Legacy
Chapter 8

Thegrueling travel through mountainous terrain had finally come to anend. James and the others had found what it was for which they hadbeen searching. A modest castle in the middle of the forest wasright where Archer had told them it would be. It was nowhere nearlarge enough to satisfy the needs of a king, but it served well itsNova.

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

“Whattook you so long?” asked Sage, his cold stare fixed on James. “Ifyou were really dedicated to your cause, then you would have traveledthrough the night. What a horrible leader you make. I don’t knowwhat the master sees in you.”

“Where’sthe Nova?” asked Archer.

“I don’tknow where you go after you die,” replied Sage. “But if you’dlike to replace out, then I’d be more than willing to show you.”

James drewhis sword.

“Stillupset about what I did to your friend? I don’t see how youcouldn’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 noteven think about the consequences that awaited my actions.”

Toeveryone’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 Aleniaor the jester by besting Sage.

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

“I don’tmind,” said Sage.

With noprotest, Aiko took her place at the back of the group.

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

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

“Why doesyour master want me?”

“Do youreally think I’ll tell you?”

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

BeforeJames knew it, Sage was on the attack. His strikes were fast andfurious but James was up to the task of defending himself. But evenwith his ability to defend, James was fearful. For he had neverexperienced such ferocity. The way that Sage was attacking showedthat he was out for blood and would settle for nothing less.

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

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

“Becauseit was under the direct order of these fools that the master was putto death,” replied Sage. “They’re all just as guilty as thatprecious king of yours, and soon enough, they’ll all be just asdead.”

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

“There isso little you know about us.”

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

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

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

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

Seeing anopening, James attacked. Though Sage’s skills were as refined asanyone’s, he was unable to counter the onslaught. James’ prowesswith a sword was finally being showcased, and it was extremelypolished for someone with no real battle experience.

“It seemsthat I underestimated you,” said Sage. “You’re quite theswordsman.”

“I wastaught by the best,” replied James.

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

“What didyou say?” asked a wide eyed James.

“Youheard me,” replied Sage. “That friend of yours that I killed wastaught the art of swordplay by your brother.”

“How doyou know about my brother?”

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

“Answerme!”

“Itdidn’t take long to see the similarities in your fighting style andyour teacher’s. But there was something about your friend’s thatfelt familiar. I knew I had seen that style before, but I couldn’tremember until my sword clashed with yours. They were the sametechniques your brother used when I did battle with him.”

Jameswanted to speak but words couldn’t escape through his quiveringlips.

“I thinkI know what your next question is,” said Sage. “Well, you don’thave to bother asking, because you already know the answer.”

Withoutwarning, James unleashed a flurry of enraged attacks. Only barelywas Sage able to defend himself from the onslaught

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

Thestruggle intensified after that. Both combatants unleashed countlessstrikes, but the skill each showed with a sword prevented any blowsfrom landing.

“Whycontinue to use the same techniques that failed the others?” askedSage. “It didn’t work before, so what makes you think it willnow? 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 insuch an incensed state, James foolishly deviated from his strategyand took a wild swing. After dodging the attack, Sage slashed Jamesacross the arm.

“James!”screamed Jaycee.

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

“Yourbrother had that same look on his face,” said Sage. “Rightbefore I ran him through.”

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

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

Jamescarefully withdrew his blade but the damage had been done.

The brokensword slipped from Sage’s weakened grasp. So quiet was the roomthat when it hit the floor it produced a resounding echo.

“You’dbetter hurry if you want to save those deities of yours,” saidSage. His head was lowered and he was still standing, so it wasimpossible to tell if Sage was in any kind of pain. When he raisedhis head to look James in the eye, it was discovered that a steadytrickle of blood was now running from Sage’s mouth. “It wasnever the master’s intention to send me here for you. All I wasordered 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’rereally so staunch in your objective, then you have precious littletime 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 waitfor you.”

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

“Praythat you never replace out,” said Sage. When he turned his gazeupward, a spurt of blood burst from his mouth, showering Sage’sface with rich crimson. He then fell to his knees. After a quickglare at a still horrified James, Sage collapsed onto his side andtook his final breath in the world of the living.

When nightcame, the group set up camp in the woods. No one had said a wordabout what had happened, as it was clear that James was strugglingwith what he had done.

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

“No, itwasn’t,” replied James. “There could have been another way. Ididn’t have to do that. I wasn’t thinking. I just went onimpulse.”

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

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

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

“Have youever taken a life?”

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

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

“None ofthem,” replied Archer.

“Weshould get to sleep now,” said Jaycee. “We have a long tripahead of us.”

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

“You mustunderstand, my loyal Sage,” said Shadow Kahn. “You left me withno other choice. James is far too important to me.”

Once he hadtaken Sage’s body in his arms, Shadow Kahn returned to thedarkness.

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

Being awakeagainst his will, though, made it possible for Archer to hear a faintnoise 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 Jamesand not startle the unusual looking snake. “James, wake up.”

Everyoneawoke.

“Whattime is it?” asked Aiko, rubbing her tired eyes. When it wasdiscovered how dark it was, she grew irritated. “You’d betterhave a good reason for waking me up.”

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

“What isit?” asked James.

“Don’tmove,” said Archer, carefully reaching for his bow.

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

“Are youalright?” asked Jaycee.

“I thinkso,” said James. What neither James nor the others knew was thatthe snake had already sunk its fangs into James’ hand while he wasasleep. But moments before James had begun looking himself over, thefang marks disappeared.