Takeo's Chronicles, page 41
Although well trained and knowledgeable, their code of honor kept them from gaining any foothold in Savara. Most warlords were too ruthless for Kshatriya to join them. Most mercenaries either balked at the idea of becoming a Kshatriya or were denied training on principle, all due to the stringent rules they had to follow. A precious few took the Kshatriya training and left the rules—Takeo had met one such man, Eisa Haik—but that was a terrible gamble. Kshatriya didn’t take kindly to others abusing their training and wouldn’t hesitate to cut such a heretic down.
The sad truth was that Savara was no place for a hero. The work didn’t pay well, was dangerous, took far too long to accomplish, and no one appreciated it. Then Jabbar came, and the world turned upside down.
If ever there was an enemy that fit the title of ruthless, cruel, and tyrannical, it would have been Jabbar. As his identity was revealed and his influence spread across Savara, those Kshatriya who had not become disillusioned sellouts rose up to oppose him. While one warlord after the next fell to his ever-expanding army, groups of hardened Kshatriya banded together with the determination that Jabbar be stopped. They enlisted in the armies that opposed Jabbar or otherwise formed their own small bands to harass his forces. It was a move that had saved Savara, or at least half of it, from Jabbar’s influence.
And according to Aiguo, by far the most successful of those Kshatriya had been a particularly fierce woman by the name of Zulima Nazari.
“I can hardly stress the pain she caused Jabbar’s armies,” Aiguo explained. “Not a week would go by without a camp being raided and overrun by her, some skirmish erupting that our forces lost, or a supply camp being plundered. She seemed to be everywhere at once, and the stories told of her by survivors gave lesser men nightmares. All it ever gave Jabbar were tantrums, of course, and I pitied those who dared ask questions of him when he was in such a mood. I mean it quite honestly when I say that her efforts were a large part of why Jabbar stopped halfway through Savara, rather than conquering the whole land before turning to Lucifan. She simply made it too costly to continue.”
Then the rakshasa had gone overseas, faced yet another woman with even greater tenacity, and died. The temporary Kshatriya alliance did not survive either.
“The trouble, as always, was their code,” Aiguo said, frowning and shaking his head as if this were a tragedy. “They had all the training and coordination needed to pick up where Jabbar left off, but no determination for it. They would not go about conquering the land that Jabbar’s death had left shattered, for to do so would cause war and suffering among those who needed refuge. They couldn’t agree on a warlord to throw their support behind either, and so they disbanded, and a new occupation rose up to distract them: rakshasa hunting.”
For once, there existed a way for Kshatriya to make decent coin whilst fulfilling their code. When warlords started offering bounties, Kshatriya had reformed into small groups and set about crushing their oldest enemy with the kind of fervent bloodlust only achievable by those who are convinced they’re in the right. Zulima Nazari was no exception.
“Having lost countless friends and comrades to Jabbar, one can hardly blame her,” Aiguo continued. “They tell stories about her in taverns and inns, that she’s collected as many as ten rakshasa heads in her short time hunting. Her reputation has spread such that every time she returns from a hunt, a fresh batch of recruits is waiting to join up with her. If the rumors are true, though, rarely anyone but her returns alive. The rumors also say she gives away her portion of each bounty to the poor.”
Wants the blood, but not the blood money, Takeo thought.
“I didn’t bring her up before, sir,” Aiguo said, pivoting and bowing to Hyun, “because from what I’ve heard, she would never work with the likes of us. Not only do we represent the very samurai who put Jabbar into power, but our goal of capturing two of the creatures alive runs counter to hers. I’ve never met her, of course, but I feel confident about this. Takeo, though, might be able to persuade her that he seeks rakshasa blood. I think we’d be hard-pressed to find anyone more willing and capable to slay a hydra, just so long as we give her the chance at vengeance. I suggest we start with her.”
There was little argument. There was little to argue against and little else to argue for. Hyun’s incompetence had left both him and Takeo no other option but to charge forward. By seeking out this temple and losing half of Hyun’s forces, they’d both been metaphorically pierced by an arrow. Ripping it back out would only do more damage. They would have to drag it through the other side if they wanted to make it out alive.
So they hammered out a plan like coordinated allies, like they hadn’t nearly killed each other twice over the past couple days.
Lady Xuan would have been proud.
Takeo and his three would set off in search of this famed rakshasa hunter. They’d convince her they knew of a rakshasa’s location and slay the hydra using both her and whatever help she managed to conjure up. Hyun, meanwhile, would travel to the cave first and hide out somewhere nearby, ready to swoop in to either finish off the hydra or prevent Zulima and her forces from entering the cave. Aiguo would accompany Takeo to act as the messenger who would inform Hyun of when and where to attack.
They waited two days for the last fever to break and then packed up for the journey.
Qjang was to be sent home. She would be given a karkadann, which she would sell at the next port village to pay for her passage back to Juatwa, to hasten her journey and a detailed letter from Hyun to Lady Xuan, promising that he would either return within the year with two rakshasas of both genders, or she could count him dead. Takeo knew this because Hyun read the letter out loud to what remained of his squad. He made a big deal of it, too, standing on the altar and reciting with a commanding voice in a quiet room to a small crowd that probably would have heard him just fine if he’d whispered.
Meanwhile, Gavin was giving a speech of his own, a quiet, controlled, and yet somewhat harsh speech to an audience of one.
“Do you mind telling me what’s going through that deranged head of yours?” the knight demanded, then continued when Takeo didn’t respond. “I won’t even start with how you almost got us killed. Wait, actually, I will start there. Not one week ago, hardly even a day later, I told you not to pick a fight with Hyun’s forces, and then what do I see? You’re standing in the thick of his samurai, staring him down, hand on your sword, while Nicholas is unarmed, Krunk is confused, and I’m lying helpless on the ground. What were you possibly thinking? I pray to the angels that you were just trying to intimidate the man, but I know that isn’t true. You wanted him dead, and you completely forgot that it’s more than just your life on the line. I know both of us are doomed, and Nicholas and Krunk both said they are fine with death, but that doesn’t mean we have to give it to them so soon. Do I have to do all the moral thinking for you? Do I really have to be the voice of reason at every turn?”
They were nestled in the corner, enjoying their last few moments alone before Aiguo was made to join them, and Gavin was using his newfound health to bear down on Takeo as the two packed up their gear. Takeo didn’t voice any disagreement nor even raise his head to look at the knight. Gavin was right, completely and fully in the right. Takeo hoped his silence would convey that.
“I’m not your damned mother, Takeo,” Gavin said, softer this time, as if he regretted speaking in the first place. “I’m not going to nag you, but know that if Krunk dies because of your foolishness, that sennin’s prophecy will come true.”
“I understand,” Takeo replied after a pause. “And I’m sorry. I know it’s no excuse, but I was thinking of Emily and lost myself.”
“If it’s no excuse, then why are you saying it?”
“Because I want you to watch me,” Takeo answered. “I don’t want Krunk dying over my foolishness either, or Nicholas, or even you. Yet when I think of her, and what I’m trying to do in her memory, sometimes I forget the moment and the consequences. I think about her death, seeing her dying in my arms, and all I feel is rage. In those moments, I need you to watch me.”
“Gladly,” Gavin said, then extended an arm and placed it on Takeo’s shoulder. “I’m still your Duncan. Our time as enemies is well in the past, and you can count on me as a friend. But listen, you need not burden yourself with all this guilt, Takeo. Emily’s death doesn’t fall squarely on you, nor does the burden of saving this world. It’s okay to share the load.”
Gavin gave Takeo’s shoulder a squeeze, and Takeo froze. He looked up at the knight, who rewarded him with one of those smiles that made young girls swoon. Takeo tried to return it but was pretty sure he grimaced more than smiled.
“Now, about that next part,” Gavin said. “Please tell me you have a good excuse for volunteering the four of us to risk it all and kill this hydra? I don’t buy that you’re doing this for a nice bedtime story about your past from Lady Xuan. Why are we risking our necks for Hyun’s glory?”
Takeo smiled truly this time.
“How else are we going to reach the jinni first?”
Chapter 15
Two groups and one individual departed that pyramid, and all were in a sorry state.
Despite having a golem in their midst, Hyun’s forces had to contend with the fact that they were numerically cut in half. This manifested in more than a numerical way; each samurai hung their heads as they departed, knowing lifelong friends and comrades were being left behind in nothing but shallow sandy graves in a foreign land. No songs would be sung of their sacrifice, no tales would be told, and that was as permanent a death as one could get. It didn’t help that some of the survivors were dressed in rags. The olgoi-khorkhoi attack may have left ample food and water, but it also cut down the availability of clothes. More than a few kimonos had been drenched in acid, making them useless, and those who’d survived by shedding their garments had to make do with odd patches or second-hand clothes. Those who had caught fevers were well enough to walk now, but they suffered restless sleep. Fortunately, there were enough karkadann to carry them.
Such a luxury was not provided to Gavin, though. The knight had to make do with a rigid discipline and an ability to stomach complaints earned from years of service to Lucifan. He fared well, actually, all things considered, which he attributed to the numerous night shifts he’d had to endure.
“It was Mark’s favorite punishment,” Gavin said, reminiscing. “Every time I made a comment, it was always, ‘Shaw! Your squad has night duty,’ which usually followed our day duty. He seemed to think a little less sleep would curb my rebellious edge, but my squad would vouch it only encouraged it.”
Even still, as boastful as he was, Takeo noted their pace was slowed. That didn’t upset him much, though. They weren’t in too much of a hurry just yet. What annoyed him more was the company.
Aiguo did his best to appear inconspicuous by lagging behind, but that only made the four of them more uncomfortable. Nicholas, especially, kept one hand close to his weapon as if he expected a knife in the back at any moment. It only took a few paces for the viking to demand Aiguo walk beside them. To say their group talked little would have been a vast understatement.
Yet even they were not as quiet as Qjang that morning when she mounted a karkadann. Her silence mimicked the dead, and Takeo had an image that they were sending off a corpse rather than a messenger. Only a few days had passed, yet her hair seemed thinner, her skin paler, her movements sickly, and her eyes void of life. Her clothes were loose, too, as she’d thinned considerably. Combining all this with her greying hair made her seem like a woman who’d passed from child to elder without ever touching adulthood. She had to be helped onto the karkadann’s back as she struggled to pull herself up with only one arm.
“Were she a viking with a respectable jarl,” Nicholas whispered, “the jarl would square off with her and send her to Valhalla. That’s no way for a warrior to live. If that happens to me, Takeo, don’t cut off my arm to save me. Let me go.”
“She’s a warrior no longer,” Takeo replied back, trying to pitch his voice just right for Nicholas to catch it without the wind picking it up and scattering it to everyone else. “The katana is a two-handed weapon. It can be wielded in one-hand, but it’s better in two. She couldn’t even seppuku properly, though she might try. It would be painful. There’s no telling what will happen to her. I wanted her to have the choice, though. Unlike us, she has a family that cares about her. That’s why I saved her.”
Her friends and allies spoke brief, dutiful parting words to her. They were respectful and kept the pity out of their voices, but there was more than enough of that lingering in every eye. Takeo was about to leave as the last goodbye was said when Qjang cleared her voice.
“Sir Gavin?” she called out, the wind almost drowning her out.
Takeo whipped his attention to the knight so quickly his body shifted with the force, but Gavin appeared just as stunned. In fact, the entire procession was gawking, and the sorrow in the air was banished with the swift shock of bewilderment.
“Sir Gavin Shaw?” Qjang repeated.
Gavin looked around, and finding no other, pointed to himself. She nodded, raised her one good arm and beckoned him forward. He stumbled to her in a daze, one which was shared by all around. Both Hyun and Takeo were too stunned to interfere.
“Yes, my lady?” Gavin asked as he reached the karkadann, looking up at her mounted on the huge, black beast.
She leaned down and beckoned him closer. He obeyed, standing on his toes to lend her his ear. Then the entire crowd watched in confusion as she whispered with a hand over her mouth for what couldn’t have been more than two sentences. When Qjang pulled back, she shared eye contact with no one else, tugged the reins, and sent her karkadann trudging off into the desert. They all watched her go and then looked at Gavin as he turned around and paced back to Takeo’s side, blinking and still just as stunned as everyone else.
“What in the world was that about?” Takeo asked, being the first to shake off his bewilderment.
“Well, uh, I’ve told you before,” Gavin replied rather loudly, shrugging off his own surprise. “No one woman can resist the charm that is Sir Gavin Shaw.”
He flashed a smile and winked, and Takeo decided now was not the best time to push the issue. Apparently, Hyun and the others agreed, as more than a few samurai made sounds of disgust and looked away.
Takeo decided it was best to leave quickly. With a nod to Hyun, Takeo’s group departed south, while Hyun, his samurai, karkadann mounts, and intimidating golem marched due west. The two groups lost sight of each other quickly due to the sand dunes, but the wind brought the heavy golem’s footsteps pounding to Takeo’s ears for quite some time. Each thud echoed in his heart, reminding him just how important this journey was.
I need that sort of power, he thought as he gripped the handle of his family’s katana. Power enough that I will never be outmatched by a man like Hyun again.
“We’ll need a good story,” Gavin said, breaking the silence. “If and when we find Zulima, she’s going to want to know how we’re so certain there’s a rakshasa in this one particular cave so far away on Savara’s coast. She’ll probably want to know why there’s a hydra guarding it, too. Even if we convince her, we’ll still need a plan in case she finds Hyun’s group waiting along the trail. She might prefer to slit our throats in the night than take the chance we’re a bunch of deceitful liars.”
“If she’s truly a Kshatriya, we won’t have to worry about our throats,” Takeo said. “However, I agree. We’ll need a solid story.”
“Well, as I’ve said,” Aiguo said and shrugged, “the best lies are sowed with a bit of truth.”
“Did Jabbar teach you that one?” Nicholas asked.
“Ninjas, actually.”
“I hate to admit it, but he’s right,” Takeo cut in. “We won’t hide whom we are or how we found out about the cave. We’ll just neglect to mention Hyun and the jinni. I’ll do the talking. Meanwhile, Gavin.”
“Hm?” The knight perked up.
“Qjang,” Takeo said. “Need I be worried?”
“A gentlemen never kisses and tells,” Gavin answered. “Not that we kissed. She’s a married woman if you’ll recall. But no, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Somehow I doubt that,” Takeo muttered but let the conversation drop.
It took a week to reach the first village, and unsurprisingly, they didn’t find Zulima there. They didn’t even find rumors of her whereabouts, so they moved onto the second and then the third, and there they finally did receive a small tidbit of information on where she could be found. According to a smelly old drunk in a half-demolished inn, word was that the famous Kshatriya was last sighted on Savara’s western coast, which seemed far too fortunate to Takeo for it to be true. It didn’t help that the drunk also claimed to have once fought alongside her, bedded her, and then fought against her when she realized he was just a washed-up pirate who wouldn’t take her hand in marriage.
“She begged me, she did,” the man said, slurring his words so badly that Nicholas had to translate. “Marry me and take me away! She liked the way I called her love, she did, and I ain’t got no words for how bad I felt leaving her, but not a broad exists that can lock down this hunk. Like a phoenix, I’m born free from the shackles of romance in a fiery burst. And what fire she had! Nearly killed me when I sent her away, but I had me lucky pistol in hand. Gave that wench her first scar and sent her on the war path. Yep! You’re looking at the man who started the legend. If it hadn’t been for me, ol’ Zulima Nazari never would have picked up the sword. At least not one that wasn’t mine. Ha!”
It was both the best and worst lead they had, so against Takeo’s better judgement, they followed it.
They were a month’s travel from Savara’s western coast, so they got a move on as quickly as they could. They jumped from village to village, town to town, dropping into taverns, inns, and the homes of whatever hospitable folk were kind enough to allow them a place to rest. Just to be safe, one of them ate from their ration store whenever the rest ordered or were served a free meal. One could never be too sure in Savara.
