Takeo's Chronicles, page 49
Then they were in the cave, and Takeo’s eyes began to adjust to the abysmal black that the sun seemed reluctant to touch. Dark, moist rock surrounded them, and with that came a cool, humid, salty scent that washed over their bodies. Takeo spied moss and barnacles growing on the walls and boulders, and the sound of heavy feet pounding against wet sand echoed around them. Nicholas leaped from one rock to the next with agile movements so at odds with his massive bulk, while Krunk played the brute and crashed through the path of most resistance. A glob of his saliva dripped from his tusks to splatter on Takeo, but the samurai didn’t mind. After the shower of blood, vomit, and saltwater, he was temporarily immune to feelings of disgust.
Behind them, Gavin sprinted into view, trying to catch up with a visibly distraught and reluctant Yeira in tow. The dark-haired beauty stopped to glance back at the two she’d left behind, tears streaming down her cheeks, but a few reassuring words from Gavin made her nod and follow again. They sprinted by the old man who watched all this unfold, sucking his teeth with only one sword still in hand—his two smaller ones apparently lost to the beach somewhere. He glanced back at those left behind and then bolted in after Gavin and Yeira. Takeo wanted to shout at Gavin, tell the knight to send Yeira and the old man back, but that would only rouse their suspicion and ensure they followed. Also, his voice would echo down the cave, and they’d lose what little element of surprise that might remain.
The cave stayed wide, tall, and straight, allowing a sort of dim twilight to prevail in what otherwise would have been a pitch-black world. Takeo’s eyes adjusted to the darkness a little more every moment until he found its likeness similar to that of a crescent moon night. There was no dire need to strike up torches, which was good because time was of the essence; although such a light would have benefited them. They rounded several large boulders in the back of the cave and came to a sudden stop at the face of a wall just thirty paces ahead where the cave dead-ended.
Standing with their backs to them were Aiguo and Zulima, side by side and no more than five paces from the cave’s end. They were speaking in hushed whispers, with heads tilted towards each other, and Aiguo was hunched forward and seemed to be holding something. They didn’t turn at the sound of so many footsteps approaching, and Takeo might have shouted at them had his eyes not caught sight of the jinni.
Floating on a chair of air at the back of the cave, just above Aiguo and Zulima, was a human-like creature with blue skin, wearing a dark, full-bodied robe complete with a cowl. The nails on its hands and feet were pitch black, and although its face was hidden in shadows, long tendrils of silvery hair from the head and chin fell down in waves. The jinni was utterly motionless, like a corpse, and Takeo gaped.
“It’s here,” he whispered.
“That I am,” came a lazy, disembodied voice that flooded Takeo’s ears. “Huzzah.”
A flash of warmth swept across Takeo’s body, and he was sweating profusely in a matter of moments. He seemed to have trouble breathing, and his eyes felt heavy, yet with one hand, he reached out towards the jinni.
“Aiguo!” Gavin yelled as he caught up with them all, Yeira and the old man appearing shortly after. “Aiguo, what are you doing? Why are you here?”
Aiguo and Zulima glanced over their shoulders but didn’t turn. The two closed the gap between them when quiet mewing and growls echoed across the cave. Everyone froze and strained to listen, but it took little effort to hear the snarling and hissing of a tiny creature in Aiguo’s arms. All eyes fell on him, and Takeo spied a thin, short, orange-and-black striped tail flicking out from under his armpit.
“My lord?” Aiguo whispered to Zulima. “What should we do?”
“There’s no use hiding it anymore,” she replied, glancing back at them. “Damn, six still alive? How is that possible? The hydra should have devoured them all. Ah well, at least the samurai is crippled. That makes it two on five. Good odds. If the old man joins us, though, it’ll be three on four, even better. Let them see.”
Zulima turned, and low light showered her hideous figure as she faced the group. Zulima flashed a grin that could have been friendly or threatening, so ambiguous was that moment. Aiguo sighed and turned a moment later, revealing in his hands a human-shaped creature with distinctive orange fur, black stripes, and a white belly—a baby rakshasa.
“By the angels,” Gavin gasped and stepped back, as did everyone else.
The tiny thing was the size of Aiguo’s chest and covered in fluffy hair unsoiled by dirt or age. Its eyes were a deep blue and appeared too large for its head. Its ears were rounded rather than pointed like an adult’s, and its face seemed chubbier than Takeo expected. It also seemed just as frightened of the new group as they seemed of it, and the little cub hissed and then mewed, letting loose a sound so high-pitched and quiet that it would have been considered adorably cute in any other setting.
“Aiguo,” Gavin said, gaping. “What is going on? What have you done? Where is the jinni?”
“There,” Takeo whimpered, his voice soft, and he tried to point but his arm refused to rise.
Heads turned, and eyes scanned the cave in all directions, but none fell on the hooded figure floating effortlessly just ahead. Takeo tried to point again but it was all he could do to hold his sword.
“I don’t see anything,” Gavin said.
“The fever has him,” Nicholas replied, putting a hand to Takeo’s forehead. “He’s hallucinating from the hydra’s poison. Set him down, Krunk. I have a feeling you’ll need your sword soon.”
The ceiling pulled away as Takeo was carefully placed in the soft, moist sand. It felt like ice compared to his burning skin, and he began to shiver so bad his teeth chattered whilst his body continued to sweat. Krunk stepped away from him and drew his gigantic greatsword, whilst Gavin slung his shield and Nicholas paced off to the right side.
Am I dreaming? Are you just an illusion?
“Of course not!” the voice came to him again, this time in his head. “Canst thou understand the importance of privacy? I beseech thee to use thine mind to wit what cometh.”
No, you’re definitely not an illusion. I couldn’t think in such a convoluted speech if I tried.
“Tis not my fault thou are an oaf.”
“Aiguo, Zulima?” Gavin shouted. “What is going on? Where did that come from? Answer me!”
“Gavin?” Yeira spoke up, looking equal parts confused and terrified. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know, my love. Just stay with me.”
Gavin stood his ground beside Takeo, blocking a clear path to Zulima and also the old man. Yeira closed in beside him, wiping her tears and drawing her scimitar. Zulima flicked her eyes at the old man and nodded once, but the man didn’t move a muscle except to shift his body towards Gavin and take a readied stance.
“Are you going to give me an answer?” Gavin asked.
“Not in words,” Zulima replied.
And then she changed. She grew in height by an arm’s length, and her figure thickened and filled out with muscular form. Orange fur with black stripes sprouted all over her body, her face grew a snout, and her ears rolled to the top of her head where they formed large triangles. Her teeth grew in size, and she sprouted fangs along with paws and a lengthy, thin tail that immediately began to swish back and forth with a mind of its own.
For the second time, the group gasped and balked, and the old man dashed across the gap to the rakshasa’s side.
“Well, I’ll be damned!” the man said, taking up a position next to Aiguo. “If this isn’t the most confusing sight I’ve ever seen, then I’m a rakshasa in disguise, too. Damn it all. I’ve entered the maw of bedlam.”
“Hey!” Gavin shouted. “What are you doing? I thought you joined to slay rakshasas.”
“I joined to get paid and not die,” the old man shouted back. “I don’t know any of you from spit, but I know that samurai is down, and he was the best of any of you. That ogre is a klutz, the woman is green as algae, and the three of you didn’t make no mention of me joining you. Sorry boy, but this is an easy choice for me. I don’t have a clue why or how the legendary Zulima Nazari came to be a rakshasa, but she’s right; the three of us against the four of you are odds I can’t ignore.”
“I’m not Zulima,” the newly revealed rakshasa spoke, voice deep like thunder in a tone that was clearly male. “She’s been dead for quite some time after making the mistake of hunting me down. Allow me to clear up a slight bit of your confusion before I end your miserable lives. Welcome, nameless pawns, to the end of a long and thorough plan to continue the rakshasa race through the bloodline of Qadir.”
The rakshasa opened his arms, expanding a large chest and grinning widely to reveal large, white teeth that hungered for meat. As tall as Krunk, this rakshasa seemed to tower over Takeo, who lay prone and trembling on the ground. The samurai gripped his katana tighter, but his voice failed to rise. He started coughing.
They’ll need my help. I must help them.
“Tis a certainty,” the jinni’s voice rung in his head. “Thou art bursting at the seams with insight. This beast doth speak the truth. Today, a long-sought plan waxes to fruition. Prithee keep thine eyes on the scene, young mortal. I wilt fuddle the strings of fate to bequeath the stratagem. Tis quite the plot, and such efforts ought be known.”
The jinni moved for the first time, its arm coming alive at the elbow to wave an otherwise lifeless hand. The older of the rakshasas—the one who called himself Qadir—stepped apart from the others, still grinning manically.
“I’m truly surprised so many of you survived the hydra,” Qadir said. “I didn’t think there would be anyone left alive to gloat over, especially not the infamous Takeo Karaoshi—the companion to the Angels’ Vassal. I think I’ll enjoy killing you the most, dress-wearer, even if you won’t be able to put up a fight. Hydra poison is strong stuff, isn’t it?”
Krunk and Nicholas had stopped pacing off to flanking positions and instead turned back to group up beside Gavin, while Yeira came forward to stand right behind her knight.
“What is this?” Gavin repeated. “Gloating? What is going on? Aiguo with another rakshasa?”
Nicholas gulped. “It’s obvious. Didn’t you hear Aiguo call that one lord? I’ll bet they planned this whole thing. I’ll bet even Hyun fell for whatever trap we’ve fallen into.”
“Ah, very clever,” Qadir said, gesturing with a paw toward the viking. “The first piece is revealed. Aiguo has been my loyal servant ever since he returned to Savara, you see.”
Gavin narrowed his gaze on Aiguo and gritted his teeth. He shook his head and sighed before saying, “You poor man. What insanity could possibly possess you to do such a thing? Was Jabbar not enough?”
The rakshasa cub in Aiguo’s arms started to fret as the group’s focus shifted to them. Aiguo bounced the thing in his arms, which Takeo thought a rather motherly action, and the cub went quiet.
“Strength and power are addictive substances, Sir Gavin,” Aiguo replied, “and I was never so powerful as I was when in service to Jabbar. You wouldn’t understand what it’s like to be a lowly conscript in a shogun’s army—expendable, downtrodden, used. I didn’t know what I was missing until the lord’s late wife, Heliena, helped me realize how blind I was. At first I resisted her commands to torture and slaughter others, but I quickly came to enjoy it. When you hold someone’s life in your hands, when they are begging at your feet to spare them, and it’s entirely up to you whether or not to do so? That is true power, and I drink it heavily.
“Jabbar let me have that power tenfold. Rakshasas are intelligent, unlike the lords and ladies of Juatwa. They don’t care if one is low born so long as you are useful and loyal. I sought to bind myself to another the moment I could, so I joined up with the famous Zulima to hunt rakshasas, and when the moment was right, I stabbed her in the back.”
Takeo groaned. His already racing heart picked up the pace while the temperature in his body continued to rise. He was gripping his katana with all his might now, trying to summon the strength to stand.
I knew I should have killed him. I should have slit his throat the moment I saw him.
“Tis a good thing thou did not,” the jinni scoffed. “Twas only by his fortitude and wit that thou lie before me now.”
“You’re telling me this was all a set up?” Gavin started, blinking away his disbelief. “You and this rakshasa schemed to bring Hyun and his group here to defeat the hydra so you two could collect—what? Collect a rakshasa baby? How did you even know she was here?”
“No,” Krunk spoke up, squinting one eye while twisting his sword in both hands. “Jinni was here. The cub is the wish.”
Qadir stood up, raised his eyebrows, and frowned.
“That’s quite perceptive for an ogre,” he said. “And be careful how you speak of my future bride. This cub and I will continue the rakshasa line, thanks in no small part to Lady Xuan’s protection.”
“Don’t underestimate these people, my lord,” Aiguo said. “They’re smarter than they appear. They’ve been trained by the samurai.”
“Noted,” Qadir replied. “Fear not; I’m no Jabbar. I won’t let pride cloud my judgement.”
“Ah, damn it all,” Nicholas swore suddenly, turning heads. “I just realized what this means. Aiguo, you slimy troll. You knew this cave was here all along, didn’t you? From your time with Jabbar, the same way you knew where to find the golem. The writing in the pyramid was just a part of your plan.”
“Right again,” Aiguo said with a shallow bow. “I do applaud your thoughtfulness, even if it comes too late. As you said, thanks to Jabbar’s scouting of the land and its secrets, I knew of this cave, the hydra, and the jinni, long before you arrived. I was here when Jabbar made a wish that he would kill the Angels’ Vassal, so terrified was he of her prowess. Meanwhile, I made a wish of my own: to go unnoticed and be difficult to remember. A simple wish really, but I’ve always been a cautious man. I wanted the ability to slip away whenever I wished if things became too dangerous for me.
“I relayed all this to Qadir, and it became obvious he could use the jinni to summon a young mate. We simply needed a disposable force to deal with the hydra. Hyun’s arrival provided the answer, until Takeo appeared and complicated things. I had to improvise, pretending those altars at the pyramid contained anything more than gibberish.”
“Interesting, is it not?” the jinni whispered to Takeo. “Thou hast been played the fool the moment of thy arrival. Thou thought to talt above the others, yet lies broken betwixt a rock and a rakshasa. This reveal, however, is nary the most intriguing detail. The most damning part to this tragedy tis that I am the master of it all. Thou trow to cometh to beseech for my abilities, when tis I that durst meddle in the affairs of mortals. Now, my ronin of fate, behold the precipitate of thy harrowing decision.”
“I think that’s enough gloating for now,” Qadir said. “Their look of defeat has satisfied me. Aiguo, set my bride down. She won’t wander far. Let’s dispose of these pawns and be on our way.”
Chapter 23
Aiguo set the rakshasa cub down on the damp sand and then drew his katana. The little cub whimpered and darted its eyes left and right, seemingly unsure whether to stay or bolt. The old man paced away while Qadir came forward. Gavin strode toward the large rakshasa, meeting that slow charge with his shield and longsword held at the ready.
“Krunk, take the mercenary,” Gavin commanded. “The rakshasa is too quick for you. Nicholas, you’re with me. Yeira, my love.”
He paused and glanced back to where Yeira was trembling in her scale armor, lips parted and eyes begging for answers.
“Gavin, what is going on?” she begged.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before,” Gavin replied, voice cracking. “I was only trying to protect you. Please, my love, you have to trust me now. I’ve never lied to you, I swear. Do you trust me?”
Yeira stammered and her eyes watered. She blinked the tears away, clenched her jaw, and then gave a swift if hesitant nod.
Gavin sighed with relief. “That one there, named Aiguo. Please be careful. You don’t have to kill him, but please keep him from helping the rakshasa.”
“Just you two for me?” Qadir frowned, lips folding over his fangs. “Well then, this ought to be brief.”
I have to help them. Please, cure me of this sickness. They need me!
“Only thy sickness?” The jinni sighed. “Come now, Takeo. Thou canst do better! Would that curing thy hydra-poisoned lungs were enough, I would surely do it. Tis that truly all thou wish for?”
A chill flashed through Takeo’s sweaty body. You know. How is that possible? How do you know why I came here?
“My naïve mortal, tis I that brought thee hither. Now, tarry no longer. Make thine proposal before tis too late.”
Qadir’s feet kicked up sand in a sudden burst of speed, closing the gap between him and Gavin within a heartbeat. Gavin raised his shield in half the time, and Qadir snarled as his knife-like claws slammed into the hardened steel rather than rip open the knight’s chest. The force of the blow lifted Gavin off the ground and sent him stumbling back across the sands. Qadir followed and reached to pry Gavin’s shield away with a strength unbound, his claws hooking the rim and then tugging until Nicholas darted forward and hammered his heavy maul into the rakshasa’s side.
Were Qadir human, that would have been the end of it. A disaster of shattered ribs, broken organs, and internal bleeding would have left a lesser foe paralyzed, but Qadir only snarled and fell back a pace, touching a paw to the spot that appeared unharmed to Takeo’s hazy vision. The rakshasa hissed and roared, his ears flattening and lips pulling back to display formidable teeth.
