World's Edge (18 page)

When he was finished, he and Moriko packed up their gear and set out for another day of hiking. Moriko noticed they had turned from their southern course to one heading more towards the west. She decided to try her luck with more questions as they walked.

"May I ask where we are going?"

Kalden answered, "We are going to the Gathering.”

It was an answer without any usefulness. "What’s the Gathering?"

Kalden just grinned at her, excitement evident on his face. "You will see."

They hiked for another day and camped another night. Despite her repeated attempts, Moriko was unable to gather any more useful information from her captor. He continued to be content to make the journey largely in silence. Moriko weighed her options. She could escape if she wanted to, but she still hadn't learned anything worth taking back to the Three Kingdoms. Her transportation situation hadn’t improved, either. She didn’t see any other better options than continuing to follow him.

The following day seemed as though it would also be uneventful, until the sun started to set. They had been walking all day without rest. As usual, it passed in silence. Moriko was doing her best to contain her growing frustration. Every step they took was another step further from the Three Kingdoms. The further from home she got, the more she wanted to return. She hadn’t expected she would miss it so much.

As had often been the case on this journey, she saw them far before she sensed them, twin pillars of dust on the horizon. Her first instinct was to hide, but then she remembered she was a prisoner. The patrol was coming from the west, the direction they were heading.

It didn’t take long for the twin pillars of dust to resolve themselves into two riders who rode straight for them. Moriko had to admit they didn’t look friendly. She had expected Kalden would be greeted with a little more respect, but it seemed his status as an outcast, even an outcast hunter, didn’t buy him anything in Azarian culture.

The two guards couldn’t have been a more mismatched pair. One was a large bear of a man, the other a small wisp. The large one was in charge, but as Moriko watched the two, she decided it was the small one who was a more dangerous opponent. He was wary and well balanced on his horse.

The big man spoke, his voice thundering even though they were only paces apart. "What do you think you’re doing?"

Kalden set his shoulders. If nothing else, he did not lack for courage. “I bring a prisoner to my clan.”

The big man laughed. “Do you have any idea who she is?”

Kalden looked back at Moriko. “I assume she is a messenger or a scout of some sort.”

The big man laughed again. "I don't know how a one-armed hunter like you managed to capture her, but this woman is one of those who he wanted killed."

Moriko’s mind raced. Whoever this ‘he’ was, he was the one responsible for sending hunters after her and Ryuu. And somehow he had known Moriko was coming. Her life was in danger.

She watched as understanding dawned in Kalden’s face. His eyes went wide, and Moriko knew she only had moments to act. She had four blades, two knives strapped to each thigh, Kalden hadn’t found. With one motion, she reached down with both hands and launched two of them at the men on horseback. If they got away a whole search would be launched for her. Her aim with her right hand was true. The blade embedded itself deep into the neck of the big guard, and he began to fall off his horse. Her aim with her left was not as accurate. The knife embedded itself in the left shoulder of the thin man, an injury he seemed to brush aside as he drew his sword. Moriko turned as Kalden drew his blade against her.

Moriko pushed down the fear she felt when she saw that short blade pointed at her once again. The night her and Ryuu were attacked flashed in her mind. There was no need to worry. This battle was hers. Like putting a cloak of shadows back on, she suppressed her presence once again and moved in. Kalden, who had gotten used to her presence, found himself befuddled at the sudden lack of energy emanating from her. He was relying on his own sense-ability and lost track of her. She seized the moment, getting behind him and cutting his throat with one of her remaining blades.

As he dropped, she grabbed her own sword from his belt and drew it, its weight in her hands a welcome reassurance. The thin man looked like he was about to charge, but decided at the last moment it wasn't in his best interest. He turned his horse around, but he didn't have time to escape.

Moriko threw the knife in her hand, already covered in Kalden’s blood. It struck the guard’s neck, and he too fell off his horse.

Moriko surveyed the scene around her. The two guards were dead, and she couldn't care less, but it was different with Kalden. He'd been a hunter, yes, but she couldn't shake the feeling he deserved better. Azarian culture seemed strict and merciless. Yet he’d fought to survive. He didn’t deserve this ending, killed by one who had promised not to harm him.

It was then that all the rage, despair, and frustration boiled to the surface, and Moriko fell to her knees, tears streaming from her eyes. They had almost had peace. For two cycles, they had convinced themselves, but now it was all gone. She didn’t think she would ever lie next to Ryuu again, watching the stars as they slowly turned overhead.

Here she was, in the middle of Azaria, with no way home that she could see. She was more leagues from home than she could count. It was all wrong. She knelt there and wept until there was nothing left.

When she was done, something had changed. She felt colder inside, like all the weakness had been burned from her body, leaving only cold steel behind. She stood up and faced the west. The Gathering was there, and she thought it was time for her to pay it a visit.

Chapter 14

Tenchi and Ryuu walked together from the caves where Ryuu had taken his trials. Ryuu was filled with so many questions that he didn’t know where to begin. Tenchi saw his indecision and spoke first, breaking Ryuu’s nervous tension.

“You remind me of him, you know.”

Ryuu glanced at Tenchi. The comment struck a chord with him. He missed his adopted father more than he admitted.

“You’re wiser than he was though.”

Ryuu almost reached for his sword. Shigeru had saved his life in more ways than one. He wouldn’t stand for anyone dishonoring his memory.

Tenchi held up his hand. “I mean no insult. I only knew Shigeru as a young man, and he hadn’t seen much of the world. I believe you have seen and experienced much more than he had at the same age. As a result, you have more wisdom than he did. You hold your tongue when you’re uncertain of what to say. It’s a distinct sign of wisdom, in my experience.”

They walked in silence for a few paces, Ryuu trying to decide which question to ask first. Each than ran through his mind seemed more imperative than the last. Tenchi broke his train of thought.

“I apologize for the trials, but it was necessary for us to know. Your performance on the docks was impressive, but you could have been an extremely talented swordsman. There was no way you could have passed those tests without possessing a well-developed mastery of the sense.” Tenchi grinned. “I should confess, I made the tests harder for you. I wouldn’t have sent Rei in for a regular trial, but I wanted to see the extent of your skills.” He indicated the girl Ryuu had fought in the final chamber.

“Every nightblade has to complete the trials?”

Tenchi nodded. “Yes. For each of us to wear the black, they must pass these trials. I am impressed by your performance, though. Rei’s surprise when you sensed her was a delight to observe.”

Ryuu finally found the voice to start asking questions. “How is it you know so much about me and my skills?”

“Orochi wrote a detailed letter to me. I assume it was just before you and he met for the final time. I was surprised when I received the letter. Orochi, like Shigeru, was not of the community. Shigeru, I suspect you know, was under a sentence of death when he escaped. Orochi wasn’t given our blessing, but we couldn’t stop him without killing him, and there are too few of us as it is. I heard from Orochi once when he left but hadn’t heard from him since. His letter arriving out of the blue was quite the occurrence.”

“Orochi told me what occurred between the three of you. He confessed to killing Shigeru and spoke at length about you. He looked forward to your battle, but indicated there was a chance he wouldn’t survive. But he felt honor-bound to finish the job he had promised. He mentioned that if he were to fall, he would leave you directions to the island. That was two cycles ago. And now you are here. I assume you managed to defeat Orochi, and that he is dead. I mourn his loss but respect his decisions.”

Ryuu nodded. “He fought honorably to the end, but I didn’t realize it until it was too late.”

“Orochi was, despite his faults, a good man. We mourn the loss of two of our own. It is a tragedy they came to the ends they did. We had all hoped that at the end they would come to peace.”

“I hope they have found it.”

Tenchi stopped and studied Ryuu. “There is one last question I must ask, as your arrival comes at a challenging moment for the island. What is your intent?”

Ryuu had been prepared for this question, but in the presence of the power he was experiencing he hesitated. He had worked up all number of phrases to make his mission seem more palatable to the nightblades of the island, but he felt like Tenchi deserved his full honesty.

“I came for strength, and I came for answers.”

Tenchi looked at him silently, waiting for him to elaborate.

“There is something moving, an energy no one in the Three Kingdoms understands. The Azarians hunt me, though I have done no wrong against them. They possess warriors of strength equal to mine. There are rumors of civil war in Azaria, and civil war is consuming the Three Kingdoms for the first time in a thousand cycles. The world is changing, and I’m afraid no one is strong enough to withstand its power.”

Tenchi was silent, so Ryuu rushed forward, trying to get all the information in as quickly as he could.

“In the Three Kingdoms there is no information about the Azarians and their hunters. I had hoped the records here on the island might be more complete. I also hoped to seek training here. There is too much I don’t know, and I can’t protect those I love without greater strength.”

Ryuu took a deep breath. He had said all he had to say. He met Tenchi’s level gaze.

“And what if I were to tell you that you could never leave this island again?”

“I would do everything I could to escape when my mission here is complete.”

Tenchi smiled. “I appreciate your candor. I am undecided about you. There is something greater at work that I don’t understand. In this I agree with you. But we are not of the world anymore, and your desire to play a role in the events transpiring in the Three Kingdoms are of great concern. I will not guarantee you passage back to your homeland, but you are welcome here.”

Ryuu didn’t feel like he had a choice. He had known what he was getting into when he stepped on the ship.

“Thank you.”

Tenchi motioned for Ryuu to follow him and together they continued up the tunnel. Ryuu could sense the life above him, but decided to hold his questions.

“How much do you know about us?”

“Very little. Shigeru only mentioned the island the evening before his death, and Orochi and I never really spoke. I know there are other nightblades here, and I know this is where both of them grew up and trained. I assume the training Shigeru gave me originated here. Other than that, I know little else.”

“We came here after the Great Purge. It has been almost one thousand cycles since we cut ourselves off from the rest of the Three Kingdoms, and a lot has happened in that time. In some ways, there are some similarities here to your monastic systems. We train daily and value knowledge and experience above all else. Daily we make progress in learning more about the world and the sense we are gifted with. I would argue our warriors today are more capable than those of legend.”

Ryuu nodded as he took all the information in. “I have many questions for you. I have only been here a little while, but I’ve already experienced techniques I didn’t think were possible just yesterday.”

“I expect you have. You must remember your training was probably very haphazard. Shigeru was one of our best students and strongest swordsmen, so that bodes well for you, but mastery of the sense is a skill developed with time and patience. Our older men may not be as physically strong as our younger ones, but they would still win most duels because of a greater understanding of the sense. Shigeru was gifted, but he was forced to escape the island before he learned some of his most valuable lessons. It was a shame. I had hoped, perhaps, that he would have been my successor.”

Ryuu hung on to every word. He had grown up with Shigeru, but Shigeru had been a very private man, and Ryuu knew little about his history. It wasn’t his priority, but he was hoping he might learn more about the man he called father during his stay here.

As they walked, Ryuu realized even the final chamber of his trial was far from the surface of the island. They climbed and climbed, eventually reaching a narrow stairwell that curved around and up. The higher they got, the more life Ryuu was able to sense. He didn’t understand it. There must be much more life on the island than he had assumed. It wasn’t the same as entering a city, but it wasn’t that different either.

When they reached the surface Ryuu almost fell to his knees. The light was blinding, but despite the tears that ran down his face, Ryuu saw something he had never expected to see. They had come up on a small rise which gave them a commanding view of the area around them. Tenchi grinned at Ryuu’s reaction, having clearly expected it.

Below him stretched not a small village, but a well-inhabited area, stretching wide and covering the entire plateau as far as the eye could see. Everywhere below him were people moving back and forth, all dressed in the traditional robes of the nightblades. There weren’t just a few hundred. There were a few thousand. Ryuu had found an island with enough strength to change the history of the Three Kingdoms.