Previous Page
Moto Taha stood behind the tree and made an attempt to still his breathing and his beating heart. He breathed through his mouth and tried to remain absolutely silent, listening carefully to everything around him. There was a sudden noise nearby, and his heart leapt. He gripped the hilt of his weapon and opened his senses, trying to find out where his prey might be without moving. he waited, holding his himself absolutely still, waiting until the very last moment, then he lunged out. he moved faster than he had ever moved, swinging his weapon in a killing arc.
Taha pulled his strike at the last possible moment, bringing the blade to a halt only inches away from Shinjo Baeshuko’s face. She smirked slightly. “Thank you very much,” she whispered, her voice no louder than the rustling wind in the grass.
Taha lowered his weapon. “I thought you were the Khan.”
Baeshuko Smirked. “As if you would ever hear the Khan approach.”
“I hate these accursed exercises!” Taha muttered. “What do they prove?”
“Do not be naive,” Baeshuko admonished. “Only those who can best the Khan are permitted the join the Khan’s Elite. I want to be one of them. Do you?”
“Yes,” Taha said. “Yes, damn it! Of course I do!”
“Well then, best get a hold of yourself and resume the exercise!” Baeshuko said. “The conditions of the test are quite clear.”
Taha nodded, then paused. “The conditions do not specify the terms by which the Khan must be bested, only that the defeat must be decisive, correct?”
“Correct.”
Taha gestured towards the scout. “Then I say we combine our efforts. If we work together, than at least one of us will make the cut, yes?”
Baeshuko considered it for a moment, then nodded. “And you can always try again next year,” she added with a smile.
“Oh, so clever,” Taha said with a sneer.
“I shall have to speak with my advisers,” a new voice said. “The criteria currently in place for approving candidates appear to be lacking.”
Taha and Baeshuko were on guard at once, adopting defensive stances. A massive warrior in all-concealing armor dropped from the treetops nearby and charged, churning up the earth beneath armored feet the second they touched the ground. Taha swung on the Khan as soon as range permitted, but the larger warrior ducked beneath the strike and shouldered Taha to the ground with such force that all the air was driven from his lungs in a single whoop. Baeshuko danced away from the engagement more carefully, then feinted and came back in, but the Khan was too fast. The scout had her legs swept out from under her in an instant, dropping her into the dirt next to Taha. “Do you yield?”
Baeshuko slumped back on the ground to lay flat on her back. “Yes,” she said, her tone clearly upset.
“Yes,” Taha agreed. “Emma-O take it, yes!”
“Mind your tongue!” Baeshuko reminded her comrade.
“Anger is a perfectly suitable response,” the Khan corrected. “It will make him try harder the next time. If he learns nothing from this, how can he ever hope to succeed at a later attempt?” The Khan reached up and removed the kabuto that concealed all features, shaking her long black hair free of the helmet as she did so. Shinjo Min-Hee, daughter of Shinjo Shono, kicked aside the wooden weapon Moto Taha had been wielding. “Perhaps in another few years, you will be successful.”
Taha forced a smile. “Thank you, my Khan.”
* * *
The Khan entered her personal estate and took a long drink of cold water. She placed her kabuto on the table next to her desk and began removing her greaves. Her handmaiden Ide Toruko, approached and bowed. “I am sorry to disturb you, my lady. I know you do not generally wish to be disturbed before bathing after such exercises, but…”
“I assume it must be quite important, then,” Min-Hee observed.
“I felt strongly that you would wish to know that the Lion Champion’s younger brother has declined to accept the position despite all standard protocol to the contrary.”
Min-Hee stopped. “Akodo Kano declined?”
“He did, my Khan,” Toruko confirmed.
She wiped her face with a soft cloth. “Who then? The sister?”
“Yes, my Khan. The youngest of the three siblings, Akodo Dairuko, is taking the position. There has been some… discontent among Lion over the entire affair.”
“I imagine so,” Min-Hee said. “But ultimately this has very little to do with the Unicorn, and thus it is of no interest to me.”
Toruko looked surprised. “I… thought you would want to be advised. There may be some repercussions due to your… your involvement… in the succession.”
Min-Hee shrugged. “I killed the Lion Champion in a duel,” she said. “his father killed my father in war. The cycle is now complete. If the new Lion Champion or her wayward brother wish to pursue a blood feud, I have no particular objection.” She turned to her handmaiden and smiled. “Thank you, that will be all.”
