Legacy
Chapter 13

With thenight came a terrible storm. The forest was no place to be at such atime, as it had nothing that could serve as shelter from the rain. Mere leafy branches were no real cover from the downpour that waspelting the Earth.

As Jamesand the others searched for safe haven, they came upon an inn. Sucha place at such a time seemed almost too good to be true.

It wasrevealed by how unkempt the establishment was inside that it had beenmonths, possibly years, since it had last been in use. Dust wascovering all the furniture and the windows were so dirty that theydulled the moonlight.

“Youthink anyone’s here?” asked Aiko.

“I doubtanyone’s been here in a long time,” replied James.

Aiko rangthe bell on the front desk. It was covered in rust but it stillfunctioned perfectly, sending a loud ring throughout the entirebuilding.

“What areyou doing?” asked James.

“What? You said it yourself. There’s no one here. So no need to be sojumpy.” Aiko then leaned over the desk. “I wonder if they leftanything valuable behind.”

“This isno time for that. We have a long trip ahead of us tomorrow. So weshouldn’t waste any time. We should just go to bed.”

“Youthree go on ahead,” said Archer. “I’ll keep watch down here.”

“Are yousure?” asked Jaycee.

“I’msure. I’m not really tired.”

It wasclear to the others that the unfortunate events of the day were stillweighing heavily on Archer’s mind. Had any of them lost such agreat number of comrades they, too, would have had a difficult timesuccumbing to something as trivial as fatigue.

James ledthe girls to the second floor. Being the only visitors to the inn,the three had their choice of rooms.

“We’llstay in the room closest to the stairs,” said James. “That wayif anything happens, we’ll be able to make a quick escape.”

“Thatsounds like a good plan for the two of you,” said Aiko. “As forme, I want the room with the most comfortable bed.”

“We haveto stay close to the stairs,” said Jaycee.

“Yes, youdo. And I have to stay in the room with the most comfortable bed. Do you know how long it’s been since I had a bed all to myself?”

“This isno time to worry about how comfortable you are,” said James. “Weneed to stay close to the stairs. And we need to stay together.”

“And youwill. You and Jaycee.”

“What?”gasped Jaycee.

“You seemto be forgetting who you’re dealing with,” said Aiko. “Beforeyou came along, I was doing just fine on my own. I have a keen sensewhen it comes to danger. Besides, we’re the only ones here. Except for those three over there.”

James andJaycee were collectively startled when they looked down the hall andfound three people watching them from the other end. It was quicklydiscovered that the three people were merely reflections in a mirror.

“If itmakes you feel better, I’ll be right next door,” said Aiko, whothen made her way to the adjacent room. “Good night.” And withthat, she closed the door and left James and Jaycee to figure out howthey would be spending the night.

“Weshould probably get to bed now,” said Jaycee, unable to look Jamesin the eye.

“Uh,yeah,” replied James, also doing his best to avoid eye contact.

When thetwo entered their room, a feeling of relief filled them when theydiscovered there were two beds waiting for them.

The nextfew hours went by without incident. So uneventful was the night thatArcher was afforded the opportunity to take a break from guard dutyto watch the falling rain. After wiping away a thick layer of dustfrom the glass, he quickly became mesmerized by the steady downpouroutside.

Theserenity of the moment was broken when a sound came from the nextroom. Archer cautiously opened one of the large double doors andlooked inside. There were no windows in the room, making itimpossible for him to see.

“Hello,”called out Archer. “Is there someone in here?”

Afterreceiving no reply, Archer ventured into the room. After taking onlya few steps, the door slammed shut behind him.

Jamescouldn’t help but toss and turn as sleep continued to elude him. When he looked to Jaycee, he found her deep in slumber. The angeliclook upon her face made Jaycee look as if she hadn’t a care in theworld.

Realizingthat sleep wouldn’t come to him no matter how much he fussed, Jamesleft to check on Archer. He was sure the events of the day hadfinally taken their toll on him, so James would take Archer’s placeon watch. But Archer was nowhere to be found when James arriveddownstairs.

“Archer,are you down here?” asked James. He tried to enter the next roombut the door was locked light. Little did James know that Archer wason the other side banging his fists against the door and tryingdesperately to get it open, but something was keeping any noiseeither was making from traveling to the other side.

BelievingArcher might be outside, James opened the front door and took a lookat his shadowy surroundings. With such a storm raging, it seemed noone would be fool enough to be out in such conditions. But to hisutter shock James found someone in the distance. The Beast waslurking in the shadows and watching him.

Aiko wasawoken when someone entered her room. Opening her tired eyes, Aikofound Jaycee. “Jaycee,” she said. “What are you doing here?”

“Icouldn’t sleep,” replied Jaycee.

“Ithought you would want to be with James.”

“He waskeeping me awake with his snoring. Can I sleep with you?”

Aiko took along look at Jaycee before replying. “Fine,” she said, pullingback the covers and allowing Jaycee into her bed. “But don’t gokicking like you usually do in your sleep.”

“Younoticed that?” asked Jaycee.

“I noticeeverything. Like that mole you have by your left eye. It’s noteasy to see, but if you look closely enough, you can replace it.”

“Mymole?”

“Yeah. Ialso noticed that it’s now under your right eye.” Aiko thendraped herself over Jaycee. “So, tell me, Jaycee, who are youreally?”

Archerrammed his shoulder into the door but it refused to budge. “Isanyone out there?” he shouted. “Can anyone hear me?”

Candlesscattered along the walls spontaneously lit, producing enough lightto show that the room was no mere room, but a grand theater. Therewere numerous benches on either side of a narrow aisle that led to astage concealed behind a red velvet curtain. Everything about theatmosphere was regal, including a chandelier hanging over the aislethat was lit with candles to further showcase its magnificence.

Archer wassure he had seen the curtain move, albeit only slightly. Before hecould make his next move, though, the curtain flew open, revealing amost peculiar sight. A marionette that was a clear representation ofShadow Kahn was standing upon the stage.

“What isthis?” asked Archer.

Amarionette that was a representation of King Lionel then lowered ontothe stage. With a wave of its hand, the Shadow Kahn marionette sentKing Lionel falling to the floor. Once it had been bested, KingLionel was hoisted back from where it had come.

“Is thissome kind of joke?” exclaimed Archer.

The nextscene consisted of two identical marionettes lowering to the stage. They wore the robes of holy men, making them representations of theNovas of the east and west. With another wave of its hand, ShadowKahn sent both crumbling to the floor. They, too, were then brisklywhisked up from the stage.

Though hewas enraged by the degradation of his king, Archer made noadvancement, as he was curious to see where the story was going.

The nextscene involved a woman in a flowing white gown and long blonde hair. Archer was sure that what he was looking at was a representation ofthe Nova of the north. This made him all the more eager to watch.

The ShadowKahn marionette waved its hand but the Nova stood its ground. TheNova of the north then spread its arms, sending Shadow Kahn stumblingbackward. Bright lights then began to flash all around the stage. So violently did Shadow Kahn begin to shake when it extended its armtoward its target that it looked as if it might soon fall to pieces. It was clear that even though it was on the attack, the Shadow Kahnmarionette was paying a heavy price for what it was about to do. With one intense flash of light, the Nova of the north was sentcrumbling to the floor like all the others before her.

“What agrand show,” said a clapping Archer. “Why don’t you come outhere so I can properly thank you for such a wonderful performance?”

A familiarlaugh then filled the room. Though he had heard it only once, it wasa laugh Archer would never forget. “Don’t tell me.”

Once themarionettes had been whisked up and out of sight, a most disturbingevent took place. The skull faced jester previously encountered atKing Lionel’s throne room dropped down to the stage. He looked noworse for wear from what James had done to him.

“Ithought we had already gotten rid of you,” said Archer.

Aftertreating Archer to more gruesome laughter, the jester proceeded toremove its head and cradle it in its arms.

Jaycee waswoken from her deep in slumber when the door flew open. She was inutter disbelief to replace Aiko and what looked like herself rollingaround on the floor.

“What’sgoing on?” asked Jaycee.

Aiko stoodat Jaycee’s bedside, while the false Jaycee slammed the door andblocked the way out. “This thing came out of the mirror at the endof the hall,” said Aiko. “She wasn’t so quick to tell me, butyou’d be surprised by how much information you can get out ofsomeone when you have them in a choke hold.”

Archer drewan arrow and directed it at his foe, but flashbacks of Raspheet beganrunning through his mind. Conventional means did nothing to slowdown one foe, so it was assumed that this foe would be no different. Something that could remove its head whenever it chose to was mostlikely something that could withstand the pierce of an arrow.

The jesterreplaced its head and leaped from the stage.

As his foegrew closer, Archer realized the chandelier was hanging by a lessthan sturdy looking rope. With a precision that no bowman couldmatch, Archer fired an arrow, slashing the rope and sending thechandelier falling. On top of the jester it landed, knocking off itshead.

“Ithought something like that would have made you laugh,” saidArcher, who wasted no time in crushing the jester’s head beneathhis boot.

The reliefArcher was feeling was quickly quelled when he found a candle fromthe chandelier had rolled into a low hanging tapestry and set itablaze.

“What isthat?” gasped James.

The Beasthad watched James long enough and began its advance.

Jamesslammed the door shut and locked it. “Everyone!” he shouted. “Wake up!”

What Jamesdidn’t know was that no matter how loudly he yelled no one would beable to hear any of it.

It wasn’tbefore long when the knob started to turn. And when it wasdiscovered that the door was locked, the knob began turning morefiercely. Just when it seemed the knob was going to be ripped fromthe door, the knob stopped turning and an eerie calm returned.

Jaycee andher replica stood ready for battle. Their stances were identical inevery way as was the way they gripped their staffs.

“This isnot something I was expecting to see tonight,” said Aiko.

Jaycee’sreplica began the battle by unleashing a plethora of attacks. Butwith incredible proficiency, Jaycee blocked every one of them. Solittle effort had she used that it seemed as if Jaycee had predictedwhere every attack would be directed.

Having doneenough to gauge her enemy, Jaycee unleashed her own assault. Sheeasily found her way through her foe’s defense, striking hernumerous times.

Aiko was inawe of the way Jaycee fought. She hadn’t been afforded theopportunity to focus as intently on the battle between Jaycee andAlenia, as her body being encased in ice had taken most of her focus. But now Aiko was being treated to the full beauty of Jaycee’stechnique. She marveled at how closely her fighting resembled anelegant dance. The way Jaycee shifted her feet and swung her hipsmade her fighting a pleasure to behold.

Jamesslowly made his way towards the door. He had to know if that thingwas still lurking outside, and the best way to replace out was to listenfor any sound. But James stopped short, as he knew it was far toogreat a risk to stand so close to the door when something somonstrous could be mere moments from bursting through it.

The doorsuddenly unlocked and began to open.

Despite thefear now gripping him, James had the wherewithal to draw his weapon.

Once thedoor was open, it was revealed that nothing was waiting on the otherside. James wondered if the gruesome creature was actually the onewho had opened it. For if it had, then it surely would have enteredby now.

Afloorboard creaked. Already knowing what was behind him, James spunaround. The Beast was now no more than an arm’s length away. Rather than showing any kind of aggression, the Beast merely staredat James.

“You'reanother one of his monsters, aren't you?” asked James. “So whyare you just standing there? Why aren't you attacking me?”

When theBeast reached for him, James instinctively went on the attack,slashing the creature’s approaching hand.

The Beastraised its hand to its face to better see the damage that had beendone to it. This caused its breathing to become heavy, showing thatit had been greatly angered. Much to James’ dismay, the Beast thenreached behind its back and retrieved its axe.

Jamesdefended against the Beast’s sudden attack but was sent slamminginto the wall from its sheer force. Despite his opponent’soverwhelming power, James refused to back down in even the slightest. He unleashed a flurry of his most powerful attacks and didn’t stopswinging his sword until his arms finally gave out.

James’best effort, however, had done little to turn the fight in his favor. For the Beast had blocked every attack, and had used only one handin which to hold its axe.

The Beastthen went back on the offensive. It attacked James with a strike farstronger than the first. From James’ hand flew his sword and intothe wall he was sent. With legs unable to support him, James slumpedto the floor.

Before theBeast had the chance to finish James, the already dire situation tookan even greater turn for the worst. Sage emerged from the shadows,his sword already in hand.

With no wayto escape his fate, James could do little more than flash an angrylook at the newcomer. If he was going to die, then James refused togive Sage the satisfaction of knowing that fear had taken a firm holdof him.

The lookthat grew on his face showed that Sage had become consumed by anincredible rage. So with one powerful swing, Sage cut the Beast’shand off, and with the hand came its axe. Before the Beast couldretaliate, Sage drove his blade through its face, bringing it to itsknees. And when Sage drove his blade into the top of the Beast’shead, the battle was over.

“Whywould you help me?” asked James.

“Youreally are a fool,” said Sage. “What makes you think I wouldever help you? Your best interest was never in mind. I merelyneeded to wait for my opportunity, and then I took it.” Sage thengazed at his blade, which now dripped with black blood. “I hopethis incident taught you something. If you couldn’t get past thatthing, then what chance could you possibly have against the master? You would be wise to abandon your stubborn point of view and just lethim have what he wants. He’s going to get it anyway.”

“I can’tdo that,” replied James.

“Isuppose some people just have to learn things the hard way.” Andwith that, Sage took his leave through the front door and disappearedinto the forest.

Jaycee andAiko came running down the stairs to replace a most gruesome sightwaiting for them. James was slumped against the wall and the Beast’slifeless body was lying in the middle of the lobby in a puddle ofblack blood.

Jayceeimmediately went to him. “James, are you alright?”

“Whathappened here?” asked Aiko. “How did you . . .”

“Whathappened with you two?” asked James. “Didn’t you hear meyelling?”

“Wedidn’t hear a thing,” replied Jaycee.

“Besides,we had our own problem to take care of,” said Aiko.

Upstairs,the replica of Jaycee was lying motionless in the hallway with themirror she had emerged from lying smashed upon her.

The doorsat the far end of the room burst open and out exited Archer. Behindhim was a raging inferno. “Why didn’t anyone help me?” heasked.

“Youshould have said something,” said Aiko.

“I wasyelling at the top of my lungs!”

The groupdeparted from the accursed inn shortly thereafter and watched as itburned to the ground. All the while a heavy rain fell upon them.

“I guesswe’ll have to replace another place to stay,” said Archer.

“That bedsure was comfortable,” said Aiko.

“So closewe are to our goal,” said Shadow Kahn. The man looked every bit amember of royalty as he sat upon his lavish throne.

Within abrief area of light in the middle of the darkened room stood Sage.

“Thefirst two fell so very easily,” said Shadow Kahn, “but the thirdwill not go down without a fight. Still, I am confident that I willnot fail.”

Shadow Kahnremoved himself from his throne and approached Sage. “You did yourpart well,” he said. With the way he was looming over Sage, ShadowKahn was even more imposing than usual. “But tell me. What hasbecome of my Beast?”

“It wasvanquished by our foes,” replied Sage.

“I see,”said Shadow Kahn. “Then it would seem they are more formidablethan we had anticipated. We will have to keep a much closer eye onthem.”

“As youwish . . . my lord.”