The Undead Hordes of Kan-Gul (12 page)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Ran recalled a lesson in strategy from one of his teachers back in Gakur. The elderly man they called Taba was a veteran of countless campaigns and in his heyday had been a seasoned agent for the Nine Daggers clan. In his advanced years, he puttered around the sprawling compound and seemed content to spend his days sipping rice wine and marveling at the progress of the seasons. Underneath his nonchalance, though, lurked a keen mind unfettered by the assault of time.

“When one is being chased—be it figuratively or literally—you have but two options: go where the enemy expects you to go, or go where they least expect you to go.”

“But one choice is better than the other,” Ran had insisted.

The older man had only smiled. “Is it? Which is the better?”

“To go where they least expect you. In that way, you may surprise them.”

“Perhaps, but while it does gain you the element of surprise, it does not gain you the opportunity to use their assumption of superiority against them.”

“I don’t understand.”

The older man had taken a sip of rice wine before continuing. “Picture it this way: if I am chasing you and you go where I least expect it, I will pursue you with all my senses alerted to the possibility of ambush. I will move slowly and you will then be worn down by the wait.”

“But . . . ?”

“But if you go where I expect you to go, then I proceed with a certain degree of confidence that you are now in my trap. As a result, my awareness is less and your chance of surprising me grows even greater. Both options therefore have their own unique strengths and weaknesses.”

“And how will I know which is the better choice?”

“You will only know that when you are in the situation itself. Even then perhaps you will not know for certain if you are choosing correctly. But as we have talked about already, indecision is the cause of more death than is making a choice and following it through.”

As the night air made his skin prickle, Ran smirked. Far easier to espouse such things in the comfort and security of the compound in Gakur than out in the real world. Still, the lesson on indecision was certainly easier to understand. Ran considered his choices. They could proceed back to the beach. Once there, they would be hemmed in with their backs to the ocean full of marauding sharks and other possible dangers. They would have limited mobility in the sand and limited room with which to operate and maneuver. But those same limitations would also affect their enemy.

The other choice would be to go off the path and enter unknown terrain. They might well find themselves a better place to make a defensive stand against Kan-Gul’s hordes. They might be able to escape. Or they might well find themselves in an even worse place than before.

“Why have you stopped?”

Kancho’s voice jerked Ran out of his mind and back to reality. “Sorry, just considering our options.”

“Stop considering and make a decision. Already, the woods behind us are filling up with movement and noise. The longer we stay here, the more danger we will face—regardless of your decision.”

Ran nodded. “You’re right, of course. Forgive me.”

Kancho gave a curt bow. “Lead us out of here, Ran. You know how to do it better than any of us.”

Ran took a final glance at the game trail in front of him. Staying on it would bring them back to the beach. Veering off would take them into the unknown. Ran took a breath, closed his eyes, and let his gut guide him.

He stepped off of the game trail and into the deeper forest. The party stayed with him, and they soon found themselves in a shallow valley hemmed in by trees on all sides. Ran led them up the slope on the other side, passing through tall dead grass that brushed against their exposed skin like the coarsest wood. But Ran pressed them on, increasing his speed. He wanted to be as far away from the Chekhal as possible when they chose the location for their defensive stand.

There was also the chance that they could get far enough away to escape Kan-Gul’s borders. Ran had no idea if he manned those borders with more Chekhal, but if they could get that far, then they might stand a chance. They might even find some friendly forces that would align with them against Kan-Gul.

Maybe.

Such things were off in the future, and Ran couldn’t waste time and energy on them. He needed to safeguard his party. And so they kept climbing the steep slope.

Malkyr dragged on them with his injury, however. Ran glanced back and saw the captain dragging his bad leg. Behind him, the tall grass was already smashed down in places where Malkyr had passed. Ran frowned. He was leaving far too much sign that they’d gone this way. Even if the Chekhal were undead, they would be able to see the clear trail left in Malkyr’s wake.

It was unacceptable.

Ran called a stop and switched the order of march. Malkyr looked concerned. “Why are you switching things around?”

“Because you may as well send a messenger back to tell our enemies which direction we’re traveling. Your injured leg is compacting all the grass around you, and that leaves a very telltale sign of our passage through this area. We can’t have that.”

Malkyr frowned. “There’s nothing I can do about it. My leg is throbbing with pain.”

Ran nodded and looked at Neviah. “Can I ask you to bring up the rear from now on?”

Neviah frowned, and Ran knew she was hesitant about not staying next to Jysal. He held up his hand. “It’s just for a little while. As we travel, I’d ask that you occasionally reach back into the grass and tuft it like this.” Ran showed her the action that would spring the stalks back up rather than leave them compressed. “It should help mask our presence.”

Neviah sighed. “All right. But if he continues to be a problem, I have a better suggestion on how to correct his behavior.”

“I’m sure you do,” said Ran. Ran had to admit it was a valid suggestion—one which would’ve met with approval by several of his former teachers. But just as he rejected turning Jysal over to Kan-Gul, he didn’t want to sacrifice Malkyr. “For now, we’re all in this together.”

He turned back, and they continued up the slope. At the crest of the hill before them, Ran paused and looked back. Neviah was doing her part admirably, stopping every few steps and ensuring the grass behind her looked as undisturbed as possible. Ran realized that she knew the exact technique for doing it and hadn’t needed him to show her at all. He made a note to ask her where she’d learned the technique. Apparently, Shinobujin weren’t the only ones trained in such matters.

A stiff breeze blew in from the southwest, and Ran tasted the brine on it. They were still reasonably close to the coast, despite the fact they traveled in a northeasterly direction. He would have to make sure of their direction of travel or run the risk of walking around in circles. People tended to favor one foot over the other, and, left alone without landmarks, they would invariably eventually circle around on themselves. Such a thing would be disastrous to them at this point, with the Chekhal on their heels.

A rustle in the trees to his right made Ran turn around and sink down, eyes scanning the underbrush. No movement caught his eye, but a quick sniff of the air told him there was something else out there with them in the dark. Was it a lone Chekhal? Or one of those dog creatures?

Kancho came up next to him. “What is it?”

Ran pointed off in the distance. “There’s something else out here with us. I don’t know what it is, but it’s close.”

Kancho eased his sword out and squatted down, crossing in front of Ran. He entered a dense copse of trees and Ran heard a single slash of his blade. Two minutes after, Kancho reemerged with his sword resheathed.

“Some type of ground bird, with wings like I’ve never seen before.”

“Did it attack you?”

Kancho shook his head. “No, but it meant to take flight and I figured it was better to not have it flying around. It might well have alerted Kan-Gul as to our presence.”

“Fair enough,” said Ran. “Let’s keep moving.”

Overhead, the sky showed no moon, and the darkness was nearly absolute. But using his peripheral vision and years of training Ran was able to discern a route across the terrain. Their journey took them through more valleys and atop more ridges. The height of the trees grew shorter with each valley they passed, and Ran realized they were entering more mountainous country now.

Behind him, Malkyr had started complaining about the travel. “We’ve had no rest in ages. How are we supposed to keep up this pace?”

Kancho frowned and nodded at Ran. “He is holding us back. Even the young girl moves without complaint.”

“Malkyr is obviously unused to this type of thing. He is at home on the sea but a mess on land.”

“Rather the opposite of you,” said Kancho with a smirk.

“You’ll get no argument from me there,” said Ran. “I suppose we should take a quick break.” He drew them up to a large cypress tree and waved them all in. “We can’t risk a fire, but take a few minutes to sort yourselves out. I wish I had food and drink to offer, but all I can give you is time to rest.”

“It’s more than enough,” said Jysal as she collapsed and leaned her back against the trunk of the tree. “I felt certain my legs were going to fall off.”

“You’ve acquitted yourself well,” said Neviah to her younger charge. “And it speaks volumes about you that you didn’t waste your breath complaining about the trip thus far.”

Malkyr dragged himself under the canopy of the tree. “Bah, say what you want about me, but at least I speak the truth. This is a waste of time. Kan-Gul will find us easily enough. It doesn’t matter if we’ve taken another route. His magic is too strong for us to overcome.”

“You say that with a certain amount of confidence,” said Ran. “How would you know how powerful he is?”

Malkyr shook his head. “What—you didn’t see what I saw him do to Vargul back at his castle? Surely that was enough to convince you of his power.”

Ran shrugged. “Most men in this world have power of some type or another. But they aren’t invulnerable—even a sorcerer like Kan-Gul. As much as he appears to be unbeatable, he no doubt has his own weaknesses. All we need to do is find out what they are and exploit them.”

Malkyr waved his hand. “As if it’s that easy. You’re a fool if you think you can deal with him.”

“I never said I thought I could deal with him, but together, we might just have a chance.”

“Save your breath,” said Kancho. “Malkyr has obviously decided that his fate has been predetermined already.”

“And haven’t you?” asked Malkyr. “Kan-Gul knows these lands too well. And no matter what we might try to do to him, he will no doubt find us and inflict a horrible death upon us all. Except perhaps for Jysal. She can use her physical charms to ensure that she at least has the hope of some sort of afterlife. The rest of us are doomed.”

A dagger embedded itself in the trunk next to Malkyr’s head and quivered for a moment before coming to a complete stop. Malkyr nearly jumped out of his skin. “Wha—?”

Neviah’s face appeared in the darkness. “I’m tired of listening to your stupid talk. You need to shut your mouth and remember that there are five of us here. And we are all relying on each other to get through this. If you don’t think you can do that, then tell me now and I’ll cut your throat and leave you here. I can make it quick and painless. You won’t even know it’s coming.”

Malkyr eyed her and then turned to Ran. “She wants to kill me.”

“She’s not the only one,” said Ran. “You need to either accept that we aren’t simply going to give up, or you can go off on your own and take your chances without us. Either way makes no difference to me. But if you stay here, you’re going to keep your mouth closed. I’m tired of listening to you bemoan our fate before we’ve even had a chance to write it.”

Malkyr shook his head. “You’re all living in denial.”

“Perhaps,” said Neviah. “But I’d rather live there than dwell in the pessimism of your world. Remember what Ran said to you, because I won’t give you another warning.”

Ran took a breath and looked at Jysal. She was watching him carefully. She smiled once and then closed her eyes completely. Ran yawned. He would have loved to spend the next few days sound asleep. But they needed to keep moving.

“All right, let’s get moving again.”

“Already?” But Malkyr said little else when he saw the look Neviah was giving him. Instead of continuing to complain, he got to his feet and leaned against the tree trunk. “Very well, then. Let’s see where we can go.”

Ran held his hand out to Jysal. When she put her hand in his, Ran was surprised at how warm it felt. It was like Jysal had untouched energy coursing through her very veins.

“Thank you,” said Jysal as she got to her feet.

Ran nodded and then let go of her hand quickly before Neviah had a chance to plunge a dagger into his chest. Kancho led them out of the canopy and looked overhead.

“There are no stars in the sky.”

“It doesn’t matter,” said Ran. “We must keep moving. Eventually, we will exit from Kan-Gul’s lands and find ourselves elsewhere. A man’s power can only extend for so far. Kan-Gul can not have limitless resources.”

“I hope you’re right,” said Neviah. “I would hate it if that blundering oaf behind us actually manages to be right about something.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

They continued for another half mile before Ran felt something in the air. At first, he wasn’t sure if it was just his mind playing tricks on him or if it was, in fact, real. But then he heard a terrible screech from somewhere behind them and felt the air move with an almost throbbing sensation. As if the very fabric of night itself were being beaten.

Ran turned and saw a vague dark shape flit across the expanse of sky overhead. But given the night was already so dark, he was unable to get a clear picture of what was flying above them. He felt Kancho’s presence next to him.

“What is it?”

Ran shook his head. “I have no clue. But it seems fairly large. And its wings are clearly capable of producing a tremendous amount of wind.”

Kancho frowned. “Is it possible that the bird I slew earlier in the trees was its offspring?”

Ran eyed him. The realization had also occurred to him, although he wasn’t keen to share it until Kancho had made the statement. “Anything in this land seems possible. But if it is indeed the parent of what you slew, then odds are good that it will seek justice for what you did. I expect it will attack us before too long.”

Kancho looked around in the dim starlight. “There is sparse cover nearby.”

Ran saw that he was right. They were currently atop a hill and the ground leading down into the closest valley was threadbare with more dead grass and little else. If this creature meant to attack them, then they would probably be better off here, where they could at least fight it on solid footing instead of being picked apart farther down in the valley.

Another screech filled the air as the beast flew overhead creating a wind that nearly took Ran off his feet. Kancho held on to him, and Ran shook his head. “That’s one large creature.”

Neviah drew Jysal close to her. “How have we angered this beast? What does it want with us? Does it serve Kan-Gul?”

“It’s irrelevant now. The thing seems intent on attacking.” He eyed Jysal. “Is it possible for you to use magic against it?”

Neviah looked horrified. “She is not supposed to use magic at all before she has had a chance to be properly trained.”

“We need every asset we can muster here,” said Ran. “If Jysal has any ability at all, then now would be a good time for her to use it.”

Neviah looked at Jysal. “I forbid its use. You know the consequences of attempting any sort of invocation without the proper training.”

Jysal nodded and looked down. “I’m sorry, Ran. Neviah is right. If I try and fail, I could end up killing myself.”

Ran frowned. Jysal hadn’t mentioned that before when it had been just the two of them. Was it really possible for her to jeopardize her life using magic? Ever since Kan-Gul had cast his spell on her, Ran could sense the energy swirling about her. Surely it was powerful stuff. And they could definitely use her power.

But another screech jerked him back to the present as the creature screamed overhead again.

Then Ran heard another screech.

An echo?

“No.”

Kancho’s voice was quiet, but Ran knew what he meant. There was another beast in the air.

“What are these things?” There was no mistaking the fear in Malkyr’s voice as he spoke. The dark of night worked against them, concealing the creatures. They were effectively blind against them.

Ran heard another screech.

Three.

“There are three now,” he heard himself say to no one in particular. None of them was armed with a projectile weapon. No arrows, no spears, no nothing that could be fired at the targets. If these creatures attacked, it would be down to close combat with swords. Ran wasn’t sure he fancied the idea of engaging the giant claws of whatever sort of beast this was.

He ducked instinctively as one of the creatures screamed in and beat the air with its wings. Ran felt the raking talons barely miss his back as he dropped to the ground. With a single breath, he ripped his sword free and cut up at the creature as it flew past. His sword cut only empty air.

Kancho helped him up. “Maybe this is the wrong place to be.”

“What do you mean?”

Kancho pointed down toward the valley. “If we get lower into the bowl of the valley, they will have no choice but to enter it if they wish to fight. If we stay here, they can pick us off by dropping down out of the sky. Down there, we can fight them with our backs to the downward slope. It’s a bit more secure.”

“Not by much.”

“Do we have a choice?”

Ran shook his head. “Everyone head for the valley.”

The air filled with more screeches and screams now. The party ran for the valley. Malkyr tripped twice, and each time one of the creatures barely missed plucking him from the ground. “Don’t leave me!”

Kancho ran back to help him and dragged him farther down the valley. Ran’s peripheral vision caught movement streaking toward him from the right side. He spun and cut up with his sword. This time, he felt the edge of his blade cut deep into flesh. A horrible shriek filled the air, and he felt a torrent of liquid fall on him, its odor distinct and foul.

The creature flew off, and Ran had no inkling of how badly he might have injured it. Although he felt certain that he had managed to at least wound the beast. Was it a mortal injury, however? Or was it merely enough to enrage the beast further?

He didn’t want to stick around to find out. As much as Ran would have preferred holding his ground and fighting the beasts, there seemed little point in doing so. Reason was important, and fighting an airborne creature in the pitch dark seemed foolish to Ran. He knew Kancho agreed. As much as the Murai might never dream of running from a foe, surely this was a good example of being smart in battle.

The party stumbled down the slope, harassed by the creatures as they flew in again and again. Each time they made a strafing run, Ran felt certain one of them would feel the bite of talons entering their skin and then the sensation of being plucked from the ground. Briefly, he wondered if these were the very things that had kidnapped everyone from the beach when they’d first arrived.

There was no way to tell, however.

Ran saw another dark shape zip past overhead aimed right at where Kancho stood. There was a flurry of movement he couldn’t see, and then he heard another shriek. He ran over to where Kancho stood and found the older warrior down on one knee, his sword hanging from his other hand.

“Are you all right?”

Kancho brought his hand away from his shoulder. It was dark with blood, and Ran could smell the copper on the air. Kancho frowned. “It must have managed to rake its claws across my back as I cut at it.”

“Did you wound it?”

“I might have. It certainly seems to have gotten me.”

Neviah came over and tried to look at the wound, but shook her head. “I can’t see a thing. If I’m to properly treat his injuries, we need to find some place where we can make some sort of light. Otherwise, this might be a mortal wound and I’m powerless to stop it.”

Ran glanced around. The slope continued down to the valley floor. There was little down there but a copse of trees at the base of the slope. Still, it might offer them some degree of shelter if they could reach it in time. He pointed. “Aim for the trees down there. If we can reach them, we should be safer than we are right now.”

Neviah looked at Jysal. “Go. Run like the hounds of hell are on your heels, for surely they are.”

Jysal took off, and Ran watched her zip down the slope. The creatures that flew overhead tried twice to attack her as she ran, but each time, she seemed to blink in and out of Ran’s vision. Had she actually vanished? Or was it merely the darkness playing tricks on his eyesight? He’d worked in the night often enough to understand the illusions that darkness could play on a man.

He glanced at Malkyr. “You’re next.”

“Me? I’ll never get halfway down there before those things grab me up and feast on my innards.”

“Stay here then,” said Ran. “I’m tired of dealing with you.” He and Neviah grabbed Kancho up under his armpits and hauled him to his feet. Together they stumbled down the slope. Kancho’s head was already lolling from side to side as they moved farther into the valley.

Ran heard the screeching of the beasts overhead and tried to see where they were in the sky. But he couldn’t pinpoint them and decided that it was better to keep focused on getting Kancho downhill than waste energy on spotting the beasts.

Malkyr lumbered past them at one point, and as soon as he was twenty feet ahead of them a creature flew in sideways. Malkyr screamed and dropped to the ground. Ran saw a massive gaping maw open and close on the space Malkyr had occupied a moment previously. Then he heard the beast screech in frustration as it beat its wings and took off again.

Neviah eyed Ran. “It’s huge.”

Ran shook his head. “Never seen anything like it before.”

“D-dragons,” said Kancho quietly. “Dark as night.”

Ran frowned. He’d heard rumors and legends of dragons before, too, but while the world certainly had an extraordinary number of foul creatures, he had yet to see an actual dragon. Still, he didn’t discount the possibility. But if Kancho had killed a baby dragon, then there was no way the parents would tolerate it. Suddenly the copse of trees they were aiming for looked pitifully small and weak.

They had little choice.

Ran wondered about the eyesight of the beasts. They had made repeated attacks, and yet, each time, they had failed to kill any of the party. Kancho had been wounded, but it could have been far worse than it was. Ran thanked a number of gods and goddesses and hoped that their luck would somehow be able to hold until they reached safety.

Malkyr had picked himself up and continued to tumble down the slope toward the trees. Neviah grunted under the weight of Kancho’s body, and Ran struggled to keep his end up. “Kancho?”

He got no response from the older warrior. “How bad do you think it is?” he asked Neviah.

“I have no idea of how bad it might be, and I won’t until I can examine him without being harassed by the likes of these beasts. Let us hope those trees offer more than shade.”

Ran and Neviah had to duck three more times as they stumbled down the slope. The beasts—dragons, or whatever they were—continued to plague them the entire way. Ran saw Malkyr finally manage to disappear into the trees and almost grinned. Then they were forced to drop to the ground as another aerial assault lashed by overhead.

“Come on,” said Ran. “We’re nearly there.”

Neviah nodded, and they got Kancho up and moving. Their steps became clumsy, and they nearly fell again. The copse of trees was but twenty yards from them. They were so close.

Another screech filled the air, and this time when Ran looked up, he saw what looked like a blanket of absolute darkness descending for them fast.

And then he saw a bolt of brilliant blue energy shoot in from somewhere ahead of him. It struck the creature, illuminating it for a split second and causing the creature to flip over and fly away. But Ran had seen enough of it to know how huge it actually was. If this was a dragon, he decided, then he never wanted to see one again.

They tumbled into the trees and saw Jysal standing there, a faint glow still surrounding her hands. Neviah let Kancho droop to the floor. “I told you no magic!”

Jysal shook her head. “If I hadn’t done something, that thing would have killed all three of you. And then where would I be? This clod can’t protect me,” she said, nodding at Malkyr, who huddled near a tree trunk. “Only you can.”

Neviah sighed. “Very well, but no more magic.”

“Fine.”

Ran looked down at Kancho. The older man was unconscious. Ran tried patting him on the back to wake him up, but it did no good. He looked up at Neviah. “Tell me what you need to make him better.”

Neviah frowned. “I need light. That’s the most important thing.”

From outside the copse of trees, a huge breeze blew in and rustled the limbs like a hurricane. “Something tells me those things aren’t exactly happy we’re in here,” said Malkyr.

Ran glanced around. The trees abutted the edge of the slope, and he made his way over to them. If he could find a bit of kindling, they might be able to make a fire, and hopefully that would be enough for Neviah to see how bad Kancho’s wound was.

He felt around the base of the slope, finding nothing but loose rocks. Then he stuck his hand into an opening.

And kept going.

He pitched forward into deeper darkness and nearly lost his footing. Had Neviah not grabbed at his arm, Ran would have fallen all the way in. Neviah hauled him back and frowned. “What is that?”

Ran felt around the opening and then nearly grinned in spite of the danger that surrounded them all. “I think it’s a cave.”

“Are you sure?”

“No, I’m not. But it seems to be large enough to permit access to it. And I think our chances are better inside than if we stay out here. There’s no telling how long those things will wait before they decide to rip these trees apart.”

Neviah looked at Jysal, who only nodded. Neviah turned back to Ran. “Lead, we’ll follow.”

“All right,” said Ran. “Let’s gather up Kancho and see where this will take us. If nothing else, it might offer a chance to light a fire away from seeking eyes.”

“Good,” said Neviah. “Then perhaps I can help Kancho before it’s too late.”