by Ryan Kirk
Yuki burst out, before Akira could stop him. "He's your king now."
The monk didn't seem disturbed. "He might have been our king, once, but - I don't know if you've noticed – the land has fallen, and there is no order now except that which we provide."
Yuki was about to draw his sword, but Akira laid a restraining arm on his shoulder. "Let it be. We did not come here for a fight."
Akira squarely faced the monk. "Your treachery runs deep. I hoped not to believe it, but I needed to see it firsthand."
The monk shrugged. "What you call treachery, others may call our best hope for survival. You were not strong enough to stop the invasion. The only people left who can defend this land are the monasteries. We only saw what was coming and prepared for it."
It was hard for him to contain his anger. "You only knew what was coming because you helped plan the invasion."
The monk’s look turned stern. "That is a terrible accusation to make."
"It's easy when one has intercepted the papers between your monasteries and the Azarian invaders."
The monk seemed startled by the fact. He glanced around the circle. "Come now. I know you did not come to argue trivialities." Akira looked around and saw what the monk saw. Their argument was attracting the attention of all the people in the yard. Akira held out hope. If he could sway the people to his side, they would far outnumber the monks. Already, many of them would've overheard his guard state that Akira was king.
"I know you have betrayed us to the Azarians," Akira said, his voice echoing in the small monastery. "I know you helped them plan this invasion, telling them where our forces were weak and where our supplies were. Perhaps, just perhaps, forgiveness can be found for that treachery. But I will not stand by as you enslave my people under the pretense of safety."
There was a silence all around them, and Akira knew the situation was balanced on the edge of a blade.
"I do not know about what you speak, Akira. But I do know this. We are here to provide safety for the people. We are the only ones who can stand up against the Azarians, and you are only angry because you have not yet understood this truth. Yes, this is a hard life, but each man, woman and child here is doing everything they can to promote their own safety. We did not tell them that life in the monasteries would be easy, we only told them we would keep them alive. They, at least, have better things to do with their time than run around shouting baseless accusations at everyone."
Akira could tell the crowd was swayed by the monk’s arguments. It was easy to underestimate how much power the monasteries had over the common person in the kingdom. He had to force the issue. "You've not heard the last of me. It seems I have business with the Chief Abbott."
Akira turned to leave, daring the monk to try anything in front of everyone watching. He was surprised when the monk didn't even hesitate.
"My brothers, the king is feeling unwell. Perhaps an honest day’s labor scares him too much. Make sure he makes it to my chambers." The loose circle of monks closed in tight, and Akira's guard looked at him for direction. Each of the monks was armed with a staff, giving them a much longer reach than the short knives Akira and Yuki had. The skill of the monks was well known, and although they might be able to defeat one or two, there was no way the two of them could defeat all the monks. Akira gently shook his head.
He looked around to see if any of his people would stand up for him, but already people seemed to believe the conflict was at an end, and they all started going their own ways, ready to start their daily chores. Akira had a hard time believing what he was seeing. His people wouldn’t stand up, not even for their king. It was a blow harder to take than the monasteries’ betrayal.
Without argument, Akira and Yuki allowed themselves to be prodded back towards a small room near the back of the monastery. Once they were in, a bolt slammed shut on the outside.
Akira had been captured.
20
Ryuu and Moriko rode as fast as the horses would carry them. Moriko had never been a big fan of horses, but in this case, every bit of speed was a bonus to them. They wanted as much distance between themselves and Nameless as they could get. All day long they were in the saddle, stopping to rest only once the sun dipped completely below the horizon.
Each night, Ryuu would spread out his sense, trying to understand what was happening in the Three Kingdoms. By the time he was finished, Moriko would have a small meal ready to eat, and the two of them would rest and fill their bellies as Ryuu told Moriko everything he was sensing.
Most of what he could sense wasn’t surprising. The Azarians continued to push further and further into the land, and they moved quickly. Ryuu had thought it would take more time for the clans to move their entire population, but that didn't seem to be the case. He supposed that when there was no resistance, the clans were able to move as fast as they could walk. The clans seemed to go where they pleased, but Ryuu noted they expanded in a fairly uniform manner. Their expansion wasn’t quite as chaotic as he would have expected, and he wondered if they had planned this expansion before they crossed the Three Sisters. It would explain why they were able to move so quickly and spread out so fast. By the end of the summer, the Azarians would cover almost the entire land.
At the moment, the advance of the Azarians wasn’t Ryuu's main concern. He spent most of his time focusing on Nameless, judging to see whether or not they put any more distance between themselves. Even though two days of hard riding separated them, Nameless always seemed to know exactly where they were going. It was a puzzle Ryuu desperately wanted to figure out.
They were only a day's ride away from the river. Once they got to it, they would follow it until they reached the nearest town. Then the plan was to hire a boat to take them up the river to the northern sea, where they would then find transportation to the island of the blades.
As Moriko cooked, Ryuu sat down and tried to find Nameless once again. It was not a challenging task. Nameless let off more energy than anyone Ryuu had ever met, and he never bothered to contain it at all. He was like a bright light shining in the darkness against Ryuu’s sense. Tonight, again, little had changed. Nameless continued to follow them, and he had even gained a little bit of distance. Ryuu and Moriko rode their horses as fast as they could, but Nameless was faster.
Ryuu wasn’t too concerned about today’s decreasing distance. There had been some days where they had gained, and some days they had lost, but altogether both the hunter and the hunted remained about the same distance apart. Ryuu was trying to figure out how it was Nameless was able to track them so easily. Just to be certain, two days ago Ryuu had turned them further towards the west. It meant extra distance to reach the river, but he had hoped it would shake their pursuit. However, that night when Ryuu had used his sense to find Nameless, he was right behind them, the same distance he always had been. No matter which way they turned, Nameless was always following them.
Tonight, instead of focusing on Nameless, Ryuu focused on the space surrounding the hunter. It was difficult, as his attention kept wandering back to Nameless and his energy, like a moth driven towards the light. But there had to be someone else, he just wasn’t able to sense them so close to Nameless. Again and again his attention drifted back to Nameless, and once more he would try to spread his attention further away. When he found what he was looking for, he was surprised. The man he found had little strength himself, but Ryuu could feel the tendrils of the sense emanating far and wide from the man. Ryuu knew what was happening.
He returned to himself and opened his eyes and looked at Moriko. There was a grin on his face, and Moriko saw he had figured something out. "What is it?"
Ryuu leaned forward. "We know the hunters always travel in pairs. This has always been true. But you never said anything about Nameless’ partner."
Moriko scrunched up her face, as though she had never realized this fact for herself. "I never thought about that, but now that you mention it, it seems rather obvious. I never saw him with a partner."
>
She closed her eyes, imagining the scene between herself and Nameless, the closest she had ever come to dying. How many people had surrounded her that day? Nameless had been in the center of the circle, and if a partner had been with him, there should have been an odd number of hunters. Moriko's memory was far from perfect, but her memories of that day were forever burned into her mind. She was sure there had been ten hunters in the circle. She searched all her other memories of the leader of the Azarians, and slim as they were, she couldn’t remember him with another man or woman as his partner. She shook her head. "I don’t remember him ever having a partner. From everything I saw, he was alone."
"Regardless, I think I know how he is able to track us," Ryuu said. "You told me that in Azarian culture, among the hunters, there is always one who is considered the warrior, and one who is considered the tracker."
Moriko nodded.
Ryuu continued, "I don't know if they are partners in the way we are used to seeing, but doesn't it make sense the best warrior of the Azarians would have the best tracker at his disposal?"
"I suppose. But who is it?"
"I don't know who he is, but I can tell you this much. There is another man with Nameless, and he has the ability to sense at a distance, just like I do. He keeps a fair distance away from Nameless, but I think it is only because of how strong Nameless is. He is the reason why Nameless is always able to track us no matter which way we go."
Moriko gave Ryuu a look he wasn't able to decipher. "You have an idea, and I'm not sure I'm going to like it."
Ryuu grinned and shook his head. "No, you're not."
Moriko couldn’t believe she'd been persuaded to do this. Two days ago, when Ryuu had sold her on the idea, it had seemed like a good one. The heart of it was simple. Ryuu would act as a distraction, drawing Nameless away from the man who was his tracker. Ryuu would have a chance to fight Nameless, and there was a chance many of their problems would be solved with one decisive action.
It was the decisive action that appealed to Moriko. She was tired of running from place to place trying to figure out what to do. Instead they would attack their problem head-on and finish it.
But now, in the middle of executing the plan, Moriko wasn't so sure. Doubts assailed her mind. She had no concerns about tracking and killing her target. She was invisible, and if she was smart the hunter would never even know she was there. But she was worried about Ryuu. He was strong, stronger than she had ever seen him, but she couldn’t help but think he wasn't strong enough to fight Nameless.
She had objected, lightly, but not enough to change the course of their actions. The plan had become a reality.
Moriko pushed the thoughts out of her mind. What was done was done, and they had set themselves upon a course from which there was no return. They were as prepared as they could be. There was nothing left to do but to trust their skills and hope for the best.
They camped next to the roaring banks of the river for two days, practicing and training, acting as though they hadn't a care in the world. Each night, Ryuu would extend his sense and confirm that Nameless and his partner continued to get closer.
As the sun set that evening, Ryuu threw out his sense one last time. Their plans had been made, and there was no turning back. Nameless was only three leagues away, and would be at their camp by the time the moon was high. Moriko suppressed any nervousness on her part. It was Ryuu who had the more challenging task. They kept a tense watch that night, Ryuu in a meditative position almost constantly. For the plan to work, he had to let Moriko know where Nameless’ partner was going to be. And so they waited for the two of them split up. Ryuu was certain Nameless wouldn’t bring his partner into the battle. He would not risk his tracker.
As soon as Nameless and his partner separated, Ryuu gave Moriko directions as best he could. So long as he got her close it would be good enough. Once nearby, Moriko would be able to sense the man herself.
Moriko crept through the brush. There was a partial moon, casting dark shadows as clouds passed overhead. Her progress was slow. If the hunter was one of the best trackers of the Azarians, his other senses would be sharp as well. Moriko stayed downwind of the hunter, moving so slowly she didn’t even rustle the grass. Her muscles burned and screamed for relief, but she was an expert at ignoring them.
She could sense the person she was stalking. His sense spread far and wide, and she knew he was gathering more information than she could ever imagine. But the tendrils of his sense ran over her without notice, and that was all that mattered. For all his knowledge, he wouldn’t see his own death coming.
Moriko crept closer, and the man she was tracking came into view. He was old, one of the oldest men she had ever seen. All of a sudden, she hesitated. It wasn’t that she couldn’t kill him, but a man this old deserved respect. Killing him without warning seemed wrong somehow. He had to die, but it should be with honor.
She drew her sword, the ring of steel leaving the sheath cutting through the night air. The old man startled, stood up, and turned around. He faced Moriko with a look of calm serenity up on his face. "The void has come for me at last," he said with a smile on his face.
Moriko frowned. The words of the old man didn't make sense to her. "You know why I’m here."
The old man nodded. "Yes, I've seen your coming for some time now. I tried to warn him, but he would not listen. You are the one who will bring death to us all."
Moriko was confused, but the words echoed in her mind, and she couldn’t let them go. What was the old man talking about? Did he somehow see the future?
The old man seemed to be able to look inside of her mind. "No, I cannot see the future, and would not wish that curse on anyone. But I can see the way the pattern forms, and I can see the way this world continues to turn, day after day. It does not take the gift of sight to see what will happen. I warned him, but he would not listen."
The old man's words shattered Moriko's confidence, but she had come with a singular purpose, and nothing would turn her aside from that. "Take a few moments. Make your peace."
The old man smiled. "Thank you for your kindness. You’ve shown your quality, but I have always been at peace. This world has always been enough for me. Do what you came to do."
With that, the old man spread his arms wide, opening himself up for Moriko's attack. She suspected a trap, but her sense gave nothing away. The man fully intended to allow her to strike him down where he stood. She hesitated only for a moment and then dashed forward. Her blade came back and made one cut. The old man didn't move a muscle, and the cut was clean.
Moriko couldn't be sure, but she thought she heard the old man whisper as his head fell from his shoulders. “A beautiful cut.”
Moriko didn't want to admit how much her encounter with the old man had shaken her. She cleaned her blade and sheathed her sword. She had both horses, and the next steps in their plan were clear. She mounted the horses and was off.
Ryuu waited on the banks of the river. They were only a few days away from the confluence of the largest rivers in the kingdom, and here, the stream that originated in the mountains of the Northern Kingdom had become a quick and powerful river. Where he stood the river had worn away the banks for more lifetimes than Ryuu could imagine, carving its way deep into the earth. The drop was three or four times his own height, and if the worst came to pass, Ryuu planned to make that jump. The water was dark and fast, but still less dangerous than Nameless’ blade. He wouldn’t die. Not here. Not tonight.
A strange mixture of nervousness and excitement coursed through his body. He had always sensed how strong Nameless was, even back when he was on the island. To come face to face with that strength made him nervous. He had fought strong opponents before, but never anyone like this. As much as he tried to push the thought out of his mind, Ryuu was certain Nameless was stronger than he was.
But that knowledge also excited him. He remembered a conversation he and Moriko once had. She told him she was never truly alive unless she was fac
ing an opponent stronger than her. At the time Ryuu had disagreed. He wanted to believe there was more to life than beating the next strongest opponent. But as he stood on the banks of the river he wasn’t so sure. His blood raced and all his senses were sharp. He had to admit, he was eager to face the man who came his way.
Either way, there would be some sort of conclusion tonight. Once Moriko killed the man who was tracking them, getting away from Nameless would be much easier. Ryuu hoped he might defeat Nameless tonight, but he suspected he wouldn’t be able to. His primary goal was to live, and to distract Nameless long enough that Moriko could finish her work. He still needed to get back to the island. The only hope for the kingdom was for the nightblades to return.
Ryuu’s thoughts were interrupted as he felt Nameless get closer. At any moment now he would come over the last small hill separating the two of them. He was eager to see the man who had changed everything for the kingdom. Moriko had made him out to be larger than life, and Ryuu was curious to see how he stacked up in reality.
When Nameless finally crested the hill, Ryuu almost laughed. Moriko, if anything, had been understating Nameless’ qualities. Orochi had been big, but this man was a giant, and Ryuu couldn’t see even the smallest part of fat on him. He wore nothing but a ragged shirt and pants, and both looked as though they were ready to rip off him at any moment.
The second thing Ryuu noticed was the way he moved. Despite his size, the man moved like a cat, his body always perfectly balanced. Ryuu’s heart was racing. He had known, in his mind, he had never faced an opponent like Nameless before; but now he knew it in his bones. The man was so large it was almost a joke.
Ryuu stood in place, fighting the urge to jump straight into the river. As frightened as he was, he had to know.
When Nameless stopped, he stood about five paces away from Ryuu. The two men studied each other, taking each other’s measure before the battle began.
