Nightblade's Vengeance (Blades of the Fallen Book 1)

by Ryan Kirk

  Asa shook her head. “I will cause you no trouble. May I have my blades to present myself to the council?”

  The guard paused, considering for a moment. It was potentially dangerous to give Asa the swords, but for her to show herself to the council without them would be almost as shameful as asking her to appear naked. “Very well.”

  Asa and the guard were soon walking together toward the hall of the council. The sentry stopped at the door, knowing she wasn’t invited in. Asa turned and bowed deeply to her. “Thank you for your kindness.”

  The guard returned the bow, less deeply than Asa had. Asa turned to the hall of the council and walked in.

  She was surprised to find the space almost empty. Only one blade sat in the hall, and Asa recognized him immediately: Hajimi, the head of the Council of the Blades. As soon as he noticed her, Asa bowed deeply. Hajimi returned the bow with a curt nod of his head. In front of him was a stack of papers and scrolls he had evidently been reading.

  “Come in, Asa. You have made my past two days much more interesting.”

  Asa stepped forward, her mind tripping over the different possibilities. If there was going to be a trial, she would have expected more than one council member. She supposed Hajimi had all the authority needed to hold court, but his behavior toward her didn’t seem to indicate she was on trial. She considered apologizing, but didn’t. Her words would have been a lie, and the head of the blades deserved more respect than that. She maintained her silence.

  Hajimi was more than happy to fill in the silence. “First, I learn that someone tried sneaking into the forbidden section of the archive. This is surprising enough, and I assumed one of the lords was up to his foolish games again. No blade would be so stupid as to try. But then I find out I’m wrong. So all the information we have on you is given to me, as well as the information you were found with.

  “I know from your records you are not foolish. Your master spoke highly of you, but you seem determined to disappoint him. No matter. So you knew the information in the archives would likely get you caught, which meant it was valuable to you.

  “Finally, when I dig further into your past, curious about what was happening, I find a wall. Not a physical wall, mind you, but a wall nonetheless. There’s nothing about your past anywhere in our archives. The first information we have of your existence is when your master started training you at an advanced age. There’s no record of you in the first census, which you are more than old enough to have been a part of. So we have mysteries wrapped in mysteries, and I’m hoping you can explain them.”

  Hajimi seemed to be done, but Asa was unsure what to tell him. So many unanswered questions lingered in his comments. “Where would you like me to begin?”

  “All stories have a beginning. Let’s start with yours. Who are you, Asa?”

  “I was born to a small farming household in the lands of House Fujita. The only point of my upbringing worth mentioning is that my father possessed the gift of the sense. He elected not to be trained as a blade, content with his lot in life as a farmer. It was only shortly after I was born that he changed his mind. I was too young to know what was happening, but according to my mother, there were a series of bad harvests. My father struggled to make ends meet, and in an act of desperation, studied and passed the trials and became a dayblade. The stipend provided fed our family. Of his service there is little of note. His most notable achievement was dying at the massacre at Two Falls.”

  Hajimi’s eyebrows raised. She could see he was putting the pieces together.

  “I don’t want to assume anything. Please continue.”

  Asa debated how much to tell Hajimi. Ultimately, her mother had raised her to be honest, and old habits died hard. She could tell most of the truth. “His death destroyed my life. The blades only pay a stipend for active service, and without it, our family had no means to support itself. I had an older brother who tried to keep the farm going, and for almost eight cycles he succeeded. They were hard times, but pleasant memories. My brother died after a cut became infected. My mother didn’t have any more options. By the time we had sold everything and spent the money, I had already demonstrated an aptitude with the sense. When the census began, my mother hid me. She didn’t want me to follow in the footsteps of my father. But when there was no choice, my mother forced me to enter training, even though I was already far older than most of my peers. I do not know what happened to my mother.”

  Asa let the truth be unspoken. There was only one profession for widows, and it didn’t bear mentioning.

  “So, you’ve been driven to figure out what happened at the massacre since you started training?” Hajimi’s voice was encouraging.

  “Yes. The story always felt wrong to me, and my father was a dayblade. There was no way he should have died at that battle.” Asa still didn’t want to bring up that she had been told her father had been killed by his own commander.

  Hajimi paused and sipped at a cup of tea sitting next to him. “That was why you requested Takashi’s assignment.”

  Asa nodded.

  “How much do you know?”

  Again Asa wondered if it was wise to speak the truth, but she saw no other path forward. “Everything, and yet nothing. I know the massacre wasn’t a battle between the blades and a well-organized group of bandits. It was a civil war between blades. I know that Osamu, the commander of the mission, ordered the entire village burned. I know my father died trying to protect the villagers.”

  Hajimi shook his head. “It sounds more like you know everything than nothing.”

  “I disagree. I want the person responsible. I had thought perhaps Takashi was culpable. He was my father’s direct commander at the time. But we spoke before I let him kill himself. It’s Osamu I want.”

  Hajimi finished the thought. “That’s why you were in the archives. You were trying to figure out if Osamu still lived, and if so, you were going to kill him.”

  Asa nodded. “I accept whatever punishment you see fit.”

  Hajimi took another sip of tea and allowed the silence to fill the room. Asa was calm. She had never told her story to someone, and now felt a weight lifted off her shoulders. Perhaps this was the end of her journey, but if so, she had tried everything she could. She could die content.

  Hajimi’s voice brought her back to the present. “I don’t think you will be reprimanded.”

  Asa thought her surprise must have been evident.

  “Osamu is one of the great mysteries of our age. I don’t know how much you picked up from the files, but I’m old enough to have lived through many cycles of his adventures. What the records might not show was that he was a very private man. Few people saw his face. Most of us thought he was ridiculous, but it seems to have served him well.”

  Asa wondered where Hajimi was going.

  “You are searching for Osamu, and the truth is, you aren’t the only one. Two Falls led to the calls for the census, and the decline of the blades since then can be directly linked to that day. His actions put us all in danger. Together, the king and the Council of the Blades agreed on the lie that most people today accept as the truth about Two Falls. That lie has been responsible for the decline in our strength, but if the truth ever got out, we would see an uprising against the blades the likes of which we have never seen. Combined with the king’s poor health, the conflict would tear the Kingdom apart.

  “No one knows what happened to Osamu. Most of us on the council hope he is dead, that he committed suicide after word of the massacre got out. But we don’t know. We searched for him for several cycles, but no one knew what he looked like, so we never found him. Perhaps your passion will lead you where we never could go.”

  Hajimi paused for a moment.

  “Asa, I’m going to give you a new mission. An official one, on behalf of the council. I grant you full access to everything you need. You will also be given the title of Master. You may act on your own officially now. I don’t need to tell you what will happen if the truth becomes
public, but you must find out what happened to Osamu. If he’s still alive, your orders are to kill him. Regardless, keep the council updated on your progress. Understood?”

  Asa bowed deeply. This was the mission she had always wanted, and she was eager to continue the hunt.

  Chapter 8

  Minori kept running through the scene in his mind, already having done so hundreds of times. The event was burned in his memory, more potent and surprising even than the first time he had been with a woman.

  It was difficult for him to comprehend what had happened. The old dayblade had moved with a speed and ruthlessness Minori never expected. If he hadn’t known better, he would’ve thought Kiyoshi was a nightblade. But Kiyoshi’s credentials were well established. He healed the king himself.

  What obsessed Minori was the initial slap. The more he thought on that moment, the more certain he was the move had been premeditated by Kiyoshi. At the distance they had been standing, Kiyoshi had no ability to hurt Minori. With Minori’s ability to sense intent before action, Kiyoshi would have been unable to lay hands on him. But by slapping at the nightblade, he lured Minori in to grab his wrist. Then Kiyoshi was close enough to send that shock, or whatever it was, through Minori’s body.

  If Minori had had more time, he would have further explored Kiyoshi’s unique talents. He had never heard of dayblades using their powers to harm as well as heal.

  At first, the incident had enraged Minori. He had been so pleased with himself and his small coup over Kiyoshi that he had let down his guard. He hadn’t expected a direct confrontation, and he certainly hadn’t expected to lose. In retrospect, he should have known better, having heard of Kiyoshi’s passion.

  Fortunately, Minori thought, he was a rational and analytical man, and he forced himself to take a wider perspective. The rescue of the young nightblade had been a lark, an opportunity to create waves. Besides Lord Shin moving more of his household guard into the city, there had been no other fallout. Minori had been surprised at first, but perhaps the lords were not as bold as he had originally thought.

  He couldn’t get firsthand experience, though. Since their little scene, Kiyoshi had effectively blocked him from any formal proceedings. Minori had done his best to stay abreast of council meetings, but they were often held with short notice, and Kiyoshi’s messenger always seemed to have difficulty finding Minori’s household. Minori wasn’t even sure if the king knew he was in Haven.

  It was a setback, but Minori didn’t despair. Politics never had a single solution.

  But time was a precious commodity. He’d been able to glance at the king only once, but he was surprised by what he saw. Everyone knew the king was ill, but the council had hidden the true extent of his sickness. Using his sense, Minori had just barely been able to feel the king’s presence. He suspected that if not for Kiyoshi’s intervention, Masaki would already be dead.

  Minori idly played with the letter from the Council of the Blades he had received that morning, another piece of a puzzle he didn’t yet understand. Most of the information was meaningless, Hajimi relating information Minori had no need or desire to know. But one piece of news was buried in the letter that had his head spinning. A young nightblade named Asa was researching the events at Two Falls. She was searching for Osamu.

  The name echoed in Minori’s thoughts, causing him to lose focus and forcing his mind to wander. He hadn’t thought of that name, or the images of the massacre it brought to mind, in a long time. It had been, what, more than twenty cycles since those events had happened? Still, the echoes of the actions taken that day haunted the present. He wondered just how persistent Asa was and what her persistence might mean for him.

  Minori’s thoughts were interrupted by a messenger at his door. With so few friends in the city, he wondered who it could be. His curiosity was sated when the messenger announced himself as a vassal of Lord Shin.

  The blade’s interest was immediately piqued. His presence had not gone unnoticed. The messenger bowed deeply, as befitted Minori’s station.

  “Sir, my lord requests your company as soon as you are able to visit.”

  Minori was curious. “Did your lord happen to mention what he wanted to see me about?”

  Minori saw the hint of fear in the man’s eyes. After more than fifty cycles of life, he had become all too familiar with the look. No matter how common the blades were in the Kingdom, they would always be feared by those who didn’t understand their power. This poor messenger was terrified, and he was only delivering an invitation.

  The messenger shook his head. “I’m afraid, sir, he did not. However, he did mention he was happy to make himself available at all times for you. It is not a statement he often makes.”

  Minori closed his eyes and thought for a moment. Sometimes in chess, it was important to be in control of the board, to know there was only one move your opponent could make. But there were other times when the board was in complete chaos, and you had to be comfortable making the best moves amidst uncertainty. This was one of those times.

  “Please let your lord know I will be there at my earliest possible convenience.”

  With a relieved look on his face, the messenger turned and almost ran out of Minori’s receiving room. Minori stifled a chuckle and wondered what one of the three lords of the Kingdom had to say.

  Shin’s messenger had come in the morning. Minori’s instinct had been to leave almost immediately for the lord’s household, but reason gave him pause. It was important he create the impression he wasn’t at the lord’s beck and call. Despite his overwhelming curiosity, Minori forced himself to wait until late afternoon.

  As Minori walked through Haven, he paid attention to the talk of the commoners and the merchants. One of the blind spots of all the blades was their pride. On an individual level, their power was so much greater than any other member of the Kingdom, they had a tendency to forget about the importance of everybody else. Minori believed that was a mistake. Despite the strength of the blades, they were vastly outnumbered by regular citizens. Few agreed with him, but Minori believed that if the commoners ever revolted against the blades, there was little the blades would be able to do. So he did his best to pay attention to what was being said on the street and in the teahouses.

  Most people seemed to be going about their daily business. Minori heard a few mentions of Lord Shin’s soldiers, but the troops had been well behaved and brought good money into the city. Because of the lack of any incidents, the people viewed them favorably.

  Minori was surprised, as he always was, by how little the citizens seemed concerned about the king’s health. The king could die at any time, and without an heir named, the king’s death would bring confusion at the best and civil war at the worst. Minori thought the subject should be foremost on everyone’s minds, but perhaps he was one of the few who cared. He had to remind himself that most people were concerned with the little problems in life and often ignored the bigger, more dangerous issues.

  Minori found Lord Shin’s household with little difficulty. The abode was one of the biggest complexes in the city, rivaling even the king’s castle. Thick and tall white walls cut the grounds off from the rest of the city. The center structure, Shin’s palace, was massive—two stories tall, with a sloped tile roof that added half that height again. A nearby pagoda towered over the massive stone walls. Minori wondered how Shin, who wasn’t even the lord of this land, could have built such an enormous complex in the capital. The payments to Masaki must be significant, to say the least.

  Minori wore his robes, and after a short introduction, was ushered directly to Shin’s office, a nightingale floor singing under his feet as he walked. He kept his face neutral, but he was surprised by this prompt attention. Whatever the lord was up to, it was clear he placed a great deal of importance on this visit.

  Minori was shown into the office, and he recognized the lord immediately. He gave Shin a small bow, and Shin barely bowed his head in return. The rudeness angered Minori. Shin was a lord
because of birth. He had never had to earn his position. Minori was a blade, sharpened and hardened through cycles of training and experience. But Minori stifled his reflex and kept his face as featureless as a stone.

  As host, Shin had the responsibility to speak first. When he spoke, Minori noticed that his voice was strong and firm, the voice of a man used to giving commands.

  “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I realize my summons came as a surprise, and I am grateful you could come as soon as you did.”

  “The honor is all mine. It is the first time since my arrival in the city I’ve had the chance to meet with any of the lords.”

  Minori had little doubt that Shin already knew he hadn’t seen any lords, but his remarks turned the conversation in the direction the blade wanted to go.

  “I am very sorry to hear that, but I’m glad the mistake is rectified today.”

  For a moment, Minori worried they were going to have to go through all the formalities of a polite conversation. In other circumstances, he wouldn’t have minded, but today he was grateful when Shin got to the point.

  “I asked you here today because I believe our interests might align.”

  Minori hoped his face gave nothing away. An alliance with Shin might be very powerful, but he had to walk carefully. As a general matter of principle, the blades did not align with any of the great houses, electing instead to serve only the Kingdom.

  “Thank you, Lord Shin, for your careful consideration. It would be an honor to assist you in any way.” Working with Shin could be lucrative, but some things could be said, and others could not.

  Minori looked around the lord’s office. The room was barren, except for one carefully groomed tree and a set of swords on the wall. That, combined with Lord Shin’s presence, led Minori to believe this was a man he could work with. Shin’s reputation was one of a bold and clever leader, and if Minori played the game well, he could use the lord to help bring the blades to power in the Kingdom.

  Shin’s posture changed, and Minori paid more attention. “Let us not play any more games that society would expect of us. I’ve seen you looking around my room, and I know you are judging me. Likewise, I’ve studied every move you’ve made since you came in this room, and I believe your reputation is well earned. Can we do business together?”