by Ryan Kirk
When he came to, he was lying on his stomach while a medic stitched his back together. Ryuu swore loudly, startling the doctor. He heard Akira’s distinctive chuckle.
“They thought you’d sleep for days. Apparently not so much.”
Ryuu managed to form words. Everything in his body seemed sluggish to him. “What happened?”
“When you left, I had men follow you to the perimeter of the camp and watch your battle. As you can imagine, the outcome was of no little importance to me. They saw you defeat Renzo, although they admit they couldn’t actually see much of the battle in the dark. When you started carrying Rei back to our camp, they came back to report. I sent men to retrieve you. I apologize. If my men had some more initiative, they would have prevented your climb back up the hill.”
Ryuu nodded, the small motion causing pain to blaze throughout his body. “Thank you.”
“It’s the least I can do. I figured Renzo would be coming for me if you failed, so I’m grateful you succeeded.”
Ryuu could feel the darkness pressing in on him. Akira dismissed the medic when he finished with his work and knelt down next to Ryuu.
“I’ve been talking with my generals, Ryuu. We’re going to surrender when the sun rises. I hate it more than anything, but you are right. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Then the blackness claimed Ryuu before he could even ask what had happened to Rei.
32
Akira stood in the early morning sun and looked at the two nightblades recovering in their tent. Ryuu would live and heal. He was wounded, and his cuts were deep, but there wasn’t anything fatal. It was Rei he worried about. Her arm hung limp, and the healers had told him they weren’t sure it would ever be functional again. He wondered how she would feel about it. She had been so happy, so positive about everything. But if she lost her movement, her ability with the sword, what was left for her?
Akira hated seeing the two of them in this condition. He had become fond of them, fond of their strength. Akira had known how strong Orochi was, and Ryuu had killed him. Renzo, whoever he had been, must have been incredibly powerful to do this to both of them.
Looking in on the nightblades gave Akira the strength he needed. He hadn’t slept at all the night before, and this morning the battle lines were being drawn up. Akira had spoken with his generals. They knew what was coming.
It was the damn Azarians. Akira had cursed and raged when he got the news, but no amount of anger changed the facts he faced. He had never imagined so many Azarians. Never imagined they would be backed up with hunters. Not even Moriko had made it out alive, and Akira was sure she’d been strong.
He wanted to give the order to charge. He wanted to make the soldiers of the Western Kingdom pay in blood for every step they’d taken on his land. But he wouldn’t do it. His men thirsted for the blood of the invaders, but they wouldn’t taste it today. Not with the danger they were facing. Today he would surrender his kingdom to Tanak in order to fight the Azarians. It was the hardest decision he’d ever made.
Akira left the tent and found his honor guard. He mounted his horse and looked with pride upon all the men who had assembled to fight and die for him.
They raised a white flag as a banner and Akira rode down the hillside. They rode to the center of the field and waited for Tanak to come. In time he did, bearing his own white flag of truce. Akira motioned to his honor guard to stay in place while he rode to Tanak. Tanak did the same, and the two of them met in open field, alone. Akira thought, just for a moment, he would cut Tanak down where he stood, but the moment passed. No good would come of it.
“Good morning, Akira.” Tanak dropped the honorific.
“Good morning, Lord Tanak.” Akira swallowed his pride, as much as it pained him to do so.
“It’s a lovely morning for battle, isn’t it?”
Akira shook his head. “No. No morning should be ruined by the sound of the battle calls.” He paused. “I’ve received a message that concerns us.” He handed Tanak the same report he’d received from the Three Sisters. Tanak read it quickly and threw it to the ground.
“Please, do you think to get me to turn back now, just because you show me a letter?”
“No. I would like you to turn around so I can send my men down to the pass to protect it.”
“It will never happen, Akira.”
“Damn it, Tanak! If we fight here today, no matter who wins, our armies will be broken. We don’t have the strength to stand against a force this size.”
Tanak looked Akira right in the eye. “My men will meet yours in battle, and after you are gone, we’ll go down and protect all Three Kingdoms. We can stand before them without a problem.”
Akira couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Surely Tanak wasn’t so delusional as to believe what he was saying?
“You won’t turn back?”
Tanak shook his head.
“Then I need to negotiate my terms of surrender.”
The grin on Tanak’s face made Akira want to draw his blade again, but he resisted. “What are your terms?”
“With the threat from the Azarians, I ask that my men are allowed to disband and go home, keeping their weapons. None of my men are to be tried for any crime, and they will be allowed to keep their organization. If you need them, they will come to your call to protect the land. Also, grant me the title of your second-in-command, so that my men will accept this peace.”
“So you can stab me in my sleep and take the throne that way?”
Akira glared at Tanak. “You know I wouldn’t stoop to such tactics.”
Tanak thought about the terms for a moment. “That is true. If nothing else, you are honest. There is one thing more I require.”
“What is it?”
“The head of the nightblade in your camp.”
Akira spun around, making sure no one was close enough to overhear. But they were alone on the battlefield, their honor guards dozens of paces away. “Come again?”
Tanak spat. “Don’t play games with me, Akira. I know you have a nightblade with you. Renzo told me before he went to assassinate you. I’m assuming Renzo fell to him, given that you’re here in front of me. I want his head. Renzo deserves it.”
“And how do you expect me to kill a nightblade?”
“That’s your problem. I’ll agree to your terms, but you must bring me his head.”
Akira debated for a moment. “I will try to kill him myself. That way, even if I fail, your price will be paid.”
Tanak smiled. “That’s good enough for me. I agree to your terms.”
Akira cursed to himself and rode away. Now he had to tell his men why he had surrendered his kingdom before they’d even fought.
33
After over two moons in the Azarian prairie, the fort at the southern tip of the Three Sisters seemed like a gift from the fates. Moriko hadn’t been sure she’d ever see it again. She was flooded with relief. It wasn’t home, but it was good enough.
Even at first glance, Moriko could tell Toro hadn’t wasted his summer. There was an extra wall built around the fort, and the existing walls had been built higher than they had been when she left. As she approached she could see the soldiers at work, drilling and building. She kicked the horse. She wanted to be inside the walls.
Moriko was greeted at the wall like a hero of the people. She gazed from face to face. She saw fear and hope in the eyes of the soldiers. A summer without battle had taken their toll. Moriko was brought to Toro right away. She started with the most important news. The hunters were real, they were in charge of the tribes, and they were coming. Moriko estimated they had a half moon at the most to prepare. Toro’s face paled when she spoke of the capabilities of the hunters. His scouts had spotted the Azarians, but the hunters were news to him.
She had to give Toro credit. He set aside all his disbelief and listened to what she was saying. They spoke through the afternoon and into the evening. But before the moon broke the horizon, he held
up his hand to stop her.
“This is much to take in. I will start to make preparations as I see fit, but we can continue this tomorrow. It’s obvious that you are exhausted.”
Moriko graciously accepted his hospitality, falling asleep in the offered tent instantly and sleeping better than she had in ages. Her time in Azaria had taught her not to take safety for granted. When she woke, she was brought to Toro, and he began a careful questioning, bringing out details Moriko hadn’t even realized were important. She realized she had learned much more than she thought she had, just by living with the Azarians.
Throughout their interview, Moriko became aware that the camp was more alive than it had been in some time. Toro had taken her story to heart, and defenses were being prepared. Walls were reinforced. Blades and arrows were sharpened and honed, all on her word. The First was preparing for war. They were interrupted regularly by dispatches that Toro answered quickly. Moriko was in awe. She could destroy him in single combat, but this man was a leader, preparing his army for a battle Moriko thought was hopeless. She couldn’t take his place, no matter how strong she was.
They talked through the night, reaching the point in Moriko’s story when she met Nameless for the first time. The moon was high in the sky when Moriko finally left the general’s tent. She breathed in the night, feeling it fill her with strength. She hadn’t been sure she would survive, but here she was, stronger than ever.
Moriko slept soundly that night as well, rejoining Toro for another day of interviews. They went almost through the entire day, ending just before the sun set. When they were done, Toro dismissed her quickly, needing to get back to the work of commanding his army. Moriko knew that somehow her story was changing how he managed his defenses.
In the privacy of her tent, Moriko watched the moon come up over the horizon. She had returned a different person than when she left. More different than she had expected. She thought about Ryuu and about the world they were caught in. She thought about what was next.
War was coming to the Three Kingdoms. Not the petty civil war that was currently tearing the land apart, but a war that would destroy the very identity of the Three Kingdoms. There was a part of her that admired the brutal traditions of the Azarians, but she recognized it was because of her own strength. She was accepted among them. They would bring destruction upon the kingdoms, not because they were power hungry or because they sought to cause destruction. They would destroy because they were weeding out the weak. They would consider it a favor. If they would barely lift a finger to save their own kind, how much less would they do to save the lives of the average citizen of the Three Kingdoms?
Moriko saw all this. It wasn’t a vision, from her perspective, it was simple inevitability. There wasn’t any force in the Three Kingdoms prepared to face what was coming their way. The problem was, Moriko didn’t care. She could hear Ryuu’s voice in her head, telling her they had to protect the weak, but Moriko didn’t agree. She had spent her life confined within the monastery walls. After Ryuu had rescued her and reached a truce with Akira, they’d had freedom for a time. The reason Moriko had gone south was to regain that freedom, but with the Azarians coming north, there wouldn’t be any safety in the Three Kingdoms. They would be hunted until Nameless was sure they were dead. The Three Kingdoms wouldn’t be home, not for long. If she elected to serve Akira, or any lord, she would be bound by chains as confining as the monastery walls she’d grown up in.
She was saddened, but she also knew she was right. She wouldn’t be able to go back to Akira and wait for Ryuu. If she did, fate would embrace her again, and she’d be brought into the battle. It was time for her to leave the Three Kingdoms.
That evening Moriko sat down to write a letter to Ryuu. She told him that she was heading back to their hut and would wait there until spring. She figured it was the longest she could stay before the Azarian invasion made it too dangerous to travel. Every word was slow to come, but she persevered. He had to know, had to understand why she was making this decision. She explained why she wouldn’t serve any of the lords, and she asked Ryuu to join her. He had until spring. She sealed the letter and took it to Toro. It was addressed to Ryuu, in care of Lord Akira. It would reach him.
Toro begged her to stay. He wanted her strength, but it wasn’t his to command. She almost found it amusing that when in danger, he wanted a nightblade at his side, where a few moons ago he would have been just as happy to kill her. Danger made for strange partners.
Toro offered her a horse, but she refused. They would need every horse for their defense, and Moriko felt like a long walk would do her good. Toro wrote her passes to get her past any checkpoints. Moriko left the fort the next day, heading north. She took one last glance at Azaria. She wouldn’t, couldn’t forget her time there, but she was glad it was behind her.
Moriko turned and started walking home, the home she would soon be leaving forever.
34
Akira stood on the ridge, Ryuu standing well back in the crowd. He was not yet fully healed, and moving was still difficult; but this he had to see. Ryuu had to admit, Akira was a true lord. He had turned a surrender into a victory among the men. Celebrations had broken out yesterday, and today he assembled them for a speech. Ultimately, the men were overjoyed today wasn’t their day to die. Akira had never seemed more the leader. It seemed that by losing his power, he had found his center. He had come to the pinnacle after walking through the assembled troops, bowing and congratulating them.
The sun was beginning to go down, and the sunset illuminated Akira as he spoke. Ryuu imagined Akira’s armor could be seen all the way down the hills to Tanak’s armies, breaking camp below. Despite the crushing hits the Southern Kingdom had taken this cycle, the men still looked up to him. Ryuu was impressed.
Akira spoke softly, but his voice was penetrating and carried well in the crisp autumn air.
“Men of the Southern Kingdom …”
Akira paused for effect, looking out over all the men assembled. He looked like a proud parent as he looked on his armies. Ryuu knew it wasn’t an act he put on. He was genuinely proud of his men.
“We have reached a truce with the Western Kingdom. The treaty is not yet official, but the basics are already settled. The Western Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom will become one kingdom, one people once again.”
There was an excited murmur that ran through the crowd, one barely silenced by Akira’s call. He waited for the excitement to die down.
“Each of us, every single man here, has dreamed that we might see the day where the glory of the One Kingdom may be restored. Gentlemen, I believe that day will soon be upon us.”
He paused again and his face turned from one of pride to one of sorrow.
“But, while I celebrate this merging of our kingdoms, our fight is far from over, for news of an even greater threat has reached my ears. An invasion at the Three Sisters is imminent. I have heard word of it from General Toro directly. All of Azaria is coming to the entryway of our kingdom, and they bring with them a type of warrior we call hunters, warriors who have skills similar to our nightblades of old.”
The former Lord of the Southern Kingdom looked over his men. “I know that many here consider the nightblades to be nothing more than a myth. We have trained to hunt them, but all of us hold that speck of doubt, that doubt that we have created a phantom that doesn’t really exist. We doubt their skills can truly be all the legends speak of.”
“I stand before you today to tell you that nightblades do exist, as do the Azarian hunters, and they are more dangerous than any of us can imagine. I fear for our kingdom, so newly unified.”
There was one last pause.
“This war is over. You may all go back to your homes and set your affairs in order. Help with the harvest and save all the food you can. Prepare for war, for I fear you will be called back before the winter is over. And this time we don’t fight among ourselves. We fight instead for our very survival, because the Azarians want our land, and they
don’t need us to be on it when they arrive.”
“My men, my friends, I wish you all the blessings of a bountiful harvest, but the Great Cycle continues to turn, and we must go to war again soon. Don’t let the rust get to your swords.”
There was a low murmur running throughout the crowd. Akira bowed deeply to his men, kneeling and putting his face to the ground, and Ryuu was sure the gesture moved many to tears. These men would die for him. Ryuu was certain they would have their chance soon enough.
Akira came to Ryuu that night as he sat by Rei’s side. Ryuu wished he had the power of the dayblades, the power to heal her arm and her body. He wanted to take her back to the island so she could rest and heal. But he couldn’t move her until she was stronger.
Akira bent over Rei and brushed the hair out of her face. Ryuu had never known Akira as anything other than a lord. Seeing him as a lover was disconcerting. Akira turned to Ryuu. “This came for you today.”
Ryuu snatched the letter out of Akira’s outstretched hand. He recognized Moriko’s handwriting at once. He read through the letter and then read it again, not believing what he was reading. She had survived! And she was leaving.
He knelt to the ground as the information sank in. She was planning on leaving the Three Kingdoms, their home, for good. It felt like a betrayal to him, like she was turning her back on everything they had built together. He had sensed from a distance that she had become different, but he never imagined she would reject their lives like this. He saw her invitation to come with her, but Ryuu wasn’t sure he could. The Three Kingdoms were his home. They were her home.
Something broke in Ryuu then. He couldn’t take the loss of Moriko. She grounded him, held him together. She understood him in a way no one else could. First Takako, now Moriko. Great, heaving sobs wracked his body, but his eyes were dry. No tears would come. He wanted to dig a hole and hide from the world forever.
