Chapter 27 - What We Believe In

Linda released her embrace on Ekyt. She didn’t know WHAT, but she saw something inside his darkened hazel eyes that was comforting, though unnerving by the same token. She drew back slowly, feeling a little unsteady. That rock had hurt, and being unconscious wasn’t fun either. “This is happening too often.” She said suddenly. “What do you mean?” Ekyt asked, not sure to what she was referencing. “These attacks…injuries…just because we CAN fight, doesn’t mean we SHOULD!” she protested. “We’re…well, you’re often given little choice in the matter.” Ekyt said calmly. THAT’S what Linda had seen.

Ekyt continued. “I’ve lost my nerve…not my will or soul. Not yet. But that’s next. I can feel it.” He said this all in a calm, cold voice. “And you’re not scared?” Linda couldn’t help asking. “I’m terrified. But there’s not much choice in the matter. If I only have so much time to make the difference I need…” “You’re not going anywhere!” Linda told him. “Not physically.” He answered, this time his voice showing some passion. “But what’s going to happen when I lose the will to fight, or even worse, the soul that keeps what passion I have left burning? I’ve got to” Linda darted behind him, grabbing an arm, forcing him backwards. Ekyt couldn’t believe it.

“You had better say “I’ve got to fix this.” If you were suggesting giving up…” She let him back up. “YOU might not have the will, but I do. And YOU have the strength. We’re going to fix this. Fix YOU.” “I can’t ask that of you or anyone else.” “You didn’t. I SAID it.” She told him, giving him a mock-dirty look. “I know better than to try to defy you.” He muttered, smiling slightly. “Good boy. Now, let’s”

Her words were cut off by the sound of whizzing shuriken. The two leapt in opposite directions. Ekyt threw a knife himself in the general direction of the shots. Three answered his. He leapt to a tree, and threw one more. He ducked aside just in time as another knife answered his, scraping the bark on the tree. Ekyt saw his attacker, and could pick out the writing on his jacket. “Sho-Bu e yuku? Winning and losing people? THAT’S too much of a coincidence to ignore… I should be able to pick out their style…give Linda a chance…” He darted out from behind the tree, dodging to the side, sending a knife flying at the right time. As the attacker leapt aside to dodge it, Ekyt’s right leg flashed out in a kakato geri (Heel push kick), thrusting the attacker backward into a tree. Ekyt’s next instinct was to knock him out, but suppressed that in favor of his second instinct. Gather information…

Linda leapt down from a tree, watching Ekyt hold the struggling student up. “Let’s just see what rank you are…” Ekyt yanked the jacket up. “Brown? A student? Why would you try to attack us?” Ekyt knew the silent treatment would follow. It did. “Okay, let’s get a look at you.” Ekyt pulled off the bandages over the student’s face. “Thirteen years old, at most.” Ekyt reported. “Fourteen dipshoot.” Ekyt raised his eyebrows. “Oh, you’re talking now. Good. Then you can tell me what I want to hear.” The eerie calmness in his voice scared Linda. “If you have enough energy to make stupid remarks, you can answer my questions then, can’t you?” “Good. Let’s start with this: Who sent you?”

Ekyt: Who sent you?
Student: …
Ekyt: Don’t make this harder…I’m not a nasty person at heart…
Student: …
Ekyt: (moves closer) I want to know who sent you. Don’t make me ruin you…
Student: No one. I’m acting of my own will! You killed my sensei!
Ekyt: Your sensei…Carl James?
Student: (nods)
Ekyt: Linda…he needs to know what REALLY happened.

Linda understood what Ekyt was doing. He helped the boy up. “I’m sorry I got a little rough. Join us for some food, please. You need to know what REALLY happened. If you still hate me, then we can fight at the end.” Ekyt told him.

They sat in a circle around the fire. Ekyt wasn’t much of a cook, or much of an eater, but by God, Linda could cook! He HATED dumplings, and he was scarfing them down. Coming from a kid who ate one meal a day, that was huge! He let Linda do the talking. If he had been in the kid’s position, he wouldn’t have been too receptive to a story from the guy who just trounced him.

“And that’s what really happened. He killed himself after we defeated him. His son left us as a friend.” Linda said gently. The kid, who they found out was named Ginn Ota-yuji, nodded with rapt attention. TOO rapt for Ekyt’s liking. If Linda seemed dubious, she wasn’t showing it. “Then I am very sorry for my attack.” Ginn told them. “There will be more soon.” He said in a low voice. “We need to get away from here, quickly!” Ginn got up, apparently to suit actions to words. He pulled up short and put a knife to Linda’s throat. “One move and I’ll kill her!” Linda didn’t look scared, but Ekyt could read her, the same as she could read him.

“Alright. You’ve got us. Now what are you going to do?” Ekyt’s cold, toneless voice asked Ginn. Several men jumped out of the bushes. All black belts. “That.” Ginn told him, laughing. “Suddenly, several small needles hit Ekyt on his shoulder. He looked back to see venom seeping into his skin. “It’s not poison…you’ve simply been branded.” Ginn told him. “And the brown belt…the age…a disguise. One you fell for readily.” Ekyt made no move. He hadn’t felt this angry since…that wasn’t important. What WAS important was the situation at hand.

“Tie the girl up. Full body bind. SHE’S the threat. Leave the boy to me.” His warriors, something between ninjas and samurai, leapt away. “You…come with me. My threat stands.” Ekyt followed, wondering why he had been allowed to keep his weapons. “You are…skilled. But unrefined.” “And you’re one to judge?” Ekyt said, hatching a plan. “Yes, I am. Your meaningless taunts are hardly worth the time…yours or mine. Especially since yours grows shorter every time you open your mouth.” “Instead of making threats, why don’t you tell me what you plan to do with her?” “She is now my property. Come.”

Linda didn’t resist as they tied her ankles, shins, just above her knees, arms at her waits, then another high around her chest, even binding her head to the huge. She saw Ginn and Ekyt walking over.

“You see…she’s my bride. And your death…that’s my wedding present.” He left Ekyt to stew, walking over to Linda. “And you, lovely…you will be my wife and slave…” he ran a hand down her front, then back to her hair. She moved her head away, but he grabbed her. “Time for our first kiss…”

Ekyt thought back…when had he been this angry? What brought his emotions out? Of course, it hit him. Being the sacrificial lamb for someone else’s bonehead mistake. He tied his self-worth to what he was doing. When that became nothing, in effect, so did Ekyt. All his emotions except hate died.

A year later, just as he had felt the pangs of first (and second) love, and the aching pain of first (and second) rejection, Ekyt lost his emotions again. Hate surged through him suddenly, and an intense adrenaline hit him. With a yell of rage, he barrled across the field, drawing two daggers and running, slashing at anything that came near him.

Ginn heard the commotion, but didn’t turn, since he knew his guards would handle it. He laughed cruelly at the helpless look in the girl’s eyes. He grabbed her chin and moved his head closer.

Ekyt slashed at two men flanking him, striking the forehead and upper leg of his enemies.

Ginn saw Linda’s eyes brighten. He turned just in time to see a foot flying at him. He dodged aside, noting that a knife had almost struck him.

Ekyt stood in front of Linda as Ginn picked the knife out of the ground. He felt Linda’s hand with his, stabbing a knife gently near her hand, then moving her wrist toward it, so she could saw the rope without being seen.

“Your mistake was thinking that I would stand by and let you hurt her…Understand that you’re dealing with someone who has nothing to lose…and nothing to be gained. EXCEPT for the knowledge that he took out a problem before his time was up.” his dialogue was peppered with hatred, nearly scaring Ginn. But Ginn’s experience took over.

“YOUR mistake was putting your life in front of the girl. NOW what do you do? If I throw at you, you die. If I throw at her, she dies.” “You aren’t listening.” Ekyt hardly spoke above a whisper. “When I said I’d die for this girl, I meant it. I’d DIE for this girl. Ask your henchmen. And ask yourself this: Now that you’ve kicked the tiger, woken it up, can you survive it’s bite?”

Linda sawed at the rope, hoping Ginn didn’t throw until she got free. Come on, come on, he shouldn’t have to save you! She cheered silently as the ropes broke. She grabbed the knife and cut herself free.

Ginn laughed. “How noble!” he threw the knife. Ekyt stared at it, flying toward him. Somehow, he felt calm. The knife sailed closer, aiming for between his eyes. A killing strike. He felt for his last weapon…

Linda moaned. She wasn’t free yet, and she knew Ekyt wouldn’t move. She said a silent prayer that the knife would somehow miss them both, or at least Ekyt.

Ekyt ducked low, cutting Linda’s ankles free, the last thing binding her to the rock. He got back up in time to watch the knife near his face.

Linda reached up and grabbed the knife out of the air. “NOW I’m going to kill you.” Linda told Ginn. Ginn smiled. “I think you won’t.” He zipped over to her, swiftly grabbing her by the hair. It had grown longer, halfway down her back. Ekyt stopped; They were so close! They couldn’t die now! Not here!

He watched Linda grin wickedly at Ginn, rotating her knife to a reverse-grip. “It won’t help you to stab me in the leg, you know.” Ginn said. “I know.” Linda told him. She grabbed his hand, the one that was holding her hair. She cut off what he was holding. “Now Ekyt!” she called.

Ekyt took aim quickly at got ready to throw his knife. “Gah!” he shouted suddenly, the knife flying aside. His shoulder was killing him. It was like someone had taken a lit torch to his skin. He fell to his knees, the pain running through him. Ginn laughed. “You like that? I’ve set it to burn you every ten minutes! Fool! That’s no tribal tattoo, I would NEVER disgrace my village by allowing their tattoo to reside on your body! It’s venom. And I just activated it’s remote sequence!” He turned to Linda. “You have a choice: Save him or kill me. And I know what you’ll pick…” He threw a smoke bomb down, disappearing. Linda ran over to Ekyt.

“AGGH!” Ekyt’s almost primal yell shocked Linda to the core. “Hang on Ekyt! This is going to hurt, please trust me!” She used her dagger to rip his shirt off, cutting off a strip. She put the knife below the surface of his skin, then she pried the tattoo up. Immediately, she noticed a change for the better in Ekyt. He was on his hands and knees, breathing heavily, but the yells had stopped. “You’re okay now. The poison didn’t have a chance to penetrate. You’ll be okay. I’m going to wrap your shoulder, okay? I won’t hurt you…” He nodded, still too hurt to answer.

She wound his torn shirt around his shoulder. She glanced at his chest and back inadvertently. She gasped at the nearly hundred cuts that criss-crossed his body. “My God…all those…were for me…” Ekyt shook his head. But Linda could read him. He wouldn’t own up to it, but they all HAD been for her. “Let’s just go a short distance, then we’ll rest. Can you walk?” she asked. He nodded. “Let’s go.” His voice was back, but only at a whisper.

They made it to a campsite Linda knew about. There was a long-abandoned tree stand, high up on an Elm tree. It was well hidden, the perfect place to hide out and plan. They had to go back to Soleanna, but not until Ekyt was healed somewhat. She needed his help. Unconciously, she felt her hair.

“It looks nice.” Ekyt’s voice came. He was standing up again, and talking, but different. “Thanks. All those cuts on you…they WERE for me, whatever you say, they were for me.” Ekyt nodded. He had his arms folded in front of his chest, leaning back. “Thanks for the save. When that poison hit me, I was just paralyzed…” She waved his thanks aside. “It’s no problem.” “Your hair really does look nice this way…but if I could…” He reached gently for her hair and, in the back, tied a torn part of his shirt around it. “A ponytail?” she said thoughtfully. He nodded. “Looks rebellious.” She said, admiring herself in the reflection of her knife. “What the hell, I’ll keep it.” “What do we do next?” Ekyt asked. “Wait, wait, your voice…it’s different.” Ekyt gave a narrow smile at that.

“My will…to live, to fight…it’s back.”

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