by Ryan Kirk
On the other hand, it seemed obvious that the People needed the demon-kind more than ever. Together they were strong, but if they allowed clan rivalries to dominate their time here, they might cease to exist altogether. They were balanced on the edge of a blade, and a fall to either side would kill them all. Nameless had no doubts about it, but few others seemed to agree with him.
In all this, Nameless had an unusual ally. Dorjee, the leader of the Red Hawks, was a vocal supporter of Nameless. Of all the clan leaders, he was the one who seemed to see the situation the same way Nameless did. They certainly didn’t agree on everything, but they were united in the knowledge the clans needed to work together.
It was a strange twist of fate that the man who had virtually led the rebellion against Nameless on the other side of the pass now urged his followers to unite together. It was working, too. The Red Hawks had almost tripled in size since coming over to the kingdom. Between marriages and other alliances, the Red Hawks had absorbed several smaller clans and were stronger than they had been in many, many cycles.
The greatest point of contention between Nameless and Dorjee was the method by which the People would come to live with the citizens of the kingdom. Nameless believed the only way to get the people of the kingdom in line was to intimidate them and make them understand who was strongest. Dorjee argued that the people of the kingdom didn’t think the same way the Azarians did. He believed that by moving into the land and making peace, much more could be achieved. Although Nameless hated to admit it, Dorjee’s strategy had been successful for his clan. His clan was still strong, and didn’t seem to have the never-ending problems with the native people that so many other clans had.
But Nameless couldn’t quite bring himself to see facts the way Dorjee did. In his mind, strength was still paramount. If they didn’t assert their strength, they risked finding themselves subservient to the people of the land. The moon was almost full, and the time of the Gathering was coming to a close. If he didn’t find an answer soon, it would be too late.
Nameless still hadn’t found his solution when he learned of the attack.
The news came from one of the demon-kind who had been riding far from the Gathering. He made his report in haste. “We will be under attack soon. I’d estimate about ten thousand, almost half of them trained soldiers. They’ll be here tomorrow morning.”
Nameless was surprised. He continued to underestimate the strength of the people of this kingdom. Individually, they were weak, but they had strong leaders who brought them together. They were still outnumbered, but it was a substantial enough number that Nameless worried. They didn’t have to kill every one of the People, they just had to get the People to shatter. Did the people of the kingdom know how fragile the alliances of the People were?
“Send word around. Gather every fighter who will come and meet them on the field. I’ll gather the demon-kind.”
The messenger left, and Nameless was left alone, his thoughts racing. It could only be King Akira, but it seemed unlike him. In all his time here, he hadn’t known King Akira to make any foolish mistakes, and this felt like one. They had little hope of destroying the Gathering. Did they know how divided the clans were? Even if they knew about this weakness, an attack against the Gathering would only serve to unify the People. Were they just desperate?
There had to be something more happening. Akira was brave, not dumb. Nameless wished, not for the first time, the old man was still with them. He could have warned them of this attack and let them know of any others.
It wasn’t long before Dorjee came to visit him. “What’s happening?”
Nameless looked up at him. “I don’t know any more than you do. There’s about ten thousand natives heading our way. They’ll be here in the morning.”
Dorjee didn’t hesitate. “You should treat with them.”
Nameless stood up straighter. The very idea was against every ounce of tradition. He didn’t even stop to think through the proposal. “We are going to be attacked. There is no need to treat with them.”
Dorjee yelled. “You fool! You sit here day after day and complain about how the clans can’t break from our histories, but when faced with an opportunity to do just that, it’s you who can’t break from tradition! Don’t you see that you’re no different?”
He didn’t give Nameless a chance to respond. “They have to know they are walking to their own deaths, but they do so anyway. Can’t you see the strength of will they possess? Can’t you respect that? You say every day that there is enough land for us all, and I agree with you. There is enough land for us all, including the people who were here before us. Why can’t you see that?”
The old man had gotten much bolder in the past cycle. Last fall he had practically been on his knees begging for mercy. It was the nightblade, the one who had cut him. Her influence had grown on him. He saw a different future than Nameless.
“No. They are attacking us, insulting every one of us. I will not treat with a weaker force. Even if I wanted to, none of the clans would agree. No, we will fight, and I will crush them once and for all.”
Dorjee hesitated for just a moment. “The Red Hawks will not answer your call.”
Nameless towered over Dorjee, but the clan leader didn’t back down. Nameless thought about drawing his blade and taking off the man’s head, but perversely, he respected the man’s courage. Dorjee spoke softly. “We have talked frequently these past few days. I know the clans are all you care about. It’s the same for me. But talking isn’t enough. We need to act, and that’s what I’m doing. My men will stay by their tents. If the natives have the audacity to actually attack our tents, we will defend them with our lives. But we won’t meet them in battle.”
Nameless was filled with rage, but he took no action. As much as he wanted to kill Dorjee, he had no right. He had given up command of the People. Nameless watched the old clansman disappear into the darkness.
It was a difficult decision, but Nameless decided to send only a few demon-kind to the battlefield. There were two factors influencing his decision. First, his instincts still told him something was off. The attack was too rash, and Nameless wanted to keep his demon-kind as his reserve. Second, the numbers of the demon-kind were being depleted too quickly, and there were groups of soldiers from the kingdom who had proven adept at killing demon-kind. He wanted to risk as few of them as possible.
As the sun rose and Nameless walked towards the battlefield, he felt the pit of his stomach sink. For so long he had dreamed of a day when the People could be safe, a day they would be able to grow and prosper. They were strong, but this land was stronger than he had thought. He couldn’t allow harm to come to the People. They had to survive. They had to grow. This land was the answer.
But at the same time, the world seemed to be against them. The divisions in the clans ran deep, and they needed to unite behind a higher purpose. While they argued among themselves, their opponents banded together, using the last of their strength to fight the invasion.
Nameless arrived at the battlefield and was disappointed by what he saw. The soldiers of the kingdom should have been far outnumbered by the clans, but they weren’t. He wasn’t an expert, but the number of his fighters seemed to only barely outnumber those of their enemies. The Red Hawks’ refusal to fight had changed everything.
When he saw the troops of the kingdom lined up against the clans, Nameless wondered if the People might fail. The troops they faced were outnumbered, but their banners snapped in crisp autumn wind, and Nameless knew none of them would stop until they died. They were prepared to give everything, and he wasn’t sure the clans were. He looked to his clans. It would be a close, vicious battle.
Nameless wasn’t there to take command. They were back to the old ways, when each clan commanded itself. He was there to fight. He saw a man in fine armor across the field wave his sword and point it towards the clans. The screams of thousands of men, hungry for a fight, reached his ears. He memorized the armor of the man with the swo
rd. It had to be King Akira. If Nameless could slay him, perhaps it would break the will of the troops they faced.
The charge began, and Nameless watched as the clans and the troops of the kingdom met. He watched Akira carefully and was about to wade through the battle towards him when he sensed something else, a feeling which left him cold inside. The power was incredible, and at this distance, there was no mistaking who it would be.
A few moments later Nameless was approached by one of his demon-kind. He came bearing dreaded news. “There is another force to the west. There are only a few hundred, but each of them is dressed in black robes.”
For a few moments, Nameless couldn’t even understand. It was too unlikely, too impossible. Renzo had told them there was no way the nightblades would ever leave their island. Was it a ruse? That would be the most logical conclusion, but his gut told him it was real. Either way, Nameless couldn’t take the risk. He had left the demon-kind in reserve for just such an event.
“Give the command to all the demon-kind. Attack to the west.”
Nameless worried. If the messenger was right, and these were nightblades, they outnumbered the demon-kind. He looked back to the battlefield, his heart torn. He could still see Akira’s armor, cutting through the clans with remarkable ease. It would be good to kill him, but Nameless wasn’t certain he had the time. He knew the boy was here, and if the boy was about, so was the woman. Akira was dangerous, but the two nightblades were the most immediate threat. They were also the people he most wanted to kill.
With a shout, Nameless turned from one battlefield to leave for another. It was time to finish this once and for all.
35
Ryuu felt as though it had been ages since he had last simply rested. He had been on the road for so long. The journey had been a wearying one, but it was nearing its conclusion. That evening they would meet with the rest of the blades and plan their attack. He only hoped it would be enough.
Parting from Akira had been difficult. It was hard to believe that only a few cycles ago, Akira had ordered the death of both Ryuu and Moriko, an order only rescinded at the point of a blade. Now the man was a friend, and Ryuu was convinced he was the only one strong enough to lead the kingdom on its new path. He was a strong leader, and a moral one.
When he first rode into view of the assembled nightblades, Ryuu had trouble believing what he was seeing. They camped in a valley, hundreds of men and women, all dressed in black. As much as he looked forward to finishing his journey, he stopped for a few moments to take in the sight. He thought of the history of the Three Kingdoms. Nothing like this had been seen in the land for dozens of generations. Whatever happened in the next few days, they were going to make history.
Ryuu shook himself out of his reverie and rode down towards the nightblades. The first two people he met were Rei and Shika. They rode out to greet him, and he met them with a deep bow.
"It’s great to see you," he said.
Shika nodded. "It is great to see you as well. This is my first time in the land of my ancestors, and it is every bit as beautiful as I dreamed of. If we live through this, I would like very much to explore all the land. And I don't think I'm alone in that feeling."
Ryuu thought he understood. For generations, the nightblades had been born, lived, and died on an island that one could walk across in less than half a day. By contrast, the kingdom was enormous, full of varied geography and people. He had grown up here, and didn't think about how fortunate he was very often, but he could understand how those who had grown up in a different place would find it incredible. It was a good reminder about what they were fighting for. There was a lot of the land he hadn’t seen either. Perhaps Moriko would be willing to travel with him if they made it through the next few days.
Ryuu and Moriko joined the rest of the nightblades. They were still on the move, hoping to cover a final league or two before they rested for the night. When they set up camp, it was several leagues away from the Gathering. Ryuu and a few other nightblades used their ability to sense at a distance to keep everyone informed as to what was happening. A handful of dayblades who had joined the expedition wandered the camp, performing what minor healing they could so the nightblades were well prepared for the upcoming battle.
He never spoke of it, but Ryuu felt everything coming to its conclusion. So many threads were coming together, it couldn’t be anything but fate. Akira and his men were on time, and they would launch their attack in the morning. The Gathering was in full swing, and although there were too many people for Ryuu to discern any details, he could tell the one thing that mattered most to him. Nameless was there.
That evening, before they retired, Ryuu spoke to Rei and Shika. "Our plan tomorrow isn’t complicated. Our purpose is to draw the hunters away from the Gathering and Akira's assault. We don't know for sure how many hunters they have. It could be an overwhelming force, or it could be that we actually outnumber them. There is no way of knowing. But make sure everyone knows this: The weapons tomorrow are real. All of them have spent their entire lives in training, but real combat is different. They need to keep their heads and fight with their utmost skill. The hunters have grown up in an environment they need to fight to survive in, just like Moriko and me. They are talented and strong, and I don't want to see anyone making the mistake of underestimating them."
Shika frowned. "So you aren’t planning on leading us?"
Ryuu shook his head. "I don't think it is my place. As welcoming as you all have been to me, I am still an outsider, and have no training in battlefield strategy. It is better someone more qualified leads. Moriko and I are going to try to assassinate Nameless. Maybe, if we can cut the head off the beast, we'll have some leverage over the Azarians."
Shika nodded. “We expected you would want to do something along those lines. We’ll play our part. Don’t you worry about that.”
The nightblades all stood. “Good luck tomorrow. The battle will be hard, but I know you’ll do well.”
Shika grinned. “Stop making everything sound so serious. I still have a duel to win against you, so don’t go dying on me.” Without another word, she turned and walked away to her tent. Ryuu laughed softly to himself. She was a woman who would never change.
Ryuu turned to Rei. “What will you do tomorrow?”
Rei looked down at her useless arm and then grinned at Ryuu. “Actually, I’m commanding the blades. Shika might be a better commander, but she wants to fight, and I’m not good for much else. I’ll be issuing commands from the back of the lines.” Her smile disappeared, and Ryuu could see there was more to her orders.
Rei spoke softly. “If things go poorly tomorrow, my orders are to run and hide. No matter what happens, I’m supposed to report back to the island and let them know what occurred here.”
Ryuu could see the orders chafed at her, but he understood their importance. The nightblades needed to know what happened. Rei could hide her presence, meaning she would have the best chance of escaping any wandering hunters.
"I think it is an excellent idea, although I understand why it upsets you.”
They stood for a moment in silence. Then Ryuu looked at Rei’s stomach and remembered there was something else he needed to ask. “Will you tell Akira?"
"When the battle is over. Until then, there's only one thing he needs to focus on."
Ryuu nodded, and Moriko wished Rei her own goodbyes. Then Rei also went back to the camp to start preparing for the battle the next day.
Ryuu took Moriko’s hand. There wasn’t much to be said. They found a clearing a ways away from the rest of the camp, and that evening they came together underneath the stars. He could sense and understand everything Moriko was. He could sense her fear, desire, love, and hate, and he understood the cause of each. She could do the same to him. When they were done, Ryuu felt a peace in his heart. He didn't know if they would live or die in the next day, but his relationship with Moriko was strong once again, and if the end came, he could rejoin the Great Cycle with no
regrets.
The next day dawned clear, and Ryuu and Moriko joined the rest of the nightblades on their horses. There was nothing to be said, so with one primal yell, Rei drove them all forward towards the Gathering and their final battle.
36
Akira stood in front of his men as the sun began to rise. After all the waiting it was time for the final push, their final effort. There was only one way forward. His words to Ryuu echoed in his mind. All they could do was all they could do.
It was surprising to see how few opponents they faced. They were still outnumbered, but not by as much as they should have been. Akira wondered idly at the reasons. Did the Azarians think so little of his force? Had the nightblades attacked too early? Ultimately, it didn’t matter. It would still be a hard fight. Half of his soldiers were volunteers, and he had seen children and women among them. Every Azarian trained in combat. The same could not be said of his own soldiers.
Akira mounted his horse and raised his voice. He knew his words would carry, and he hoped his men would pass them along to those he could not reach.
“We all know what is at stake today! This is not just another battle between lords for territory. We no longer play those meaningless games. Today we fight for our land and for our families. Everyone here has seen and heard the terror that awaits our people should we fail here today.”
“You must fight with all you have! Your families and your descendants are counting on you! Think not of your own life, but of all the lives in the kingdom. Think of wives and children. That is why we are here. If we fail today, there will not be another chance, so let nothing stop you! If you die, pick up your sword as a ghost and continue the charge!”
