Legacy

The grueling travel through mountainous terrain had finally come to an end. James and the others had found what it was for which they had been searching. A modest castle in the middle of the forest was right where Archer had told them it would be. It was nowhere near large enough to satisfy the needs of a king, but it served well its Nova.

With no network of confusing corridors like King Lionel’s castle, the throne room was easily found. But there would be no rejoicing for their good fortune as the Nova was nowhere to be found. Instead, they found Sage upon the throne.

“What took you so long?” asked Sage, his cold stare fixed on James. “If you were really dedicated to your cause, then you would have traveled through the night. What a horrible leader you make. I don’t know what the master sees in you.”

“Where’s the Nova?” asked Archer.

“I don’t know where you go after you die,” replied Sage. “But if you’d like to find out, then I’d be more than willing to show you.”

James drew his sword.

“Still upset about what I did to your friend? I don’t see how you couldn’t. If I were you, I wouldn’t be able to control myself. I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment. I would just attack, and not even think about the consequences that awaited my actions.”

To everyone’s surprise, Aiko made her way to the front of the group. She was more than eager to make up for her inability to stop Alenia or the jester by besting Sage.

“Are you mad?” asked Archer, pulling Aiko back. “He has a sword and you have nothing. He’ll cut you into pieces.”

“I don’t mind,” said Sage.

With no protest, Aiko took her place at the back of the group.

“None of you get involved,” said James. “This is my fight.”

“The master would rather no harm come to you,” explained Sage. “But I’m sure he’ll understand when I tell him that you left me with no other choice.”

“Why does your master want me?”

“Do you really think I’ll tell you?”

“James,” said Jaycee. When James met eyes with her, Jaycee lost what she was going to say to him. James gave her a nod, then left the group.

Before James knew it, Sage was on the attack. His strikes were fast and furious but James was up to the task of defending himself. But even with his ability to defend, James was fearful. For he had never experienced such ferocity. The way that Sage was attacking showed that he was out for blood and would settle for nothing less.

Like the others, Aiko was watching the battle intently, but her concentration was broken when Jaycee clasped tightly onto her hand. The look on her face sent a chill down Aiko’s spine, as it made it seem as if Jaycee was also in danger.

“Why did you kill the Nova?” asked James. “Your master said he killed the king because he ordered his execution, but why this?”

“Because it was under the direct order of these fools that the master was put to death,” replied Sage. “They’re all just as guilty as that precious king of yours, and soon enough, they’ll all be just as dead.”

“Why are you talking like this? Your master is still alive.”

“There is so little you know about us.”

In an attempt to catch James off guard, Sage quickly went on the attack. James was able to deflect every strike and soon found his sword locked with Sage’s.

“For years it was just me and the master,” said Sage. “But you just had to come along, and now everything has changed. And to make matters worse, now there’s that . . . thing. I just want things to be the way they used to be. And I’m sure I can make everything right. All I have to do is wipe you off the face of the Earth.”

“You think I want any part of you or your master?” asked James.

“That doesn’t matter. The master always gets what he wants.”

Seeing an opening, James attacked. Though Sage’s skills were as refined as anyone’s, he was unable to counter the onslaught. James’ prowess with a sword was finally being showcased, and it was extremely polished for someone with no real battle experience.

“It seems that I underestimated you,” said Sage. “You’re quite the swordsman.”

“I was taught by the best,” replied James.

“You don’t have to tell me. That friend of yours taught you, didn’t he? I could tell immediately that he was your teacher. From the way you grip your sword to the way you shift your feet, everything is identical. An exquisite form of swordplay. Correct me if I’m mistaken, but your teacher was taught by your brother, wasn’t he?”

“What did you say?” asked a wide eyed James.

“You heard me,” replied Sage. “That friend of yours that I killed was taught the art of swordplay by your brother.”

“How do you know about my brother?”

“Now that blood is finally starting to boil. I was beginning to wonder what it was going to take to get that rage of yours to show itself.”

“Answer me!”

“It didn’t take long to see the similarities in your fighting style and your teacher’s. But there was something about your friend’s that felt familiar. I knew I had seen that style before, but I couldn’t remember until my sword clashed with yours. They were the same techniques your brother used when I did battle with him.”

James wanted to speak but words couldn’t escape through his quivering lips.

“I think I know what your next question is,” said Sage. “Well, you don’t have to bother asking, because you already know the answer.”

Without warning, James unleashed a flurry of enraged attacks. Only barely was Sage able to defend himself from the onslaught

“That’s it,” said Sage. “Let your hate for me consume you.”

The struggle intensified after that. Both combatants unleashed countless strikes, but the skill each showed with a sword prevented any blows from landing.

“Why continue to use the same techniques that failed the others?” asked Sage. “It didn’t work before, so what makes you think it will now? Do you want me to kill you? What a fitting end it would be. To complete the trinity that have fallen to my blade.”

Being in such an incensed state, James foolishly deviated from his strategy and took a wild swing. After dodging the attack, Sage slashed James across the arm.

“James!” screamed Jaycee.

Adrenaline quelled the pain quickly. But even if it hadn’t, James wasn’t about to allow Sage the pleasure of knowing he had caused him pain.

“Your brother had that same look on his face,” said Sage. “Right before I ran him through.”

The taunt worked to infuriate James, who unleashed a series of wild attacks. Sage, however, had absolutely no problem deflecting every one of them.

When the two locked swords, Sage’s blade began to crack under the pressure. It was shortly after the initial crack appeared when Sage’s blade snapped, giving James the opening he needed. He wasted no time in running his blade through his foe’s stomach. The sensation of his blade piercing flesh made James sick to his stomach.

James carefully withdrew his blade but the damage had been done.

The broken sword slipped from Sage’s weakened grasp. So quiet was the room that when it hit the floor it produced a resounding echo.

“You’d better hurry if you want to save those deities of yours,” said Sage. His head was lowered and he was still standing, so it was impossible to tell if Sage was in any kind of pain. When he raised his head to look James in the eye, it was discovered that a steady trickle of blood was now running from Sage’s mouth. “It was never the master’s intention to send me here for you. All I was ordered to do was kill that holier-than-thou fool and be on my way. But I couldn’t pass up such a perfect opportunity. If you’re really so staunch in your objective, then you have precious little time before the master does away with the other fools like this one. I suggest you not drag your feet. The master isn’t going to wait for you.”

Jaycee knew James was in no position to speak in his state, so she spoke on his behalf. “Why does your master want James on his side?” she asked.

“Pray that you never find out,” said Sage. When he turned his gaze upward, a spurt of blood burst from his mouth, showering Sage’s face with rich crimson. He then fell to his knees. After a quick glare at a still horrified James, Sage collapsed onto his side and took his final breath in the world of the living.

When night came, the group set up camp in the woods. No one had said a word about what had happened, as it was clear that James was struggling with what he had done.

Knowing that something had to be said, Aiko broke the uncomfortable silence. “Don’t blame yourself for what happened,” she told James. “It was either you or him.”

“No, it wasn’t,” replied James. “There could have been another way. I didn’t have to do that. I wasn’t thinking. I just went on impulse.”

“Aiko’s right,” said Archer. “You had no choice. There was only one way that fight was going to end. And there’s no way Sage would have let you live had he been put in the same position. Whether you accept it or not, you did the right thing.”

“But I took a life. There’s no excuse, no matter what. That isn’t what I’ve been training to do. I’m supposed to protect people . . . not kill them.”

“Taking lives is sometimes necessary when you want to protect people.”

“Have you ever taken a life?”

“More than I care to admit. But not taking their lives would have resulted in far more bloodshed, so I can’t really regret what I did.”

“Tell me,” said James. “How many of them were you looking in the eye?”

“None of them,” replied Archer.

“We should get to sleep now,” said Jaycee. “We have a long trip ahead of us.”

Shadow Kahn loomed over Sage’s lifeless body. There was no look of sorrow upon the man’s face, nor would a tear be shed over the loss of the young man who had served him so faithfully for so many years.

“You must understand, my loyal Sage,” said Shadow Kahn. “You left me with no other choice. James is far too important to me.”

Once he had taken Sage’s body in his arms, Shadow Kahn returned to the darkness.

Archer was having trouble sleeping as Aiko’s feet were uncomfortably close to his face. And from time to time she would kick in her sleep and wake him in the most painful of ways. Had there been no other travelers with them, Archer surely would have shouted at the girl, but there was no need for him to wake James and Jaycee for Aiko’s actions.

Being awake against his will, though, made it possible for Archer to hear a faint noise coming from somewhere nearby. When he looked for the source, Archer found a black snake slithering dangerously close to James.

“James,” said Archer in a voice he hoped would be loud enough to wake James and not startle the unusual looking snake. “James, wake up.”

Everyone awoke.

“What time is it?” asked Aiko, rubbing her tired eyes. When it was discovered how dark it was, she grew irritated. “You’d better have a good reason for waking me up.”

“James,” gasped Jaycee when she spotted the snake.

“What is it?” asked James.

“Don’t move,” said Archer, carefully reaching for his bow.

Just as the snake began slithering toward James, Archer fired an arrow, striking the intruder in the head. The snake began whipping around so violently that its whole body came off the ground. And before long, it was dead.

“Are you alright?” asked Jaycee.

“I think so,” said James. What neither James nor the others knew was that the snake had already sunk its fangs into James’ hand while he was asleep. But moments before James had begun looking himself over, the fang marks disappeared.