Reborn (16 page)

Nima’s gaze wandered upward, toward a small opening in the trees—a single spot where the sky peeked through the canopy of leaves. The starless sky was clear but growing dark. They had been out here a long time, talking like old friends. “The answer is simple, dear. He has been promised to another. That is our way, and neither of us have any say in the matter.”

After another long silence, Jade finally spoke. “Does he love her?” she asked softly.

Nima sniffed and shook her head sadly. “What does that matter? He was given to someone else. The arrangement was made shortly after his birth, just as it is for all of us. We don’t get to choose our partners. Who cares what our hearts cry out for? It is not our place to question the wisdom of our elders.” After a time, Nima stood up again. “Do you think you can find this spot again in the morning, dear?”

“Sure, I remember how we got here, and I know where to step. I’ll be fine.”

“Good,” said Nima. “Then our lessons will resume in the morning. I’m sorry we got so distracted today, but I promise to make up for it tomorrow. Oh, and Jade...” Jade looked up from her seated position. “Thank you for listening.” Nima walked up to the unassuming entrance and took a careful step, disappearing halfway into the trees.

Jade remained seated, just wanting to think for a while. She couldn’t help but feel ashamed. A good portion of her life had been spent feeling sorry for herself, thinking about how her life was not fair and how things should have been different...
but life isn’t fair
. She had met the man of her dreams, even if their immediate future remained uncertain. She never thought she would have friends, yet this group was loyal to a fault.
Things certainly could have turned out worse for me
.
I should be more grateful
.

She turned her head toward the rustling of leaves. Nima peeked her head back into the open area. “Just for the sake of answering your question, dear, no...he doesn’t.”

Chapter 10

Morita moved silently through the silvery halls. Glowing blue spheres bounced around innocently in their smooth glass prisons, watching her...judging, or so she felt. She wanted to smash each globe with her bare hands, then tear the little beings into tiny pieces before consuming whatever was left. She wished they had the ability to scream, just so she could hear their agony as the fantasy played out, but instead of acting on her vision of violence, she moved on, allowing the selfish creatures to indulge in their silent laughter.
One of these days, my pets
.

Rage boiled through her blackened veins like molten lava. The spiteful woman longed to inflict pain on someone, anyone. Had any servant crossed her path, they would soon know unimaginable suffering, if only for the mistake of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, most of them had developed an instinct over the years, a feeling born as a defense mechanism, which came upon them when either Zhou or Morita was in the immediate area.

With seemingly no other channel to release her aggression, her rage soon became a guided arrow focused on the true source of her pain.
I’ll gut you then eat your innards as you watch
. Even though her anger screamed to smash and kill anything that resembled life, she managed to keep moving along silently, one step at a time.
I’ll cut your throat slowly, so that you drown in your own blood
.
I’ll
—

She approached the familiar wooden door, then watched silently as her shadow danced across it like a taunting spirit, brought to life by the flickering lantern on the far wall. It was against her, trying its best to give away her location...everything was against her. She pulled back the lid and thrust her hand inside, smothering the flame while submerging it in the oil. Her skin sizzled from the burn, but only for a second or two.
You’re all against me. Everyone’s against me, but I’ll still have my revenge
.

In a circular motion, she waved her oil-coated hand over the locked keyhole as the golden metal shimmered and sparkled. A light push was all it took, and the door swung inward. Her arrival here had never actually been planned at all, yet here she was. Morita stepped into the dark room, still moving with caution. With her exceptional night vision, she could easily see the white and black checkered carpet and the red pillows scattered about the room.
I want to see your head on a pole
.

Quietly unsheathing the silver dagger strapped to her side, Morita moved toward the large figure snoring beneath his dark blue silk sheets. Zhou snorted loudly, prompting her to stop in her tracks. After another loud snort, followed by incoherent mumblings, he rolled onto his back. Her heart raced as she stood petrified in the dark, the shiny blade still in hand. It felt as if her every panted breath were echoing off the walls, yet her anxiety would not allow her to calm her breathing.

Seconds felt like minutes as she stood there, frozen with fear. Eventually his rhythmic snoring returned, bringing a sigh of relief. With her confidence returning, she moved up close to the bed and gently placed her free hand on his chest. It rose and fell with the steady regular breathing of deep sleep. She carefully moved her hand around the left side of his chest until she found her beating target.
You coward. You bastard, I’ll
… Morita lined up the blade between her spread fingers, lightly tilting it back and forth while griping the handle tightly.

Before she could even blink, a strong hand smacked the feeble weapon from her hand, sending it harmlessly across the room. She stood there in shock, paralyzed with fear as the other hand gripped her throat. In one clean motion, Zhou rolled from the bed, still clasping his prey, then lifted her off the ground and ran her across the room. All the air blasted from her lungs as she thudded against the wall, then slid upward, feet dangling several inches off the floor. With a wicked smile, he pulled his helpless victim toward him, then slammed her into the wall again...then again...and again.

Clinging to consciousness by a thread, she felt her burning, broken body fall limply over a table. Morita felt her dress tear all the way up her backside. “So once just wasn’t enough for you, eh? You just had to tempt fate one last time,” growled an enraged Zhou. “I was being gentle before, but I fear you won’t be so lucky this time.” She opened her mouth to scream
,
but didn’t have enough air
as blood-filled vomit splattered the wall instead
.

Morita choked off her scream, resulting only in a tiny squeak. Clasping a hand over her mouth, she looked down at the sleeping brute. His heart still throbbed beneath the cold steel pressed against his massive chest. She pulled it away as tears streamed down her face, then slowly backed off. The golden-eyed redhead wanted nothing more than to kill this sick man, but what if something went wrong? What if she missed her target, and ended up only enraging the beast? What if…

With a hand still clamped tightly over her mouth, she retreated from the room, gently closing the door behind her. Nearly running, she didn’t release the dagger from her hand until she was clear down the hall. She threw her back against the silvery, mirrored wall, then slowly slid down until she was seated on the floor. She began sobbing.
I swear I’ll get my revenge, you monster, you hear me
? She looked up, gazing at her reflection with bloodshot eyes. “I swear it.”

* * *

The four adventurers finished their meal of rice, chicken, and tea in silence. Athel was the first to pull away from the table and slink back over to her private corner with a bedroll thrown on the floor. Eating, then going right back to her corner had been her routine as of late. Jacob watched as she flopped down, then rolled away to face the wall. He sighed, then pushed away from the table.

They were all becoming withdrawn and distant toward one another, but Athel had gotten to the point where she wouldn’t talk to anyone. Seeing that another night would pass without any meaningless small talk, they each moved toward their beds. “Good night, guys,” said Eric as he put out the last oil lamp. There was no reply, and he really wasn’t expecting any. He lay down next to Jade and put his arm around her.

She grasped it tight, then pulled him in closer. “Good night, Eric,” she said.

Several hours passed before Athel’s eyes blinked open. She peered at her companions through the darkness, which proved to be easy enough, given her perfect night vision. She watched for some time, making sure her companions were sound asleep. Convinced at last, she crawled out from under the bedroll and crept across the room. One by one she began to retrieve the already packed leather bags hidden in different spots. After a quick count, she snuck over to the door. Looking back toward Jacob, she silently mouthed the words, “Please forgive me. I’ll always love you.” Athel placed a handwritten note on the floor before quietly sneaking out.

Jacob waited another minute before opening his eyes. Even while watching her sneak through the room, he had been careful to keep his eyes mostly closed, and his breathing steady so she wouldn’t suspect anything.
If you think I’m going to just let you walk out of my life
... He threw back his sheet and quickly pulled a shirt and pants over his smallclothes. Ignoring the note on the floor, he grabbed his staff and rushed out into the street.

When he spotted her off in the distance, his first instinct was to chase her down and drag her back kicking and screaming if necessary, but he knew that would never do.
When that stubborn woman puts her mind to something
... No, he would have to use a little more tact than that.
Think, man. Use your brain for once in your life
. He followed on, but still kept a great distance between them. He stopped and licked his finger, then held it up to the air.
Good, the wind is blowing toward me. I need to stay this way, otherwise she will smell me
. It was going to take some careful maneuvering to track this hunter.

Athel stopped once she thought she was far enough away. She dropped the bags, then tied them together using the leather cords to form a chain. Once that was done, she threw them over one shoulder and kept going.

She began to weep, thinking about how much she would miss her friends, how much she would miss Jacob. Athel had never suspected she would fall in love one day.
Who would ever want a nappy-haired brute like me, anyway
? She stopped in her tracks.
Jacob would, that’s who
. Now bawling, she started to pick up the pace. It was still dark, and luckily the streets were mostly empty. Athel just wanted to get out of the village as soon as possible.
I’m sorry, guys, but
this is for the best. I just need to get away from
—

She whirled about, looking back down the street.
Is someone there
?
Am I being followed
? Athel saw nothing save for a few early goers wandering about. She couldn’t explain why, but she found that disappointing somehow.
Just
my imagination. Besides, this is exactly how it has to be
.
I need to get far away from them
. She pressed on even faster than before, with no idea where she was going or what she would do once she got there.

Jacob cautiously peeked out from the side alleyway.
That was close. I’ll have to be more careful
. There was just enough sunlight now to keep her in view. Although he hated taking the risk of her getting too far away, there was really no other choice. He had to follow at a distance; her senses were far too keen for him to get any closer than this, and even then it was risky.
I know you’re trying to leave us, to leave me. And I know you think you have your reasons, but that’s just not good enough. Whatever it is, we can fix it. I’m not letting you go that easily
.

* * *

Jade stretched hard while trying not to wake Eric. Even with the sun out, the room remained plenty dark, but her inner clock still assured her it was morning. She gently lifted his thick arm and rolled away before tiptoeing over to the bowl of fruit. After grabbing two apples to munch on the way, she slipped out the door. Excited about her first real lesson, she never even noticed that Athel and Jacob were already gone at this early hour.

Jade shaded her eyes as the bright morning sun peeked over the rooftops. Walking directly toward it was a little uncomfortable, but the promise of another warm day more than made up for it. She munched on the apples while hurrying along through the twists and turns. Jade was surprised at how well she remembered the way, and was too excited to notice the stares and whispers as she passed by.

Once she approached the forest’s edge, Jade became much more cautious, remembering what Nima had said about getting pricked. She stepped through carefully, looking hard to see where yesterday’s footprints were. Feeling a little uneasy, she found herself wishing Nima were here leading the way, but before long she stepped out into the cleared area.