The Undead Hordes of Kan-Gul

by Jon F. Merz

  “She is,” said Neviah. “But that just makes her using untrained magic all the more dangerous.”

  “Eventually, it’s not going to matter,” said Ran. “Kan-Gul will have us where he wants us. And if he successfully infiltrates Jysal’s mind, it will be too late for her to do anything about it.”

  Neviah shook her head. “You don’t understand.”

  “I don’t understand why you would rather risk our lives when we have a potential weapon here.”

  Neviah sighed. “I won’t risk Jysal’s life. If she uses magic and it comes out untempered, there is a very real risk that she will die. And I cannot let that happen. Not now, not ever while she is in my care. You may see her as just a tool to help fight off the evil pursuing us, but to me she is someone special—a treasure—that must be protected at all costs. She has used small magic during the trip, and it has worked out. But in order to destroy the enemy behind us, she would need to tap into a dangerous vein of power. I will not risk her life.”

  Ran sighed. He understood that Neviah was protecting her charge, but what good was all that protection if you simply ended up dead? It made no sense. They had a real threat closing in on them, and Jysal potentially had the power to stop it. To Ran, it was worth the risk. Unfortunately, Neviah didn’t see it the same way, and, worse, if she was right, and Ran pressed for Jysal to try it anyway, there was a possibility that Jysal would die as the unchecked strength of magic exploded out of her.

  “Very well.”

  Neviah laid a hand on his arm. “I understand that you are trying to save us all, Ran. I get that. But you must also see things from my perspective. As long as we are not in the clutches of Kan-Gul, there is a chance the gods will see to us escaping. We are still free, and I will not have Jysal endanger herself. Not yet, at least. And possibly not ever. She needs to learn to control her ability before she can be unleashed upon the world. It is my job to get her to the people who can help her best.”

  “All right,” said Ran. “I just hope we all live long enough for you to make that happen. I think it’s fair to say that Jysal has some real ability at her disposal. And if that can be harnessed for good, then all the better.”

  Neviah nudged him a little. “Let the tide carry us starboard now.”

  Ran grinned. Back to the scheme at hand. He wondered how he would feel if he was in Neviah’s position. Or Jysal’s, for that matter. Surely it must be tempting for her to try some of her magic? After all, she could probably feel it bubbling within her veins. And maybe it felt strange to have to hold back like this. In the tunnel, she’d used some to cast a faint light. He wondered what it felt like to use it. Maybe it felt like he felt during the flow of combat, when everything just seemed to happen without effort. In one instant you were about to die, but then your training took over and you moved and responded in just the right way with just the right technique. It was a heady experience to come away from a struggle and know that your training had won the day.

  The raider ship bucked again as another wave rose up under their keel. Neviah shouted, “Hold that tiller and pray it doesn’t heave us to one side of the channel.”

  Ran jerked his awareness back to the present and leaned hard on the tiller as the ship came down severely out of alignment with the course Neviah wanted them to take. He tried to swing the ship around, but without the sail, it was too much for the smaller ship to handle. “It’s no good!”

  “Keep trying!” Neviah swung down and ran to the bow of the ship, which now pointed away from the channel she’d wanted them to take, straight into the coast. Ran saw her shaking her head already. He guessed the news wasn’t good.

  And knew so when he heard the sound of shearing underneath the keel of the boat.

  “We’re on the reef!”

  Kancho rushed out from belowdecks, with Yuki right behind him. “We’re taking on water!”

  Ran looked out at the coastline. It seemed incredibly far away—perhaps two hundred yards still. Jumping into the water at this point would be suicide. The sharks roving the waters would feast on them before Kan-Gul’s twisted creations had a chance to. He wondered if the bodies and blood from the destroyed ship would be enough to draw the sharks away. He’d rather not bet his life on it.

  He heaved on the tiller, but it was too late to do much. The raider ship wasn’t moving while its keel lay on the reef itself. Behind them, the transport vessel still charged ahead, directly toward them. With only a few hundred yards separating them, Ran knew it was only a matter of time before they met in combat.

  Perhaps they could board the transport vessel and take the fight right to Kan-Gul and Malkyr.

  The raider ship rocked as another wave smashed into them broadside. The ship tilted, and Ran grabbed Jysal before she fell down. He helped her back up, and then they both fell as another wave buffeted them. Neviah sprawled across the deck as she tried to make her way back to the stern.

  “We’ve got to get off of here!”

  Before Ran could say anything, he gasped. Heading toward them was a huge wave, rolling in from far out to sea. It looked like it was at least forty feet tall, and even as he started to take a breath, the entire wall of water slammed down atop them. Ran felt his world shift and started to roll over and over again. Everything went black, and then he knew nothing more.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  Ran’s head broke out of the water. He gasped, sucking in watery mouthfuls of air. His chest heaved, his lungs burning from having been underwater for so long. The towering wave had collapsed on them, shoving the raider ship free of the reef, toppling it end over end while Ran and his friends were all trapped on the rolling cylinder of water, unable to break through to surface until the wave finally receded.

  In its wake, the raider ship was stranded in about six feet of water along a strip of sandbar about fifty yards from the beach.

  Hands grabbed at Ran. “Come on, we’ve got to move!”

  He blinked the salt water out of his eyes and felt for his sword at his side. It was still there, thankfully. He glanced around and saw Neviah struggling with Jysal through the water. Kancho was on one side of him and Yuki on the other. Incredibly, they’d all made it through the giant wave.

  Ran shoved the memory of the wave out of his head. “Where are they?”

  Kancho grunted. “They hit the reef, too. They’re about a hundred and fifty yards away, but Malkyr has already ordered men into the surf to chase us down.”

  “Chekhal?”

  “Not yet. Kan-Gul seems to be holding them back for now. Not sure what his plan is, but we’ve got to reach shore and get up those cliffs so we can hold Malkyr’s men back.”

  Ran felt strength returning to his legs. “I’m fine. Let me go on my own. You can help your daughter.”

  “She’s fine,” said Kancho. “I raised her to hold her own. It’s one reason why she’s held up as well as she has.” He smiled. “She’s made me a very proud man on this day.”

  Ran surged ahead, wading through the water until he drew up out of the surf. He turned and saw a force of ten men trying their best to swim through the breakwater and reach shore. Ran couldn’t be sure, but he thought he saw the triangular dorsal fins of roving sharks out there. He nodded. Maybe those fish could help whittle down the numbers Ran and the others would have to deal with. That would be fine with him.

  Neviah and Jysal reached shore and started climbing the bank toward the foot of the cliff. “How do we get up there?” called Neviah. “I don’t see any sort of path.”

  Kancho frowned. “I might be able to help them.”

  Ran pushed him up the beach. “You go. I’ll stay back to deal with them.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I’ll make a note of how you get up there and follow along shortly. If I can cut a few of them down and make them nervous about following me, then so much the better.”

  “All right. Good luck.”

  Ran watched Kancho and Yuki head up the beach, with Neviah and Jysal following
behind. Ran turned and watched as one of Malkyr’s men screamed as he was attacked by a shark. A spray of blood flew up into the rainy air, and then the man was gone. But the effect of seeing their comrade taken only energized the remaining men, and they swam even faster.

  Ran waited until they were fifty yards from shore and then drew his sword. He knew they would be tired from the swim. That would work to his advantage.

  One of the men swam faster than the others. Ran frowned. He’d made a big mistake. By surging ahead, he was now alone and without any of his friends close by. As he waded through the water, he unstrapped a battle axe and took a few practice swings.

  Ran didn’t give him time to get out of the water. He knew about the battle-ax and its massive weight and strength. Ran also knew its weakness. What it had in strength, it gave up in speed and maneuverability. In the water, the man’s footing would be less sure. Ran would use that to his advantage.

  The man swung the battle-ax in a wide arc, and Ran stepped back as he did. The ax blade whistled past, and Ran cut down, aiming his sword at one of the man’s hands. The sword nicked just above the wrist, and Ran saw the blood start to flow. It fell and mixed with the sand, staining it a deep red before the waves came in and diluted it.

  The ax man flipped the blade back around and swung again. Ran hadn’t expected the move to be as fast as it was and had to jump to the side to avoid it. As he did so, he let his sword come down and cut into the man’s side. He heard the scream and followed through, plunging his blade deep into the man’s back before cutting right to left. The man grunted once and dropped. The battle-ax slipped from his grasp.

  Ran turned and saw another man charging ahead out of the surf. He had a smaller sword in each hand. Ran frowned. Two blades were always more dangerous than one, especially if the person wielding them was lean and light on his feet. This man was. He grinned at Ran and licked his lips. “I see you dispatched Revor already.”

  Ran said nothing. Talking was a waste of energy when there was killing to be done. He waited, and the man shrugged. Then he attacked.

  He brought the two blades up, one higher than the other, and charged in, cutting down. If he’d expected Ran to try to deflect the blades, he was momentarily surprised when Ran merely avoided the cuts and then cut in with his own blade. This forced the man to retreat and parry Ran’s sword. He backed up to the water’s edge and then tried another attack. But Ran simply avoided the double strike by sidestepping and then arced a single diagonal cut down at the man’s neck, cutting him open before leaping away. The look of shock on the man’s face was the last expression he would ever wear. He slipped forward and then fell face-first into the waves that instantly sought to drag him back out to the reef, where the sharks could have him.

  Good thing he wasn’t better trained, thought Ran. The remainder of Malkyr’s men were coming in together, slowly and already armed. Facing them as one would be foolhardy. Ran dashed up the beach and found the tracks of Kancho and the others. He followed these up and around until he came across a game trail that led upward.

  He heard shouts behind him and knew that Malkyr’s men would be giving chase. Seeing two of their comrades cut down would no doubt fuel their desire for revenge. Ran sprinted until he came to a corner where the trail banked around. Ran reached down, grabbed a handful of sand, and waited.

  Less than thirty seconds later, he cut out from the corner horizontally and low. His blade impacted the thighs of the lead man and cut deep. Ran stepped out and threw the handful of sand in a wide arc aimed at the eyes of the men behind the lead man. As they struggled to deal with the eye-clouding sand, Ran finished off the lead man by dragging his blade up into his belly and finishing with a downward cut to the back of his neck.

  Another man lunged forward. Ran stepped back, letting the man’s momentum carry him forward onto Ran’s blade.

  Then he turned and bolted farther up the trail. As he ran, his lungs heaved. The ascent was tough on his legs and lungs, but Ran pushed on. He’d managed to take out four of the men. A shark had taken another. That left five more on his tail. Reasonable odds, he figured. And certainly manageable for Kancho and Neviah when they reached the top of the cliff.

  Two hundred yards farther on, he reached the top of the cliff and saw Kancho and Neviah, armed and waiting. Behind them stood Yuki and Jysal. And beyond them, the sprawling Dark Sea glistened as more waves pummeled the coast. Ran thumbed over his shoulder.

  “Five coming.”

  “You only left us five?” Kancho grinned. “Hardly worth the effort.”

  Neviah smirked. “He’s so greedy.”

  Ran fell behind them and took several seconds to grab some air into his lungs. He looked out over the cliff and saw Malkyr’s transport vessel lying on the reef. More men were coming ashore. And worse, so were Chekhal. He wondered why they didn’t attack Malkyr’s men and figured Kan-Gul’s magic must have made them obedient.

  But they would be here soon.

  Ran’s attention was drawn back to the top of the cliff. Malkyr’s lead men had reached the summit and fanned out in front of Kancho and Neviah.

  Kancho smiled at Neviah. “Would you mind if I took the lead?”

  “Be my guest.”

  Kancho stepped out ahead of her. Ran knew the technique. Kancho would handle the first attacker and funnel them toward Neviah as he cut them first and she finished them off. A more experienced group of fighters would hold back and seek one-on-one combat with Kancho, aware of the trick, but these men didn’t look all that experienced. Judging by his first two foes, these men were used to facing the weak and the panicked. They had all the technique of mindless butchers.

  Two men rushed Kancho almost immediately. Kancho raised his sword high and brought it screaming down on the lead man’s arms, then stepped to the side and shoved the man toward Neviah, who simply stabbed him in the heart and let him drop at her feet. Kancho engaged the second man with a reverse upswing cut that impaled him under the right armpit. Kancho drove in deep, severing the vital arteries there, before yanking his blade free and wheeling around to meet the next attack.

  Another man stepped forward, holding a similar curved blade. Kancho paused, his eyebrows raised. The man might have held a Murai blade, but he was anything but Murai. Still, if nothing else, Kancho gave the blade more respect than the man.

  “Where did you get that sword?”

  “From an old man in Nehon who died by my hand. As will you.”

  Kancho frowned. “We hold our blades in high regard. That one deserves better treatment than at the hands of someone like you.”

  “We’ll see.”

  Kancho nodded. “Yes. We will.”

  The man advanced slowly and then launched a searing downward cut at Kancho’s head. He was fast, this man, but Kancho was faster. As the man launched the attack, Kancho simply stepped in and drove the point of his sword into the base of the man’s throat, stabbed straight through and kept going. There was the briefest pause as the sword cut and then the man’s head fell from his shoulders.

  Kancho spun and faced the remaining two men. “Which of you is next?”

  Neither man seemed ready to advance and meet the Murai warrior in front of them. Ran got back to his feet and watched the action unfold on the beach. More of Malkyr’s men were streaming ashore, and the lead Chekhal had now made it to the sand as well. While the march up the cliff might exhaust Malkyr’s men, the Chekhal wouldn’t tire out. And the fact that they were now coming made Ran anxious.

  “We’re going to have a lot more visitors soon,” he said. “Chekhal visitors.”

  Kancho let his sword blade dip toward the ground and that was the incentive the remaining men needed. They attacked from either side of Kancho. But the old warrior stepped back and simultaneously brought his sword up and over the first attacker’s blade, cut down on his arms, and then flipped the edge toward the man’s neck and cut through horizontally. The movement was so precise and fast the attacker never saw it happen. As his head
and body fell in two different directions, the second attacker tried to correct his position, but by then it was too late. Kancho stepped around and delivered two sweeping cuts to the back of his legs and then back down into his chest. The second attacker went down almost as fast.

  Kancho stepped back, barely breathing hard.

  Neviah frowned. “Thanks for giving me so much work.”

  “I gave you one. Don’t complain.”

  “He was basically dead when you handed him off.”

  Kancho flipped his blade and hit the back of the blade with the edge of his hand to clear the blood off of it. “Let’s not fight over body counts. Ran tells us there will shortly be many more than we can both possibly wish for.”

  “Interesting choice of words,” said Neviah. “Let’s see how we do this time.”

  Ran came over. “They’re going to keep throwing men at us until they overwhelm us.”

  “Most likely,” said Neviah.

  “In which case, we are dead,” said Ran.

  Kancho grunted. “But not until we cost them many lives. A good day’s work, I’d say.”

  Ran frowned. “I don’t want to die here on some lonely cliff. There’s got to be another way.”

  Neviah eyed him. “I will not ask her to use magic. Jysal knows the risks.”

  “And what if she wants to help out anyway? What then?”

  “She will not,” said Neviah. “The danger is too great.”

  “If she doesn’t help, then we are all dead and the point is moot anyway. But if her magic is able to help us, what’s wrong with that? We need help or we’ll be killed.”

  Neviah frowned and then nodded slowly. “Very well. Ask her while Kancho and I deal with our uninvited guests.”

  Ran moved back to Jysal. “You know what’s happening.”

  “We are in a very bad situation.”

  “Malkyr is sending more men, and Kan-Gul has a unit of Chekhal proceeding up the hill toward us even now. We are only five and effectively only three. Unless you choose to help us.”