Heart of Defiance

by Ryan Kirk

  Lei didn’t need the help. He’d sparred against her with more strength than he was using against the monks. She wondered at that for a moment, but understood quickly enough. He didn’t want to kill any of the monks. Holding back his power was possibly even harder than fighting at full strength.

  She stepped into the middle of the fight, standing tall as she absorbed the energies being flung about. It took the monks a few moments to realize she was even there. But then she darted between them, sending fists and elbows into exposed torsos and faces. She kept her strikes light, but when she hit the monks, they staggered under her attacks.

  After only a few seconds, the fight had gone out of the monks. Against Lei they had stood, their shields largely protecting them from harm. They had no answer for Bai’s fists, though. They stumbled away, bruised and bloody, eyes full of confusion.

  Bai wanted to laugh and to spit at them. Her body still quivered with energy. Throughout the fights, she had filled herself as much as she dared. With a yell that came from deep in her chest, she made the first sign of the attack and released some of the power into the sky.

  She was breathing hard, sweat pouring down her forehead. She hadn’t noticed before.

  Lei came to stand beside her. She felt his gaze studying her, but her own thoughts were on the monks retreating. She had been a part of that. Lei had helped, of course, but she had broken their lines and sent them away.

  She wanted to chase the fleeing monks, to finish what they had started. Under her watch, the monks wouldn’t threaten innocents any longer. No one would. Lei interrupted her thoughts.

  “Where’s Delun?” Lei asked.

  “Delun?”

  “The monk you fought.”

  She jabbed her thumb behind her, pointing back toward the center of town. “Somewhere back there. He won’t be moving for a while.”

  “He is a monk of considerable strength.”

  Bai grinned viciously. “Not enough, it seems.”

  She knew Lei was studying her closely. In the corner of her vision, she saw his eyes narrow. But his question about Delun had reminded her of Hien. Bai turned away from Lei and jogged toward where Hien lay. For the first time, Bai saw Hien’s injuries. The warrior had been shot through the abdomen, and from the amount of blood in her bandages, the wound was serious.

  Lei joined her a moment later. “We need to get her up to the village. She can be cared for there.”

  Bai had been thinking the same. Pulling energy from Lei, she picked the woman up and cradled the injured warrior in her arms. Lei gave her a questioning glance, but Bai ignored it. She could make the climb. Hien’s life depended on it.

  Lei looked out over Galan. Quiet had fallen over the town and people slowly started to trickle out of their houses. “There’s going to be a steep price to pay for what happened here today.”

  Bai agreed. But it was the monks who had to pay.

  They began the journey toward Lei’s village. Off in the distance, to the south, there was a flash of lightning and a deep rumble of thunder.

  A storm was brewing, and it was heading their way.

  30

  Delun woke to the sounds of a crowd gathered around him. He opened his eyes and squinted against the harsh early morning sunlight full on his face. The group of people milling around were close enough to disturb his enforced slumber, but too far away to cast any shade on him.

  He blinked away the tears that trickled from his eyes and sat up, immediately regretting the decision. He felt the exhaustion in his body that was the familiar effect of fighting with his powers, but his pain went deeper than that.

  That girl had destroyed him. He could feel bruising on his chest, and now that he was sitting up, his head was pounding in torturous rhythm with his heart.

  Questions about the girl threatened to overwhelm him, but he pushed them aside for the moment. He had more important and immediate matters. The first was dealing with the people of the town. Hiding his pain as much as possible, he worked his way to standing, suffering through every movement. He wasn’t sure he’d ever been beaten so badly, even in his early days of training. As he stood, the townspeople took a step back.

  Delun looked around. It felt as though the crowd was holding its breath, waiting for disaster to strike.

  None of them offered to help.

  No one offered water, or pointed him to a healer.

  Curiosity kept them near, but he would find no succor here.

  “How many?” he croaked.

  No one answered.

  “How many died last night?”

  An older man stepped forward with the attitude of a defiant criminal condemned to death. He didn’t bow, nor show any other sign of respect. “Eight.”

  Of all the punches he’d taken recently, that one hurt the worst. He sighed and tried to breathe deeply. Memories rose, unbidden, from deep in the well of childhood he’d tried to bury. In all these years, had so little changed? Had he made so little difference?

  Grunting with the effort, Delun got down onto his knees and bowed to the assembly. “I’m sorry.”

  An apology wasn’t enough. Nothing was enough. But an apology was all he could offer. At least for now.

  Delun stood up and the crowd shuffled another step back. He wondered if they were even aware of their reactions to him.

  He considered remaining in Galan. He wasn’t an expert in healing, but he had some skill. He could help.

  But they didn’t want him here. They wouldn’t say no to him, of course. No one would. But it would be better for them all if he left. The town would bury their own. Lord Xun still had an army on the way and Guanyu had a rogue monastery that condemned itself more every day. Remaining in town, no matter how noble an idea, was only hiding from his real problems.

  Delun gave another short bow and turned away, finding the road out of town with little difficulty. He felt the stares stabbing daggers into his back as he left. He was probably lucky they hadn’t tried to kill him while he was unconscious. The fear of monks still proved useful sometimes.

  He couldn’t stop thinking about the woman. If not for the bruises covering his body, he might not have believed any of it. Nothing she did should have been possible. It went against everything he knew.

  Yet, it happened. He didn’t doubt his experience. How could he?

  Delun felt like a trapdoor had opened up beneath him. For years he had walked on solid, predictable ground. Now, suddenly, the illusion had been revealed, and he stood over a bottomless abyss. He had felt like this once before, when everything he thought he knew turned out to be a lie.

  He was young then, only a handful of years old. He had been in Jihan, the capital of the empire, for the harvest festival. It was held at the end of every growing season to celebrate the end of harvest. In Jihan, the celebration brought in people from all over the empire, Delun and his father among them.

  A fight had broken out between monks. At the time, Delun and his father hadn’t known that. No one had. All they knew was that buildings began to collapse and the ground itself seemed to tremble. There was a panic. Delun only remembered a few vivid moments forever etched in his memory. He clutched tightly at his father’s hand as they ran, then he glimpsed a wall of a building tipping over toward them. His father didn’t even see the wall. Only Delun, looking up at his father, watched it come down.

  A monk had appeared, seemingly from nowhere. The wall crashed down all around the three of them. Delun, awestruck by the sight, had no idea how the wall missed them. Now, he knew the monk had cast a shield over the three of them, protecting them from the debris. But at the time, Delun saw the monk as a miracle.

  That was also the day when Delun had discovered his own power. He had yelled in terror, and thanks to the proximity of the monk, his own strength was greater than usual. Both his father and the monk had felt the unfocused blast of energy.

  There wasn’t much more to the story. From the monk’s perspective, nothing altogether special had happened in those mome
nts. He’d saved a family and discovered a boy who possessed the gift. But Delun’s life changed forever. He’d always been somewhat afraid of the monks. Most of the boys he played with were. Once he was identified, he was brought into the monasteries.

  His path had been set that day. He’d seen the heroic abilities of the monks firsthand, and that one experience overshadowed all others. The monks existed to serve the empire, and they did it well. His whole life was proof enough for him.

  He’d been fortunate to train with several monks he still respected. His worldview had deepened, but he’d never lost that fundamental belief, that certainty in his gut that the monks were heroes. It justified all the actions he’d taken in his life, acting as his own guiding star, illuminating his way through the years.

  He wasn’t blind. He knew his own actions were horrible, and he recognized too many monks spent too much time inside their walls. But he’d always believed.

  Until now.

  Certainty remained elusive. He was still a monk, and a proud one. Despite Kulat, there were monks all over the empire saving lives the same way his had been saved. He’d always fight for the monasteries.

  But now it seemed he would fight against them as well.

  The more time passed, the more certain he was this could only end in conflict. Even if they somehow stopped Kulat from becoming a pitched battle, the seeds of discontent would be fertilized all over the empire. Finding and preventing those seeds from sprouting into something worse had been most of his life’s work.

  His thoughts and steady stride carried him up the mountain, the only destination left to him. This time, he followed the main trail leading out of Galan. It was little more than a wide footpath, but it was considerably more pleasant than his first nighttime ascent of the mountain.

  The sun was kissing the horizon by the time he made it near the summit. He sensed their presences before he saw them. They came over the lip of the summit and walked down toward him. He’d never seen two people walk so nonchalantly toward a monk, especially a monk of his strength. But they had earned that right. Each of them had defeated him. He had no illusions about his chances of victory.

  They met several hundred paces below the summit, safely away from the village. Delun stopped thirty paces from them. He hadn’t summoned any of his strength, but neither had they. For several seconds they stood there, silently judging one another.

  Delun had spared some thought for this moment. He needed them, far more than they needed him. He could imagine what he should do. But he wasn’t sure if his pride would bend as it needed to.

  Moving stiffly, he came down to one knee, then to both. He kneeled for a few moments, then bowed his face to the dirt. His cheeks flushed red with shame. A monk never bowed. Taio, if he saw, would be aghast.

  But perhaps that was part of their problem. If a monk was a servant to the empire, he should bow, not be bowed to.

  Still, those moments were some of the hardest of his life. He held the bow, trying to hide the brightness in his cheeks. Neither Lei nor the woman spoke.

  Finally, Delun could take no more. He came to his feet. Lei looked at him. “Why are you here?”

  Delun took a deep breath. “I need your help to bring down a monastery.”

  31

  Bai watched as Lei led Delun to the tea house. The monk certainly seemed sincere. She had thought, for a moment, he might actually die of shame after bowing to her and Lei. His face was still flushed minutes later, as though shame haunted his steps.

  She found trust to be elusive, though. People often broke their word. They would say anything to get what they wanted, only to retreat from their statements once their goal was obtained. How many times had she accepted less money than agreed on for the work she’d done? She’d lost track of the count long ago. Her mother had taught her to accept it as part of life.

  Delun could be waiting for Lei to drop his guard, to ambush him when the time was right. Bai almost followed them to the common room, just to keep an eye on the monk. She’d been invited to join them but had declined. Her head was too full of the fight from the night before, and the absence of the questioner before that. She didn’t need to hear about the monk’s mad plan, if he was telling the truth. It still could be a trap.

  With one long last look, Bai turned away. If anyone here could protect themselves, it was Lei. He gave the appearance of outward calm and relaxation, but Bai had seen the way his eyes constantly scanned his surroundings. She wasn’t sure it was even possible to surprise the man.

  Instead, Bai walked toward Hien’s house. Bai had missed the woman desperately when she’d been gone, and now she was returned, gravely injured. As she approached the house, she ran into Daiyu coming down the ladder. No doubt, the woman who helped run this village had been caring for Hien.

  Bai had long since realized her initial impressions of Daiyu had been incorrect. If anything, the two of them had more in common than either was comfortable admitting. Daiyu wanted to live in peace, and being married to Lei meant removing her family from the affairs of the world.

  “How is she?” Bai asked.

  “She should live. The arrow missed the vital organs. She lost plenty of blood, but the wound is clean. Given enough rest, she should recover.” The tone of Daiyu’s voice suggested that enough rest was anything but given with Hien.

  Bai looked up at the empty balcony. No doubt, Ling was at Hien’s side, as she had been since Bai had carried Hien up to the village. Her gaze traveled back down to Daiyu. “Thank you for taking care of her. For caring for all of us.”

  Daiyu gave a curt nod. She didn’t care for acknowledgment. Every time Bai tried to thank her, Daiyu looked uncomfortable, as though she wanted to be somewhere else. The other woman looked over Bai’s shoulder toward the building that served as the inn and tavern. “They are in there?”

  Bai nodded. The whole town knew of Delun’s approach.

  Daiyu’s eyes hardened, reminding Bai of when she’d first met the woman. She knew now the cause. Daiyu was content with her life up in the mountains. She loved Lei and loved the people who formed their small community. She didn’t mind outsiders, but she had told Bai directly that she had no interest in seeing Lei get involved with the affairs of the world below. Bai, when she’d first arrived, threatened the order Daiyu had established. Now Delun did the same. Bai was grateful not to be on the receiving end of that glare again.

  She opened her mouth to ask a question, then stopped. She knew how Daiyu felt, but she wondered if the woman had any idea where Lei’s thoughts were. Despite possibly offending her, Bai asked. “What do you think Lei will do?”

  Daiyu’s shoulders slumped, revealing the fear she lived with. “I don’t know. Those of you who have this gift, you always believe that it comes with some sort of responsibility. Lei will be torn, again. He believes it’s wrong for him to ignore what’s happening below. He also knows that if he acts, he will be forfeiting the peace he’s worked so hard to obtain.”

  “You think he’ll fight?”

  “I worry that he will, yes.”

  The thought gave Bai a sense of hope she hadn’t felt before. Now that she had faced other monks she understood just how strong Lei was. Having him fighting against the monks at Kulat would change everything.

  Bai tried to hide her feelings from Daiyu, but the woman was too observant. “You hope he will fight?”

  “I grew up in Galan. I spent most of my life fearing the monks at Kulat. My town might have abandoned me, but it is still the closest I have to a home. I don’t want others to suffer the way I did.”

  Daiyu stepped toward Bai and clasped her hands. Bai almost jumped back in surprise. She couldn’t remember ever being touched by Daiyu. Her hands were warm but firm. “Lei sometimes feels the same, and it tears him up inside. It has for years. My hope is that someday, both of you will understand there is nothing wrong with a quiet, peaceful life. It is just as honorable as any other.”

  Daiyu let go of Bai’s hands and walked off toward
the inn, sorrow hanging off her like a heavy cloak. Bai watched her leave, unsure if there was anything she could say. Eventually, she turned and climbed the ladder that led to Hien’s room.

  As Bai expected, Ling was at Hien’s bedside, reading and offering her presence. Bai bowed to her. At first glance, Hien appeared to be sleeping. “How is she?”

  “Awake, and tired of people speaking about me like I’m not here,” growled Hien.

  Bai grinned. Hien’s rough nature had grown on her. She appreciated never having to wonder where she stood with the woman. She was as straight and unforgiving as an arrow aimed at your heart.

  Bai stepped deeper into the house and knelt down next to Hien. “How are you feeling?”

  “Like I’ve been shot with my own arrow. It was a foolish shot, and now I’ll never hear the end of it. The woman who shot herself with her own arrow. But I’ll be fine.” Hien’s sharp eyes turned their gaze onto Bai. “What about you? I heard you and Lei got into a bit of a fight last night.”

  Bai nodded. “I went down to Galan to turn myself in.”

  Hien sat up straighter in her bed. “Why?”

  For the next few minutes, Bai caught Hien up on the questioner’s arrival and her decision. Hien listened carefully, but when Bai’s story was done, she sagged back into her bed. “You’re a fool, Bai. So is Lei, but I would have expected it from him.”

  The words stabbed at Bai. She thought Hien would approve.

  Hien caught her expression. “It was noble enough, but foolish. Lei’s village is always going to be in danger. I’ve been around enough to know it’s not as secret as he likes to believe, but he won’t listen to me. Eventually, someone is going to come here looking for trouble. Several already have, I suppose. But Lei has nothing to fear. He’s strong enough to protect the village. He’s more concerned about the number of deaths he would cause if he did.”

  Hien’s hand snaked out from under the blankets and held Bai’s. “I know you’re still getting used to this, but you can do whatever you want now. I didn’t free you from that cell just so you could walk back into one that’s even worse.”