Reborn (23 page)

* * *

Nima looked around in dismay as the barbaric, piercing screech echoed through the village. “No, it can’t be,” she whispered to Amoshi. The source was too far away to cause damage to anyone, but the sound was still very uncomfortable. Men and women ran about in a panic, covering their ears while desperately seeking a safe place to hide.

“Do you think it was her?” Amoshi asked, gripping his white bow.

“Of course it was, no one else has that kind of raw power,” said Nima, barely able to hide how shaken she really was. “The ‘power note’ takes years to learn, yet she somehow did it using raw ability alone. Even then, it should only affect a few people in a confined area.” She shook her head in disbelief. “If she had somehow channeled even half her power into that, we’d all be dead right now.” She shivered at the thought.

“And now I see why,” he muttered. “You better stand back.” The black cats came bounding out of the forest, many shaking their heads in pain. It looked more like they were trying to escape, rather than attack, but that did little to persuade Amoshi as he unleashed hell on the beasts.

He reached back into his white quiver and retrieved the one black and yellow- swirled arrow rolling around the virtually empty quiver. Nima watched as he notched it, drew back with careful aim, then let it fly. The red-feathered bolt streaked through the air before taking its target right between the eyes. The beast crumpled in a heap, dead before it ever hit the ground.

Nima’s dychita began to glow as she held her hands outward, but every target she focused on fell dead before she could make a move. Every time a beast came into view, it seemed to sprout multiple arrows, as if twenty archers were all firing at once. Shoulder, neck, head—the next one fell dead. Head, head, neck, head—four more crumpled to the ground like sacks of clothes. Arrows pumped from Amoshi’s bow at an inhuman pace, each sinking deep into its intended target.

The few remaining beasts began to flee, falling back the way they came. However, no distance seemed to be out of Amoshi’s incredible range as his arm pumped over and over, cutting down the runners with ease. The massacre was over in a blink. Carcasses lay about, riddled with thick, red-feathered arrows. He glanced at Nima with a sneer, then spit on the ground before throwing his bow back over his shoulder. She couldn’t help but peek into his quiver, wondering where all those arrows came from. There lay the same single arrow, rolling around in his nearly empty quiver.

The slight rattle of a bush in the distance made him reach back for his bow once more, but he released his grip as a little girl burst through the brush, covered with blood from multiple scratches. With her arms reaching out, dress ripped and torn, she breathlessly mouthed, “Help us,” before collapsing from exhaustion.

* * *

The two guards watching over Eric stood dumbfounded, staring at the door and not sure what to do. They were given strict orders to watch over him until his last breath, but it was clear there was some serious commotion happening outside. They held their positions, even through the long, bloodcurdling moan echoing about, but now it seemed more than appropriate to abandon their posts and find out what was going on.

As they watched the door, arguing over what to do next, their attention was no longer on Eric. They didn’t notice as his shallow breathing began to stabilize and deepen. Never noticed when he sat up from the bed, eyes glowing yellow. However, when he got to his feet, one of the soldiers looked back and saw the demon standing tall, golden light coming from his eyes and mouth. The decision was now easy: They ran out the door without ever looking back.

Eric stood tall, chest heaving with heavy breaths.
I can feel you.
The voice echoed around his head.
Come, save your tiny insects
. “Murderer,” Eric whispered, fists clenched, lips pulled back in an angry snarl. “I can feel you too, madman.”

Lines of golden light began to shine right through his heavy bandages. His wrappings started to burn and sizzle, dropping to the floor in gooey pieces. “You think you can take anything you want, kill anyone you wish, just to get my attention?” More smoldering bandages hit the floor, partially melted and still smoking. “You think this curse we somehow share makes you a god, somehow makes you immortal? Well, you’re no more a god than I am. We are flesh and blood, nothing more.” The last of the bandages hit the floor, exposing his entire upper body. Charred into his skin were rows of ancient writings, symbols whose meanings were lost centuries ago. “I would do anything to hand you my curse so I can live a normal life; to leave the fate of the world in your hands alone, but I can’t...”

“You are not the Gate Keeper...I am.”

Eric burst through the door and ran down the pathway. The few who were still scampering around in the open, got out of his way quickly. Others saw the burnt markings and dropped to their knees, muttering, “Shantie Rhoe.” Running at full speed, he soon approached the familiar barn. A high-pitched screech from within assured him his friend knew he had arrived, and could sense his urgency.

Wooden boards began to splinter and break as the beast thrashed about, trying to reach the only person she trusted. The loud cracking and snapping went on for a minute or so, before the entire front wall collapsed in a heap of dust and splinters. Blue, slitted eyes peeked out at him through the darkness. The soft, rolling gurgle from the beast was music to his ears.

“Come, Asami, we have work to do.”

* * *

The two beasts charged with weapons drawn, roaring like savage lions. At the last second, Athel dropped into a somersault as two long swords sliced the air above her head. She slashed at her enemy’s thigh while completing the roll, then sprung back to her feet.

Zhou grunted as blood ran down his leg, but the scratch hardly slowed the beast. He slashed down hard with both blades as she crossed her own defensively. The fierce impact rang out like thunder, resulting in a shower of colorful sparks. Athel dropped down to one knee, using all her strength to maintain the block. She pushed off, sending his blades back before rolling to the side and springing back to her feet. It was clear she wouldn’t be able to handle his raw power head-on, but her speed and blade skill might negate the disadvantage.

“You’re stronger than I remember,” he grunted. “That should have cut you in half, but no matter. You’ll wear down eventually and I’ll finish the job sooner or later.” She jumped, driving her hips backward as his blade whizzed past her stomach, then ducked low as the other fired over her head.

“And you’re slower than I remember,” she hissed, completing another backward roll and springing to her feet. She shook out her arms, trying to eliminate the numbness.
I’m not sure I can parry another blow like that
. He smiled knowingly and rushed back in.

Blooms of orange and blue sparks showered off to each side as their blades crashed over and over with crushing force that could turn boulders to dust, the clashes repeating again and again. Deafening blasts rang out as the finest steel in the land began to turn jagged like a saw, disintegrating further with each crushing impact.

Zhou’s swordsmanship did not equal Athel’s, but he kept her off balance with hard, sweeping strikes. She leapt in and out, slashing viciously, trying to use speed to regain the lost edge in range, but she had to be careful not to overcommit. The astonishing power behind his strikes was less than forgiving.

Zhou jumped back, eyeing his useless steel. His blades had chipped away to almost nothing, as had Athel’s. He tossed them aside, then dropped down to his hands and knees. “Shall we finish this in the old way?” he growled, eyes glowing red as his ears began to sprout wiry, black hair.

Athel threw her own jeweled blades to the side. The high-quality swords, meant to last several lifetimes, were now chipped and broken, to the point of being unrecognizable. She dropped down to all fours and hissed, swiping her tongue across silver teeth. “I’d be honored to send you to the afterlife in any way of your choosing. I’ll consider it a last request.”

* * *

Jade stood alone in the woods, her head low and hands trembling at her sides.
What was that? What have I done
? Her blind rage, born of a temporary madness, was beginning to fade. “What have I done?” she repeated her thought. She looked down to the crumpled beasts around her, having no idea what to do.
Maybe I should have let them kill me. The world would be better off if I just
—

A high-pitched screech filled the sky, breaking her from the dark thoughts. She looked up, rubbing her eyes in disbelief. “If this isn’t real, the gods are more cruel than I ever imagined,” she said.

Eric and Asami streaked across the sky. With his flaming sword trailing black smoke, he roared with anger as the images of a thousand victims danced through his head. Innocent lives had been stolen, just because a madman believed himself to be a god. Asami felt her friend’s rage. Her wings pumped hard, pressing forward with her mind set on killing.

With no warning, a golden doorway split the sky, appearing directly in their path of flight. Asami pulled left, barely averting the gateway at the last second. She stabilized her flight, now flying low along the treetops. Then another gateway flashed open in front of them. It was too close, and the beast had no chance of avoiding this one. Eric roared again, clenching his fist in the air. The golden doorway burst into a shower of golden sparks as they flew right through them.

“We have to land,” he shouted to Asami. “He can see us too easily up here, and we can’t dodge these forever.” With a dejected screech, the beast dipped down below the tree line. She glided downward, ending in a soft landing, then lay flat on her belly so Eric could easily dismount. “This is as far as you go,” he said, stroking her scaly neck. After a few licks and a sorrowful gurgle, the beast laid her head on the ground. “Don’t worry,” he muttered, looking back through the trees. “I promise I’ll come back for you.”

He dashed through the trees and thick vegetation, ignoring the scrapes and cuts forming on his exposed upper body. He splashed on through a shallow creek, and up a dirt path before discovering what was left of the neighboring village.

He swallowed hard while taking in the horrific massacre. Ripped and torn bodies lay everywhere, rarely were any still in one piece. A head here, an arm there—nearly all the bodies were unrecognizable. There was no way to tell if they were a man, woman, or child. “By the gods,” he muttered. “Is there no mercy left in this world?” He dropped to his knees, the shock of seeing so much death gripping him like cold iron. “Was being alive in the first place their only crime?” he whispered.

A flock of crows feasting on the dead suddenly took flight, the flurry of beating wings sounding like a distant storm. Eric looked up and snarled, slowly unleashing his angry blade. It burst into deep-red flames, licking the air while black smoke drifted upward. “If I could, I would kill you twice for each innocent life you’ve stolen,” he growled at the white-robed figure standing off in the distance, knowing the madman was too far away to hear him.

The man in white threw back his arms as the white robe fluttered to the ground. His entire upper body was covered in black burns that formed ancient writings from a time long forgotten. Black leather straps crossed his chest, holding a large sheath to his back. His long hair was dark and slicked back, flowing down into a loose braid. Drool flowed from the corner of his mouth as he cackled at the wind. “You will rival my greatness no more, false god. Your soul is mine, the world is mine, everything is mine.” He reached over his shoulder and drew a bastard sword, then held it high over his head. The entire blade was black as night, with a thick hilt made of red crystal. As he twirled it over his head, it left a trail of white ash in the air. Bits of ash fluttered down around him like snowflakes.

Spark throbbed in Eric’s hand, wanting to eat this soul above all others. Eric’s sneer lightened, almost becoming a grin. “The world will never kneel before a tyrant like you. There’s nowhere for you to run, madman.”

They charged at the same time, and each one only ran a short distance before disappearing through a golden doorway. The world stood still, time stood still, as the two golden doors disappeared, then reformed in the air, only a few feet apart.

* * *

Athel roared as she threw the twisted metal aside, then dropped down to all fours, snarling like a beast. Razor-sharp claws emerged from her fingertips as the crackling sound of ripping skin filled the air. “I know who I am, and no longer challenge the fact that my human side is all but gone. I have nothing to lose.” Her tongue swiped across her silver teeth with a hiss. “This alone makes me very dangerous.”

Zhou growled, claws ripping through his fingertips, eyes glowing a deep red. “You’re as dangerous to me as any other half-breed. I’ll drain the blood from your body,” he glanced toward Jacob, “but only after I drink his first.”

Athel rushed in, claws slashing furiously. All thoughts of caution or defense were gone, vanishing in an all-out offensive assault. The mere thought of this beast harming a hair on Jacob sent her into a crazed frenzy.

Zhou stumbled backward as fire shot through his chest, and saw several deep slashes appearing at once. He slapped away at her hands and wrists, just trying to fend off the reckless attack. Her clawed hands slashed away at blinding speed, tearing and ripping his chest and stomach. She drove her forehead into his lower jaw, followed by an elbow to his throat. Her warrior instincts returning in full, she dropped low to the ground, crushing his calf with a sharp leg sweep as he fell to his back. The beast sat up halfway, just in time to see the much smaller opponent’s knees dive down onto his shoulders.