World's Edge (42 page)
Authors: Ryan Kirk
Something broke in Ryuu then. He couldn’t take the loss of Moriko. She grounded him, held him together. She understood him in a way no one else could. First Takako, now Moriko. Great, heaving sobs wracked his body, but his eyes were dry. No tears would come. He wanted to dig a hole and hide from the world forever.
“I’m sorry, Ryuu.”
Ryuu turned to the sound of a sword being drawn. Ryuu expected his sense to warn him of an attack, but it was gone. He suddenly realized he couldn’t sense anything at all. He turned to see Akira assume a fighting stance and move to cut him.
Ryuu dove out of the way, feeling his back open up again as he rolled on it. He cursed loudly as he came to his feet.
“What are you doing?”
Akira stepped and cut again, and Ryuu stepped out of the way. He couldn’t sense Akira’s attacks, but he had still trained in swordsmanship every day of his life since he was five. Even without the sense, he was a strong fighter, but he couldn’t figure out why Akira was attacking him.
“This was the final condition of the treaty. That I bring Tanak the head of the nightblade who killed Renzo.” Akira thrust wildly, and Ryuu saw the desperation in his eyes.
He saw something else too, something he’d been too distracted to notice earlier. Akira’s eyes were red, his body broken. Something clicked in Ryuu’s mind and he knew Akira had given up hope.
Ryuu drew his blade and deflected a cut. Akira slashed again, not caring how slow or how obvious his attacks were. Ryuu stepped inside his guard and hit him with the side of his blade, knocking Akira backwards. He came back to his feet, a wild grin on his face, and Ryuu saw Akira had lost everything that mattered to him.
Akira charged, sword raised high above him. Ryuu stepped in and sliced, causing a sliver of scarlet to open up from his shoulder to his stomach. Ryuu cut twice more, each cut a perfect strike. He finished with a kick to Akira’s chest, knocking him backwards.
Akira started to get up, but Ryuu brought the tip of his sword to Akira’s neck. “No.”
Akira looked like he was about to move, but Ryuu pushed the tip closer, drawing blood. He worried Akira would try to impale himself if he got the chance. “I know what you’re trying to do, but I won’t kill you. You haven’t failed, and your people need you. They’ll need you more than ever in the next few moons.”
Akira broke down, his manic state gone. The tears fell, mingling with his blood on the ground. “End it, please.”
Ryuu shook his head, snapped the blood off his blade, and sheathed it. He looked around the tent, focusing on Rei. “What about her?”
“He doesn’t know about her.”
“Good. When she comes to, tell her I said thank you.” He turned to leave.
“Ryuu, wait.”
Ryuu turned at the door.
“Where will you go? What if I need you?”
“I don’t know, Akira. I’ll become an outlaw to save your treaty. Hunt me if you must. I’m not sure where I’ll go. I’m not sure there’s any place left for me. But you can’t give up. Don’t ever give up.”
Without another word, Ryuu left the tent. He still couldn’t use his sense, and the fear in his gut was that somehow he had lost it for good. He walked into the night, hunted by the Azarians and the soldiers of the Three Kingdoms.
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With Gratitude,
Ryan
Thanks for reading!
The Nightblade Trilogy will finish with the third book in the first quarter of 2016.
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