Silent Fall
Shadow Of A Doubt
"The demon mentioned Ar'Nakari?" Kayura questioned.
Ryo nodded from where he sat across the room from her. They had all assembled in Kayura's personal quarters and now Mia, Dais, Cale, Sekhmet, Kento, Cye, Sage, Rowen, and he were seated in a large circle on the floor of the room Kayura had claimed for her own after Talpa's defeat. The chamber that Talpa had kept her in held too many bad memories for her to stay any longer.
"What does it mean?" The leader of the Ronins asked.
"His full name is Talas Ar'Nakari and he was long thought to be Talpa's successor though he has remained inactive. If he is involved you have due reason to fear the worst."
"What's the story on this guy?" Kento demanded.
"We understand that if he has anything to do with Talpa he would be dangerous, but just what could he do that Talpa hasn't already tried?" Sage asked, ignoring Kento.
"The legends say that the Nether Realm and the Earth Realm are closest when there are simultaneous eclipses in both worlds. That is the one and only time it is possible to create a doorway bridging the realms. The time for the eclipse is drawing near and I fear Talas may be trying to create a doorway though for what reason I do not know." Kayura paused to allow the assembly to digest what she had told them.
"What are we supposed to do about that?" Rowen inquired.
"You must keep Talas from forming a doorway at all costs, even if it means you lay down your lives. You must not fail!"
The Ronins all exchanged glances as though making some unspoken agreement on a future plan.
"We'll do whatever it takes." Ryo spoke for all of them. He had seen it in his friends' eyes; all of them had families and people they loved that they would fight to protect. Their lives didn't matter as long as the people close to them were safe.
"Feije has undoubtedly returned those spheres to his Master. It is only a matter of time before he bends that power to his will and abuses it."
"How do we get to Talas?" Cye asked quietly.
"Your armors allow you to travel freely between realms having once come from one of the Nether Realms denizens." She motioned to the warlords sitting to her left. "They can show you on your way."
Satisfied, the Ronins rose and followed the warlords from the room, a twinge of uneasiness in their expressions.
Kayura and Mia rose as well, the Ancient taking her time to carefully gather her robes.
Mia stepped up to her.
"I really hope it doesn't come down to – that." She said, wringing her hands.
Kayura didn't need any help in figuring out what that was. The Ronins had had a profound impact on hers and everyone's lives, to lose them now….
"I know, but we need to have faith that they'll do what's needed of them and return safely. There's little we can do but hope."
Mia nodded once, shortly, sadly, and exited the room to leave Kayura alone with her thoughts. It was then that she remembered the tarot cards that still lie in their star pattern on the floor of her room.
Two cards remained unturned as Kayura glanced at the one that made up the right arm of the star. Without a moment's trepidation, she picked it up and placed it upright next to the Death card.
The Ancient had before been tempted to redeal the cards, as though with different cards she could somehow change the Ronin's futures, but never as much as she wished to now. The card lying before her had more than one name; it was known mostly as either the Nightmare card or the Devil card. A horned figure sat upon a throne of ebony, flanked on both sides by two red-haired servants chained to their Master's chair.
The Devil represented ravage, violence, and fatality. This didn't surprise Kayura for she had expected as much, though she wished she didn't have to face it.
This was all she needed to know and decided to leave the last card for future reference. She could only hope it was a more encouraging card than those prior to it.
The Nether Realm was like nothing the Ronins had ever seen before. There was absolutely nothing here as far as the eye could see, only the hard, cracked earth and an eerie gray sky. The overcast sky above them rippled, like water, its source hidden somewhere beyond the horizon.
The air was strangely still and the climate extremely cold.
"Where to now?"
"I'm not quite sure, Rowen." Ryo replied. His voice didn't carry; it merely hung in the dead air like his breath on a still, winter day.
"What's that?" Kento asked from behind Ryo. He turned around to find Kento pointing to what looked to be a spire thrusting above the horizon.
"That's where we start," He said after a quick glance around to find that the spire was the only thing to be seen.
They set out across the hard packed, desert-like terrain. Moving silently, it was impossible to tell how long they had been walking before they finally came across something.
It was an outcrop. A surprise as there had been no fluctuation in the flat ground until now. It overlooked a bluff and the source of the spire.
The spire topped a large tower that, in turn, made up part of an enormous fortress. It was massive, the stronghold, at least twice the size of Talpa's Dynasty and there was no sign of life except for the multiples of guards patrolling it.
"This must be it," Cye concluded.
Something like what Talas was supposedly doing was dangerous and warranted only the best in protection, but this was ridiculous; the place was crawling with guards now that the Ronins took a closer look.
"Let's get this over with," Ryo said as he climbed over the edge of the outcrop and began to make his way carefully down the side of the bluff.
* * * * *
This chapter took a little bit longer than I thought it would to get out so I apologize.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Ronin Warriors.