Nightblade (49 page)

Akira fought down his warring emotions. A small part of him felt he should be angry. His castle infiltrated, his life threatened, spoken to like a peer of a young man. But the greater part of him couldn’t resist the sheer audacity of the boy and his complete lack of understanding regarding court etiquette. It was a refreshing change from the sycophants and plotters he spent most of every day with. It was much the same appeal that Orochi had possessed.

He couldn’t quite hide the pride in his voice. “I believe it to be the most accurate map of the Three Kingdoms in existence. I have taken extraordinary measures to ensure its accuracy and detail.”

“You want to take over all three Kingdoms.” It was more of a statement than a question.

Akira was startled. How could the boy have known? But he stopped his denial. It was self-evident. There weren’t many other reasons to build the most expensive, accurate map in the Three Kingdoms. It was also a pretty open secret.

“Yes, but so does every Lord. I just believe I’m going to be the one who succeeds.”

“Why?”

Akira stepped back. Such blunt questions were socially shocking, if refreshing. He had never spoken so openly about his plans. But somehow he felt the boy needed to know. If he could convince the nightblade he could convince anyone. He still thought he could convince the boy to work with him.

“Order, strength, discipline. My citizens are generally happy. They may complain about the harshness of the rules we’ve set, but there is little crime and little to fear outside of the normal risks of existence. Our military is strong and fast and we are always on a war footing, unlike the other two Kingdoms, who have begun their fall into decadence. Their peace has made them weak. I also had the service of the best assassin in the Three Kingdoms. He would have been instrumental in a clean campaign.”

Ryuu grunted. “Why take over the other two Kingdoms if your own is going so well? Aren’t you content with the power you possess?”

“I am. But I see a greater responsibility ahead. The Three Kingdoms are part of a larger world, and although geography has helped us remain independent, it will not always be so. We have a rich land here, a land which would mean a lot to other people beyond our shores and ranges. If we don’t unify under a strong hand, we will all fall.”

“Considering the cost it seems like a thin justification for a grab for greater power .”

Akira gazed at Ryuu with a hint of anger. “I am well aware of the shortcomings. I understand that the safety of the whole sometimes overwhelms the needs and lives of more than a few people. That knowledge doesn’t make anything easier, but it doesn’t make it any less necessary.”

Ryuu was angry as well now. “No Kingdom is worth the lives of my master and my friends.”

Akira transfixed him with a steely glare. “The Kingdom is worth that, and much more besides. If I can keep hundreds of thousands of people safe, but must kill a handful of people to make it happen, it is a sacrifice I am more than willing to make.”

Ryuu’s hand went to where his sword would have hung if he had one, briefly, before he took it away. Akira noticed the gesture but didn’t flinch. “You burned down an innocent family, killed my master, and tortured my friend to death. If those are the actions your peace is founded upon, war seems like a more pleasant alternative.”

Ryuu saw the look of sadness flash upon Akira’s face and was surprised.

Akira held his gaze. “I ordered your death, the death of your master, and the death of the girl who started this whole mess. General Nori took his orders further than he should have.” Akira rose his hand to silence Ryuu’s retort. “He was an officer under me, and like all officers in the military, I am responsible for his behavior. I am sorry her family was killed in addition to the women in the brothel, and I have received reports about the torture she suffered. For all these actions, I owe you more than an apology. But I will not apologize for the deaths of your friend and your master. They were the correct order then, and they are the correct order now, even with you here ready to take my life.”

“Why?” Ryuu was barely able to get the question out through his clenched jaw.

“Because your very existence threatens the Kingdom and all the work that I have attempted to perform over the past few cycles. You know better than anyone alive how nightblades are demonized in popular culture. I’m sure by now you realize it’s not accidental. The nightblades split our great Kingdom in three, and that must never be allowed to happen again. Now that the public knows about you, there is no telling what will happen. Everyone is scared, uncertain how the balance of power may be shifted. You are safest dead.”

With a supreme effort of will, Ryuu managed to hold his anger in check. “We were never a danger to anyone.”

Akira raised an eyebrow. “Don’t delude yourself. The first time something happens that threatens you, you attack. When Takako was taken, in a perfectly legal transaction, I’ll remind you, you went into the camp and killed an officer of the army. Not the actions of a peaceful man. When your master was killed, you attacked both a monastery and an army base. Any time something has happened to you, you have responded by sowing disorder and chaos, elements that will tear my Kingdom apart. When you’re unhappy with me, you come personally into my chambers. Hardly the actions of a typical peace-loving citizen.”

“Everything I did was to protect someone who couldn’t protect themselves.”

“Which is exactly what I’m doing, just on a scale you can’t seem to comprehend.”

The steel and frustration in Akira’s voice penetrated through the haze of anger surrounding Ryuu’s thoughts. He thought through all his actions and tried to assume Akira’s perspective. In a flash of insight, he realized that Akira’s actions weren’t much different than what he would have done. If he had to choose between mass chaos and the death of a few individuals he would have chosen the same path. Abruptly, his anger cooled.

“I see.”

Akira, not being able to track Ryuu’s thoughts, was surprised at the concession. He was surprised at himself as well. He realized he had been expecting to die, and had spoken much more openly than he was used to, even with his closest advisers. He had inadvertently created a bond with this boy.

Ryuu was still muddling through his thought process, and Akira turned it to his advantage.

“So, what are you going to do?”

Ryuu looked up. “Well, I came to you to tell you to stop hunting us. If you weren’t going to listen, I was going to kill you.”

“That was your solution?”

“Not perfect, I admit, but it would have gotten the job done.”

Akira shrugged. He enjoyed the blatant disregard for authority the boy held. “It might have. Everyone will be searching for you now.”

Ryuu examined him. “I think the plan still holds out. I have no ambition for power, nor any desire to serve a master other than myself. I would like to lead a peaceful life and explore the origin of the sense to greater degree. Orochi gave me some leads before he died.”

“He spoke to you then.”

“Yes. He seemed to believe I was a lot stronger than I think. He gave me some directions on how to continue my training.”

“To what end?”

The question paused Ryuu for a moment. “I guess I’ve never really thought about it. I’ve always trained to be stronger simply to be stronger. I suppose it’s for times such as these when strength is necessary to protect those who I care about.”

Akira nodded. “You haven’t yet figured out a purpose for your life then?”

“I’m not sure there is a purpose to an individual’s life.”

Akira glanced from Ryuu to his map back to Ryuu. “We all have purpose, whether we pursue it or not.” He paused. “Would you consider working for me under the same conditions I had with Orochi? They were generous terms.”

Ryuu shook his head. “Not just because of how I personally feel about you. I’ve seen decent men be party to horrible actions because they tied their honor and their obedience to another man. The peace of a Kingdom isn’t worth the suffering Takako experienced. I think being party to that helped kill Orochi in the end. Better to be free and responsible for your own actions.”

Akira found himself liking the boy more and more. He was reasonable, if perhaps too young to understand the ways of the world. He found himself more curious. “Do you believe you will be able to live in peace even if you and I part today less than enemies?”

Ryuu shrugged. “I hope so, but it would be naive to assume that just because I hope so it will be. Shigeru often worried that those who lived by the sword would be fated to die by it. Perhaps it is true. It is pointless to predict the future. What is important is that what I want at this moment is peace.”

“Are you sure you won’t consider working for me?”

Despite himself, Ryuu grinned just a little. It was nice to be appreciated for one’s talents. “Yes.”

“Where will you go, and what will you do?”

“I wouldn’t tell you for the world.”

“You know I will send spies after you. You are far too dangerous a man to leave wandering around my Kingdom.”

“I may not stay in your Kingdom. But you are welcome to send any spies. They will risk their lives, and I suspect they won’t be able to track us anyway.”

“What if I need to contact you?”

The corner of Ryuu’s mouth turned up just a bit as if he found the idea amusing. “Akira, I leave you alive today because you have convinced me you are not out to kill me or Moriko, and you will leave us in relative peace. But we are not allies. If your claims are true about why you rule and what your goals for ruling are, then you are a man best left alive, and perhaps are best suited to pursue a Kingdom for all. But that will not be my fight.”

Ryuu turned to leave, but Akira spoke before he could begin his egress. “Do you really think you’ll be able to do it?”

Ryuu glanced back quizzically.

“Do you think that as a warrior, you’ll be able to find a life of peace?”

As Ryuu looked at Akira, he couldn’t help but think that this young man, just barely of the legal age of a soldier, had the eyes of a man who had seen much, much more. “No. I suspect the sword will continue to find me. But we are defined by our actions, and what kind of man would I be if I didn’t at least attempt to live in peace?”

Akira nodded. He understood this boy, and somehow, this boy understood him better than a whole reception room full of nobility and courtiers.

“I wish you the best of luck. While I will try to keep track of you, you have my word that no harm will come to you or the girl on my account. Perhaps you’d do the kindness of not killing any messengers I may send.”

Ryuu grinned and suddenly went from a sage to a young man in an instant. “Depends on how good-looking they are.”

With that he was out the door. Akira started to track him but found that he had disappeared into the emptiness. It was a pretty impressive skill.

Akira grinned despite himself. He and Orochi had understood each other and respected each other, but he liked that boy. He had a feeling that some day he might see him again. Perhaps not. Either way, from the bottom of his heart, Lord Akira hoped he would find peace.

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