Echoes of a Shattered Age (18 page)

“You fight well,” Kenjiro remarked. “Your skills complement each other effectively.”

“As do the two of you,” Kita replied. He nodded at the path farther ahead. “Do you think the horses made it?”

“Ours did,” Akemi answered, a bit smugly. “Yours may have if they followed ours.”

“I have a question,” Kenyatta said. “That thing scorched everything it touched but nothing burned.”

The ninja looked at Kenyatta evenly. “The fire of a demon scorches and chars and burns, but it creates fire only where it wishes. The reason it didn’t revel in burning the forest down was because it was more concerned with us.”

“Nice,” Kenyatta replied.

Once they reached the end of the forest, they stopped short and examined the surroundings from behind the tree line. The landscape was open and clear, with brown rolling hills with patches of green grass. They climbed one of the hills for a better view.

“The horses are there,” Kenjiro pointed west of their position.

Kita was surprised. “It’s as if they know where Kyokoza is and are taking the path in anticipation of us catching up to them.”

“They are,” Kenjiro replied. “The stable where we purchased our horses assured us that they have seen the road to Kyokoza many times and could find their way to the city without us. Your horses simply followed ours. Come, we will follow them and when the wind is right, they will catch our scent and wait.” The samurai’s words proved true, as the horses had indeed caught their scent and waited safely atop one of the hills, grazing in two pairs, head to back.

If horses could look relieved, Kita and Kenyatta’s mounts looked just that. When the four companions reached the animals, Akemi’s horse came straight to her and nuzzled her with its nose, to which the ninja responded with a gentle rub on the flat of the animal’s forehead.

Once mounted, the four companions set out once again, only stopping to allow the horses to graze and drink. The hilly brown and green landscape seemed so peaceful on horseback, as they cantered along the winding trails between and over the smooth and rocky mounds of earth. They slowed the horses to a walk and Akemi let her head fall back and closed her eyes, enjoying the gentle breeze that sighed across the fields.

“We should reach our goal before night,” Kenjiro announced, pulling the ninja from her reverie. The samurai pointed to a high patch of hills in the distance that looked to be about another ten miles away. “Just beyond those hills is Kyokoza,” he said.

“It’s been some time since I’ve been there,” Kenyatta said. “It’ll be interesting to see what changes have taken place since my last visit.”

Akemi glanced at him. “What brought you this deep into our land, Shikata?”

“A brief mission,” Kenyatta answered, though he suspected she already had guessed at the answer before he spoke it. “The city is large as you know, and a guild of assassins had decided to make a base out of an area close to the main building where the governing body convened. It was suspected that they planned on eliminating the local government in order to establish themselves within this building. It was not a power move, but the structure was a prime location for any organization, and the local government was simply in the way.”

“And why were you invited to take on this ‘simple’ mission?” Akemi inquired.

“The assassins knew of every form of protection the government employed,” Kita answered, “and where they were located. No one from their organization could get within five blocks of the base without risk of being cut down. We, on the other hand, were foreigners. The last thing the assassins expected was ‘imported’ help. And they expected even less, that Shikata would have done so.”

Akemi scrutinized the two friends before speaking again. “What was the name of the assassins?”

Kenyatta glanced at Kita before answering. “Kenzuro Clan,” he answered. Akemi said no more, and returned her attention to the road ahead. Kita and Kenyatta glanced at each other and let the subject drop.

As they rode on, Akemi silently reflected on what she had learned. The Kenzuro clan was indeed a guild of assassins, but unlike any other. This guild had a specially trained elite faction called Shadow Dancers, who were undisputedly the most deadly assassins in Japan. No one would think of challenging them unless they were tired of living. Even those that lived outside the city and in the countryside knew of the Kenzuro and their Shadow Dancers.

Akemi knew them well. At one time the Shadow Dancers had tried to recruit her before she became a ninja. Refusal meant death, but she was one of the few to survive the invitation.

News had spread swiftly across the country of an unknown ally of the local government that had defeated the Kenzuro with remarkable efficiency. She had always wondered who could have been able to do this, and now the answer was riding next to her. She couldn’t imagine how they had survived the wrath of the Shadow Dancers—who endured to this day—after the fall of the Kenzuro. Regardless of the answer, the fact that her new traveling companions were still alive to tell the tale was proof enough that they were formidable allies. Assuming these foreigners were telling the truth, she had a newfound respect for them.

***

Chapter Twenty-Five

The four travelers reached the lands just outside Kyokoza just as the sun began its descent toward the western horizon. Their journey had been uneventful since the attack in the woods, yet an uneasiness had taken hold of the group.

“What is it?” Akemi asked when Kenjiro pulled his horse to a stop at the base of a hill.

“Do you smell that?” he asked, staring in the direction of the sprawling city. “It smells like fire.”

“Is that unusual?” Akemi frowned. “Yes, it does smell like fire, but …” She prodded her horse up the hill to get a better view.

The city below was littered with billowing smoke and dancing flames. Tall buildings had been knocked over or simply burned to the ground, while smaller structures were completely leveled.

“What’s happened?” Kita asked, moving his mount beside hers.

“Fire,” Akemi answered. “The city is scorched by unnatural fire.” A sense of foreboding fell over the group as they looked at each other. “Whoever or whatever is trying to stop us knew that we were coming here.”

The ninja dismounted and snatched a shuriken out of a pouch on her waist. “I had a feeling we were being watched, but I was unsure until now.” She held the shuriken close to her face and closed her eyes.

Several heartbeats passed when she drew back and loosed the shuriken high into the air.

“Did I miss something?” Kita asked, watching the tiny weapon’s ascent.

“That,” the ninja answered, pointing. A screech rent the air as the shuriken imbedded itself in an unseen object above. A winged blue creature suddenly appeared in the sky, fluttering as it struggled to maintain control. “Bachattta,” she spat.

“So we’ve been spied on,” Kita said watching the wounded creature.

“Had we guessed this sooner, the city might have been spared,” the samurai said.

“You can’t know everything,” Kenyatta replied.

Akemi readied another shuriken while the bachattta flopped toward the ground, then let fly, hitting the creature again.

“They can bend light around their bodies to appear invisible,” she said, “but only for a short time. That one probably flew higher into the sky when not invisible, so we didn’t notice it.” She watched as black tendrils of the demons essence leaked from its body until it hit the ground and broke apart. She turned away as the creature dissipated back to the abyss.

“They may not be very tough compared to some of the stronger demons, but that one trait makes them useful. I should have known that was the reason the Ren and Kalistyi knew exactly where to find us!” The turned back to look at the smoldering city.

“A whole city,” Kenyatta said lamented. “Destroyed to stop the four of us.”

“There may be some people alive down there,” Kita said.

“This will sound heartless,” Akemi replied, “but we have not the time. We need to find cover somewhere long enough to think about what we do now.”

Kita didn’t like it, but Akemi’s words were true. “Fine,” he said. “Let’s just go, then. I’ll feel better away from here.”

Kenyatta sighed. “We’d better get moving now. With things like that on our trail,” he pointed at what was left of the dissolving bachattta, “we don’t want to endanger anyone else nearby.”

Kita waved a hand toward the broken city. “What’s left to endanger? Everything is destroyed!”

“He’s right,” Kenjiro said. “If there are any survivors, we would give them a better chance if we leave. We will figure out a course of action once we’ve put some distance between us and Kyokoza.”

And so they left, each of the four warriors gazing one last time upon the ruined city as they turned their mounts west.

* * *

The scrying mirror showed only black smoke now as the Bachattta dissipated into nothing. Brit stood for a while, absorbing the last images he saw of the four humans. They had been brought together by forces more direct than just fate alone. Szhegaza was right in her suspicions about them.
Kalistyi are one thing, but no human should be able to bring a Ren down, not even twenty humans.
He had never seen a one of the fragile creatures move that fast. The female seemed unusually adept at battling dark world creatures and this made the Drek even more curious. These humans had definitely earned his attention.

“Should I have another Bachattta sent to retrieve their trail, master?” Zreal asked from behind. Brit never turned to face him.

“No. They would be aware if we sent another. We must stop them now, before they reach the tower, although I am unsure if they even know what they’re looking for. I believe that many of the answers they sought were in that city, but there is no way to know exactly what.”

“Perhaps we could completely level the city and any chance of them finding whatever it is they seek there,” Zreal suggested.

“No,” Brit answered again. “I doubt they will enter, not now that they realize the possibility that they could bring danger inside its walls. If they were able to discover their invisible pursuer, then they are aware that someone is against them. They will move on, and there is no need in wasting valuable resources. I’m sure they know that something is happening, but I don’t think they have figured out what. What does concern me is that the female is somehow able to sense demonic energy. The presence of these unique humans is not coincidence. I am sure they are involved in the defense of Takashaniel, even if they do not yet realize it.”

“They do not know or they would have made straight for the tower,” Zreal offered.”

“Yes, that’s true,” Brit responded. “Unless they do not know where it is.”

Now he did turn to face Zreal. “Inform Kabriza that there will be a change. I wish for the Kalistyi to observe these warriors instead of ambushing them. I believe that further ambush would result only in further diminished numbers. I don’t think there are enough of them in this world yet to defeat these four, and I don’t want to waste time or resources. What I do want, however, is to know where they are going and what their plans are.”

A worried look crossed Zreal’s green, ridged face. “It will be done as you order, Master.” He gave a deep bow and turned to exit.

“Do not worry, my friend,” Brit said at length. “Kabriza will not bother you, not now anyway, for I have wards that protect those that I favor. Do keep in mind, however, that the wards I have set over you and Szhegaza will only hold within the walls of this fortress.”

“I understand and thank you my lord.” Zreal turned and left.
This is quite unusual,
he thought.
Why send humans, no matter how capable they are? No human could be powerful enough to survive what is coming.
Though he truly believed that last thought, it brought him little comfort. Brit was not one to underestimate anyone or anything, and he knew that there was more to these mysterious warriors than flashy sword techniques and speed. There was something more about them, but in order to eliminate this new annoyance, he would have to discover exactly what these humans were capable of.

***

Chapter Twenty-Six

Kita pointed across the grasslands toward a copse not far off. “I think we should stop there and collect our thoughts.”

“Yes, we should,” Kenjiro agreed. Once they’d dismounted and picketed their horses—who immediately commenced to grazing—the four warriors sat in a circle, each buried in their own thoughts.

“I don’t think we should leave just yet,” Kita said. “I can’t speak for you two, but our main purpose for even coming to Japan was to reach Kyokoza.”

Kenjiro looked back toward the billowing black smoke in the distance. “We also had very important business there.”

“We’ve been blinded,” Akemi said. “We know not where to go or what we are doing. I think perhaps we should double back and take the risk of seeing if there are any survivors in the city.”

“And with us,” Kenjiro added, “we bring the possibility of attack to any survivors who remain.”

Akemi frowned. “What choice do we have?”

“
There is always a choice
,” said a disembodied voice.

The warriors spun into back-to-back positions—all except Kenyatta, who smiled—with their hands over the hilts of their weapons. Not far from the group, the air began to shift, as though bubbling. The space warped and swayed, and out of the seemingly liquid air stepped a feminine figure that practically glided from the light. Recognizing the figure at once, Kita relaxed and straightened, trying not to look surprised next to Kenyatta. Seeing the other two at ease, Akemi and Kenjiro relaxed, but only a bit.

“Nice of ya to catch up with us after all dis time,” Kenyatta said. “Me wondering when ya come see us again.”

Kita snickered to himself at the confused looks on Akemi’s and Kenjiro’s faces. Understanding the western tongue as a second language was a task alone, but understanding Kenyatta’s version of it was another matter.

The wind blew through the copse, rustling leaves and swaying tree branches from side to side. Taliah slid a few strands of hair from her face and smiled. “Me watchin’ the both of you for some time now and I admit I’m impressed.”

Akemi and Kenjiro looked even more confused. The way her accent came and went made comprehension nearly impossible. It was like hearing information in pieces.

Kenyatta huffed, a smile slanting across his face. He walked up to his younger sister and they shared a long hug, followed by Kita, who seemed to enjoy the hug more than a bit, the ninja noticed with amusement.

Kenyatta stood to the side and motioned to their two new companions, who were still trying their best to decipher the thick accent of Kenyatta and the lighter one of his sister. Kita was the only one who seemed to be fully understandable. Kenjiro glanced at his sister.
Perhaps our way of speaking the western tongue might be just as strange to them,
he mused.

“Taliah,” Kenyatta introduced with an open hand in the direction of the samurai. “Our new traveling companions …”

Taliah walked over to them before Kenyatta could finish, and offered a slight bow at the waist. “Samurai Miyamoto Kenjiro and Ninja Demon Hunter Miyamoto Akemi,” she greeted. “It is a pleasure and an honor to meet you. Your reputations precede you.” She smiled. “I am Taliah, Kenyatta’s sister.” She looked over her shoulder at her brother. “I am sure he has told you all about me.” Kenyatta shifted uneasily, suddenly taking interest in an imaginary trail in the grass. She smiled as she noticed the strained look of the two siblings, both of whom were struggling to understand her words. She shifted to the native language of the land.

“Perhaps now you can understand me better, as my accent is much less present in your dialect. Our grandfather and aunt made certain we were well versed in as many languages as possible, and your tongue was one choice to learn.” The siblings visibly relaxed.

“How do you know who we are?” the samurai asked. Taliah held back her amusement at the huskiness in his voice.

Akemi noticed too, but she was less hesitant to laugh at her brother. This Taliah was quite a rare and exotic sight for the samurai, who made a great show at not noticing her fine qualities.

“Partly through hearing of your exploits and partly through watching you up till now,” Taliah answered. There is someone who knows quite a bit about you. All of you.” Her smile deepened at the expected puzzled expressions, and a glimmer of light flickered across her eyes. A few heartbeats later, the air began to bubble again, and another figure stepped out. Akemi’s mouth fell open but no sound came.

Although he showed no outward surprise, Kenjiro was also taken aback by the emergence of their teacher. He smiled as he dipped into a humble bow. “Sensei Akutagawa. We are relieved that you are well.”

All four of his former students quickly moved in front of the man and dipped into respectful bows.

“Sensei,” Kita said. “We are relieved by your survival of the attack on Kyokoza. We came as quickly as we could.…”

Sensei Akutagawa held up a hand with a gentle smile. “Say no more, Kita-san. I know you’ve all come as quickly as you could, and I am fine.” He looked his four students over with fatherly pride. “I am glad you have found each other.” The four looked at each other and then to Akutagawa.

The subtle creases at the corners of his eyes deepened as he smiled at the questioning looks. “You should know by now that coincidence is not an answer for happenings such as these. I am sure that you discovered that you were traveling to the same place for important business, yet you were unable to see that you all have a common goal against a common foe.”

“Yes, my young students. You began your training with me when you were but children, and now have returned to me together, for you are my most capable students.”

“Why did you not tell us that there were others like us?” Kenyatta asked.

Sensei turned his smile on the islander. “Does the tree tell every robin of others who have roosted on its branches? What reason would I have had at that time? Each of you possess different talents that you will discover in time. All I have done is guide you in your beginning years and keep you from destroying yourselves or anyone close to you. You now have the control and the will, which had marked the end of my duty years ago. I can see within each of you, experience and strength that I always knew you would attain.”

“Sensei,” Kenyatta asked. “Do you know what’s going on and why we’ve come here?”

“So,” Sensei replied, feigning hurt. “You did not come to see how your old teacher was doing after all these years? Always coming back for answers to difficult questions?” Kenyatta shifted uneasily, stuttering an apology. Sensei winked at Taliah and continued, wrapping an arm around his embarrassed student.

“Do not apologize, Kenyatta-
san
. Even your old teacher can have a sense of humor.” He looked at the others. “You have felt strange energies about the world lately and that is why you are here.” He turned his gaze to the dark black smoke rising from the city in the distance. “Before I tell you of what is happening now, you must know how the world came to be the way it is, and how each of you fit into this puzzle.”

Dusk had arrived, and the sky took on the familiar fiery orange hue. The wind whispered through the trees as if sharing secrets that only they knew. Squirrels and other small inhabitants combed the ground in search of nuts to store up for the night and the winter yet to come, while birds made their final flight to run chores before the dark arrived.

Kita started a campfire for the night, while the others prepared the provisions. They would have a filling meal this night, as Taliah had brought plenty of food from wherever she’d arrived from. The horses were fed and watered and now stood at rest, back to front, heads hanging low as they napped.

Sensei Akutagawa and his students sat around the campfire talking and laughing and remembering old times they shared with their teacher. Taliah circled the campsite, creating wards against any type of unnatural creature that might find them, and setting alarms that would warn them of any impending danger.

Once finished, she came to sit with the others. Akutagawa took a sip of hot green tea and sat staring at the fire, looking into another place.

“Several hundred years ago, the world experienced a drastic change, and has been changing ever since.” Everyone listened quietly as the master spoke, like children hearing a campfire story. “As the histories have taught you, the Age of Technology was a fast-moving time in human civilization, and corruption had become commonplace.”

He took another sip of tea and sat the mug on the ground, still staring into the fire. “There were many wars of many different types. People fought each other for a multitude of reasons, and solutions were not forthcoming. Masses of people died for religion, cultural differences, differences in appearance, economic power, and most of all, money.” Sensei seemed to have spat the latter of the reasons. “The value of life seemed to be constantly diminishing. The pursuit of wealth had overshadowed value of life and respect of the ideals of those long gone.” None of the students really knew how old Sensei Akutagawa was, but it was rumored that his lifestyle and meditations had not only blessed him with a long life, but a youthful body as well. Perhaps this was why he seemed to know so much about the Age of Technology while he looked no older than his mid-forties.

“Many died because of the disagreements of a few,” Sensei continued. “Technology was a wonderful thing until it had been taken too far. Cures for diseases were found and used, but for a price. There were even machines created that could graft new skin to diseased or burned areas of the body, but for a price. Even lost limbs could be recreated and reattached. Technology had brought many wonders, but with them, high prices.”

Akutagawa looked over his students. “It is as I have always said, my students. Positive and negative cannot exist without one another in this world. When there is light, dark is not long behind.”

“Some few countries enjoyed many luxuries, but many other countries, some of which produced these luxuries, starved and suffered. The imbalance of the world was beyond what any of you can begin to understand.”

He leaned his head back and looked to the sky, closing his eyes, then opening them to stare at the dark, starry sky. “All times must end, and so they did. Only half of what I know is from memory. To my great fortune, my family had a library of books and a passion for boring their children with stories and advice about the world.” The master let out a self-deprecating chuckle.

“History has recorded that in one sudden, cataclysmic moment, technology died, and with that, everything not created by nature. Cars no longer ran because gas and oil could no longer be created or harnessed. Machines no longer created each other. Every luxury that people took for granted was gone, and no one knew why.” He took another sip of his tea.

“Because of the times,” Taliah said, picking up the story, “people believed that God had decided that humans were incapable of using their advanced tools responsibly.”

“God?” Kita looked at her questioningly.

Taliah made an impatient sound. “Did either of you study anything as children? Oh, you’re still children. Never mind. Sometime before, and during the Age of Technology …”

Kenyatta snarled at his sister’s tone, which suggested she was speaking to someone slow witted.

“… most of the population of the world believed there was only one God. Wars were fought over beliefs such as these. The knowledge of multiple Gods is an ancient belief that has come around once more.”

She addressed the group again. “All knowledge of the creation of technology had seemingly been stripped away from humanity at large. There were even people who spoke of still possessing the knowledge of recreating some of the inventions of the past, but feeling as though the knowledge was just outside of their mind’s reach.”

“How do you know this?” Kenyatta said, looking at his sister as if he had just met her for the first time.

“That is for another time, Kenyatta. Suffice it to say that I have access to the recordings of all knowledge, in the non-physical dimension.”

She laughed at Kenyatta’s glassy-eyed look. “According to these records, it is believed by people from every part of the world that the Gods sought to simplify the lives of humans before they could destroy themselves and the world they inhabited, along with all other life that shared this world.…”

Kita frowned. “I agree with what you’re saying, but what about the benefits? Many vaccines and medicines were made using technology. My granddad used to say that people who were born handicapped, or invalid, were able to move about easier with the help of machines and motor-powered chairs. Families could even talk to each other over great distances with clever ear devices.”

Taliah nodded patiently. “Many did suffer and die as a result of the lack of advanced technological medicine. But there were long term effects. You are all examples of the long-term advantages of this drastic change. You have impeccable health, because the air in our cities is pure. You have less chemical imbalances in your bodies because your food was grown naturally. You never went hungry because all you needed was to raise your food on your own land without fear of toxins in your water.”

She looked at the ground in front of her. “That is not to say that the change didn’t come without new and different problems, or new manifestations of old problems.”

“People from lands that had been living without the luxuries of technology went on conquests against the stricken lands after the End of Technology, feeling that they had been chosen by the one God.” She shook her head. “Always has humanity been slow to learn. Unfortunately for some of these self-righteous peoples, punishment by the Gods was not the case, and many nations had to learn a costly lesson.”

“There are numerous books about this time of upheaval that is referred to as the Neo Feudal Times. When technological warfare was no more, the sword was raised once more to replace the gun. The martial warriors of old arose once more and these warriors took their place back at the front lines of their nations, defending their people and using the skills passed to them through the bloodlines and teachings of warriors long past.