World's Edge

by Ryan Kirk

  And so here he was, on a horse in the Southern Kingdom, riding to intercept Ryuu. It was time to put these games to an end. Ryuu had to die. Then Akira. And then his plan would be complete. He kicked his horse to go faster, riding towards Ryuu’s end.

  Chapter 26

  Moriko was in shock. She wasn’t sure what she had expected, but it hadn’t been a quick death sentence. They hadn’t even listened to a word she said.

  She glanced around and saw that many of the hunters around the fire were on the edge of their seats. They were expecting her to try to run for it. She didn’t have the time to process everything. Escaping under the spotlight wasn’t going to be an option.

  She kept her courage and bowed. It was mock respect, and their nameless leader understood. “I am sorry to hear it, but I am not sure you will live to regret it.” The threat sounded hollow, even to her. She had her throwing knives and her sword but decided against using them. Nameless was on his guard, and she wouldn’t be able to surprise him. Better to wait for later.

  A group of warriors came up to her, and she submitted to being bound, her wrists behind her back and her ankles given a pace of leeway. She could shamble along, but that was it. A leather strap was tied around her neck and she was led roughly away from the campfire. She offered no resistance. Better for them to think her meek. It wasn’t much, but it might give her the opportunity to make an escape later.

  She was brought to a large tent and thrown inside. The strap around her neck was tied to an upright support at such a height she had to remain straight to prevent being choked. She admired the cruel simplicity of it. Her blade was taken from her and placed off to the side of the tent, taunting her with its closeness. She tried to reach her knives but couldn’t. She forced herself to take slow breaths and think. Her will was as sharp as her blade, and there was no way she’d let them execute her.

  It didn’t seem like much time had passed when she heard an angry conversation outside the tent. She had fallen into a meditative state to stay completely upright, but she jerked herself aware when she heard one of the voices outside. It was the voice of Dorjee. There were two voices arguing, but then Dorjee burst through the tent, trailed by the two guards. He was carrying a small pack, which he tossed into the corner of the tent. He drew his sword and sliced through the leather strap around her neck, close to the upper support.

  The sudden release would have brought her to her knees, but Dorjee’s fist was in her gut before she could fall. He might have been older, but he could still hit. Moriko had just taken her first full gasp of air in some time, but his fist drove all the precious breath out of her lungs. She collapsed over his fist and fell to the ground, unable to protect herself or process what was happening.

  While she was on the ground, Dorjee kicked her over and over, shots to her legs and chest. She was gasping for air but nothing seemed to come into her lungs except the dust from the ground. He lifted her up and a small knife appeared, as if by magic, in his hand. He cut her left arm, blood flowing freely from the wound. A few more blows and a slap to the face sent her crashing to the ground, blood all over her. Dorjee had gotten some on his hands. Finally, he stood her up and rammed his fist one last time into her gut. He didn’t let her fall, but kept her limp weight supported on his fist. He grabbed her hair and pulled her face to his and whispered “Not all of us look for war.” Then he let her drop heavily on the ground.

  She felt the tension tighten around her neck as Dorjee bound that leather strap to the one tying her wrists together. She was still in shock as his agile hands worked on her bonds. It didn’t even occur to her to struggle. When he was done, he shared a laugh with the guards as they all walked out of the tent.

  It took Moriko some time to gather her wits. The first thing she noticed was that the strap around her throat was loose. It had seemed tight at first, but it had quickly slipped until it was almost meaningless. Then she noticed the straps around her wrists were also coming undone.

  Moriko looked around and saw that the small pack Dorjee had come in with was still in the tent, apparently forgotten. But she knew better. She smiled to herself. It was perhaps the first time she found use in political maneuvering.

  Moriko was patient. There was no rush, but she was eager to see what Dorjee had left for her. She waited until she figured the moon was past its peak. The camp all around her was quiet, only the soft laughter of drunk couples breaking the silence of the prairie. Moriko undid the straps at her wrists and then made short work of the straps around her throat and feet. Silently, she walked over to the pack and opened it up.

  All her belongings were in the pack, as well as Azarian clothes and food. It was all she needed to escape.

  Moriko thought about trying to cut a hole in the hide, but she wanted blood. The guards outside the tent never knew what happened, their throats slit from behind. She dragged them into the tent and left them.

  The experience of getting though the camp was horrible. She was dressed as one of the Azarians, but she still did not want to draw any attention to herself, so she tried to avoid being seen. She moved from tent to tent, using her sense to tell when people were nearby. She stayed out of sight as often as she could, and when she had to be seen, she made it look like she was in a hurry to get from one place to another.

  The worst was when she was in between the tents of different clans. At night, these spaces were no-man’s land, and she had to ensure she wasn’t seen as she crossed through each of them. There was usually a fair amount of open space between the clan’s tents, and every one was a complete and utter nightmare. She kept turning around, expecting to find a hunter behind her.

  By the time she reached the edge of the camps, Moriko was exhausted. She wanted to stop and rest, but there wasn’t any time. If they could find her at a distance, her only friend was more distance, more time. She found an unguarded horse and cut it free. There were outriders, but as she passed them at a distance she waved, just another scout on a mission. They waved in return, and she was free of the camp. She rode as hard as she could, knowing the hunters would soon be behind her.

  When the sun rose, Moriko was exhausted, but the rising of the sun led to a new outlook. She had succeeded. She knew who had sent the hunters, knew they could find her at distance. Most important, she knew what was in store for the Three Kingdoms. Now all she had to do was get back in time. Even though the journey would be long and treacherous, she felt calm and confident. The prairie stretched as fas as the eye could see, and she was free.

  She rode through the day and through the first night. When the sun rose on the second day of her escape, she allowed herself and the horse a break. She laid in the grass and fell asleep before her head hit the ground.

  When she woke up, the sun was high overhead. She didn’t bother trying to throw out her sense. Instead, she found a rise in the land and looked in every direction. There was no pursuit. She didn’t question her good fortune. Perhaps Nameless didn’t care she’d escaped? She knew it wasn’t true, but it was the best explanation she had.

  Moriko traveled by night and day. She slept as little as possible, seeking only to put as much distance between her and the People as she could. It was the end of summer and the days were hot. Often she had to get off her horse and walk beside it. But she stopped as little as possible. She knew she was covering ground much faster than she had going south. Now she had a purpose.

  A half-moon passed, and Moriko knew she was close to the Southern Kingdom. She had found the foothills of the mountains, and now all she had to do was ride east until she found the Three Sisters. A handful of days, no more. It was just as well. She had been eating sparingly and hunting as much as possible, but even so, she was at the end of her food. In a few days she’d have to kill the horse and eat it.

  When they came, they came from the mountains. Moriko was surprised. She had been looking to the south, but Nameless must have had birds sent to an outpost. There was only one place she would go. Moriko didn’t hesitate. If she could s
ee them, they would have seen her too. She dropped off the horse and sliced its throat open. Raw horsemeat wasn’t her idea of a good meal, but she’d need the energy, and she couldn’t hide on horseback. When they dropped into a depression she ran, heading south. She figured it was the last direction they’d expect her to go. She ran and ran, staying low, squatting in the grass when the dust came over the depression.

  Moriko sat high enough that she could see them as they crested the horizon, but low enough only the sharpest eye could have seen her. When they came over the horizon, she knew they were hunters. Nameless didn’t have so much disdain that he’d sent only regular warriors. There were five of them. The number seemed off to Moriko, but she couldn’t put her finger on why. They rode easily on horseback, but they didn’t follow any recognizable search pattern. They moved organically, covering the ground with the confidence of men who knew they could sense all the life around them.

  Moriko didn’t press her luck. She burrowed into the ground where she was as far as she could go. Evening was coming. It didn’t feel like enough, but it was all the cover she was going to find. She would have to wait for evening. The only thing that kept her alive was her ability to hide herself from the sense.

  That evening was one of the worst of her life. The hunters rode to and fro, not seeming to follow any pattern Moriko could follow or anticipate. Even though their movements seemed random, they covered the entire area, going back and forth multiple times. Eventually they gave up for the evening, setting up camp about two hundred paces from Moriko’s hiding spot.

  She spent the evening giving them a wide berth and walking north and east. She pushed as far as she dared, but as soon as the sun began to peek over the horizon, she dug in again. As the day rose, the hunters were on her trail again. They covered the ground around her, and Moriko wondered if they were playing with her. Perhaps they were able to track her, simply toying with her to keep themselves entertained. She forced herself to sleep, though she feared she’d wake up with a hunter standing above her.

  Moriko slept fitfully, hunters sometimes passing within two dozen paces of her. When evening came they set up camp near her again, challenging her to work her way around them again. Between the lack of sleep and the fear, she was starting to lose touch with reality. If she didn’t make a move soon, she wouldn’t be in any condition to fight them.

  Moriko could have gone around the camp again, but she suspected the result would be the same. She had either been lucky so far, or they were playing with her. Either way, she couldn’t expect to reach the Three Kingdoms with the pursuit. She’d have to attack them. Fortunately, there was only a sliver of moon in the sky. Darkness would be her friend.

  Moriko allowed herself to sleep for a while. She was exhausted from spending all day in fear and needed the rest. When she came to again, the moon was low in the western sky. It was maybe a watch or two until dawn would break. It was a good time to strike. The night had been quiet. If she was fortunate, they wouldn’t expect her.

  She glanced up through the long grass and saw their campfire still burning. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she could make out the shadow of the hunter on watch. Once she got closer she’d be able to sense them clearly.

  Moriko crawled through the grass, her lithe body trying not even to disturb the grass. Her tongue was dry, fear threatening to ruin her movement. Two hunters had almost killed her and Ryuu. Who was she to think she could attack five and live to tell about it? Terror stopped her in her tracks. She didn’t see any other way, but this would get her killed just as surely.

  She went deep inside of herself, focusing on her breath, focusing on her presence. There wasn’t any way they could sense her. They would wake when she killed the first, but she could better the odds considerably if she could get one or two before they could act. It was as good a plan as any, and if she died, at least she would go out fighting.

  Moriko resumed her crawl. She stopped ten paces away from the hunter she could now sense on watch. He was making a sound it took her a moment to identify. It was sniffing. The hunter was sniffing the air and was alarmed. Moriko hesitated. How was that even possible?

  Off in the distance, something flashed brightly against Moriko’s sense. She resisted the urge to spin around, knowing she wouldn’t see anything in the dark. What had that been? It was as if someone strong had existed there for just a moment and then disappeared. She didn’t have time to consider the question. Whatever it had been woke up the hunters in front of her, and there was a cry of alarm from the hunter on watch.

  Moriko didn’t panic. She sank even further into the ground, ready to spring at a moment’s notice. But she knew she had gone from the hunter to the hunted.

  The hunters all came to attention in just a few moments. The man on watch growled out something Moriko couldn’t hear, but she could sense them forming a line and spreading out from their camp.

  The line came Moriko’s direction. She was in the grass, but two hunters would pass only a few paces from her. She stayed, still as a rock, as deep inside herself as was possible. The hunters were not quick. They moved deliberately, and Moriko was certain she’d be found. Terror held her in place as much as her will.

  The line approached her, came even with her, and passed. Moriko’s legs were burning, but she didn’t dare move a single muscle. She took a shallow breath, hoping beyond hope they’d passed her for good. Then she heard the sniffing sound again. How could they possibly smell her? She couldn’t smell anything besides prairie out here.

  One of the hunters who had passed right next to her turned, curious about something. Moriko held her breath again, but she feared it wouldn’t matter. She would be found. It was only a matter of time.

  They took a step towards her, and something in her snapped. The fear erupted into anger, and it consumed her. She was more angry than she had ever been in her life. Even when she had been beaten at the monastery, she hadn’t been this angry. She had worked so hard and had gotten so far, she wasn’t going to give up now, not when she was only a few days away from the pass. If sneaking didn’t work, there was always killing. She jumped to her feet, sword drawn in one smooth, arcing motion that took off the head of the hunter who had stopped only a pace away. One more step and she made another cut, killing a second hunter before they had time to react.

  She thought about diving into the grass, but everyone was too close. Hiding was no longer an option. Too angry to give up, Moriko stood up defiantly, a lone nightblade in a circle of three hunters. She glanced around in surprise. Now that she was seeing them for the first time up close she saw they were boys. Two of them couldn’t have seen more than sixteen cycles, although the third was a man older than Moriko. She cursed. She was being run to ground by hunters on a training run. They hadn’t even had enough respect for her to send mature, seasoned warriors. Her joy at killing the first two diminished, but she didn’t hesitate. She’d kill them all before the night was over.

  The first boy attacked. He was unreasonably fast, but Moriko snapped and the world slowed down. She moved with grace and power, evading his cuts and returning hers in kind. They passed and passed, but Moriko wasn’t given an opportunity to gain the upper hand. The other boy and the man moved in, and the battle was joined.

  Even snapped and in the darkness, it was all Moriko could do to keep up with the strikes of the three hunters. She had thought it would be easy to defeat the boys, but each cut from them snapped that illusion in half. They were young, fast, and strong. What they lacked in experience they made up in enthusiasm, and any time Moriko sensed an opening, the older hunter was always there, blocking her strikes.

  It was only Moriko’s talent for hiding her presence that kept her alive. In the darkness of the night, the hunters couldn’t sense what she was doing and were forced to rely on their sight. Moriko knew if she could have just a moment alone with any one of them the fight would be over.

  She wasn’t the only person getting frustrated. One of the boys struck at her with incredib
le force. She deflected the cut and moved inside his guard. She could sense the more experienced hunter coming to the boy’s rescue. Moriko couldn’t let it happen, not this time. She drove her elbow into the boy’s stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Bending her legs, Moriko got underneath him and pushed forward, trying to get the two of them away from the center of the fight. The older hunter pursued and Moriko knew she only had a few moments before they were caught. The boy tried to stay on his feet, dizzied from the hits he’d taken. He’d regain his balance in a moment.

  In the moment she had, Moriko let go of her sword with her left hand. The boy felt the shift and moved to strike, but in the one heartbeat, Moriko grabbed a throwing knife from her hip and stabbed it into his gut. Once, twice, five times, as fast as she could punch him with it.

  Then the moment was over and the older hunter was upon them. Moriko stopped and turned. She let go of the knife and tried to bring her hand to her blade, but there wasn’t enough time. The hunter’s strike landed with tremendous force, knocking the blade straight out of Moriko’s hands. It spun into the ground and Moriko was grabbing for a second knife. She felt the hunter’s sword cut into her left shoulder, but she had no idea how deep it was. Despite the pain, Moriko grabbed a second knife with her left hand and thrust it under the hunter’s chin.

  As the hunter fell, Moriko sensed the attack of the final boy. He leapt in the air, certain of his killing strike. Moriko couldn’t use her left arm, but she grabbed the blade from the older hunter and leapt at the boy. He wasn’t expecting her attack, not realizing his master was dead. Moriko’s cut was clean and the boy landed in a heap on the ground.