The Undead Hordes of Kan-Gul (13 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY

Ran led the way into the small cave, helping Neviah carry Kancho in next. Jysal came after, followed by Malkyr.

“This is what we left the outside world for?” Malkyr’s voice came out of the darkness.

“You could always go back,” said Neviah.

Malkyr replied. “I’m the only one here speaking the truth about our situation. The rest of you are choosing to believe in some fantasy escape that will never happen.”

Ran shrugged mostly to himself, since they couldn’t see each other in the blackness of the cave. “So, if that’s true, you should be all the more willing to step back outside and take your chances with those beasts. I’m sure they’ll be very open to discussing things with you right before they devour you.”

Neviah said. “I need a light if I’m to help Kancho.”

“I’ll get a fire started,” said Ran. He managed to find a bit of dry wood by the entrance where some starlight filtered in. He removed a handful of lining from inside his tunic and rubbed it until the small strands came apart and produced a fluffier mixture. Then he found a small stone and struck the end of his sword pommel against it, producing a spark that he aimed into the fluffy bundle. It caught, and Ran held it under the dry wood until it started to smoke and then burst into flame.

Malkyr coughed. “Wonderful. Now we’ll all die from breathing smoke. Brilliant.”

Ran eyed him. “I’m almost ready to suggest that Neviah kill you so we can be done with listening to your incessant complaints. Kindly shut your mouth.”

“Or leave,” said Jysal. “We would welcome the peace.”

“Maybe I should leave,” said Malkyr. “But you’d soon miss me.”

“I doubt that very much,” said Ran. “But you’re welcome to test that theory.” He walked over to where Neviah was still bent over Kancho and held out a flaming bit of wood. The flames cast dancing shadows all along the walls of the cave. “How is he?”

“Still unconscious,” said Neviah. “Which, given the quality of conversation, might just be something of a blessing.”

Ran grinned in spite of their situation. He liked Neviah and her sense of duty. She had a keen sense of humor as well. He peered closer and saw the blackened edges around Kancho’s wound. “What is the cause of that?”

Neviah shook her head. “I don’t know. It looks like infection has already set in.”

“But he was only wounded a few minutes ago. It can’t be infected already, can it?”

“I’m at a loss,” said Neviah. “I’ve never seen infection set in this quickly. I can try to treat it with some of my herbs, but there’s no guarantee that any of it will work. It might all be for nothing.”

“Do your best,” said Ran. “That’s all Kancho would ever ask of you.”

“All right.”

Ran left her to it and moved closer to Malkyr. “You and I are going to have a talk. And it goes like this: shut up.”

“I don’t take orders from the likes of you,” said Malkyr. “You’re too young to give me commands.”

“Would you prefer to fight me over it?”

Malkyr frowned. “Time was, I would have gladly beaten the snot out of you. I knew how to fight, growing up on the docks the way I did.”

“Time was you were a lot younger,” said Ran. “Time is you’re nothing but an overinflated blowhard. And you’d be out of your depth trying to take me. There are two paths before you: One is that you keep yammering on and eventually one of us gets so exhausted by your countless outbursts that we shut you up. Permanently. The other is that you keep quiet and do what we tell you to do. Hopefully we all get out of this mess alive.”

“Or I could leave,” said Malkyr.

“You could leave,” said Ran. He gestured to the opening of the cave. “And you’re welcome to do so.”

Malkyr eyed him and then took a few steps toward the opening. As he did so, there erupted a ear-piercing shriek from outside and then a thunderous explosion as something slammed into the side of the hill they were in. All around them, rocks tumbled loose from the cave ceiling and crashed down. A huge cloud of dust issued up from the floor of the cave, and they all coughed violently.

When the dust cleared, the entrance to the cave was blocked by boulders and debris.

Malkyr looked at it and sighed. “Apparently, I’ll be staying a little while longer.”

Neviah shook her head. “Proof the gods hate us all.”

Malkyr gestured at the entrance. “Now what? We can’t very well go back outside.”

Ran eyed the small fire he’d built. The flames continued to lick at the dry wood, burning brightly and illuminating the entire cave. But they weren’t coughing from smoke. It was going someplace else. There had to be a way for it to escape or they would have noticed it filling the cavern by now.

Ran moved around the cave, exploring each and every nook and cranny. It took him twice around before he found it. He looked back at the others. “There’s a tunnel leading out of here.”

Malkyr hobbled over. “Is it big enough for all of us?”

“No idea,” said Ran. “I only just found it.”

“Well, perhaps I can be of service, after all,” said Malkyr. “If you’ll set me up with a torch, I’ll go explore it.”

Ran eyed him. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“You have a better one? You’re going to be needed here to help tend Kancho and keep Jysal safe. Neviah needs your help more than she needs mine.”

“Let him go, Ran,” said Neviah. “Please.”

Malkyr grinned. “There, you see? Give me a torch of some sort, and I’ll be off. Once I’ve found my way down the tunnel, I’ll come back and let you know if there’s a way out.”

“What do you know about exploring tunnels?”

Malkyr smiled. “I’m a ship’s captain, boy. Not all of my voyages have been to carry passengers. I’ve done a bit of smuggling over the years, and I know my way around a tunnel.”

Ran nodded. “Fair enough.” He fashioned a torch out of some of the wood and few strips of Kancho’s tunic. “Here, but there’s no guarantee this will burn for all that long. I recommend you don’t waste any time.”

“I could use an extra weapon,” said Malkyr.

Neviah came over and handed him a dagger. “I want it back.”

Malkyr hefted the blade and nodded. “Hopefully I won’t even need it. But good to have just in case.” He bowed once. “See you all soon.” And then he stuck his head into the tunnel and squeezed himself through.

Ran watched the flickering light from the torch dance around the tunnel and then vanish abruptly. He turned to Neviah. “Well, it’s certainly going to be a lot more peaceful around here.”

“One can hope,” said Neviah.

A groan from behind her brought them racing over to Kancho who was seemingly awake now. Neviah looked into his eyes and frowned. “Can you hear me, Kancho?”

In response, Kancho retched once and then wiped his mouth on the back of his sleeve. “What the blazes attacked me? My shoulder and arm feel like they were dropped in a forge.”

“We’re not sure,” said Ran. “It might have been a dragon of some sort.”

Kancho frowned. “That’s not good. I feel feverish. Is it infected already?”

Neviah nodded. “No sense lying to you. The wound looks terrible. I don’t know if it’s some sort of poison or if there was muck in the claws that ravaged your shoulder. Either way, you’ve got to get some medicine into you or it won’t be good.”

“You mean I’ll die.”

“Probably,” said Neviah.

Kancho grunted. “This isn’t the way I saw my end.” He smiled at Ran. “You know what I mean.”

“Of course. All warriors desire to die in battle. Better to go out with your hands around a sword then curled up in a bed somewhere longing for the time of old.”

Kancho grunted again and waved Ran over. “You need to help me get better. I can’t die here. Not with my daughter still missing. I promised my wife I would find her. And injury or no, I need to get out of this place and rescue her. You told me you’d help me do that.”

“I did,” said Ran. “But this is a bit beyond my skill.”

Kancho shook his head. “I think there’s more to you than meets the eye, Ran. As Murai, you know that I am duty-bound to our code of conduct. Some things are not possible for me that are for you. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”

Ran frowned. He’d never doubted that Kancho might be able to work out his true identity, especially after picking the lock and scouting the castle. But it still shamed and angered him to have anyone know he was a shadow warrior. Members of the Nine Daggers never exposed themselves. In dealing with Kan-Gul, there hadn’t been much of a choice. But what Kancho was now asking him to do was something he’d never attempted.

“I don’t know if it will help.”

Kancho laid a hand on Ran’s arm. “I don’t care what tradition you come from. You’re an honorable man, and it’s been my pleasure to fight by your side. Do me this one favor, and we will never again speak of who we are or what we might be.”

Ran took a breath. “Very well. But I have never attempted this before. And if it fails, then it may well hasten your death.”

Kancho smiled. “I do not fear death, Ran. I fear dying before I have had the opportunity to rescue my daughter and see justice served on those who took her away from me.”

“I understand.”

“Then do it,” said Kancho. “Time grows short.”

Ran looked up at Neviah and Jysal. “Help me lay him down on the ground.”

Neviah looked at him. “What are you going to do?”

“What he has asked of me. But do not question me further. I won’t talk about it.”

Neviah and Jysal guided Kancho over to an area of the cave with the fewest bits of rock. The older warrior coughed as they settled him down on his back. He looked up at Ran one last time.

“I trust you.”

Ran nodded. “Close your eyes.”

Kancho did as he was told, and Ran waved Neviah and Jysal back. “I need some room now.”

Both women moved away. Ran looked around him. The fire continued to burn, and its minimal heat cast a bit of warmth around the cave. Ran fixed his gaze on the dancing flames and allowed his breathing to relax and deepen. He slowly started a series of breaths, carefully timing his inhalations and exhalations until they were one seamless cycle that rose up and then fell in rhythmic focus.

Ran closed his eyes and let his focus drop to the point just below his navel. There he focused his attention, willing the energy that flowed in him to pool and circulate like a glowing orb. After several minutes, Ran sent the energy coursing into his hands, feeling the heat envelop them until they felt like they were being pricked with a million needles.

In his mind’s eye, Ran saw Kancho’s body before him, and he set his hands over the older warrior’s still form. His hands rested a few inches above the wound to Kancho’s shoulder. From there, Ran directed his energy into the wound. Ran saw energy spilling out of his hands and into the wound, filling it with a brilliant white energy the way he’d been taught back in Gakur.

Healing was an essential part of his training as a Shinobujin, but while he’d done it a number of times in practice, Ran had never used it on a mortal wound before. Certainly nobody from his clan went around advertising the fact that they could perform such a thing.

But Kancho had known about it.

Ran found himself wondering just what else Kancho might know about the Shinobujin.

He kept his focus on the wound and continued to pour more energy into it, willing the energy to drive away the infection and heal properly. For the next thirty minutes, Ran worked over Kancho until, at last, his hands felt cold and clammy. There was no more energy left to give to Kancho’s wound.

Ran opened his eyes and saw that both Neviah and Jysal were sound asleep. No wonder, the cave was warm and the flames of the fire had dwindled. As tired as Ran was, he got to his feet, found the last few pieces of wood near the blocked entrance, and added them to the fire. The embers licked at the fresh fuel and flared back to life. Ran held his cold hands in front of the flames and tried to will some semblance of warmth back into them. If he’d had food and drink, he could have replenished his energy. But they had nothing. And until such time as they did, Ran would no doubt be at less capacity than he would be otherwise.

He couldn’t let Kancho die, though. And as much as he worried the healing wouldn’t help, he’d had to try. For Kancho to even ask Ran for such a favor was not something an ordinary Murai would normally do.

He leaned away from the fire and rested his back on the cave wall. It was difficult to tell how much time had passed. Malkyr had been gone for ages now. Surely he should have been back. Ran frowned. Perhaps the captain had found his own way out and was content to leave the rest of them behind.

His eyes drooped, and he realized he was exhausted. A few minutes of sleep would be the best thing. At the very least, they were safe from the outside world. And there seemed no way for Kan-Gul or his minions to reach them right now.

“Will he live?”

Ran opened his eyes to see Jysal kneeling beside him. He smiled. “I don’t really know. Only time will tell if I was successful or not.”

Jysal rested her head on his shoulder. “It would appear that I’m not the only one here capable of magic.”

Ran smirked. “There’s no real magic in what I just did. All people have the skill to do it. It’s merely a matter of recalling it. Dusting it off and being able to learn to use it again. That’s all.”

“What people don’t know they possess looks like magic to their untrained eyes. You have done more for Kancho than any of us could have done.”

“Maybe,” said Ran. “Let’s just hope that it’s enough to stave off the infection.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Ran slept. When he awoke, Kancho was still unconscious. But that was to be expected. Properly healing him would mean that his body would be as inactive as possible while, hopefully, the energy cleaned his wounds. Only time would tell if Ran had been successful or not.

When he awoke, he found Neviah and Jysal deep in whispered conversation on the far side of the cave. Clearly they were trying to avoid making much noise and Ran appreciated that. Both he and Kancho needed the rest.

Ran stretched and felt some measure of strength returning to his body. He hadn’t eaten in nearly a day, and his reserves had been pretty much exhausted by the attempted healing of Kancho. Still, he at least felt as though he had been able to manage some rest, and he yawned in spite of himself. Getting to his feet, he wandered over to Neviah and Jysal.

“Any sign of Malkyr?”

Neviah shook her head. “Not a one. Knowing that opportunist, he’s probably found a way home and left the rest of us here to fend for ourselves. I swear if I ever lay eyes on that creature again, I won’t hesitate to kill him.”

“We don’t know that he’s left us here,” said Ran. “For all we know, he could be finding out what is in the tunnel and possibly even bringing us back food and water. Or worse, he could’ve been killed or captured. I’m certainly not ready to say he’s left us on our own just yet.”

Jysal smiled at him. “Do you truly believe that Malkyr is going to bring us back food and water?”

“Probably not,” Ran admitted. “But we don’t have any proof he’s doing otherwise.”

“He hasn’t returned yet,” said Neviah. “For me, that’s a fairly strong indication that we are going to be on our own. And without Kancho, we’re effectively down to three.”

Jysal pointed at Kancho’s body. “How long will it take before you know if you were successful?”

Ran shook his head. “As I said, I’ve never done this before on someone as severely wounded as Kancho. It might take a day; it might only take a few hours.”

“It’s already been several hours,” said Neviah. “You slept for about four if I judged the time correctly.”

Ran frowned. “I was asleep for that long?”

“Yes.”

He sighed. Clearly his strength had been taxed to the extreme in leading the party on its escape from Kan-Gul and then attempting a healing on top of that. Ordinarily, the best course for regaining his strength would have involved a huge meal, plenty to drink, and then about twelve hours of uninterrupted rest. Ran smirked. He wasn’t getting any of those today.

“Jysal and I were discussing the possibility of discovery by Kan-Gul.” Neviah pointed at the cave entrance. “I’m guessing it won’t take him very long to track us down. Even with the rocks in front of the cave, those undead creatures of his could get through. And if they trap us inside, we’re all as good as dead.”

“So, what you’re saying is . . .”

“We can’t stay here,” finished Neviah. “It was fine for a few hours, but we’d be pushing our luck imagining we can hide out here indefinitely. Jysal has already sensed a roving presence outside of the cave.”

“The dragons? If that’s what they were . . . ” Ran shrugged. “Maybe they’re keeping watch over the cave.”

“I’m not sure what it is,” said Jysal. “But it’s getting stronger. That makes me think that Kan-Gul may well be close to arriving here. I have no idea what the limits of his power are, but it is certainly not beyond the realm of possibility for him to be able to manifest himself inside the cave with a band of Chekhal.”

“We’d have no chance if that happened,” said Neviah.

Ran frowned. He didn’t want to leave the cave if at all possible. Not with Kancho’s body in such a vulnerable position. “He needs more time.”

“We may not have that time,” said Neviah. “And since Malkyr hasn’t seen fit to return as yet, we have to assume he’s gone. One way or the other, we need to keep moving. It’s the only way to stay ahead of Kan-Gul and hopefully get out of here.”

Ran moved over to Kancho’s body and laid a hand on his brow. He was still feverish, but less so. That was a good sign. Ran dearly wished the older warrior would wake up and show no ill effects from his injuries. But that seemed unlikely, at least right now.

“How are we going to move him?”

Neviah shrugged. “That’s what we were discussing when you woke up. There’s no easy way to do it. You and I can manage to some extent if Jysal wants to lead the way.”

Ran cocked an eyebrow. “The tunnel isn’t all that big. I don’t know if it would even accommodate us trying to get Kancho’s body through the opening.”

“Well, we certainly can’t leave him here,” said Neviah. “If Kan-Gul breaks in and finds Kancho’s body—”

“I’m not suggesting we leave him,” said Ran. “If that were the case, we would have been better off letting him die.” He glanced around. “Ordinarily, if we had access to the outside, I could fashion a litter from some saplings to haul his body around on.”

“We seem to be a bit short on saplings right now, Ran,” said Neviah. “And I don’t see anything we could use as a substitute. It’s down to you and me hauling him through. Jysal can spell us if either one of us gets too tired to continue. The important thing is we keep moving. I dislike the feeling of being trapped like a rabbit while the fox waits outside my den.”

“Agreed,” said Ran. He glanced at Jysal. “Are you comfortable with this plan?”

“I wish I was a bit stronger so I could help you,” said Jysal. “But I will help any way I can.”

Ran nodded and looked at Neviah. “How long?”

“The sooner the better. There’s no telling how quickly Kan-Gul can get here and penetrate the cave. It could only take him seconds if he’s as powerful as he’s tried to make us believe he is.”

Ran pointed at Kancho. “We’ll need to move slowly with him. His body’s extremely vulnerable right now. If he takes any more injuries, it may be beyond my skill to help him.”

Neviah frowned. “I’ve never seen healing like what you attempted there. My skill is in herbs and potions. But it’s obviously had some effect on Kancho. When you first fell asleep, his body twitched a number of times while the fever took hold. But he gradually seemed to relax and stayed still. Had I not checked on him regularly, I would have thought he was dead. As it is, he only breathes a few times each minute.”

“That’s normal,” said Ran. “He’s in a relaxed state, so his body requires less breath. The energy I poured into him will hopefully deal with whatever toxin is inside him. I’m hopeful he will awaken soon.”

“That would be convenient,” said Neviah. “But we cannot wait and hope it will happen.”

Ran looked at the slowly dying fire and gathered up a few of the pieces of wood. He handed these to Jysal. “This is about as much as we have left for some sort of torch.”

Jysal took the wood and smiled. “I’ll be able to see regardless of the torch. Just make sure nothing happens to Kancho.”

Ran eyed Neviah, but she was already busy positioning herself behind Kancho. “I’ll get his arms if you can manage his legs.”

Ran picked up Kancho’s sword and laid it across the man’s chest. There was nothing worse for a Murai than losing his sword. Undoubtedly, it would also prove a source of strength when Kancho reawakened. Its mere presence might infuse him with a bit of energy.

Ran handed his sword to Jysal. “You’ll need to hold this for me. It will only get in my way while I carry Kancho.”

“I will see no harm comes to it while it is in my care.” Jysal tucked Ran’s sword under her arm and moved toward the tunnel opening.

Ran positioned himself at the front of Kancho’s body and then squatted down, his back to Kancho’s torso, hooking his arms under the older warrior’s legs. He glanced back at Neviah. “Ready?”

“On three,” said Neviah. And then they lifted together.

Ran grunted. Kancho was significantly heavier than he’d imagined. Behind him, he heard Neviah take a quick breath.

“How much does he eat? I thought he would be lighter.”

“I thought the same,” said Ran. “Let’s keep moving. We’ve got a ways to go before we can rest.”

They moved toward the tunnel opening. Ran looked at it and turned to Neviah. “Let me go in first and then we’ll ease him through. Then you come in and we’ll resume our carry.”

“Very well.”

Jysal was already into the tunnel. The torch she held flickered and sent shadows sprawling across the tubelike cavern. Ran took a quick look around, trying to see how far it went on for. As far as he could tell, the tunnel snaked around and continued for some distance. Perhaps Malkyr hadn’t abandoned them after all. If the tunnel was truly as long as it seemed, it might go through the entire mountain. Malkyr could still be walking.

Ran reached back into the cave and got a hold of Kancho’s feet. Neviah fed Kancho’s body through bit by bit until the older warrior was completely in the tunnel. He still showed no signs of waking up.
Good
, thought Ran.
If he continues to rest, that will bode well for his healing.

Neviah entered the tunnel and looked around. “It’s more roomy than I thought it would be.”

“Lucky for us,” said Ran. “I didn’t fancy the notion of carrying Kancho in a cramped environment. We might be able to handle this, after all.”

Jysal took the lead as they slowly worked their way through the tunnel. Ran’s eyes constantly roved over the ground, trying to pick out any holes or stray rocks that would cause him or Neviah to tumble and drop Kancho’s body. As they walked, he called out obstacles to Neviah, who maneuvered around them.

The tunnel, hewn out of rock perhaps by some long-forgotten spring, seemed to meander forever. It reminded Ran of how the water in a stream would simply take the path of least resistance and flow over and around everything. Ran supposed that was good. If the tunnel itself was unpredictable, their eventual destination would also be unpredictable. And perhaps even the mighty Kan-Gul would not know where they would end up.

Jysal led them around an outcropping of jagged rocks that looked able to tear open flesh with ease. Ran struggled to keep from dropping Kancho’s legs as they made their way past it. Neviah grunted once and managed to keep her end up as well.

The deeper they got into the tunnel, the warmer it became. Ran was grateful it wasn’t as cold as it had been in the cave entrance. He felt a line of sweat break out along his brow and nodded to himself. He wasn’t dehydrated yet if he was able to sweat. But he also recognized the fact that it had been nearly a day without anything much to drink. If they kept up this pace and didn’t find a ready source of sustenance or drink, Kan-Gul and his undead minions would be the least of their worries. Best not mention it to Jysal and Neviah. It’d only make them more aware of their own thirst.

Jysal stopped then. “I hear something.”

Ran glanced at Neviah. “Let’s put him down. If it’s a threat, we need to be able to deal with it without being encumbered.”

They lowered Kancho’s body to the ground, and Ran took his sword back from Jysal. “Where did you hear it?”

“Somewhere up ahead,” said Jysal quietly. “I wasn’t sure if it was artificial or part of the tunnel itself.”

“Stay here,” said Ran. He moved out from where he had been squatting and maneuvered his way deeper into the tunnel. He didn’t bother looking behind him, because he knew Neviah would be there to handle anything if Jysal had been mistaken and the noise was behind them. Ran had been in enough tight environments to know that sound could play with your senses.

He kept his jaw slack as he moved, opening his ear canals for the slightest noise to be picked up. Could it be Malkyr farther up ahead? Had they managed to catch up with him already? That didn’t make any sense. Malkyr had been gone for hours. And they’d only been in the tunnel for perhaps twenty minutes.

Unless it was Malkyr returning.

Or someone else? Or something else?

Ran eased the first inch of his sword free of its scabbard, ready to spring into action the moment he sensed danger. He carefully picked his feet up and put them down again without making any noise. There were plenty of loose rocks on the tunnel floor that would skitter and echo deeper into the tunnel if he wasn’t careful.

Then, ahead of him, he saw a large boulder off to one side of the tunnel. The rock looked strange, as if it had been dropped there by some unseen hand ages ago. But Ran appreciated its presence: it made for a great bit of concealment.

And now he heard the noise, too.

Slowly, aware that fast movement often draws attention, Ran lowered himself to the floor and stuck his head around the side of the rock to see what was making the noise.