Sakura watched with stinging eyes wide. The Sun had peaked over the mountaintops, but the air was still frosty and cold..

This isn’t what I wanted!

*

Another cloud of the purple smoke popped, but Valdek didn’t appear. Then another cloud.

And another.

Where is he?

The Jester’s aura was completely hidden from Ardamius.

The King moved, running fast in a wide circle. If he stood still, Valdek would blink back in and slit his throat.

Now the smoke wafted about, creating a screen about the meadow. Ardamius made his way for the steep bluff on the far side. It could give him an advantage of sight over Valdek, assuming the Jester wasn’t there already.

A presence appeared behind him.

Ardamius slid, turning to meet his opponent.

“Thousandfold Fist!”

Thunder cracked, and chunks of dirt and rock and grass exploded out of the ground where his enflamed knuckles impacted, sending glowing debris in every direction.

As soon as he was back on his feet, he back flipped, landed ten paces from the steaming hole in the ground.

*

“Agh!” Nama growled as he covered his face with crossed forearms. The shock from Ardamius’s blow nearly knocked him down. “I do wish I had known this was going to be ­that kind of fight.”

“We should move back,” Horris said.

Sakura was well ahead of them, making for the tree line.

“He’s not messing around,” Nama said.

“Neither would I.”

Dusting off his silken jacked, The Fop followed The Muscle and The Dancer toward thee tree line.

*

Ardamius narrowed his eyes. He had no abilities that would allow him to see through this smoke screen Valdek had put up, but the shock from his fist cleared that up completely.

There he is.

The Jester stood, tall and straight several paces from the impact creator. His hair was wild, as it always was. “You’re very strong,” he said.

“Stop playing games, Valdek.”

“But I love games.” He narrowed his eyes, a smile appearing on his face.

That was never a good sign.

“Mine Own Army,” The Jester said. The words came out quietly, assured.

Ardamius had hardly even heard them as he watched The Jester’s lips move with the invocation.

He grit his teeth.

Standing in a ready stance, he waited, having seen this before. Valdek stepped to the side, but he was still standing in place. There were two of him now.

Then three.

They darted, running about in confusing trajectories, multiplying, flickering about. Now there were ten. Twenty. Thirty of them.

They surrounded The King.

Stiletto in hand, he kept a careful eye on as many of them as he could. They flickered slightly while they moved. The real Valdek wouldn’t.

The Jester chuckled, each and every one of his illusions doing the same at discordant times. The sound was eerie.

“Time—Time—Time—Timetimetime to die—to die—todietodietodie!”

“Great…”

Several of the illusions lurched at him.

He jumped to the side, slashed one.

Five more struck out in attack.

Ardamius jumped, flipped in the air and landed, taking out one more as he landed in its vicinity. They flickered and wafted into smoke as he killed the false Valdek’s.

“Only thirty-three more to go, King,” one of them said. And then in unison, they all laughed aloud.

Wherever he was, he was hidden behind his wall of illusions.

I wish I had my sword.

*

Watching from the sidelines as his false selves attacked Ardamius, Valdek smirked. “Now it’s my turn,” he said, low enough that only he could hear himself speak, having not given the command for the others to act out the same words.

Daggers appeared from underneath his sleeves into his open palms. He didn’t need the blades, his claws were enough to kill The King. But for now, they would do.

Ardamius jumped.

Perfect.

“Shooting Star!” he rasped.

Here I come!

*

Three of them had come for him. Ardamius had no choice but to launch himself high, despite knowing the time it would take to land back down on his feet could be dangerous.

Valdek was good. Very good. His aura was completely hidden.

But Ardamius could still sense the physical presence of another, magical aura or no, and Valdek was screaming toward him from the side.

Bringing his palms together—“Eeeyyyyeee of The Gooodssssss!!”—he blasted outward with a beam of pure white-hot fire.

Sky and ground spun as thunder and bright light erupted, brightening the meadow even farther than the morning sunlight.

*

Valdek streaked past Ardamius, his blades crossing in complex trajectories that would have shredded his opponent into ribbons.

Had he not missed his target?

The Jester came to a stop, the ground beneath his path cut open. Eyes closed, he waited for the light of the blast and the shockwave to subside.

Turning, he found Ardamius on the other side of the meadow, standing tall at the base of a deep mound, a trail like his own, but far more destructive, leading before him like a red carpet in a throne room.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Anger assailed him.

“Tch!”

*

“I never knew he could do that!” Nama exclaimed. He glanced about, fearing for his life. “Forget the tree line, we should get out of here—go to that mountain over there.” He pointed.

“He won’t hit us,” Sakura said.

“How do you know? Half the forest is on fire!”

“Do you think they saw that from Urukawa?” Horris asked.

“What? Of course they did!”

“Not through the pass and the morning sunlight,” Sakura countered, not even bothering to look at him.

Nama sighed.

“Does Valdek even stand a chance?”

“Hmm,” Horris noised.

“He’s far more capable than you think,” Sakura said. “Ardamius is powerful, but Valdek is a hidden knife in comparison to our King. He barely missed Valdek’s strike.”

Really?

“Are you serious?”

She nodded. “Mm.”

Nama’s eyes were drawn to Horris’ huge hand as he enveloped Sakura’s shoulder. “He’ll be okay.”

The Fop breathed deeply.

If you’re right, Sakura, I’m not so sure…

*

Ardamius walked along the path he had carved. Valdek was coming toward him, his chin tilted down and his eyes wild. His illusions wisped away.

Ardamius no longer had his stiletto. He had dropped it to summon Eye of the Gods. Valdek seemed to notice this, because he tossed his little daggers aside as he came forward.

The Jester and The King stopped ten paced apart from one another.

“Not bad,” Valdek said. “You managed to avoid me despite my illusions. You are The King for a reason. But I’m going to take that title away from you.”

Enough talk, Jester!

“Let’s end this.”

Ardamius summoned more magical energies as Valdek’s fingers curled, his nails extending. The King readied himself, dropped into a fighting stance. His aura would make him faster, stronger, and harder to wound—but also easier to sense.

Which was fine.

Valdek’s eyes narrowed, his half snarl turning into another knowing smirk. He shot forward, a stream of magical aura streaming off his back.

Ardamius vaulted himself at The Jester.

*

“Uh-oh!” Horris said. He swallowed.

“Close-quarter fighting is neither of their specialties,” Nama said, sounding confused. “So why are they fighting like that?”

Horris narrowed his eyes. Without summoning a lot of magical aura, The King and The Jester were beyond the limitations of his unassisted sight. All The Muscle could see were some blurring figures and loud thunderclaps, the impacts creating little flurries of wind.

He summoned his aura, Sakura and Nama doing the same.

Now I can see.

“What do we do if Valdek wins?” Nama asked.

Sakura turned on him. “Be quiet, Fop!”

Nama cocked his head, both hands going up. “I’m only preparing for the worst.”

“No,” Horris said. “The boss won’t lose.” He pointed a finger. “Look.”

He was right, wasn’t he? Ardamius wouldn’t lose against Valdek…

“Tch!” Sakura noised as Ardamius, who had been gaining ground on Valdek, was now taking back steps. “I hate this.”

Horris breathed in deeply. “Me too.”

“We could…” Nama began to suggest, but Horris interrupted him.

“No. No cheating.”

“All right, all right!”

*

It was a fight of magically assisted speed and endurance. Ardamius was beginning to slow, and Valdek had come in for the killing blow, his arms and claws flying.

Valdek pushed him, making him give ground fast. The Jester was giving this all he had, and so was Ardamius.

How is he so fast?

He jumped.

Valdek streaked through the air and appeared before him, his claws coming in for the kill with every lightning-fast strike, that infuriating smirk plastered across his face!

“AhhH!” Valdek breathed. “Now you die!”

Ardamius jumped back to increase the distance between them.

“That won’t help you!”

“Death Strike!”

Blue flames appeared over his nails as The Jester closed the distance between them once more. As his claws came within a hair’s breadth of killing him with every strike, they left streaks of blue in the air.

He’s too fast! I can’t keep up!

Like a hot iron, his claws raked over Ardamius’s chest.

Growling under the pain, he lurched away. Valdek blinked.

Ardamius jumped again.

Valdek was there.

You tricky whoreson!

“You want to end this, Valdek?!”

“Yes I do!”

Growling with frustration, he jumped again, summersaulted in the air and landed on his feet.

“Where are you going?”

“Come and get me!”

He sprinted away, but Valdek blinked in front of him. Ardamius blasted forth a sun flare out of the palm of his hand.

Valdek cried out and shielded his eyes. The Jester blinked away.

Ardamius whirled with an uppercut.

Yes—just like that, Valdek!

“Fiiiist of the Heavennns!”

Valdek blinked into his streaming uppercut. Valdek’s body bent, his eyes bulged and spittle shot out of his mouth. He flailed as his body travelled high into the air, limp like a rug.

Valdek landed heavily in the grass.

Kneeling, fist still held high, Ardamius relaxed and stood.

Valdek moved. But only slightly, a deep guttural noise coming out of him. If he hadn’t killed The Jester just now, he would be surprised.

Ardamius breathed out heavily, relief washing over him. For a time, he thought he would be ripped to pieces.

“It’s over.”

His eyes caught movement as Horris and Nama rushed forward, Sakura at the lead. “Ardamius!”

He couldn’t help but smile when he saw her, though the wound on his chest hurt like The Fury of The Gods!

At least this conflict was over.

*

They stood on the raised platform where the command tent was. A group of thirty or so samurai strode by, along with their yari bow counterparts.

Bellow the hill, tents were arrayed in long lines, cook fires interspersed throughout. The smell of the evening meal wafted through the air, but none of this did Yoshinaka care about.

Not now.

The shogun could barely hear the surrounding sounds and smells of camp as he asked, “Your leader, you say?” He could hear his own surprise in his voice. She had attacked him—had managed to land two shuriken into his armor.

“Hai,” Tsubaki said with a quick bow of his head. “But she has appeared again. She stopped the assassin from pursuing you.”

Yoshinka was shaken. “But she appeared to be some creature—not human! She attacked me.”

The legendary warrior didn’t seem to have an answer for him on that account. “Many keep their most powerful magicks hidden, my lord. One does not reveal their true strength unless absolutely necessary. As for attacking you, I do not believe she was trying to kill you.”

He is speculating. However, this does make some sense…

Yoshinaka nodded. “Mm.” So far, they hadn’t made any other attempts on his life, and the other Taisho members hadn’t seen any sign of the assassins near the palace. “Fine,” he finally said. But do not relax your guard. We do not fully understand what is happening.”

“This is true. I always thought she abandoned us. But now…”

“What?”

“I question whether she truly did or not. Perhaps she has infiltrated their ranks—knowing we would one day have to contend with them?”

Feeling skeptical, Yoshinaka raised an eyebrow. “Do not assume anything.”

Tsubaki bowed low, and in the martial fashion cried, “Osu!”

“Where is your other member? Is she all right?”

“Hai, daijoubu. She is resting, my lord. Arigatou gozaimasu!”

Yoshinaka nodded. That was well. Many had died under his command in service to the emperor, but it always pained him to know they died in protecting him. He was happy that she had not. She reminded Yoshinaka of his own daughter.

Nevertheless, he wanted to take no chances, and until they knew more, would not relax his guard. He had a battle to win and a war to fight. “Now, we must prepare for our defense of Urukawa.”

*

Ardamius reached the top of the hill where the pavilion was. Sakura was waiting for him there. “How did they take it?”

“They’re furious,” he said. “The general must have blustered for at least fifteen minutes before he insulted the reputation of The Reconnoiters. We better leave early in the morning.”

“I’m sorry. This is my fault.”

“No. It’s mine. I should have never accepted this contract. It was an impulse. I should have asked you how you felt about it first.”

The time constraint on whether The Reconnoiters would be hired for the mission had been tight, and Sakura had been away at the time.

She looked thoughtful.

“What is it?”

She bent and took the tea pot off the crackling fire. “I was thinking that, as our leader, you could add a provision to the group charter.”

“A provision?”

“On deciding which contracts to take—which conflicts to participate in and whether or not they conflict with any of the other members.”

He nodded. It seemed like a good idea. “With final say left with The King, of course.”

She smiled. “Of course.”

“I think it’s a good idea.”

They stood together as the last of the evening sun hid itself behind the mountainous horizon. Urukawa was a day’s ride to the north from here. It would have been utterly unthinkable to simply walk away without at least informing their contract holder of The Reconnoiter’s withdrawal.

Sakura came up beside him, wrapped her arm around his. “I still want an answer to my question.”

“You like that question...”

“I’m a romantic.”

There was a pause between them. It was getting cold, but the warmth from the crackling fire behind them kept the cold at bay. For now.

It was a shame that Valdek had pushed him into the confrontation. It hadn’t ended in his death, though. No, the coward had slunk away in a puff of smoke.

He too had sustained a heavy wound, but with The Dancer’s attentions, he was on the mend and hardly felt it anymore.

Valdek’s wound was bad enough to keep him from doing anything about Yoshinaka for some time.

And now our contract is void.

The Jester had no reason to kill him—to change the outcome of what would be decided in the next few days as Urukawa mustered its defense. They had a good chance now. Yoshinaka was no armchair general.

It was better this way. Bloodlust was not the sort of reputation The Reconnoiters was known for.

Putting Valdek from his mind, he and Sakura watched the last of the golden sunlight. Campfires across the plains lit up, flecking the entire area with orange lights.

“Perhaps,” Ardamius finally said.

“Hmm?”

“In answer to your question,” he said. “’Can love triumph over all.’ I’m still uncertain, but… perhaps it can.”

“That’s good enough.” She squeezed his arm and he looked at her. The Dancer smiled up at him. “There are some hot springs nearby.”

“Hot springs?”

“Yes.”

He thought about that for a moment. The others would be jealous if they found out he and Sakura had spent time relaxing in the steaming hot springs.

The King looked at her.

This is the part where you kiss her, fool.

“Let’s go,” he said.

THE END