Heart of Defiance

by Ryan Kirk

  Kang’s attack couldn’t quite make contact, Delun’s power just enough to keep him alive.

  Delun could feel Kang’s soul through the attack. He sensed the hatred of people who didn’t respect the monasteries, the white-hot belief Kang held in the superiority of his strength. In a way, it was like looking in a mirror.

  Inch by inch, Delun’s attack advanced on Kang. The other monk was losing blood. A lot of it. He grew weaker by the moment. Like Delun, he held nothing back.

  But his spirit was weaker.

  Kang’s attack suddenly shattered, and Delun’s blow hit Kang in the chest, knocking him onto his back.

  One last time, Delun fought his way to his feet. He felt the familiar pangs of giving too much, deeper than he’d ever felt them before. Once he closed his eyes, he was certain he would never open them again. But perhaps Bai would be proud of him.

  That would be enough.

  Kang was suffering too. His reserve of strength had given out. Delun’s attack hadn’t been fatal, but Kang had given all the energy that provided life. He was blinking his eyes, struggling to keep them open. He fought to meet Delun’s gaze.

  “Kill me. Let me die at the hands of a monk, at least.”

  Delun considered denying him, as one last punishment, but couldn’t bring himself to.

  Kang closed his eyes, breathing softly.

  Delun picked up his bloody knife. He didn’t have the strength to kill the man in any other way. He offered his opponent a short bow and drew it across Kang’s neck.

  The monk would never open his eyes again.

  39

  Bai watched Delun leave, then turned to Guanyu. She’d felt this man’s power before, knew well who she faced. This man wasn’t just a monk, he was one of their best.

  Her heart raced and her palms sweat, but she forced herself to stillness. Delun had believed she was the best suited to fighting Guanyu. That had to mean something.

  A breeze blew through the open door of the courtyard, ruffling the robes of the monks lying dead or unconscious around them. A few leaves skittered across the ground. Guanyu started circling, his pace calm. To Bai’s sense, she could feel the way he pulled in power, just the way she did.

  She remembered a little from their earlier fight. He had formed an attack more focused than anything she’d felt before, more dangerous than anything Lei had trained her for. Her memories had gone blank shortly after. He’d beaten her on the road, but she still stood.

  “So, you’re the one I’ve heard so much about. The girl who killed her own mother.”

  Bai clenched her fist, holding in her response. She wouldn’t have killed her mother if the monks hadn’t pushed her. None of this suffering was necessary. But her words would change nothing.

  Instead, she closed her eyes and breathed power into herself. Across the courtyard, she could hear Guanyu speaking to himself.

  “Interesting.”

  When she opened her eyes, the world looked sharper. Guanyu appeared relaxed, but she saw through the facade now. There was worry in his eyes.

  He opened his mouth to say more, but Bai hadn’t come to trade words with Guanyu. As far as she was concerned, this man was the architect of the greatest pain in her life. She leaped at him, trying to drive her fist into his face.

  Guanyu shifted his weight, avoiding her blow easily. He sent a small blast at her feet, trying to throw off her balance. She felt the wave, and it did move her a bit, but not so much she couldn’t adapt. She landed and flung herself back at Guanyu, swinging again. The abbot shifted once more and watched her sail by.

  Undeterred, Bai came in again, this time leading with a series of quick, short jabs. The monk blocked one, dodged another, then snaked his own fist at her. She saw it coming and leaned backward, stumbling a few paces but remaining unharmed.

  The exchange encouraged her. She was faster than Guanyu. She stepped forward, aiming a kick at his shin. In response, he stepped back, allowing her foot to pass just in front of him. As soon as the danger was past he stepped in and drove a kick into her unprotected side.

  The kick wasn’t much, but it sent her stumbling back a few paces again. Filled with energy, she barely felt the pain.

  Guanyu nodded, as though he had seen everything he needed. “You haven’t been training long, have you?”

  The question was odd enough to stop Bai in her tracks. She looked into his eyes and didn’t see the worry that had been there just moments ago. That lack of worry frightened her more than the massive well of power he drew upon. What had he learned?

  Guanyu stepped forward, his fists and feet moving quickly. Bai’s senses were sharp enough that she could see them all coming, but after blocking the first two strikes, the third slammed her head to the side. Guanyu didn’t waste the opportunity, following her as she stumbled backward, pummeling her face and torso with his fists. He finished with a kick to her chest that slammed her into the wall.

  Bai shook her head. She felt dizzy. The energy still coursed through her body, and there wasn’t much pain, but she didn’t feel right, like the sights and sounds around her weren’t quite lining up.

  Roaring, she filled herself with energy, bringing the world back into sharp focus. She leaped at Guanyu again, jabbing and launching short kicks. She was certain that she was faster than him, but it didn’t seem to matter. No matter how fast she punched, she wasn’t able to connect. She landed one glancing blow, but found his foot in her stomach yet again.

  Bai fell down and coughed, seeing the blood on her hands. She didn’t feel anything, though.

  Guanyu squatted about a dozen paces from her. He looked completely at ease, in his element.

  “You were foolish to believe them, you know.”

  She frowned, confused.

  “What did Lei and Delun tell you? That you were something special? How did they convince you to attack this monastery?”

  Bai fought her way to her feet, spitting out the blood that was pooling in her mouth. “This was my choice.”

  Guanyu didn’t even get out of his squat. “Then you are a fool.”

  Bai leaped, aiming a kick at Guanyu’s head. She yelled and snapped her leg at his face, but he shifted and her kick missed again. She tried to land, but his wrist wrapped around her ankle, tripping her up and sending her crashing to the ground. Guanyu formed a fist and smashed it into her torso.

  This time, the energy drained out of Bai, as though Guanyu had somehow poked a dozen holes in a bucket, the water pouring out. She tried to summon more but couldn’t find the focus.

  As soon as the energy vanished, the pain hit. Her eyes rolled up in her head, the agony and dizziness almost too much to take. Her limbs refused to move, and she could feel the deep bruises her body had sustained. She struggled to breathe, and her eyes went wide, realizing just how much danger she was in.

  This time Guanyu squatted down right next to her. “You understand now, don’t you? The power you drew in masked the pain in your body. You have gifts. I’ll grant you that. Some of them are unique.” He leaned down even closer, until his face was right next to hers. “But you are nothing special.”

  Guanyu’s eyes ran down her body and she shivered involuntarily. She’d seen that gaze before, and nothing good had ever come from it. His voice kept hammering away at her new identity, chiseling it away one piece at a time. “You are faster, and perhaps, with real training, you might have been a danger to me. But you don’t have a lifetime of experience. You’ve survived on surprise, speed, and your gifts. You were never prepared for a real fight.”

  When he grabbed her, running his hand down her body, she broke. She found the strength to swing an arm at him, but he deflected it easily. Her arm flopped back to the ground, weighing more than she would have believed possible.

  Just like that, she was the girl she had always been, scared and afraid. There was nothing she could do. Her body wouldn’t respond to her commands. Her eyes darted back and forth, looking for someplace to hide. She could feel the dark corners
of her mind where she used to hide from the world.

  Guanyu grabbed her by her hair, pulling her toward the gate of the monastery. Her head erupted in fire, and she swiped at him, but couldn’t reach.

  As her arms fell back, useless, she saw the bracelet she had given her mother.

  She saw her mother’s hand, cold and lifeless, and a spark was lit somewhere deep inside her, someplace Guanyu’s words hadn’t reached.

  She wouldn’t be afraid. Not of a man like this. She forced her body to relax, to focus on the energies moving within. The spark was weak, liable to burn out at any moment. Her rage was like a soft breeze, blowing the spark into a small fire.

  Bai closed her eyes, focusing on that feeling of power in her core. At that moment, she realized a new truth.

  She would never hide again.

  Something inside her unlocked, and she could feel the energies flowing around her once again.

  She surrendered, opening herself up completely.

  Power flooded into her, and she felt better than ever before. Stronger. Faster.

  Part of her knew it was a lie, but she didn’t care. She would push herself over the brink if it meant preventing Guanyu’s victory.

  Guanyu noticed, but he’d gotten too close, too sure of his victory. She scrambled to reach his hand, the one he had wrapped around her hair. She grabbed the wrist, then pulled and twisted until her feet were under her. Guanyu reacted, tried to get away, but Bai’s lock on his wrist was unbreakable. She threw, sending him tumbling through the dirt. As he rolled, she stood tall, feeling a tremendous strength well up inside her.

  Bai saw the glint of fear in his eyes. He had beaten her twice, but she kept standing back up.

  She wouldn’t hide, and she wouldn’t back down.

  Nothing Guanyu did could stop her.

  Fear made Guanyu attack. Wisely, he avoided energy attacks, knowing those were next to useless against her. Instead, he came in himself, his fists a flurry of strikes and blocks.

  Bai saw the gaps in his defense, the moments of weakness. They seemed so obvious, his movements too slow.

  She jabbed a fist into his nose, then one into his stomach. Both caused him to stumble back.

  Bai didn’t take advantage of the momentary weakness. She’d hurt him, but now he was more dangerous than ever. Blood leaked from his nose and he wiped it away with the sleeve of his robe.

  She still saw his fear, but it was being replaced by anger.

  She could sense it building.

  Up until this week, Guanyu had believed himself the master of his world. He had strong followers capable of changing the course of history. He had an incredible strength to personally draw on. No doubt, he considered himself wise. He’d had everything, and she’d been nothing.

  He didn’t believe her. She understood him now, as clear as day.

  For the first time, his hands started moving, collecting the energy for a serious attack. Bai had felt the process from him before. Lei had told her about the attack but had never demonstrated it. She suspected her teacher wasn’t even capable.

  The Dragon’s Fang.

  The energy focused tighter, until it was nothing more than a small glowing ball of light to her senses.

  That attack had almost killed her last time. She remembered the incredible sensation of power flowing through her, her inability to control it. She had destroyed an enormous swath of forest. If it hit her here, she didn’t want to imagine the consequences. She didn’t think the walls of the monastery would be protection enough for Kulat.

  Guanyu’s move forced her to attack. As fast as she was, Guanyu had been right. She didn’t have enough training. He avoided her punches, remaining a step ahead of her the whole time.

  Frustration almost caused her to launch a foolish strike, but she held back, trying instead to get too close to Guanyu for him to use the attack. But he kept as much distance between them as possible.

  She sensed him getting ready. She only had one chance.

  Bai leaped, cocking her fist back and driving it at Guanyu. He sidestepped easily, smiling, confident in his victory.

  He released the Dragon’s Fang into her unprotected side.

  For a few moments, it felt as though she was being covered by several warm blankets, a soft pressure wrapping around her entire body. But within the space of a heartbeat, that gentle pressure turned into something more intense as the blankets grew heavier and heavier, crushing her.

  Her body couldn’t take much more. Already, she felt as though she was a piece of fabric, tearing apart at the seams.

  No!

  She refused to end this way. No monk would kill her. No monk would terrify her, ever again.

  Bai focused her will, just the way Lei taught her. She didn’t try to control the energy, but guide it.

  Time slowed down and she shifted some of the energy to her legs, throwing herself at Guanyu.

  He shifted his weight, preparing for her attack, ready to keep retreating.

  But she pushed against the enormous power of the Dragon’s Fang, the attack that threatened to destroy her also giving her the strength to fight against it. Her body felt large and bloated and ready to explode.

  Bai channeled the energy into her fist and arm. All of it.

  Guanyu must have predicted her attack, because he started to react.

  Bai had too much strength. Powered by the Dragon’s Fang, she was too fast. With a scream, she drove her fist toward his face. He couldn’t avoid it.

  Her fist connected.

  She averted her eyes, knowing she had succeeded when the Dragon’s Fang instantly vanished.

  It was over.

  40

  Delun stumbled to the monastery. He wasn’t sure what good he would be in a fight. Kang had almost destroyed him. But he had to try. Given the energies emanating from the building, Delun guessed Bai and Guanyu were in the heat of their fight.

  Just as he made it to the gate, the energies suddenly disappeared. It was disorienting, as though the sun had suddenly blinked out of existence. Delun stumbled, then found his footing and entered the courtyard. Bai was there, on her knees, over a prone body.

  She had done it.

  Delun knew that of the two of them, her skills had been their only chance. But there had been no way of knowing. Despite her incredible gifts, she had only trained for a few weeks. It hardly seemed enough.

  And yet, it had been.

  Delun approached, soon getting his first view of Guanyu. When he did, he blanched, feeling suddenly sick. Vomit rose up in his throat, and he was grateful he hadn’t eaten more of a breakfast.

  “Is that him?” he asked, feeling foolish as soon as he said it. Who else would it be?

  Bai nodded.

  “That’s…” He couldn’t find the words.

  Bai nodded again, then got to her feet. She wobbled, and Delun wondered just how much the fight had taken out of her. From the bruises he could see, and from the tattered state of her clothing, it looked like she’d taken quite the beating.

  Delun looked one last time at the corpse. “That is Guanyu?”

  There was no easy way to recognize him. Bai’s final attack had taken care of that. But the look on her face brokered no argument. Delun raised his hands in surrender. “Sorry.”

  The two of them faced each other, silence between them. Delun’s thoughts had stopped with the sight of Guanyu’s body. Truthfully, he hadn’t expected to survive. The idea of the future seemed daunting.

  She eyed him warily. “So, what comes next?”

  He shook his head, unsure of the answer. Then the tone of her voice registered.

  She viewed him as a threat.

  Was he?

  A few weeks ago he had chased her up a mountain. She was dangerous to the monasteries. He couldn’t think of another person, living or dead, who could harm monks like she could. In her own way, she was as dangerous as Guanyu.

  She had killed one of the monasteries’ most powerful abbots after only a few weeks of
training. If she continued to improve, just how dangerous would she become? If she set her sights on the monasteries, what could any of them do?

  She would never be weaker than she was now. Guanyu had almost beaten her.

  His duty was to kill her.

  He pressed the palms of his hands to his eyes, shaking his head.

  She had risked her life and saved his several times.

  He trusted her.

  He would not give her another reason to hate the monasteries.

  Delun looked off into the distance. “I suppose I need to speak with Xun. The danger has passed, but the situation will take a long time to repair.”

  Delun saw her relax. She remained wary, but less so than before.

  “What about you? Will you return to Lei’s village?”

  Bai nodded. “For a time, perhaps. I do not think I am meant to live there for long.”

  “What will you do?”

  “Study. Continue training. I’d like to make amends for the harm I’ve caused. I’m not sure how.”

  Delun turned to fully face her. He bowed deeply. “It’s been an honor.”

  She returned the bow.

  Then she turned and walked out of the monastery, never looking back.

  Delun sat across the table from Yang. This time, instead of an inn, they were inside the monastery. Delun tapped at his tea cup, unsure of how to proceed. Yang looked equally uncertain.

  Lord Xun had left the city a week ago. The army had eventually marched into Kulat, but there had been little to do. With the monastery defeated, tensions had dropped almost overnight. Delun hadn’t said anything, but he suspected Yang and the Golden Leaf had a fair amount to do with that.

  “I appreciate you meeting with me,” Delun began.

  “It seemed,” Yang struggled to find the right word, “wise.”

  Delun nodded. “Kulat cannot be without a monastery. Given that all of Guanyu’s edicts have been erased, your status as a monk is currently unquestioned. As the only surviving member of the monastery, it would make sense to elevate your role. But you understand my concerns.”