One moment, Kentai was marveling at Wujun, preparing to stand up and grant his request. The next, he had pushed the young man away just as something sliced through the air toward them. If he had simply jumped aside, he likely wouldn’t have been injured and it was possible Wujun wouldn’t have been either, but there was no way he would gamble with the other’s life. The stinging pain in his bicep was worth knowing that Wujun was unharmed.
They didn’t get a moment to regroup.
Whoever had hurled the shuriken swung down from the rafters, dagger flashing in the candlelight. Judging by the small, lithe form, the attacker was a woman and she seemed not to have any interest in Wujun at all. Kentai caught the blade with his gauntlet and then tried to smash the other one down on her wrist, intending to break it. She saw the blow coming and disengaged, slipping back into the darkness with the grace and speed of a spider.
“Fuck…” he muttered, reaching for his utzu. “We don’t have time to fuck around with a damn Shadow right now!”
“No, stop!” This came from Wujun. “She’s not a Shadow. It’s Soki!” The young man moved back in front of Kentai, his eyes darting around the room, trying to find where the girl had gone. “Soki, please, stop! He’s a friend!”
There was no answer, not in words.
This time she came from behind, and had it not been for his peripheral vision, she would have been successful in sinking the blade into his neck. He dodged just in time to avoid the strike and even grabbed her arm.
“Stupid girl,” Kentai growled. “Attacking me with my element…” He didn’t need to speak a word, he reached out to the metal of the dagger, sensing its quality, its flaws, and used it to twist the blade as though it were as flimsy as grass.
She was close enough he could see her dark eyes widen in surprise, though the rest of her expression remained unchanged. In the next second, she was moving again, relinquishing the now deformed weapon and attacking, this time with the goal of freeing herself.
Kentai wasn’t about to let her escape so easily. He countered the blow and tightened his grip, using the leverage he had to keep her off balance. To her credit, she didn’t seem the least bit intimidated by his superior size. In fact, she expressed nothing. When he looked into her gaze, all he saw was emptiness, though by training or nature he couldn’t tell.
They exchanged several blows, neither willing to back down, even though Wujun was yelling for them to stop. Yanking her forward, Kentai slammed his head into hers hard enough that it was unpleasant for him as well. She took the worst of it, however, and when she staggered back, he let her go, allowing her to topple to the floor.
“I said stop!” Wujun cried, hurrying to step between them. “Soki! Kentai! Listen to me!”
Soki wasn’t down long. She shook her head to clear the ringing and then skittered to her feet again. Her body fell naturally into the exact stance Wujun had used mere weeks ago in the alley. There was no doubt in Kentai’s mind this young woman was a Shadow.
“Stand aside, Wujun,” she directed. It was clear she’d bit the inside of her lip, either when she fell or Kentai struck her. She spat blood, her gaze fixed on the Zosara. “I can see you have feelings but this man is not your friend. Now move, so I can do my duty.”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Your duty?” Wujun was rooted in place. “I thought your duty was protecting me and I’m not in danger!”
She growled, and blood dripped down her chin. “Foolish boy! Get out of the way! You don’t know what you’re—”
“Soki, I’m ordering you to stop!” His voice was full of power and command, a power that made the hair on the back of Kentai’s neck stand up. “I am not a boy and I will not be treated like one any longer.” When he spoke again, he sounded much calmer, but his tone was still laced with authority. “Kentai is part of my life now. You can accept that, or you can leave, but you will never attack him again. Do I make myself clear?”
Brief hurt flickered across her face; the first sign Kentai had seen that she was capable of emotion. “Wujun,” she implored, her hands balled into fists at her sides. “He’s a Zosara. Their kind are worse than vermin. You can’t trust him!”
“Says the fucking assassin who’s been lying to him all his life.” Kentai glowered over Wujun’s head at her. He knew he should keep his mouth shut, this wasn’t really a conversation he needed to be part of, but the irony of her statement had to be pointed out.
“Wait.” Wujun didn’t give her the chance to quip back. “It’s true, then? You’re… a Shadow?”
Her mouth snapped shut, her lips becoming a thin line.
“No secrets. Not anymore,” Wujun pressed. “I care about you, Soki. We grew up together, but I will no longer tolerate secrets. Tell me the truth. Are you a Shadow?”
“What if I am? What then, Wujun?” she shot back, the slightest line furrowing her brow. This whole situation wasn’t sitting well with her.
Wujun shook his head, then stared her straight in the eye. “I’ll tell you what I told Kentai; I don’t care what you are, and I don’t care what you’ve done. If we’re to remain friends, I demand full honesty, always.” He swallowed, the next part difficult for him to say. “If you’re not capable of that, then I’m afraid… this is where we must part ways, Soki.”
Her gaze flicked immediately to Kentai, who threw his hands up, fingers pointing toward the ceiling, in a gesture of innocence. “Don’t look at me. I got the same speech and all I wanted was to snog his face off.”
“Kentai…” Wujun didn’t fully turn around, but his pink ears were enough indication the gentle teasing had the desired effect.
Soki wrinkled her nose, her eyes narrowing into a glare. For a second, she looked as though she wanted to say something to him but changed her mind and returned her focus to Wujun. “Yes, I am a low-ranking member of the Circle of Shadows. My sole duty is to protect you until you’re ready to take over your father’s estate.”
By the way his body stiffened, the news was hard for Wujun to take. Kentai laid a gentle, comforting hand on his shoulder. “Was my father… Am I… a Shadow?” Wujun had difficulty getting the words out.
She shook her head without reluctance. “No. Your father was a friend to the Circle and while you have learned to fight in our style, you have never and will never be initiated into our ranks. We owed your father a debt and caring for you is how we have chosen to repay it.”
“But…” Wujun was trembling. “What about Goratsu? Is he…”
“He was hired by the Circle to be your tutor.” Soki’s answers came far more readily than moments before. “I am the only Shadow in the household, Wujun, I swear it.”
Kentai remained silent, his principal focus on being there for Wujun as he processed the truth. Learning that he was raised by a secret organization whose sole purpose was assassinating a specific group of people had to be rough. Kentai would offer support, but he didn’t trust Soki in the slightest. There was honesty in what she said, though he remained dubious she was being completely forthcoming.
“That’s why he always listened to you…” Wujun was piecing things together it seemed, tying what she said to specific memories. “You’re my bodyguard, but you’re still his boss.”
Soki opened her mouth to reply just as a bone-chilling scream split through the night, echoing down the streets outside. A moment later, it was joined with more shouting and the unmistakable clamor of a skirmish breaking out.
Kentai was the first to act. He moved cautiously to the nearest window and peaked out, being mindful not to expose himself. At first he saw nothing except shapes moving down the street, taking the form of people when they ran under torchlight. But then, his eyes caught sight of curling smoke and bright crimson and orange flames stretching up to the sky from several streets over. His heart sank.
“Fuck…”
Tzulan’s horde had reached Tiguri.