ashlyn wasn’t sure if the Toryn people would believe her outrageous claims.