by Ryan Kirk
He knew his decision wasn’t logical, but Minori had been driven beyond reason. The betrayal he still felt was no less acute than the moment it had occurred, and Minori still felt anger rise in his heart. He was going to kill Shin. At one time, Minori had been one of the greatest shadows the nightblades had, and it was time to remind people of that fact. He wasn’t one to be betrayed so easily.
It had been days now, and Minori couldn’t find any weakness in the defenses of Shin’s grounds. The walls were high, and while Minori might be able to climb them, there was no chance he could do so without being discovered. The gate was well guarded, and Minori had seen a fair number of visitors turned away. Those who were allowed to enter were examined closely. No one got by without a thorough inspection. Even baskets of rice were searched to ensure no one and nothing was hidden inside.
Minori didn’t give up searching, though. He found a rooftop where he could see and sense everything. From long experience he knew patience was a virtue that was almost always rewarded. This would be no different. He assumed he would have to kill some of Shin’s guards, but that wasn’t a problem.
He had no solid evidence, but Minori was certain Shin was up to something big. The constant stream of traffic into the palace only seemed to increase.
Minori watched and waited, his patience consistent. The time would come. If nothing else, eventually Shin would have to leave his palace, and when he did, Minori would be there. He wanted to live, but sometimes he thought perhaps he would be willing to die, just so long as he took the false king with him.
He had lost track of time when the incident he was waiting for suddenly happened. He felt the swell of life inside the palace, but didn’t understand what it meant until dozens of guards swarmed out. They spread throughout the city, and their calls could be heard everywhere.
“Pack your things! An attack on the city is imminent! Hurry; there isn’t much time!”
Minori fought his curiosity and remained on top of the rooftops. From his vantage point, he couldn’t see beyond the walls of Haven, but he would have been surprised if another army had already reached it. It seemed too soon. In his gut, this felt like another trick of Shin’s.
Minori realized with a start he hadn’t seen Shin leave the castle with his soldiers, and for the first time in days, the gates were only lightly guarded. Whatever Shin was up to, he had committed most of his men to the plan. Minori could feel the city coming to life as people scrambled to obey the orders of the guards.
Only four guards were at the gate. Minori decided it was time. He stood up and stretched, prepared to assassinate the false king.
Minori dropped into the alley from his rooftop perch. He used his sense to make sure no one else was nearby and sprinted toward the gate. He had no reason to build up to an element of surprise. He would get to Shin as quickly as possible.
The guards spotted him and immediately came to attention. They drew their blades as he drew his, but they didn’t have a chance. It had been a long time since he had drawn his blade with the intent to kill, but his skill hadn’t dulled due to his daily practice.
He slid among them, his sword slicing through the guards as though they weren’t even solid. There was no need to stop and admire his work.
The castle grounds were empty, and off to the side, Minori could see the gardens he had once prized so highly. A man of such little loyalty didn’t deserve beautiful oases. Minori entered Shin’s residence, and only then did he slow down. With corners and hallways, there were plenty of places for traps and ambushes, and he needed to be wary. The situation didn’t feel like a trap, but Minori had seen enough to be cautious.
His sense told him that although the castle was alive with activity, few people were left inside, and none seemed to be guards. It was hard to tell with the sense, but he didn’t notice any pairs walking the hallways slowly, which would have been a giveaway. Minori hurried, using his sense to try to locate Shin. In all the time they had cooperated with one another, he had never been allowed inside the usurper’s inner sanctum. Minori hadn’t questioned it at the time, but he realized that was a smart decision, especially if Shin had foreseen and planned these events.
Minori could sense life, but he couldn’t sense walls, and he didn’t know the castle well. Even if he could find the false king, it would take him time to get to wherever he was. In an emergency, that time could prove to be incredibly useful to Shin.
Minori pushed the thoughts away and focused on the present. He had only one goal here. He didn’t need to make it out alive as long as Shin didn’t survive. Unsure of what direction to go, Minori kept moving farther inside, waiting until he felt Shin’s familiar presence with his sense.
His instinct paid off. Shin was in the center of the castle with others, but they didn’t seem to be guards. They were too close for that.
It took Minori a little time to navigate the hallways, but eventually he found himself outside of Shin’s receiving hall. The others were still in there with him, and Minori paused before charging in. Their voices floated out of the space.
Minori recognized the first voice as Shin’s. “It’s all prepared then?”
He couldn’t hear their response, but they must have affirmed Shin’s question. “Good. The robes are ready. Take the men you’ve selected and get started. My caravan is waiting nearby, and as soon as I take care of one or two more items, I will leave as well. You can begin as planned.”
Minori could sense the other men bow and start to leave the room. He glanced around and found a corner that would hide him well. The other men left and walked right next to him, and as they passed him, Minori could tell from their uniforms that Shin had been speaking with some of his local commanders.
He waited until they were around a corner and then stepped out. His sense told him that Shin had stood and was on the move. Minori followed him, taking his time. With his sense, he felt Shin step into a fairly large room, settling down near the far-side wall. Minori drew his sword and took a calming breath. He searched the castle with his sense but found nothing unusual. He stepped into the room.
In front of him, Shin was sitting at a small table, furiously writing something. Shin’s back was to Minori, and the blade took a few more cautious steps into the room. He could almost taste Shin’s blood.
Minori took another step, and the wood underneath his foot sang. Minori cursed. He had forgotten Shin had a nightingale floor in this room. Shin turned around, but it didn’t matter. The two were alone in the room, and even if Shin sounded an alarm, he wouldn’t have enough time to stop his death. Minori launched himself forward.
At the same time, Shin seemed to trigger something, and there was a blur. Minori couldn’t see what was happening and he couldn’t sense anything, but suddenly, sharp pain erupted all over his body. His vision became skewed, and more by instinct than any thought, he pulled himself backward as he felt chunks of his flesh being torn from his body.
A gong sounded in the wall off to Minori’s side. His sense, still functioning on a fundamental level, told him that the remaining people in the castle had started to converge on the room Minori was in. His heart sank as he realized there were eight men, something that hadn’t even occurred to him on his way in.
Shin stood, his face calm and impassive. “Minori. I was starting to wonder if I had made the security around here too tight. I expected you earlier. You almost missed your chance entirely.”
Minori made to charge again, but Shin shook his head. “I wouldn’t try that if I were you.” He raised his finger, drawing Minori’s focus to a point in between them.
Minori’s mind, the prize of all his abilities, couldn’t keep up with what was happening. Shin wasn’t acting the way a man facing a nightblade one-on-one should. He was calm and confident, and Minori couldn’t figure out why.
Then some of his blood fell to the floor, and an understanding dawned on him. Somehow Shin had triggered a latticework of razor-sharp wire. Minori had run into it with his left leg, shoulder,
and part of his face. Minori screamed. No wire would stand between him and his prey. He cut at it with his blade, severing one strand but catching his sword on the second. Where had Shin gotten wire like this?
His mind cracking, Minori realized he wouldn’t have time to cut through the wire before Shin’s nightblade-hunting unit arrived.
Minori’s yell was deep and tore at his throat. It couldn’t end this way!
But he didn’t see any way out but one as the hunting party assembled behind him. Minori turned to face them. He knew he didn’t have a chance. He had already been deeply cut by the wires, and his left arm was almost useless. He thought he had maybe lost an eye to the wire as well. But he wouldn’t die without a fight. He would die on his feet.
The hunting party showed no hesitation. They advanced, their spears at the ready. Minori swore to himself.
For a moment, everything seemed unfair. He had only tried to do what was best for the blades, but it would cost him his life. Minori didn’t know what had happened to Kiyoshi, but he was sure the old dayblade would laugh at him and his foolishness.
Minori did his best to dart forward, but his left leg didn’t want to take too much weight. He stumbled, which probably saved him. A spear stabbed overhead, and he felt a second one coming at his chest. He deflected it and tried to move inside the range of the guards, but two more shafts appeared in his way. Minori slapped them away as best he could with his blade, but everything in front of him was a wall of darting spears.
He felt the attack coming from the side and leapt backward, remembering too late he didn’t have any space to dodge. He felt the razor wire slice into his back, and he shifted his weight forward, feeling the razors tear more flesh from his body.
He felt sharp pain everywhere. His mind lost all focus, and he couldn’t sense any strikes coming. He was disappointed in himself. At the very least, he should have been able to take a few of Shin’s warriors with him.
The first spear took him in the side of his stomach. As he doubled over around the pain, a second stabbed into his shoulder, forcing him upright against the wire again.
Minori felt his body collapse, the razor wire tearing more of his flesh as he fell. Blackness crept into the corners of his vision, and Minori was ready to join the Great Cycle.
“Stop!”
The command was instantly obeyed, but Minori didn’t care. He had reached a state where his concerns were unimportant. There was only life, and despite everything, it was a beautiful thing.
Minori’s peace was shattered as he was rolled over onto his back. He didn’t seem to notice the pain anymore. All he could see was Shin in his vision, lips moving, words taking too long to get to Minori’s ears.
“Find him a doctor and heal him enough so he stays alive. We’ll need him for a few more days at least.”
Minori must have had a question on his face because Shin smiled at him.
“You can’t die just yet. You will die, but when you do, it will be as the most hated man the Kingdom has ever known. And I captured you.”
What was left of Minori was furious, and he tried to move, but his body wasn’t responding to his commands anymore. All he could do was glare. He saw Shin pull back his boot, and Minori’s world went dark.
Chapter 30
Asa rode back to the inn slowly. After she had been healed, she had been lost, unsure of what to do. The purpose that had driven her for her entire life had vanished as quickly as a flame snuffed out by lack of air. She had stumbled around the site of her battle for most of the afternoon, unable to decide on a path forward. She wanted to leave everything behind and wander, but she felt she owed a debt to Kiyoshi, a debt she didn’t want to pay. Every time she tried to mount her horse and leave, her conscience stopped her.
As hard as she tried, she couldn’t summon the hatred and rage that had driven her for so long. When she looked at the body, she didn’t see the demon Osamu that had haunted her for so long. All she saw was the healer Kiyoshi. She couldn’t leave his body to rot out on the plains or be eaten by scavengers. Despite his crimes, he deserved better than that.
Finally, tired of indecision, Asa wrapped Kiyoshi’s body in clothes from his saddlebags and draped him over the horse he had been riding on, surprised by how light his body was. He really had driven himself to the edge of life, another reminder of everything he had given.
There wasn’t any hurry anymore, no hurry about anything. She wanted Daisuke to be at the inn so she could give Kiyoshi’s body to him. He might want to kill her, but she found she didn’t care. She had found her revenge, and her family could now rest in peace.
After a day of riding, she found herself within sight of Haven. She was surprised to see a tremendous plume of smoke stretching up into the sky. As she got closer, she noticed that the layer of snow she was riding on had a thin black topping of ash. Although she didn’t believe it, there was only one reason for that much smoke: the entire capital was on fire. And the only way that happened was if someone had set it.
Asa was glad she wasn’t going to the city. She had thought as she left that if she never saw Haven again, she would be happy, but had never guessed the thought might come true. Even the inn seemed too close for comfort, but she didn’t know where else to take Kiyoshi’s body.
By the time she got to the inn, the road was full of people without a home. Asa rode through them, handing her horses to a boy who worked for the inn. The tension in the air was palpable and almost too much to handle. All Asa wanted was to be left alone, to rest in quiet. She didn’t want anybody else’s problems. She was grateful when she slipped into the unmarked inn and found it to be as quiet as ever.
Daisuke was in the common room, and from the look of his table, he was deep into his cups. The image bothered her more than anything she had encountered in the past few days. Daisuke was a rock, always stable, no matter what happened. To see him tossed about like a leaf in the wind was uncomfortable. He looked at her as she came in and downed another cup in one swallow.
Although she didn’t think he would do anything, he practically radiated his desire to kill her, and it took all her courage to sit down next to him. She found herself at a loss for how to proceed. She blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. “I brought back his body.”
Daisuke filled and emptied the cup again. “Thank you.”
The silence stretched between them. Asa fought the urge to apologize. She wasn’t sorry, and saying she was would be disrespectful to the man who had saved her life. What was there to say to the man whose master and best friend she killed?
Daisuke had no apparent desire to speak with her, but she couldn’t leave, not yet. Every moment, Asa was certain Daisuke would lash out at her and she wouldn’t do anything about it. She couldn’t. But she couldn’t leave as his enemy. She just couldn’t.
At a loss for what to say, she led with an obvious question. “What’s happening out there?”
“Even someone as blind as you can see Haven is burning. There are reports that men in black robes were running around the city, lighting buildings on fire.”
Asa couldn’t believe his words. “People believe the nightblades lit Haven on fire? That’s ridiculous.”
Daisuke fixed her with a cold stare. “Oh yes, people believe it. Our new king, King Shin, has made certain of that.”
A sudden thought occurred. “What about the real king, Masaki? Is there anything he can do?”
“He died this morning. Peacefully, in his sleep. Not the way of a warrior, but a good way for a king to pass.”
Asa turned the news over in her mind. She wondered what Shin would do next, and she found that as she pondered this question, she didn’t really care. All she wanted was to disappear. All she had to do was finish her final task.
“What would you like to do with Kiyoshi’s body?”
Daisuke gazed off into the distance, his drink visible in the glassiness of his eyes. “The two of them should be honored together. I think they would like that.”
/> Asa was torn. She didn’t have any regrets about killing Kiyoshi. He had earned his just reward. But still, she felt as though she needed to honor the old man. She didn’t understand it, but she accepted it. “May I help?”
Daisuke’s stare grew longer, and he looked as though he were wrestling with the words he really wanted to say. “He would have liked that.”
Asa could feel the tension and knew it was best if she could leave soon. “I will find wood.”
Daisuke gave her a short nod and turned back to his cups. Asa hesitated in place, just for a moment, before turning around and leaving him to his grief.
The next two days were full of activity but largely devoid of meaning for Asa. Finding wood was proving to be harder than she expected. Most places had been cleaned out by the flood of homeless people from Haven.
The fire that consumed Haven was slowly burning itself out, but from what Asa heard as she wandered the countryside looking for wood, no one planned on returning. People were uncertain and scared. She heard dozens of reports of crime, but so far, no one seemed to be taking any action on it. King Shin had ordered the building of a tent city two days’ walk to the east of Haven, and people were flocking to it as a means of temporary shelter.
Everywhere she went, Asa discovered just how deep the hatred of the blades now ran. Fear had morphed into something else entirely—rage. First the palace, and now the capital? Roving bands of citizens armed with everything from kitchen knives to homemade spears combed the land and, if rumors could be trusted, had already killed a few blades.
Asa wouldn’t dare to wear her black robes in public, not anymore. Her swords had to be concealed at all times, too. Women weren’t in the army, and a woman carrying swords in public was a dead giveaway of one’s nightblade status.
The most surprising news came on the first day after Asa had returned to the inn, a whisper that spread like wildfire. The families of both Lord Isamu and Lord Juro had publicly declared their support for King Shin. That day Daisuke took a piece of paper from Kiyoshi’s clothes and threw it into the fire, never telling Asa what it had been. Asa didn’t know how Lord Shin had gotten their support as quickly as he had, but the lords were united against a common foe, the blades.
