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Chapter Eight No one questioned Kain as he strode through the castle halls, busy as they were with the aftermath of the Eblani ambush. As luck would have it, he happened across Giles, one of the other recently promoted Royal Guard, on his way to his quarters. "Are you scheduled for duty today?" Kain inquired, loathing the need to ask. Giles was one of those who didn't bother to hide their disdain that he should be appointed to the Royal Guard so young. Even so, the grim look on Kain's face seemed to make the older boy uneasy. "No... no, I'm not," he answered seriously. "Why?" "Something came up," Kain told him. "I may not be able to make my shift tonight. I should be able to, but just in case, would you mind filling in?" Giles shrugged. "Certainly. What's the problem, if you don't mind my asking? They're bound to ask if I show up in your place." Kain was surprised that Giles wasn't patronizing him for a change, and relaxed a little. "The daughter of one of the men killed today is a close friend of mine," he said. Maybe Giles wasn't so bad after all. "I want to see what I can do for her." Giles smiled slightly. "I'd never have pegged you as the type to moon over a girl," he commented. "But then again, aren't all boys of your age?" Kain gave him a dangerous look before he continued on his way. Once he was in his quarters, Kain took up his spear, and wondered if he should wear armor. His eyes went longingly to the green-tinted plate armor that had belonged to his father. It would have seemed right to him, to wear the armor of his slain father while avenging Rosa's, but he was not a Dragoon yet. Certainly he could not wear the garb of a Royal Guard - not only was it ineffective, it was flashy, and might give away his position before he chose to reveal it. Likewise, his own set of chainmail would be too loud for stealth. He would go unarmored, he decided. It might be unsafe, but when dealing with ninjas, he would likely need the extra mobility. His grey cloak was the heaviest protection he wore as he left the castle. It would be easier to backtrack to the ambush site than he'd expected, he saw instantly - the ground was soft from the recent damp weather, and the south patrol had trampled the dirt well as they'd dragged their fallen and wounded on the makeshift litters. As he moved silently through the forest, the initial outrage he'd felt began to dissipate, and fear and doubt tried to spring up in its place. Kain denied them time and again. These are trained assassins, and I'm only a boy. But a boy who can fight better than anyone else in Baron. And if I die? At least I will die honorably, fighting to... The thought kept his determination from faltering, his steps from slowing. If he killed these men, she would love him. He was able to make good time, and found the site of the ambush after only twenty minutes or so. The dirt was churned up all over the small clearing where men had struggled, and blood stained the ground where they had died. Kain, who had been hunting and tracking since he was a child, found it easy to read the impressions of bodies left in the dirt and crushed grass. It was almost as simple to discern the direction in which they had been dragged away after the ninjas had returned for their fallen companions. However, the trail stopped abruptly at the edge of the clearing, as if the ninjas had suddenly vanished. Supposedly the Eblani ninjas could perform some magical arts, but if they had that power, they certainly would have used it when they first saw that they were overwhelmed. Kain stared at the perfectly smooth ground, bewildered, until a sudden realization made him smile in satisfaction. The ground was perfectly smooth. There were no animal tracks, no ridges where a bush's branches had brushed the ground in a gust of wind, no marks whatsoever. Kain nearly laughed out loud as he set out along the path they'd left behind. That tactic might have worked on the open plains of Eblan's territory, but not in the midst of an overgrown forest. Kain took extra care once he was out of sight of the clearing, moving from behind one tree to the safety of a bush, moving only when the wind blew to cover any noises or motions. Despite his caution, Kain was consumed with an intoxicating feeling of excitement and hatred at the thought of impending battle, and he wished with all his heart that he could afford to move faster. Once he caught up with them, he would exact revenge, and Rosa would be his, forever. After a few minutes of following the path, the tracks suddenly reappeared. Apparently the ninjas had thought that no one would have been able to track them that far, and had given up the subterfuge. From the looks of the tracks, Kain estimated that they'd made that decision only ten minutes or so ago or less. Knowing how far ahead of him they were allowed Kain to abandon his caution for the time being, and he picked up the pace considerably until he was so close that he could hear them moving through the brush ahead. He smiled as he advanced slowly from behind, catching his first glimpse of their dark veils from behind a tree. Soon he was close enough that he could see all four of them, each carrying one of the bodies over his shoulders. Kain took a deep breath, drawing in the cold air as if to savor it. His first battle was at hand; all his training had been building up to this moment. His heart pounded not with fear, but with exultation as he rose from his hiding place among the underbrush and drove his spear through the back of the ninja closest to him. "For Baron!" The other three immediately dropped their burdens at the sound of his voice, and had their weapons in hand before their companion had fallen. Kain yanked his spear free just in time to block the sword of the first to reach him, and swung it to the side immediately to block the second. For a split second, Kain was startled to see the red blood smeared over the head of his spear, but he paid it no attention as he blocked another blow. The other ninja was holding back from the battle. Probably armed with those throwing stars of theirs, Kain thought, and maneuvered so that one of the other ninjas stood between them. The other attacker appeared to see that as an opportunity to circle around behind him, but Kain swiveled as he had hundreds of times in practice, using the haft of his spear to sweep the overconfident ninja's feet out from under him. As luck would have it, when he swung his spear back up to block the other ninja's sword, the movement put him in the perfect position to strike downwards with a swift, forceful thrust. The ninja on the ground gasped painfully as the butt of Kain's spear crushed his throat. The sound made Kain cringe, but he had no time to dwell on it as he traded blows with his opponent. Between thrusts and parries, Kain noticed that the remaining ninja had vanished. That could be good - if the last had run off, all he'd have to do was beat this one man, then chase the other down. But then again, he might be lurking somewhere nearby, waiting for the opportunity to toss one of those stars in Kain's direction. Almost immediately following that realization, Kain sensed motion behind him, and instinctively ducked. Fire rushed over his head, engulfing a nearby bush. The fallen autumn leaves ignited, burning quickly, and Kain was forced to throw himself to the ground to escape another blast. The first ninja's sword rushed down at him and caught his right side as he tried to roll out of the way. Caught up in the fight as he was, Kain barely acknowledged the blow as he rolled to his knees and glanced up. There was a sturdy-looking branch about ten feet overhead - perfect. He leapt into the air, landing squarely on the limb. A perfect place to pause and get a better perspective. He was beginning to think he'd just gotten lucky with the first two. The one he'd been trading blows with was trained remarkably well, and the other had the advantage of magic. Even as the thought entered his mind, another blast of flames caused him to leap for another, higher branch. Unfortunately, he couldn't hide among the leaves. Every time he moved, more fluttered down and gave away his position. His enemy below continued sending fire up at him, and Kain continued to leap from branch to branch. Suddenly he got an idea. He broke a smaller limb off the one he stood on, and hurled it as hard as he could in the direction he'd have jumped next, knocking leaves off the next tree over. As he'd predicted, the flames shot up towards that tree, giving him the opportunity to jump down from his perch, driving his spear down into the magic-user's back. The man cried out in pain and fell. That left him with only one remaining opponent, the swordsman. It might be a tough fight, Kain acknowledged, jerking his spear back to a ready position. Or at least he tried - his heart skipped a beat as he discovered that his weapon had lodged in the magic-user's shoulder and was stuck. The ninja was an even match for him when both were armed, so how could he possibly win with no weapon? His opponent grinned, realizing the same, and lunged at Kain. Kain dodged, cursing as he left his spear out of reach, but the ninja's sword only caught his cloak as it swirled behind him. That gave him an idea, and he gathered the fabric between his hands. As the ninja slashed at him again, Kain caught the sword in the fabric. Entangling the sword in his cloak, he grasped the blade and yanked roughly. His opponent was caught off guard, and the sword slipped from his hands. Kain shook it free into his own hand and grinned back at the astonished ninja. "For Baron, and the honor of the south patrol!" he cried, driving the blade directly into the man's chest. The man's eyes widened in pain, then went strangely dull. Kain's task was complete, he realized as the lifeless body slid from the blade. He laughed, dropping the sword. Vengeance had been exacted at his hands, and it felt wonderful. "For Rosa!" He shouted to the world. © 1999 by Andrea Hartmann. |
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