Broken Blades Don't Sing (Tales of Ashkar Book One) (23 page)

"Who's training who?" Sanjin teased playfully
with a smile.

"Now it's just a game to you?!" roared Pann in
fury. Her face reddened even more, clearly flustered and insulted.
The outburst rang throughout the grounds, and some of the nearby
trainees stopped to look over at them curiously.

"Oh, Pann!" giggled Sanjin. "You're always too
serio—"

"Miss Sannoh, please forgive my intrusion, but I
bring important tidings!" bellowed a voice from behind Sanjin.

Sanjin turned to face the interrupter. He wore a
blue, buttoned collar vest made out of silk, with matching pants
and strapped boots. Slung around his shoulder was a satchel that
rested at his hip brimming with letters and parcels. On the left
side of the vest, near his chest, was an insignia of a wing.

The couriers of Enept-Ihs were responsible for
delivering messages throughout the kingdom, both from within and
from outside kingdoms and settlements through trained birds. This
way, the kingdom's forces, such as the Blue Swords, were able to
respond to important matters across Makka swiftly and
efficiently.

"What is it?" asked Sanjin.

"Urgent news from Bellis", answered the man
gravely. He lifted his arm, unveiling a letter with a red seal. He
moved closer and handed the parchment over to Sanjin. She took the
letter and inspected it briefly before opening it. Quickly scanning
its contents, her eyes widened.

"What happened?" squeaked Pann, who peered at
the parchment with curiosity.

Sanjin looked up at Pann with a stern visage.
"Get to the meeting room. Now."

---

"And why are we all summoned here in such a dire
hurry?" groaned Gelm. His old, wrinkled face seemed to be
permanently fixed at a frown regardless of any circumstances. He
situated himself in his stone-carved seat by the matching round
table in the meeting room of the Blue Swords, a room which was
housed in the halls of the king's palace. He let out another deep
grumble of dissatisfaction before quieting from Sanjin's venomous
glare.

Okay, Pann, Mellin, Dasa, Iyo, Tevin, Raff,
Jak, and Gelm, of course. Everyone's here except...

"Where is he?" Sanjin asked, shaking her head in
disappointment.

Silence.

Nine members of the Blue Swords looked at each
other for answers, but were only met with blank faces and
shrugs.

Sanjin clenched her fists tightly in quiet
anger. She stomped her foot with such power that the entire
structure shook as if about to collapse, and released a
disapproving grunt that echoed throughout the room. All eyes were
now upon her.

"We will make do without him", she said finally
as she calmed herself down.

Always off doing your own things...

"So, will you tell us what this sudden meeting
is about?" asked Mellin with half-closed eyes. He yawned and
stretched his muscles, then sank back down into his seat sleepily.
"You interrupted my afternoon nap."

"Oh shut up, Mellin!" hissed Pann harshly. "All
you do is sleep all the—"

"That's enough!" Sanjin interrupted as she moved
to her seat. She sat down and withdrew the letter from Bellis, then
laid it on the large, round table where the members of the Blue
Swords sat around.

The room quickly quieted under Sanjin's booming
command, and once more she captivated their attention.

"Now then", Sanjin stated firmly, "The matter at
hand. I have received word from Bellis that they were visited by
the Lord of Frost and the Volcano."

Gasps and murmurs filled the air as Sanjin's
words settled in.

"Hold on… w-what did you say?" squawked Tevin,
clearly perturbed by this new revelation. He shifted uncomfortably
in his seat, and Sanjin could see him turning pale. "
Those
two are on Makka? Why?"

"They were also seen with a towrth", continued
Sanjin. "Even worse, the village was sieged by what appears to be
demons."

Again, the room was filled with reactions of
surprise. Mellin perked up, seemingly roused from his usual trance.
Sanjin read a mixture of curiosity and apprehension amongst the
more youthful faces. Even Gelm stopped grumbling.

"Uhh,
hellooooo
!" shouted Pann, her high
voice piercing the still air. "Lord of Frost? Volcano? The hell are
you talking about—?"

"Mind your tone, young lady!" snarled Sanjin.
"This is no trifling matter!"

Pann drew back from the outburst. A frown
displayed across her face as she sat back and crossed her arms
before sticking out her tongue.

Sanjin felt her face flush red at the gesture,
but held back another scolding outburst before it could escape her
lips.

"Ah, so you haven't told her?" chided Gelm, his
lips curling upward in what Sanjin could only guess was his best
attempt at a smile.

"Told me what?!" spouted Pann, apparently
annoyed by the fact that she was not in accord with everyone
else.

"The legend of those two, you dummy", mocked
Mellin.

"A long time ago, there was a prominent
elementalist among the ranks of the Order of the Faith," Sanjin
explained. "During the Daon War, several groups of people on the
continent of Onturi joined into an alliance to crusade against the
Order of the Faith and their kingdom of Lenas. In a decisive battle
at the city of Lamli, this elementalist engulfed the battlefield
with explosive fire that wreaked havoc and turned the tide in favor
of the Order of the Faith. Some even claim that the fire itself was
alive, that this man was able to physically call out his elemental.
Exaggerations or hallucinations, most likely. War can have a
dangerous effect on one's mind, or someone wanted to sell their
version of history."

"What happened after that?" asked Pann eagerly.
She had risen from her seat, leaning forward and placing her hands
on top of the table. For what seemed like the first time, Sanjin
had the young girl’s full attention. Even the others were heavily
invested with what Sanjin was saying.

"Unfortunately, his flame did not discriminate",
continued Sanjin. "Many lives were lost on both sides, burned to
naught but ash. Hence Raxxil the Volcano." Sanjin sat back and
paused, drawing breath and letting the history sink in. "He won the
battle, but Raxxil was deemed an enemy by the very kingdom he
fought for. He fled, leaving behind only legend. After that, a few
sightings were reported across human lands under the rebels by the
name of the Skyward Hands, including alleged assassinations and
small skirmishes throughout Ashkar, though he was never quite
confirmed. Until now, of course."

"That's it?" whined Pann as if she expected
something more. She fell back into her stone chair, crossed her
arms, and scoffed.

"Do you find something humorous?" Sanjin
inquired with annoyance, directing her question—and gaze—to the
pretentious girl.

"What about the other one?" asked Pann, ignoring
Sanjin's inquisition entirely.

"You young pipsqueaks know nothing of history",
fussed Gelm. "Why, listen here. It was after the fall of Lorine,
years before the Daon War, a time when being attuned with the
elements was met with both fear and hatred. A young elementalist
that had an affinity for ice sought to change that. He traveled
across Terra Sur, teaching those that would listen about
elementals. He gained much prestige during that period, and he too
was purported to be involved with the Skyward Hands."

"Ahem", asserted Sanjin. "The Lord of Frost that
exists now has been involved in many crimes across the world, most
notably assassinations much like his counterpart. The benevolent
teacher from your story has no merit."

"Hmph", snapped Gelm. He muttered something else
under his breath, but Sanjin couldn't hear.

Pann rolled her eyes. “So what are the fists in
the sky or whate—“

“Skyward Hands”, corrected Gelm coldly.

The young girl paused for a moment, giving Gelm
a dirty look. “Right…” She then turned to Sanjin. “So what are the
Skyward Hands?”

“Not much is known about them, or whether they
still exist”, explained Sanjin, “But what we do know is that they
were a group of elementalists that rebelled against the Asmani
Empire nearly a century ago. Most of their activity happened in
either Terra Nort or Terra Sur, attacking the vast kingdom
strategically and offering aid to those less fortunate that were
either ignored or taken advantage of by the kingdom.”

“And then?” Pann asked impatiently.

Sanjin shrugged. “That’s all we know.”

"That's wonderful news and all", complained
Pann, once again disappointed. "And the demons? Please tell me
there's something interesting about them."

Sanjin shook her head. "Under the chaos, Bellis
could only defend themselves as best they could. They know nothing
of any origins or intents, other than claiming a mysterious
traveler was the culprit. They have no idea why or how they were
under attack."

"Well then", uttered Mellin with a chortle,
shooting Pann a cursory glance, "Now that we have that out of the
way, what is the plan here?"

"Y-you mean we're going after them?" stammered
Tevin again, uncertainty in his voice.

"Yeah let's go pummel 'em!" roared Jak, who sat
next to Tevin and had been quiet until now. Jak, nearly twice as
large as Tevin, brought down a heavy hand on the apprehensive boy.
Tevin winced from the gesture.

"Can you all just be quiet and listen to Miss
Sannoh?" added Raff.

Jak shot Raff a menacing look, and the two
locked eyes briefly. After a few moments, Jak grunted, turning away
and looking at Sanjin expectantly.

"We ride in a half-hour", Sanjin stated without
hesitation. She looked at both Pann and Tevin. The latter was
quivering, while the former still sat with crossed arms. "You two
stay here. The rest will meet me at the front gate."

With that, bodies rose from seats, moving toward
the wooden doors to exit the room. Only Sanjin and Pann remained in
the meeting room. Still seated, Pann's jaw dropped, glaring at
Sanjin with enough bewilderment to start a fire.

"What did you just say?!" exclaimed the young
girl in frustration. "
I
am a part of the Blue Swords just as
much as you are!"

"Watch your tone, young lady!" Sanjin bellowed
as she rose from her seat angrily. "You're not ready for a task
such as this."

"But I've been training for months!" rebutted
Pann.

"I said you're not ready!" asserted Sanjin. She
grabbed the inked letter and made her way toward the door, past the
rebellious child.

"Father would have let me go", she heard from
behind as furious eyes bored into her back. The words stung
painfully, like a wound being reopened. Sanjin's breaths grew
heavy, and she felt her knees buckle.

"And he is gone", Sanjin replied hoarsely, still
staring at the door. She waited for a response, but heard none.
After several moments in silence, Sanjin opened the door and
stepped out into the hallway. As the door shut behind her, she
heard the muffled sobs of the only light she desperately clung
onto.

Chapter 14

347th Dawn of the 4999th Age of Rimas

"I do hope that you know what you're getting
into", Kavem said with concern.

"Like I'd flee from this", replied Samantha,
dismissing her wary guardian. She gripped her ornate blade in her
right hand. However, she held the true source of her powers in her
left hand, clutching it like an infant held her favorite toy.

"Hmph, a brave little girl", beckoned her
adversary with glowing green eyes. His voice was twisted, reminding
Samantha of creatures of nightmares. Still, she held steadfast,
unwavering in the wake of these so-called 'Executioners'. If they
wore armor like men, they could be cut down like men. If they
brandished blades of steel like men, they could be cut down like
men. And if they spoke like men, she was damn sure they could be
cut down like men.

As his deathly, blue-eyed comrades charged into
battle against her unlikely allies, the green-eyed Executioner
followed by slicing at Samantha’s head—

To the Executioner’s dismay, she leapt backward
with stunning speed. Samantha took the opening, lunging forward and
thrusting her blade in an attempt to pierce black armor.

The Executioner parried the blow, then reached
out with a free hand, aiming to grab ahold of Samantha—

Again she moved faster, ducking and avoiding the
death grip. She then reached down with her left arm, stabilizing
herself before kicking with her right leg. Her plated foot struck
the armored nightmare in the abdomen hard, and grunting in
surprise, the black figure skidded back several feet.

This is the might of the feared Executioners?
How disappointing.

"Worthless worm!" growled the Executioner in
frustration. He regained his composure and charged at her again in
a rage, but this time with more fervor than he had previously
displayed, as if he had expected to cut her down with minimal
effort and was only now placing more conviction in his efforts. His
movements suddenly hastened, and Samantha barely had time to react.
The ghastly shadow swung horizontally—