Heart of Defiance
Page 27
Delun wondered at the change within him. First he’d let Bai leave, and now he sat across from Yang, a monk who had actively worked against the monasteries.
Yang took a deep breath. “Ask what you will.”
“Did you plan the black powder attack?”
Yang shook his head. “No. The attack was planned by several other members of the Golden Leaf. I did not want our movement to resort to violence, but when I was incapacitated by Bai’s actions in Galan, the others took the opportunity to act.”
Delun rubbed at his chin. So much came back to Bai and that fateful afternoon in Galan.
“Why should I not kill you?”
Yang laughed. “I appreciate your directness. I’ll answer in kind. Because you can’t afford to. Killing me would send the region back into an uproar, as I’m sure you suspect. Granted, Xun is close and you’ve got more monks on the way, so the uproar would be short-lived, but the tension would live on.”
Yang had said nothing Delun hadn’t already figured out for himself. “And if I put you in a position of authority?”
“I would lead the monasteries in charting a new path. Guanyu and his followers had to be rooted out, but I do not see a future without the monasteries. We need to do better. Kulat can be the model the others follow.”
“You have ideas?”
“Focus on the study of our gifts. We’re seeing people with new gifts more frequently now, and the old ways of training won’t be enough. There are too many questions we don’t ask. We should open our doors and our books to anyone interested in our lives or our studies. Pay for some of the food we consume.”
Delun’s eyes narrowed. “Do you also sense that the nature of our gifts is changing?”
“I think they’ve always changed. But they are changing faster now, and instead of embracing the change and adapting, the monks are retreating to comfortable traditions.”
Delun leaned back, letting the ideas sink in. Some of Yang’s ideas were more radical than others, and he would definitely drive the other abbots mad. But Delun also didn’t see how any of the ideas violated the spirit of the monastic tradition. Yang also wanted to lead the empire, just in a very different way.
Still, old habits died hard.
“If you continue to plot the fall of the monasteries, I’ll kill you myself.”
Yang smiled at that. “I would expect no less.”
“Then I shall raise you temporarily to the role of the abbot of Kulat. Your peers will most likely make it official within a month.”
Yang bowed. “I am honored. And what of you?”
Delun sipped at his tea. “I will continue my work.”
Yang hid his surprise well, but it was still there. “Even after all you’ve seen?”
“My methods might change, but I still serve the monasteries.”
Yang studied him. Delun felt like the other man understood.
Yang raised his tea cup. “To a new monastic era.”
Delun joined him. “To a new era.”
Epilogue
Two Years Later
Outside of Jihan
Bai followed the monks at a distance. There were two of them, focused on a merchant’s daughter, a beautiful woman trying to get home before the sun set. The streets were dangerous at night, now more so than ever.
She’d had her eyes on these monks for a while now. Rumors of them had surfaced over and over, two young monks who had forsaken their vows to protect and serve the empire.
She forced herself not to spit as she thought of them. They were symptomatic of a larger problem plaguing the empire.
Perhaps it had all started in Kulat.
Guanyu, for all his failings, had shown the monks what they were capable of. Their teachings didn’t have to bind them.
The monasteries were not as they once were. Besieged on all sides, many of the younger monks had started ignoring their vows.
Anyone could see the split coming. On her more hopeful days, Bai believed that the rifts could be healed. Kulat, after all that had happened, had become a beacon of a new way forward. The monks there were well-loved, and the area was at peace.
Someday, Bai hoped she would be able to return.
Her life was here now, where she could do the most good. The places where the split between the different monks caused problems.
As the streets emptied, it became more difficult to follow the monks without being spotted. With an ease born of the last two years of training, she leaped to the rooftops in a single bound, landing softly on the tiles and walking as quietly as a cat. She closed some of the distance between her and the monks. At the same time, the two monks were closing the distance between them and the woman.
Bai didn’t know exactly what they had planned, but she suspected she wouldn’t approve.
A moment later she heard one of the two monks yell, “Halt!”
The woman, surprised to see two monks behind her, obeyed. That was her first mistake. But obedience of the monks ran deep in many well-to-do families. They still believed that all monks were there to serve them, despite ample evidence to the contrary.
Bai crept closer, making sure she was near enough to drop on them with a moment’s notice.
The two young monks didn’t even bother pretending. One of them released an attack that pinned the woman against a wall. The other stepped right up to her. She tried to scream, but the second monk pressed his hand tightly against her mouth.
Bai had seen enough. She dropped down from the roof, lashing out with her foot as she dropped. The monk who’d been right next to the woman collapsed, never even realizing he’d been in danger.
The other monk launched an attack at her, but she absorbed the blast without problem. A well-aimed kick at his groin dropped him to the ground.
She turned to the woman. “Are you okay?”
The woman nodded mutely, still trying to understand what just happened.
“Go home, tell everyone what happened here.”
The woman nodded again, and after a gentle push, finally ran home. Once Bai was sure the woman was out of sight, she turned back to the two monks, both of whom were getting to their feet.
She assumed a fighting stance and smiled.
Her work was just beginning.
Thank You
Thank you so much for reading!
I hope you enjoyed Heart of Defiance. I’ve had a lot of fun writing in this world, and I plan on continuing the story soon.
Until then, if you just can’t get enough fantasy, might I suggest the Nightblade series? The first book can be found right here:
Nightblade
Finally, if you enjoyed the story, I would appreciate it if you would leave a review wherever you purchased the book. Reviews mean the world to authors and help others find the book as well.
With gratitude,
Ryan
Also by Ryan Kirk
The Nightblade Series
Nightblade
World’s Edge
The Wind and the Void
Blades of the Fallen
Nightblade’s Vengeance
Nightblade’s Honor
Nightblade’s End
The Relentless Series
Relentless Souls
Heart of Defiance
The Primal Series
Primal Dawn
Primal Darkness
Primal Destiny
Primal Trilogy
The Code Series
Code of Vengeance
Code of Pride
Code of Justice
About the Author
Ryan Kirk is the bestselling author of the Nightblade series of books. When he isn’t writing, you can probably find him playing disc golf or hiking through the woods.
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