The Awakened Book Two (23 page)

Kael sat down and rested, feeling a strange connection to this man, drawn to him and yet wary at the same time. He continued to watch for a few minutes longer and then began to feel uncomfortable, like he was listening in on someone else’s conversation. The man never acknowledged Kael’s presence, but Kael knew that he was intruding.

The following morning, Kael rose before the sun and made his way to the stern of the ship. The roof of the aft cabin was level and sturdy. Here he stood, unsteadily with the rocking of the waves and his splinted leg. He was no longer concerned with keeping his exercises private; the crew was used to the sight of the dark-haired man and all but ignored him.

Still unsure of the man’s name, Kael tried to clear his mind and concentrate only on his own movements. Though the soreness was gone, he still had limited movement due to the splint on his leg. Nevertheless, he attempted the exercises that he had developed over the years at the monastery. Of course, he still remembered what Ukiru had taught them, for they all performed those exercises each morning. But alone in his room, he had developed his own in accordance with his own style of fighting. On rare occasions, he had allowed his methods to show during their afternoon training, much to the disappointment of their teacher. After being severely reprimanded, Kael had learned to pretend that such things didn’t exist. Only after he had regained Ukiru’s trust, did he take up his own methods once again, and only then in secret.

Other than the few rebellious occasions during combat training, Kael had no experience to prove the effectiveness of his methods. But the exercises he developed just seemed more natural. During periods of free time, he used to spend hours in the hot spring pool near the stables, practicing the movements. Submerged in water, he learned to feel how the water reacted, and compared his methods to those of Ukiru.

A yell broke his concentration. It was the dark-haired man who had climbed to the roof without detection. He barked another harsh phrase in his native tongue and took a few steps toward Kael. He was much younger than Kael first thought, close to his own age.

“
You’re interrupting,” Kael replied.

The man looked stunned. “What are you doing?”

“
I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

He took a few more steps toward Kael, growing more irate. “Who taught you to do that?”

“
I taught myself,” Kael replied simply. He was aware that this man expected fear as a reaction, but Kael wasn’t the least bit intimidated.

“
Liar,” the man replied. “The ways of my people are sacred and forbidden to outsiders.”

“
These aren’t the ways of your people.”

“
Because you have desecrated them, and made them into an abomination.”

“
If it bothers you, you should leave and give me the quiet respect that I have showed you these past days.”

He rushed toward Kael, clearly displeased with Kael’s responses.

Kael crouched in a defensive posture and brought his hands up, causing the man to stop and reconsider.

Then his leg shot up toward Kael’s face with a surprising speed. Kael dodged to the side and caught the man’s leg, using the momentum to pull him off balance. But Kael’s own movements were stiff and limited because of the splint. As a result, they both fell to the roof. Kael rolled to his feet and spun around to face the man who was already on his feet and ready for another attack.

Kael waited, and waited. But nothing happened. The man backed up and stood from his crouching position. “Heal yourself. When you are well we will test our skills again.”

“…
no need,” Kael replied. “I’m well enough to defeat you now!”

The man shook his head. “There is no honor in this. I will give you time.” And with this statement, he turned and left.

“How long did it take you to heal?” Dacien asked, thoroughly intrigued with Kael’s story.

“Another month or so.”

“Then what happened?”

“I defeated him and gained his respect. After that we became the best of friends.”

Dacien shook his head. “No, no, no! You can’t just skip through it. What happened?” he repeated.

Captain Gryllus was not happy about the situation and the potential of having two injured crew members, but knew the importance of honor and respect among men. He finally gave in to their desire for confrontation one evening when sailing through shallow waters. He anchored the ship at sunset and excused the crew from their duties.

There was a buzz of tension about the boat. The rest of the crew wondered how crazy the new kid must be to face the resident warrior, who commanded everyone’s respect. Kael understood what was happening. The pack leader, if they could be compared to animals, was threatened and responded with aggression. At the monastery, it was Soren, and he had never challenged that authority. But this felt different. He wasn’t at the monastery anymore; he was free. And he had promised himself, while swimming through miles of ocean, that he would never again allow himself to be dominated. His days of submission had passed. It wasn’t that he wanted to be the pack leader, nor did he want to be a follower. He just wanted to be left alone. And shrinking from a fight was no way to mark your territory.

As the sun slipped below the horizon, the crew lit torches and gathered at a recently cleared section of the cargo deck, forming a loose circle around Kael and his opponent. The short man had refused to give his name. Now the two warriors stretched themselves, stripped down to just lightweight pants rolled at mid-calf. The Captain joined the crew as well, concerned for the safety of his men.

Kael, ready and willing, made eye contact with his opponent and gave him a nod. The man nodded back and the two turned to face each other.

The crew immediately went silent. The warm summer air was cooled slightly by a breeze. The crackle of torch flames and water lapping at the hull were the only sounds. Kael widened his stance and heard the sound of the deck creak beneath his feet.

His opponent jumped into action, throwing a front roundhouse kick followed immediately by a spinning back kick toward Kael’s midsection. Kael retreated, blocking the kicks with his forearms. The man continued to advance with a variety of kicking attacks that covered the distance between them. Kael parried the attacks, keeping his opponent at a safe distance, studying his style and looking for an opportunity. But his technique was flawless. No over-extensions. No loss of balance. This man was truly an artist.

More kicks, followed by more blocks. Then Kael realized the man hadn’t yet used his hands. Was it because they hadn’t been close enough, or was it that his opponent was weak in this area and was purposely keeping Kael a kicking range? Kael assumed the latter, knowing that it would be painful if he was wrong.

The man spun a back kick and Kael rushed in, slipping inside the range of the kick, which glanced harmlessly off his hip. Driving his fist into the man’s kidney, Kael quickly followed with an upward elbow to the face.

The man’s head snapped backward with a spray of blood erupting from his nose, the blow knocking him back a few steps. Kael advanced to close the distance and take advantage of the situation. But a low kick to his bad leg cut his balance out from under him, followed by a quick jab that rattled his jaw.

Kael dropped to the deck and rolled to the side. The sound of advancing footsteps told him what his eyes couldn’t. As soon as his feet came in contact with the deck, he pushed off and spun around with a kick to the ankles, but there was nothing to impact.

The man leapt over the kick and came down with an incredible force, driving his knuckles into Kael’s face. Kael took the hit and pushed himself upward, burying his shoulder into the man’s chest. He picked his opponent off the ground and slammed him to the deck, buying himself some time and distance.

The crew was amazed at the demonstration, never having witnessed such equally matched skill in all their lives.

Kael felt his awareness heighten and knew that his opponent’s end was near.

The man was back on his feet with a look of determination in his eyes. He advanced quickly with a front kick.

Kael blocked the kick with his foot, then followed with a high snap-kick to the face. Just as his foot fell back to the deck, he followed with the opposite, landing a kick to the stomach. As the man doubled up, Kael followed with an upper cut to the face that sent him sprawling to his back.

“
That’s enough,” yelled the Captain, stepping in between the men.

Kael already knew that it was over, and stood still, heaving in large breaths.

His opponent rose to his feet and stood to face Kael. With a quick bow, he acknowledged his defeat and turned to leave.

“
Hey,” Kael called, pushing past the Captain. “I’m Caleb,” he said, extending his hand.

The man grasped Kael’s hand in a firm hold and shook it. “My name is Matsuri, and I am honored to meet you.”

Chapter 16

Maeryn hadn’t felt this happy in many years. She wasn’t running from anything, or keeping any secrets. But most of all, she was safe. It was a feeling that she thought would never return. Once in her life, with Adair, she knew what it was like to be cared for and protected. And then there was Lemus. Ever since then, she had been trying to survive in one way or another.

Now she found herself sitting in the sunshine, her hands dirty with the rich, dark soil of the
Orud
foothills. All around her were flowers of every color and shape imaginable. Her new benefactor hadn’t lied when he described them. Not just flowers, but trees and shrubs as well.

After inspecting and cataloguing what had been given to her, she asked the head servant where the garden was to be planted.

“My lord has given you free reign. You may choose the location.”

Maeryn couldn’t contain her smile. She began immediately to plan the arrangement and quickly determined the locations for the trees and shrubs at various points around the mansion. She saved just a few for the garden itself, but only to provide contrast to the flowers that would be the primary focus. After marking their locations in the dirt, the servants set to work digging holes.

By midmorning, she had outlined the structure of her flower garden between the vineyard and the cliffs leading to the ocean. The servants had already begun to unwrap the burlap from the root balls of each tree and had started to plant them in their respective holes.

Aelia had just completed organizing the flowers by type and color, when the head servant brought their morning tea.

“Would you care to take a break?”

“Of course,” Maeryn replied.

Aelia ran over and accepted a steaming cup. “Thank you,” she offered.

The man simply nodded and turned back toward the house.

As Maeryn sipped her tea, she marveled at how quickly things had changed from constant dread to happy simplicity. If she was tired, she could go to her room and nap. If she felt bored, she could take a walk in the vineyard or ride into the city. She could do whatever she wanted, but right now, she was focused. She put her arm around Aelia and gave her a quick squeeze, then set down her cup, ready to begin planting.

* * * *

The higher elevations of the
Anod-Kem
Mountains were damp with melting snow. This, combined with the rocky terrain, made for slow passage. For several days, Kael and Dacien were forced to separate, the entire column riding single file through dense forests and over wide-spread rock slides where the ground shifted beneath them.

When they began to descend from the heights, their progress quickened and, once again, Kael joined Dacien at the head of the group. Kael’s story-telling helped to pass the time and so, almost immediately, Dacien asked him to continue.

“Well,” he began. “As I mentioned, Matsuri and I became close friends. We would rise early and perform our morning exercises together, though each in our own way. It was difficult for him at first, but eventually he came to accept it. The Captain was pleased to have two warriors aboard his ship; it gave him a certain confidence that helped immensely in his trading affairs. He had an extensive trading route that stretched across the northern edge of the Empire and west to the islands, then north and east through the various port cities of other countries. Finally, he would end up back in
Orlek
in the northeastern territory. The whole circle took two years; I stayed with him for almost three cycles.

“
Caleb,” Matsuri confessed. “I will be leaving soon.”

Kael wrinkled his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”