The Undead Hordes of Kan-Gul

by Jon F. Merz

  Malkyr lumbered past them at one point, and as soon as he was twenty feet ahead of them a creature flew in sideways. Malkyr screamed and dropped to the ground. Ran saw a massive gaping maw open and close on the space Malkyr had occupied a moment previously. Then he heard the beast screech in frustration as it beat its wings and took off again.

  Neviah eyed Ran. “It’s huge.”

  Ran shook his head. “Never seen anything like it before.”

  “D-dragons,” said Kancho quietly. “Dark as night.”

  Ran frowned. He’d heard rumors and legends of dragons before, too, but while the world certainly had an extraordinary number of foul creatures, he had yet to see an actual dragon. Still, he didn’t discount the possibility. But if Kancho had killed a baby dragon, then there was no way the parents would tolerate it. Suddenly the copse of trees they were aiming for looked pitifully small and weak.

  They had little choice.

  Ran wondered about the eyesight of the beasts. They had made repeated attacks, and yet, each time, they had failed to kill any of the party. Kancho had been wounded, but it could have been far worse than it was. Ran thanked a number of gods and goddesses and hoped that their luck would somehow be able to hold until they reached safety.

  Malkyr had picked himself up and continued to tumble down the slope toward the trees. Neviah grunted under the weight of Kancho’s body, and Ran struggled to keep his end up. “Kancho?”

  He got no response from the older warrior. “How bad do you think it is?” he asked Neviah.

  “I have no idea of how bad it might be, and I won’t until I can examine him without being harassed by the likes of these beasts. Let us hope those trees offer more than shade.”

  Ran and Neviah had to duck three more times as they stumbled down the slope. The beasts—dragons, or whatever they were—continued to plague them the entire way. Ran saw Malkyr finally manage to disappear into the trees and almost grinned. Then they were forced to drop to the ground as another aerial assault lashed by overhead.

  “Come on,” said Ran. “We’re nearly there.”

  Neviah nodded, and they got Kancho up and moving. Their steps became clumsy, and they nearly fell again. The copse of trees was but twenty yards from them. They were so close.

  Another screech filled the air, and this time when Ran looked up, he saw what looked like a blanket of absolute darkness descending for them fast.

  And then he saw a bolt of brilliant blue energy shoot in from somewhere ahead of him. It struck the creature, illuminating it for a split second and causing the creature to flip over and fly away. But Ran had seen enough of it to know how huge it actually was. If this was a dragon, he decided, then he never wanted to see one again.

  They tumbled into the trees and saw Jysal standing there, a faint glow still surrounding her hands. Neviah let Kancho droop to the floor. “I told you no magic!”

  Jysal shook her head. “If I hadn’t done something, that thing would have killed all three of you. And then where would I be? This clod can’t protect me,” she said, nodding at Malkyr, who huddled near a tree trunk. “Only you can.”

  Neviah sighed. “Very well, but no more magic.”

  “Fine.”

  Ran looked down at Kancho. The older man was unconscious. Ran tried patting him on the back to wake him up, but it did no good. He looked up at Neviah. “Tell me what you need to make him better.”

  Neviah frowned. “I need light. That’s the most important thing.”

  From outside the copse of trees, a huge breeze blew in and rustled the limbs like a hurricane. “Something tells me those things aren’t exactly happy we’re in here,” said Malkyr.

  Ran glanced around. The trees abutted the edge of the slope, and he made his way over to them. If he could find a bit of kindling, they might be able to make a fire, and hopefully that would be enough for Neviah to see how bad Kancho’s wound was.

  He felt around the base of the slope, finding nothing but loose rocks. Then he stuck his hand into an opening.

  And kept going.

  He pitched forward into deeper darkness and nearly lost his footing. Had Neviah not grabbed at his arm, Ran would have fallen all the way in. Neviah hauled him back and frowned. “What is that?”

  Ran felt around the opening and then nearly grinned in spite of the danger that surrounded them all. “I think it’s a cave.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “No, I’m not. But it seems to be large enough to permit access to it. And I think our chances are better inside than if we stay out here. There’s no telling how long those things will wait before they decide to rip these trees apart.”

  Neviah looked at Jysal, who only nodded. Neviah turned back to Ran. “Lead, we’ll follow.”

  “All right,” said Ran. “Let’s gather up Kancho and see where this will take us. If nothing else, it might offer a chance to light a fire away from seeking eyes.”

  “Good,” said Neviah. “Then perhaps I can help Kancho before it’s too late.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Ran led the way into the small cave, helping Neviah carry Kancho in next. Jysal came after, followed by Malkyr.

  “This is what we left the outside world for?” Malkyr’s voice came out of the darkness.

  “You could always go back,” said Neviah.

  Malkyr replied. “I’m the only one here speaking the truth about our situation. The rest of you are choosing to believe in some fantasy escape that will never happen.”

  Ran shrugged mostly to himself, since they couldn’t see each other in the blackness of the cave. “So, if that’s true, you should be all the more willing to step back outside and take your chances with those beasts. I’m sure they’ll be very open to discussing things with you right before they devour you.”

  Neviah said. “I need a light if I’m to help Kancho.”

  “I’ll get a fire started,” said Ran. He managed to find a bit of dry wood by the entrance where some starlight filtered in. He removed a handful of lining from inside his tunic and rubbed it until the small strands came apart and produced a fluffier mixture. Then he found a small stone and struck the end of his sword pommel against it, producing a spark that he aimed into the fluffy bundle. It caught, and Ran held it under the dry wood until it started to smoke and then burst into flame.

  Malkyr coughed. “Wonderful. Now we’ll all die from breathing smoke. Brilliant.”

  Ran eyed him. “I’m almost ready to suggest that Neviah kill you so we can be done with listening to your incessant complaints. Kindly shut your mouth.”

  “Or leave,” said Jysal. “We would welcome the peace.”

  “Maybe I should leave,” said Malkyr. “But you’d soon miss me.”

  “I doubt that very much,” said Ran. “But you’re welcome to test that theory.” He walked over to where Neviah was still bent over Kancho and held out a flaming bit of wood. The flames cast dancing shadows all along the walls of the cave. “How is he?”

  “Still unconscious,” said Neviah. “Which, given the quality of conversation, might just be something of a blessing.”

  Ran grinned in spite of their situation. He liked Neviah and her sense of duty. She had a keen sense of humor as well. He peered closer and saw the blackened edges around Kancho’s wound. “What is the cause of that?”

  Neviah shook her head. “I don’t know. It looks like infection has already set in.”

  “But he was only wounded a few minutes ago. It can’t be infected already, can it?”

  “I’m at a loss,” said Neviah. “I’ve never seen infection set in this quickly. I can try to treat it with some of my herbs, but there’s no guarantee that any of it will work. It might all be for nothing.”

  “Do your best,” said Ran. “That’s all Kancho would ever ask of you.”

  “All right.”

  Ran left her to it and moved closer to Malkyr. “You and I are going to have a talk. And it goes like this: shut up.”

  “I don’t take orders from th
e likes of you,” said Malkyr. “You’re too young to give me commands.”

  “Would you prefer to fight me over it?”

  Malkyr frowned. “Time was, I would have gladly beaten the snot out of you. I knew how to fight, growing up on the docks the way I did.”

  “Time was you were a lot younger,” said Ran. “Time is you’re nothing but an overinflated blowhard. And you’d be out of your depth trying to take me. There are two paths before you: One is that you keep yammering on and eventually one of us gets so exhausted by your countless outbursts that we shut you up. Permanently. The other is that you keep quiet and do what we tell you to do. Hopefully we all get out of this mess alive.”

  “Or I could leave,” said Malkyr.

  “You could leave,” said Ran. He gestured to the opening of the cave. “And you’re welcome to do so.”

  Malkyr eyed him and then took a few steps toward the opening. As he did so, there erupted a ear-piercing shriek from outside and then a thunderous explosion as something slammed into the side of the hill they were in. All around them, rocks tumbled loose from the cave ceiling and crashed down. A huge cloud of dust issued up from the floor of the cave, and they all coughed violently.

  When the dust cleared, the entrance to the cave was blocked by boulders and debris.

  Malkyr looked at it and sighed. “Apparently, I’ll be staying a little while longer.”

  Neviah shook her head. “Proof the gods hate us all.”

  Malkyr gestured at the entrance. “Now what? We can’t very well go back outside.”

  Ran eyed the small fire he’d built. The flames continued to lick at the dry wood, burning brightly and illuminating the entire cave. But they weren’t coughing from smoke. It was going someplace else. There had to be a way for it to escape or they would have noticed it filling the cavern by now.

  Ran moved around the cave, exploring each and every nook and cranny. It took him twice around before he found it. He looked back at the others. “There’s a tunnel leading out of here.”

  Malkyr hobbled over. “Is it big enough for all of us?”

  “No idea,” said Ran. “I only just found it.”

  “Well, perhaps I can be of service, after all,” said Malkyr. “If you’ll set me up with a torch, I’ll go explore it.”

  Ran eyed him. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “You have a better one? You’re going to be needed here to help tend Kancho and keep Jysal safe. Neviah needs your help more than she needs mine.”

  “Let him go, Ran,” said Neviah. “Please.”

  Malkyr grinned. “There, you see? Give me a torch of some sort, and I’ll be off. Once I’ve found my way down the tunnel, I’ll come back and let you know if there’s a way out.”

  “What do you know about exploring tunnels?”

  Malkyr smiled. “I’m a ship’s captain, boy. Not all of my voyages have been to carry passengers. I’ve done a bit of smuggling over the years, and I know my way around a tunnel.”

  Ran nodded. “Fair enough.” He fashioned a torch out of some of the wood and few strips of Kancho’s tunic. “Here, but there’s no guarantee this will burn for all that long. I recommend you don’t waste any time.”

  “I could use an extra weapon,” said Malkyr.

  Neviah came over and handed him a dagger. “I want it back.”

  Malkyr hefted the blade and nodded. “Hopefully I won’t even need it. But good to have just in case.” He bowed once. “See you all soon.” And then he stuck his head into the tunnel and squeezed himself through.

  Ran watched the flickering light from the torch dance around the tunnel and then vanish abruptly. He turned to Neviah. “Well, it’s certainly going to be a lot more peaceful around here.”

  “One can hope,” said Neviah.

  A groan from behind her brought them racing over to Kancho who was seemingly awake now. Neviah looked into his eyes and frowned. “Can you hear me, Kancho?”

  In response, Kancho retched once and then wiped his mouth on the back of his sleeve. “What the blazes attacked me? My shoulder and arm feel like they were dropped in a forge.”

  “We’re not sure,” said Ran. “It might have been a dragon of some sort.”

  Kancho frowned. “That’s not good. I feel feverish. Is it infected already?”

  Neviah nodded. “No sense lying to you. The wound looks terrible. I don’t know if it’s some sort of poison or if there was muck in the claws that ravaged your shoulder. Either way, you’ve got to get some medicine into you or it won’t be good.”

  “You mean I’ll die.”

  “Probably,” said Neviah.

  Kancho grunted. “This isn’t the way I saw my end.” He smiled at Ran. “You know what I mean.”

  “Of course. All warriors desire to die in battle. Better to go out with your hands around a sword then curled up in a bed somewhere longing for the time of old.”

  Kancho grunted again and waved Ran over. “You need to help me get better. I can’t die here. Not with my daughter still missing. I promised my wife I would find her. And injury or no, I need to get out of this place and rescue her. You told me you’d help me do that.”

  “I did,” said Ran. “But this is a bit beyond my skill.”

  Kancho shook his head. “I think there’s more to you than meets the eye, Ran. As Murai, you know that I am duty-bound to our code of conduct. Some things are not possible for me that are for you. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”

  Ran frowned. He’d never doubted that Kancho might be able to work out his true identity, especially after picking the lock and scouting the castle. But it still shamed and angered him to have anyone know he was a shadow warrior. Members of the Nine Daggers never exposed themselves. In dealing with Kan-Gul, there hadn’t been much of a choice. But what Kancho was now asking him to do was something he’d never attempted.

  “I don’t know if it will help.”

  Kancho laid a hand on Ran’s arm. “I don’t care what tradition you come from. You’re an honorable man, and it’s been my pleasure to fight by your side. Do me this one favor, and we will never again speak of who we are or what we might be.”

  Ran took a breath. “Very well. But I have never attempted this before. And if it fails, then it may well hasten your death.”

  Kancho smiled. “I do not fear death, Ran. I fear dying before I have had the opportunity to rescue my daughter and see justice served on those who took her away from me.”

  “I understand.”

  “Then do it,” said Kancho. “Time grows short.”

  Ran looked up at Neviah and Jysal. “Help me lay him down on the ground.”

  Neviah looked at him. “What are you going to do?”

  “What he has asked of me. But do not question me further. I won’t talk about it.”

  Neviah and Jysal guided Kancho over to an area of the cave with the fewest bits of rock. The older warrior coughed as they settled him down on his back. He looked up at Ran one last time.

  “I trust you.”

  Ran nodded. “Close your eyes.”

  Kancho did as he was told, and Ran waved Neviah and Jysal back. “I need some room now.”

  Both women moved away. Ran looked around him. The fire continued to burn, and its minimal heat cast a bit of warmth around the cave. Ran fixed his gaze on the dancing flames and allowed his breathing to relax and deepen. He slowly started a series of breaths, carefully timing his inhalations and exhalations until they were one seamless cycle that rose up and then fell in rhythmic focus.

  Ran closed his eyes and let his focus drop to the point just below his navel. There he focused his attention, willing the energy that flowed in him to pool and circulate like a glowing orb. After several minutes, Ran sent the energy coursing into his hands, feeling the heat envelop them until they felt like they were being pricked with a million needles.

  In his mind’s eye, Ran saw Kancho’s body before him, and he set his hands over the older warrior’s still form. His han
ds rested a few inches above the wound to Kancho’s shoulder. From there, Ran directed his energy into the wound. Ran saw energy spilling out of his hands and into the wound, filling it with a brilliant white energy the way he’d been taught back in Gakur.

  Healing was an essential part of his training as a Shinobujin, but while he’d done it a number of times in practice, Ran had never used it on a mortal wound before. Certainly nobody from his clan went around advertising the fact that they could perform such a thing.

  But Kancho had known about it.

  Ran found himself wondering just what else Kancho might know about the Shinobujin.

  He kept his focus on the wound and continued to pour more energy into it, willing the energy to drive away the infection and heal properly. For the next thirty minutes, Ran worked over Kancho until, at last, his hands felt cold and clammy. There was no more energy left to give to Kancho’s wound.

  Ran opened his eyes and saw that both Neviah and Jysal were sound asleep. No wonder, the cave was warm and the flames of the fire had dwindled. As tired as Ran was, he got to his feet, found the last few pieces of wood near the blocked entrance, and added them to the fire. The embers licked at the fresh fuel and flared back to life. Ran held his cold hands in front of the flames and tried to will some semblance of warmth back into them. If he’d had food and drink, he could have replenished his energy. But they had nothing. And until such time as they did, Ran would no doubt be at less capacity than he would be otherwise.

  He couldn’t let Kancho die, though. And as much as he worried the healing wouldn’t help, he’d had to try. For Kancho to even ask Ran for such a favor was not something an ordinary Murai would normally do.

  He leaned away from the fire and rested his back on the cave wall. It was difficult to tell how much time had passed. Malkyr had been gone for ages now. Surely he should have been back. Ran frowned. Perhaps the captain had found his own way out and was content to leave the rest of them behind.