Chapter 8

  Akira stalked through the temporary camp and paused behind one of the storage tents. His scouts had found General Saku’s army three leagues from where the scouting camp had been massacred. Saku was there, along with some of the older men who were supposed to be training his scouts.

  He winced at each step. Rage flooded his body, causing the pain from his wound to explode. It was getting harder to conceal. Mel still had the power to suppress the bite of Ayasse’s poison, but ever since he stopped her from leaving, she had refused to touch him. The song from his sword also failed to drive away the pain, and now this. White flecks of spittle appeared at the sides of Akira’s mouth as he wiped them off with the back of his hand. He could hear the whispers of a mad dog appearing in camp and knew they were talking about him.

  He took a deep breath and slowly let it out sending his anger and frustration with it. Master Jin’s breathing techniques were all he had left to quell the pain. If he could focus on them and use them to move forward. “That bastard’s probably laughing right now,” mumbled Akira. He closed his eyes and focused on his center.

  Akira stepped out from behind the tent, calmer. He could feel his rage subsiding and was ready to face Saku with a clear head. As long as he didn’t touch his sword, he should be fine. Pushing forward, he saw the General’s tent and shoved the entrance curtain aside.

  “Saku! Tell me one reason why I shouldn’t take your filthy, traitorous head?” Akira shouted.

  “Lord Akira, I’m so glad you’re safe,” said General Saku, looking up from the table by the entrance to the tent. “When I heard the news about your scouting party’s attack, I rushed to send my men there to assist. By the time I arrived, it was too late.” Saku put his head on his heart. “I brought the survivors back here, but my advanced party was too small, and I feared another attack. My biggest regret was that I couldn’t stay to bury the fallen. When I hadn’t heard from you, I was worried you had perished as well.”

  Akira whipped out his sword letting the song fill his mind to drive back the anger that engulfed his vision. Master Jin’s technique had worked, and Akira knew it, but the rage that flooded his mind when he saw Saku’s face was too powerful. He wanted that bald sycophant dead. The sword usually thirsted for blood, but now the song was soothing, tempering Akira’s fury.

  General Saku stopped his men from drawing their swords with a gesture and faced Akira. “My Lord. What is the problem?”

  “Where were you when Relancia killed my men? You should have been together.” Akira forced the words out through gritted teeth. “Be warned, if I don’t like your answer, your head will decorate the front of this tent.”

  Sweat gushed down Saku’s bald head. He reached up and wiped it off. “It was not my intent to abandon your men, Lord Akira. We received reports that the new Relancian General was a Realmwalker able to transmigrate to a different world. We discovered the location of his gate and were preparing to mount a counter-attack.”

  Saku swallowed. Akira watched his throat move up and down.

  “You were unreachable near the front, and I had to act quickly before the intel became useless. We had moved out, but when we reached the Realmwalker’s position, reports of the attack on the scouting camp came in. I realized we’d been tricked. It had been a ploy to separate us from the mage. It was too late to help your men, but we knew we could avenge them.” Saku’s hands were twitching as he talked, and he pointed to the map on the table.

  Akira held his sword against the General’s throat in silence. The two men’s breathing filled the tent.

  Stepping forward, Akira relaxed his stance and sheathed the Holy Blade, cutting off the song. Taking a deep breath, he raised one hand and placed it on Saku’s shoulder. “Very well. I already know about the Realmwalker. Emperor Thanatos informed me about him before we left the capital.” He didn’t need to let Saku know about Froth. “Tell me about the plans to trap this man, General. We need to find his camp. He’s taken Mel, and we must get her back.”

  Saku sighed and gave an acidic smile. “Yes, Lord Akira. We shall do whatever it takes to recover your companion. She was not among the survivors we rescued.”

  “And tell me everything you know about this stranger.” Akira couldn’t believe the Backer was causing this much trouble.

  *********************

  “Are you confident this will work?” General Saku asked Akira. They were on their horses, surveying the field where the battle would occur in a few hours. The Relancian soldiers’ camp had been spotted several leagues to the North. General Saku had been against it, but Akira had issued a formal challenge. The formality of war was useful in setting up an ambush. Besides, there was no way Akira could hide the size of his forces.

  “I’ve studied all the battle techniques of all the Relancian Generals, and they have very little imagination, focusing mostly on infantry,” scoffed Akira. A harsh smile filled his face. “Even if this new General is a Realmwalker, that doesn’t mean he knows what he’s doing. If he’s who I think he is, then I’m not worried at all.”

  “Yes, but the armour and weapons they—” Saku started to say, but Akira cut him off. He didn’t want to listen to someone who would abandon men to die. Akira may have forgiven Saku, but that was only until after the battle. He needed the man to die in the frontal attack.

  “Relancia is lost without me. Most of the armour that fat porku had was taken from him when they faced the Demon King. Anything they’ve managed to replace still won’t measure up to Kolori Cavalry. This Realmwalker may have some solid strategies, but that pales in comparison to what I can do.”

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  General Saku frowned, but he had nothing to criticize, and Akira knew it was driving him crazy. This was the perfect opportunity to gain some glory, and the emperor had left Akira in charge of this excursion. The chain of command was clear. Saku bowed and left to direct his men to prepare for battle.

  Akira stared at the empty field, his mind returning to what Saku had said about the General.

  “He is a severe-looking man with dark hair and a strong chin. He’s taller than the soldiers, maybe about two heads or so, and speaks with a funny accent. It sounds somewhat like what we have accounted for with Samantha, a confirmed Realmwalker.

  Akira knew that to be Eon’s backer, just as Thanatos said. The man had arrived in Relancia. He had access to the portals, and the descriptions were similar. “What in the five hells is that bastard doing here?” he mumbled.

  “Sir!” Finley said, stepping up to Akira and saluting.

  “Did the men do what I asked, Finley?”

  The boy nodded and saluted again. “They are ready. Just give the word, sir.”

  Akira nodded and waved Finley away. Saku was a good general, but Akira didn’t trust him. He’d already proven he wouldn’t sacrifice his men to save Akira’s. There needed to be a check in place to prevent him from retreating. He hoped he wouldn’t have to use it.

  ****************

  Mel couldn’t take her eyes off Robert. He was confident and forceful. Much like Akira was when they first met. However, unlike that former hero, Robert was never innocent. This was a man who knew what he wanted and took it. She closed her eyes, turned away from the image and moved to the corner of the tent. Why did she have to be attracted to this type? Her teacher always said it would kill her one day.

  “Did he set me up for this?” Mel mumbled. Tysone was always doing what he called’ experiments’ in magic. Most people would think they were depredations and leave them at that.

  Robert was working on a secret project and ignored her after directing the soldier to drop her off. Mel had no idea what it was, but it involved a lot of smelly black powder. She was reminded of rotten food when she got near it.

  She studied the man. Robert was after her teacher. Mel called him Master sometimes, but never thought of him that way. He was more important and annoying than that. Like that one family member you can’t stand but need. The man was capricious, changing his mind on a whim and irresponsible. He could never be relied on to finish anything properly, except magic. He would chase the smallest rumour to increase his magic. He was too dangerous and powerful. After doing what she did to Samantha, Mel never saw him again. That was over a year ago.

  “I don’t see how your daughter could control my old teacher,” said Mel, speaking to the wall. “He’s too powerful, and there’s no way he’ll listen to her.”

  Robert continued measuring the powder, packing it into small bags, ignoring her.

  “What are you doing? That thing smells like a latrine,” Mel said.

  He wrote some numbers in a book and placed the small bags on a table.

  “Are you going to say anything to me, or can I leave?” Mel stuck her hands on her hips and caught the anti-magic cuffs against her dress, spoiling the effect. Robert had left the Kolori’s gifts on her, in addition to the magic blocking spell. She still hadn’t worked her way through that one yet.

  “I will speak to you when I’m ready,” Robert said. “Until then, your silence would be appreciated.”

  Mel rolled her eyes and sat down on his bed. She eyed the box next to the cot and turned away from it. The first night in the camp, Robert sent a report back home to his daughter and introduced Mel to her. Nadia was nothing like Samantha. The woman on the other side of the portal was small, with long black hair and quiet. She was beautiful, even with the burn scar on her face. It distorted her features but didn’t take away from them.

  Nadia’s eyes, though, were deader than Roberts. His still held a faint spark of something. He had refused to injure her when he had the chance. Mel shivered when Nadia asked her about the mind magic, feeling as if she was being dissected and displayed in the Relancian treasure room. Akira was insane, and his actions toward Sam reflected that. Sam at least tried to pretend to be innocent, even if she failed. Nadia had surpassed all of them with her passion and determination. She knew people wouldn’t forgive her for what she wanted to do, but she was moving ahead.

  “Why are you helping her find my teacher? What your daughter is planning is insane, and you know it. The only thing he’s ever been interested in is the ‘Glories of the Past’ as he’d say. ” Mel looked at Robert. This time, he stopped counting the bags, and Mel saw his jaw tense.

  I wonder. What would it feel like to run my fingers over your chin?

  Robert put the powder down, closed his notebook and turned to face Mel. “You are distracting me, so I may as well get this over with. Tell me about Akira. Our reports say he leads the army that will attack us in a few hours. I’m unsure why he issued a challenge when a surprise attack would have been a better strategy, but I plan to use it to my advantage.”

  “Akira is arrogant, thinks he’s the greatest leader in the history of Relancia, but he’s also a tactical genius,” Mel said. “Kolori is famous for its calvary. Their horses are unrivalled in the world. If he issued a challenge, it’s because he wants to throw you off-balance. You will probably line up in the traditional method and then he will ambush you. It’s a standard tactic. Rage has clouded his imagination.”

  “I see.” Robert steepled his fingers and leaned back in his chair. “Do you want to go back to him?”

  Mel scoffed. “I was trying to escape him when they captured me. I’m glad you ‘rescued’ me from their clutches,” she licked her lips and gave Robert a seductive smile. “If you’re willing, I’d like to show you how appreciative.” She leaned forward and shoved her shoulders. Mel didn’t have Sam’s assets, but some men preferred a delicate touch.

  Robert scowled. “I refuse to take advantage of any woman, no matter the circumstances.” He stood up and paced the tent, hands behind his back.

  Mel watched him play with a ring on the third finger of his left hand, moving it around and around. She had no idea the significance of it, but it was the only affectation she’d seen him do. She smiled. He hadn’t dismissed her out of hand.

  “You are certain he will attack with a calvary?” Robert asked.

  “No. I have no idea what he will do. I only know what everyone knows about Kolori,” Mel said, shrugging. “I can say he will be angry, though.”

  “Why is that?” Robert stopped and glared at her.

  Mel gave a shy smile. “When you took me from the camp, you killed a lot of his men. He hates to lose things that he considers his.”

  “I see.” Robert started tapping his finger to his lips.

  A soldier stepped into the tent and saluted. “Sir. The men are in position and awaiting your final orders.”

  Robert stopped pacing. “Excellent. The powder is by the desk in the crates. Distribute one bag to each soldier and be careful with it. I will be there in a few minutes to finish the preparations.”

  “Yes, sir!” The soldier saluted and directed two other men to pick up the boxes.

  “What was that stuff?” asked Mel. “It smelt terrible and looked strange.”

  “You people have fought long and hard with Demon magic, but my swords and armour changed things quickly, did they not?”

  Mel nodded at Robert’s words. She didn’t like the new metal. It felt sterile and unresponsive to her touch. Akira’s sword was the worst.

  “With this powder, the greatest General in my world was able to take down the bloated ideas and egos of the old world. It’s time Relancia stepped into the modern era,” he said, sighing. “Too bad that usually costs buckets of blood.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Mel said, shrugging.

  Robert scoffed. “No matter. When I return, you’ll tell me everything about this Master Tysone of yours. I will find him if it’s the last thing I do.”

  “What will you do then?” Mel asked.

  Robert ignored her, put on his gloves and left the tent.