World's Edge (6 page)

Ryuu closed his eyes and searched his memory. He located the place where the bodies should have been. There was plenty of evidence. Impressions in the grass, pools of coagulated blood, the bodies had definitely fallen there. But they were gone.

He knelt down next to each impression, trying to create a picture of what had happened. Unfortunately, he wasn’t an expert tracker, and the signs around the battlefield were too chaotic for him to decipher. Either they had walked off or they had been carried off, but Ryuu couldn’t prove either guess. He supposed their bodies could have just vanished, but that was getting too far out into the realm of magic, and magic was something he didn’t believe in. The battle had almost taken his and Moriko’s lives, and it wasn’t over.

At the thought of Moriko, Ryuu froze. If the bodies had been taken, the most logical explanation was that there were other shadows present, and she was alone and in no condition to fight them. He sheathed his sword as he took off at a dead sprint towards the hut.

Chapter 5

The sun rose on Akira as he completed his morning ritual of staring off into the south, waiting for something, anything to happen. He had been at the head of the pass for almost a half moon, expecting any news at all. Spring was already turning into summer this far south, and the green grass was slowly retreating against the steady onslaught of dry heat. In another moon the prairie in front of him would be brown. He supposed it was still a better color than red.

Akira didn’t know what he was looking for, what he was waiting for. But he kept coming back, morning after morning. Something was happening in the south. A storm was building, and he feared its intensity. The scout’s story had been unbelievable. Even once he had fully recovered, he told the story of an entire clan being decimated by a handful of warriors. The story had circulated. Akira had considered trying to halt it, but stories had a way of spreading. Like a wildfire, they would find the one gap in your defenses and blow out of proportion. Best to let it spread. Better than maintaining the appearance of secrecy.

Maybe he was searching too hard for an enemy. Like all nobility, he had been brought up in the arts of war. He thirsted for an enemy in front of him. Despite the tradition fading into legend, he still believed the purest combat was one person testing their steel against another. He despised an unknown enemy, an enemy that hid in shadows. Better the army in front of you than the assassin behind you.

His thoughts turned to Ryuu. He had been thinking about the young nightblade more often, particularly since the report of the scout. Of course the idea of nightblades was being discussed throughout the camp. It was a legend, one many considered an overblown myth. But deep down, everyone believed. It was the way they were raised, in fear of those almost too strong to die. Soldiers would scoff when the sun was up, but they’d all be silent at night, in the darkness rumored to be the domain of the nightblades. The scout’s story ignited the kindling that lay dormant in the hearts of all Akira’s warriors.

But Akira was one of the few people in the world who knew nightblades still existed. He had known for many cycles. First it had been Orochi, a man who kept his own secrets. Although he never said, Akira suspected Orochi had come from a haven for nightblades. The man had come well trained. Somewhere in the world the path of the nightblade was still being taught. Akira didn’t know how large a haven it was, but he guessed there were at least a few dozen. After Orochi, there had been Shigeru and Ryuu, two nightblades who called the Southern Kingdom their home. If there were three, there were probably more.

He was troubled by the possibility of nightblades down in Azaria. Was that where Orochi had come from? Akira had seen Azarians, and they were physically different than his own subjects. Orochi had been large, like an Azarian, but he undoubtedly traced his ancestry back to the Kingdom. Perhaps the nightblades and the Azarians had a relationship? He shook his head. The possibilities were limitless, and he had no way of knowing what was happening. He stretched in the morning sun. There were too many problems and not enough information. He thought about trying to send a scout to find Ryuu, but dismissed the idea out of hand. Akira had given his word, and Ryuu had given his. Ryuu hadn’t surfaced for over two cycles, and Akira hadn’t gone looking for him.

The sun was beginning to burn brightly, and it was almost time for Akira to head back to another round of frustrating conferences with his generals. Nothing had changed. Construction on the defenses of the pass was in full swing, but it was almost time for him to head back to the Southern Kingdom. Akira had sent in another scouting party to follow the directions of the first scout. He needed more information. The scouts should be back any day, another reason Akira spent so much time on the overlook tower.

Unfortunately, it looked like the scouts would not be returning this morning. In front of him the world might as well have been empty. There wasn’t even the hint of a dust trail. As he turned to head back to camp he heard the beginnings of a commotion in camp. In the few moments he was paying attention, the disturbance turned into a clamor. There was yelling and shouting and anger throughout the camp.

He didn’t even have to come down from his tower to hear. When Akira heard the news, shouted from person to person as it spread through the camp like a river breaking through a dam, his stomach fell and he almost doubled over. There was no way it could be possible, but the word echoed throughout the camp, ringing in his ears like a death bell.

Invasion.

Akira strode into the command tent, trying to give off an air of command he didn’t feel. He felt like he was losing his grasp on reality. The treaty had held for hundreds of cycles, and he hadn’t provoked an invasion. His contact with Sen and Tanak was minimal at best. They met once a cycle, and sometimes even that gathering was canceled. Most cycles there was little for them to discuss.

He scanned the room. There was a messenger, as well as his top generals. He had requested the group be as small as possible. Rumors would start fast enough as it was, and if the news was true there needed to be some honest discussions without fear of political consequences.

“What do we know?”

Toro glanced at the messenger, who took his cue to step forward. His nervousness radiated off him as he started to stammer out his answer. Akira raised his hand for pause.

“Do you need a drink? Nobody likes giving bad news to a Lord, but you’re going to need to do it, and I need every detail you have. We don’t have all day.”

The messenger shook his head. He closed his eyes, and Akira watched as he went through a calming exercise. The tension dropped from the messenger’s shoulders. When he opened his eyes he was ready to give his report. Akira nodded his permission.

“My Lord. We’ve been invaded by the Western Kingdom. They took the bridge in a nighttime raid. Best intelligence says they’ve brought across three full-strength armies with them.”

Akira’s breath caught in his throat. “Three entire armies?”

“Yes, my Lord.” The messenger paused for a moment to let Akira take the news in. Three armies. Tanak only had four armies total. If the report was true, Tanak was putting everything he had into the invasion. It was a do-or-die strategy. A separate part of Akira’s mind praised his fellow Lord for his boldness. But the implications were apparent, and Akira worried they spelled disaster for his kingdom. Tanak wouldn’t bring across three armies just to gain extra land. Three armies was a bid for the entire Southern Kingdom. It was a move that risked everything.

Akira motioned for the messenger to continue. The news wasn’t good. Once they had crossed the river, the three armies had separated, each carving their own swath through the Southern Kingdom. The armies were moving fast. They were hitting key towns and garrisons but bypassing smaller ones. The Western Kingdom’s intelligence was spot on. They knew exactly where to strike. If they maintained the same rate of advance they would sweep through the entire Southern Kingdom by the end of the season. Nothing like it had happened in the history of the Three Kingdoms.

Akira dismissed the messenger. He looked at his three generals. “Thoughts.”

Toro was livid. “I can’t believe they broke the treaty. This means war throughout the land. Many will die for Tanak’s treason.”

“I agree. This is tragic for all. But we need to set our pain aside and decide how we move to protect our kingdom.”

Mashiro replied first. “The decision is simple. Move all our armies to intercept him. With the three armies here in the pass and the Fifth coming in from the northern border, we can crush the traitor. We destroy him here at home and then move in on the Western Kingdom. His gamble will be his end. We could reunite all the kingdoms by the end of the season.”

Akira glanced at his young general. Each general around this table had been part of helping him plan their own invasion strategy of the Western Kingdom. Mashiro was right. If they could rout Tanak’s men they could walk into Tanak’s kingdom, a thought which had some strong appeal at this particular moment.

Makoto nodded his head in agreement. “Yes. I do not know about invading the Western Kingdom, but if we can crush his armies in our own land, he will be defenseless. And he will have broken the treaty. We could attempt to take the Western Kingdom by calling a Conclave. This invasion could become the opportunity you have been waiting for. But we need to crush them for such an undertaking. We’ll need every soldier we have to secure both kingdoms.”

Akira moved his gaze to Toro, and he saw Toro was thinking the same thoughts he was. “I am uncertain, my Lord. This is a grave threat to our land, but if what our scout says is true, we may have an even greater threat massing to the south.”

Mashiro exploded. “We can’t be jumping after ghosts! It’s foolish to think an army of nightblades is massing in Azaria to attack us. We have three armies resting here when there is a clear and immediate threat in our own kingdom. We need to pay attention to the threats in front of us, not the threats that might exist in the future.”

Toro also got upset. “Don’t you think I know that? But it’s complete folly to commit everything to one undertaking. It’s the exact mistake we’re contemplating exploiting in Tanak’s decisions. Rash decisions today could destroy our kingdom forever. An opportunity isn’t always as good as you think it might be.”

“And sometimes it is,” Mashiro spat back.

Akira raised his hands for silence. “We can disagree, but we can’t argue here. Toro is right about one thing, and that is that we need to keep our heads about us. This will be a defining moment in our history. Our people come first. I too am worried about the unknown threat to the south.”

Mashiro looked like he was about to start another tirade, but Akira held up his hand to silence further outbursts. “Let’s start with the obvious decision first. Do we call up the Fifth and send them west to meet the invaders, or do we keep them on the northern border?”

Mashiro scoffed. “They’ll be torn apart.”

Makoto growled at his friend. “Don’t underestimate them. They are soldiers, the same as the rest of us.”

Akira raised his voice. “Makoto is right. They may not have the training or experience of the other armies, but our success in defending the kingdom may lie in their hands. If we commit them, they will be in the fight long before we will.”

There was silence around the table as the commanders thought about their next moves. There wasn’t any obvious answer to Akira’s question. It all depended upon their larger strategy. Akira needed to focus their efforts. He knew he had the best military minds in the Three Kingdoms with him at this table.

Akira paused, collecting his thoughts. “I want different battle plans drawn up. Mashiro, I want you to assume we have to repel the invasion with only the Fifth and the Second.”

Mashiro couldn’t hide his bewilderment. “Why?”

“I haven’t decided how many men we’re going to commit to this. No, stop.” Akira calmed Mashiro before he could explode again. “I know you want to commit everyone, but I’m not sure that’s wise. If there is any one of us here who can draw up a defense with only two armies, it will be you. You’re my worst case scenario. Impress me.”

Akira met Mashiro’s steely gaze with one of his own. Akira didn’t want to send only two armies in defense of his kingdom, but it was a real possibility. He needed brilliance, and he hadn’t lied to Mashiro. If any of them could come up with a plan to defeat three invading armies with only two defending, it would be him.

Mashiro nodded his acquiescence.

“Good. Makoto, I want you to do the same, but with four armies. Assume the First, Second, Third and Fifth.”

“Not the Fourth?”

The Fourth was the army tasked with defending the border to the Western Kingdom. “We can’t assume the Fourth is a functioning unit. You’re my best case, smash-them-to-bits scenario.”

Makoto nodded. Akira turned to Toro. “Toro, three armies. Assume the Second, Third, and Fifth.”

Toro asked no questions. He read deeper into Akira’s orders than the other two did. “Yes, my Lord.”

“That’s it for now. I want orders for all armies to pack up. Prepare to move light, much lighter than they did for this campaign. They’ll need to move fast, essential supplies only.”

Makoto spoke up. “When do we leave?”

“I don’t know. I would like the scouts to be back from Azaria before we make final decisions, but I won’t wait more than a day or two. Every day we lose will be harder to recover from. It’ll take that long for the armies to prepare properly anyway. I want more drilling everywhere, gentlemen. Make it happen.”

The three generals left the tent, orders to give and plans to create. Akira savored the small moment of silence. He still couldn’t believe his kingdom was being invaded. The truth of it hadn’t set in. There hadn’t been a major invasion between the Three Kingdoms since the truce had originally been signed, hundreds of cycles ago. Whatever the next few cycles would bring, the Three Kingdoms would never be the same.