16. Golden Woman
Jack jumped into the hallway, eyes darting right and left. He was immediately met by a troop of soldiers heading out to the battle. He stood stock-still and watched as the troop came closer and closer. As they approached, and got larger and larger, Jack gulped. These were no ordinary soldiers. They had no faces, as far as he could tell. Their eyes were glowing red spots under the face-cages of their helmets. They were much bigger than the rest of the Empire fighters, and their spiky armor shone like polished silver, in contrast to the dark, gritty gray of Jack's uniform. The soldier who led them was tall, gleaming like a straight pin in shining armor. He wore a long, blue cloak.
Jack let his eyes sweep over his opponents and kept his face an impassive mask, unwilling to give any inkling that he was not on their side. Half of him itched to attack. Fortunately, his other half was stronger. He kept his sword in its scabbard.
"Ah, Ipshen, there you are!" said the lead soldier. Were those medals on his breastplate? He looked quite self-important, sticking his chest out like that so nobody could miss the decorations.
Jack said nothing. The leader sighed in what was supposed to be an exasperated manner, but it was so exaggerated that Jack took a second look at the man.
"Report, soldier!"
Jack almost smiled. Almost. It was Xio in that armor; there was no mistaking that voice or that tall, gangly form. Somehow, his wily ally had infiltrated the ranks … and suddenly the voice in the bushes and all those troops being led straight into Jissa hands made perfect sense.
"We have made considerable gains, sir!" Jack invented, saluting with the wrong hand again. "The resistance is almost defeated! I was told to inform the Empress!"
A ghost of a smile. The tiniest of nods. Xio crossed his arms then, in a hilariously bad impression of haughty contempt.
"Were you!" he scathed. "Come here, soldier, I have a better order for you."
Jack eyed the terrifying troop once more. Xio saw Jack's look and feigned impatience. He crooked a finger at him. Jack obediently walked over to the soldier, who put his lips close to Jack's ear and urgently whispered …
"They're robots. The Empire has run out of men. All the generals have their own troop like this. I'm standing in place of Portkippis. I – I killed him. The Princess is in the center of the palace. Look for the giant golden doors. She's being guarded by Yazzi Digger and her troop of these things."
Jack gave a small nod. "I will finish this, Xio. Run. Find the robot troops from Spum, Filos, and Gorovi. Tell them any lie you want, but do not let them leave the castle. If you can, get outside and help the resistance. I fear for them."
Xio gave a small nod, too. "Yes sir." He stood then, and spoke at full voice. "You have your orders, Ipshen! Follow them!"
Jack nodded. He drew his sword, making a flash of light against the golden walls, and Xio ran for it just in time. Jack darted forward with a yell and sliced up through the underside of one armored robot. Its metallic guts poured out onto the floor. If the other robots had any sense of self-preservation, they didn't show it. They drew massive weapons – axes, broadswords and maces – and swung into action against Jack.
Not for long, though.
The robots had many things – laser beams, hand weapons, no feeling nerves. But Jack's fighting spirit had engulfed him and he was a blur, darting in and out of huge metallic legs, gamely testing his sword against the finest metal the Empire could buy. It turned out that, once again, the ancestors had known their craft. Jack had half a dozen bots decommissioned before some of them even knew what was happening. Soon all that could be seen in the hallway was giant cloud of sparks and dust, and flashes of light from a bright sword. And finally, Jack jumped and yelled and brought a massive Horse Cut down on the last unfortunate robot. It split neatly down the middle and fell apart.
Jack looked around, his field of vision suddenly wider; his helmet had been knocked off during the battle. He heaved for breath, picked it up from where it had clattered to the floor, and sheathed his sword. There was no time to waste. He ran for the central chamber. The battle was growing louder outside. He tried not to think about it.
Of course, as soon as he reached the golden doors, the battle was flung clear out of his mind.
"Your highness, if you feel safe here, I should go. I need to take uh, the 'boys,' and head off Renakalli."
It was Yazzi Digger. She sounded smug and pleased. There was a sudden clanking, and Jack realized that Xio was right – the dog-woman had her own troop of those huge mechanical soldiers, and she was guarding the Empress. The way she said 'head off' with such eagerness made a shiver run down his spine.
The Empress's voice rang out. "No. Stay, Digger. Renakalli is busy outside, I am sure. How do you know he leads the resistance?"
"Your Majesty, I caught sight of him at the head of the charge on Tarrenko, before I came to warn you of the rebellion. He is a traitor. He will be cut open, and his belly will spill onto the battlements, and then he will hang by his guts for this terrible slight against Gunzai."
Jack felt no fear at his pronouncement. He had heard worse. A muffled clatter accompanied the words, like someone was kneeling. Digger, probably, to show she was serious and faithful and prepared to do anything.
Jack had no more time to listen. He knocked at the door. So long as he kept his helmet on, he had a chance to surprise her.
"Who goes?" Yazzi Digger boomed.
"Ipshen, Troop 349!" Jack shouted back, rasping his words to disguise his voice. "I have good news!"
There was a long pause, and then finally the door swung open. Jack was almost blinded by the brilliance of the room. It was pure gold, floor to ceiling, rugs to curtains. He squinted up at Yazzi, who looked annoyed by his presence, but not murderous. He was not surprised. His face was hidden, and covered as he was in dirt and the blood of other people, his scent was perfectly disguised. He stepped inside the chamber like he had every right to be there. A bright light was shining on a nearby settee, and across the room a large troop of those same mechanical soldiers stood guard.
Yazzi closed the door. Jack walked toward the bright light, which he assumed was the Empress, and knelt on a golden carpet.
"Rise," the Empress commanded.
He rose, and stared despite himself. The woman who lounged on the cushioned bench stared back. She was astounding. Her skin was the color of the sun, and almost as bright. Every feature on her cold face, every crook and bend in her body, was a sharp, straight line, as though someone had chiseled her out of a huge block of gold. Her hair was the color of ripe wheat, and its style was set and hard like a sculpture atop her head. She wore robes of red and pink and green that lapped over her reclining form, and no shoes on her dainty feet.
But her most remarkable features were her eyes. Each was an empty pool of black, with a red dot in the middle. Both of the red dots were focused on Jack. He immediately looked down.
"Report," she said, almost bored, and twiddled something golden with one hand.
The Staff, Jack realized. It was long and delicate, ornately carved. This had to be the staff Xio told him to break.
"Majesty," he addressed her, his voice still raspy. "I bring good news from the front. We have triumphed. The Resistance is over."
He felt, rather than heard Yazzi rear back behind him.
"What?" she roared. "How can that be? I can still hear noise!"
"The soldiers are celebrating," Jack invented.
The Empress smiled, and stood. She clapped Jack on the shoulder with one cold hand. "Excellent! We are victorious! Well, Digger, it appears you won't have to fight today. Perhaps the next time there is a rebellion, I will have you trot out these new soldiers and you will squash it forthwith."
But Yazzi, having bigger ears than the Empress, was not dissuaded. "This makes no sense!" she shouted. "I still hear the clangs of swords! There are bombs going out there! There is blood to taste! I want to join!" She was petulant by the end, whining like she had been denied a fine new toy.
"Heel, General," the Empress deadpanned.
Yazzi ignored this. Supremely irritated, she whirled on Jack. "Hey, you! Idiot! Where did you get this information? It's obviously wrong!"
Jack turned to face her. He stood close in front of the Empress as though to guard her from Yazzi's wrath.
"The Resistance hasn't been vanquished!" Yazzi finished.
"I did not say the Resistance has been vanquished," Jack rasped. "I said it was over."
And in one motion, he drew his sword, stabbed behind him, and withdrew the blade. The Empress gave a pained cry and fell to her knees, gasping in horror. Jack's thrust had caught her all the way through, and the magic in his sword was eating away at her golden skin, like someone had poured acid on her breastbone. The widening hole revealed a large empty space where her heart should have been. She grabbed her chest desperately and dropped the staff with a clatter.
Yazzi screamed. Jack took advantage of her shock. He spun around and lopped off the Empress's head. There was no blood. The Empress, it seemed, was nothing but a cold, empty shell. He grabbed the golden staff in one hand, threatened Yazzi with his sword in the other, and took off his helmet.
Yazzi screamed again, this time in recognition.
"Attack!" she shouted at her soldiers.
The robots rushed for Jack. Jack just smiled a grim smile. As though he hadn't a care in the world, he sheathed his sword. The robots were within ten feet of him when he picked up the Empress's staff, held it high above his head, and with a fierce cry brought it down with a huge crack on the golden floor.
The ensuing explosion rocked the chamber.
Jack sat up coughing and realized he had landed on the settee. He waved away some smoke. Some of the robots had been blown apart by the power of the blast, but the rest were still advancing. Jack got up and fought, dancing through the smoke and slicing away until his arms were heavy and all the rest of the robots had stopped moving. All was quiet for a moment.
And then he heard it. A cough. A groan. Across the chamber, someone else was getting up. Someone else was waving smoke away. Someone else was drawing a weapon.
"How sweet," he heard Yazzi growl. "All that talk of killing you, Renakalli, and now the honor is mine. In fact, I really should thank you before I end you. You've saved me a lot of trouble. With the Empress gone, and you dead, the Gunzai Empire is mine to command!"
Yazzi stepped through the grey smoke and materialized ten feet from Jack, her enormous broadsword drawn.
"Aku will be so proud of me!" she said through her fangs.
"Aku!" Jack echoed, holding his own sword at the ready. "What business has Aku with you?"
And the general laughed, the noise vacillating between a wolfish chuckle and near hysteria. Jack noticed she carried a staff on her furry hip, a simple wooden affair that wasn't half as ornate as that of the Empress. He brought his eyes up to her face again and readied himself to fight, should she decide to charge.
"Because I am proudly in his service! Don't you see, you useless, peabrained nothing? He made me powerful so I could be of service to the Empress. But too late he realized that the Empress was growing weak and stupid, so he directed me to kill her and take over! All I need is her staff, and my mission will be complete! Ah ha ha ha ha!"
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Her staff is of no use to you. I guarantee that." And he kicked the remains of it towards her.
Yazzi's yellow eyes went wide and she snarled in anger and disbelief. "How did you – that thing was supposed to be unbreakable! Aku said so!"
Jack smiled grimly. "Aku says many false things. I, however, speak truly. I am not Kit Renakalli. You stand opposed to all I hold dear. And if you attack me, I will kill you. Do you surrender?"
There was a sudden BOOM from far away, and what sounded like a trickle of rain, turning gradually to hail. There was indistinct yelling. Jack had no idea what was going on. He kept his eyes trained on Yazzi. She was oddly silent, watching him and not lowering her weapon.
"Your surrender or your death!" he offered. "Answer me!"
Yazzi did not answer him with words. Instead, she let out a roar that was half dog and half something else and lunged at him with the sword. Jack narrowly avoided her thrust, jumped over her head and tried to bring a cut down on her, but she blocked him and he bounced off and away. Tired from fighting, he realized as he parried that if he kept this up too long, sooner or later he was going to make a mistake and get seriously injured – something he could not afford. That was the exact moment the hail changed. It was no longer hail, but the march of thousands of feet. Jack kept an ear on that as he faced Yazzi, and wondered if any of those feet would find the chamber.
He had little time to contemplate this. Yazzi had massive spin on that broadsword. She got off a clean swipe that caught Jack cross the breastplate. It was knocked clean off him, and took the back plate with it. He looked down at his soldier-ish underwear and saw a slight red trickle of blood. One of his old chest wounds had opened up. Jack roared in frustration and returned the favor, catching Yazzi across the thigh. She yelped and bled and jumped back, totally intent on Jack. He was totally intent on her.
Neither of them saw the chamber door open.
Jack swiped again, catching her across the breastplate. His cut slit it neatly in half, without so much as grazing her fur. It fell off (along with her back plate), revealing her red top. She snarled at this display of skill and thrust forward again, but Jack blocked her and dashed for the opposite wall, panting. She took a swipe at him as he ran and grazed him along the side. Blood was dribbling out and down his leg, but he ignored it. His back to the wall, he gathered his strength for one last offensive. He had to finish this before he made another mistake.
"YAAAAAAH!"
There was a tremendous clang as sword met sword and the two warriors grappled with each other. Yazzi wasn't quite as strong as Jack from this angle, but she had the advantage of having relaxed all day, while Jack was exhausted from leading an army against her. They pushed and sweated and tried to put the other off balance, first leaning one way and then another. Jack's teeth were gritted and bared with the effort. Yazzi was breathing hard, and since her breath smelled of day-old meat, Jack's scrunched eyes were watering.
"Aku has made me strong, warrior. Too strong for you!" Yazzi panted, and shoved again. "Give up!"
"NEVER!" Jack bellowed. He shoved her so hard she stumbled back a step, and took a swipe at her, but his arm was weak from all that grappling, Yazzi took the opportunity to parry.
In horror, Jack watched at his sword sailed out of his shaking hand and clattered to the floor behind Yazzi. He backed up against the wall.
"Gotcha," Yazzi panted, eyeing Jack and pointing her broadsword at different parts of him, trying to figure out the best place to stab. "Like I told you before, Renakalli – or whoever you are – I live for the hunt. You're mine. Perhaps after I kill you, I'll put your head on my wall as a warning to others."
Jack pressed his back to the wall and got ready to defend himself with his hands.
"Hmm, let me see. Yes, I think the chest will do nicely," she said, readying her broadsword for a final thrust.
She pulled back. Jack stared at her in defiance, ready to dodge.
It was over in the blink of an eye.
Just as Yazzi roared and moved to attack, Jack's sword sailed across the floor, between her legs, and nearly struck his left foot; a miracle from some lesser god. Jack reached down just as Yazzi struck (her sword got caught in the wall) and picked it up by the handle.
The she-dog howled in anger that she missed and pulled her sword from the wall so fiercely that she stumbled back, her arms away, her torso wide open. Jack pulled back and thrust forward.
The general made a nasty gurgling noise. She looked down in horror.
Jack had stabbed his katana straight through her chest. Dark red blood was pooling around the wound and leaking down the front of her fighting shirt. But suddenly, there was an incoherent yell and the end of something sharp was sticking out of Yazzi towards Jack. It was sharp and blue and poking through her belly. Yazzi stared at her two fatal wounds with wide yellow eyes and coughed up blood all over her shirt. Spittle slapped onto her leg plates, too.
"Noooo …" she gasped, and stumbled to her right.
Jack withdrew his weapon quickly and shoved Yazzi so she fell on her side. There was a nasty snapping noise, like cracking glass. Jack ignored this and gazed at his fallen opponent. In truth he felt no victory here, just sadness and exhaustion. He leaned against the wall and shook his head at the irony of Yazzi Digger. She had been a fierce warrior, in control of so many lives, who nonetheless had been unable to control her own desires. Her greed and lust and dishonor had been her undoing. And now she was gone.
A sudden hiccough made Jack look up. And his eyes widened. His senses hadn't deceived him. Someone else had tied with him for the kill.
Kiki was standing just beyond Yazzi's body, white-faced, her matted hair hanging in her eyes. Blood was pooling toward her, washing over her dirty feet. She stood there unmoving, and stared. The handle of a blue glass knife, made from melted-down beads, glittered in her hand. The blade was missing.
Jack had only a moment to take this in before she fell, landing roughly on her hands and knees in Yazzi's blood. She dropped the knife handle. Jack ran to the lopsided beadmaker, hefted her up, and helped her over to the settee. The view from here was little better – the Empress and her head lay a few feet away – but the artisan didn't seem to notice or care.
"Stay here," he commanded.
She nodded. Jack wanted to say something else to her, like "thank you," but his words were drowned by a sudden crowd of filthy, bloodied women and filthy, bloodied, confused men. They were all yelling and waving their weapons, obviously prepared to fight together against some common enemy, but they stopped immediately when they saw the carnage.
Everyone stared. Robot parts and two bodies littered the floor. Ari was at the front of the line. Unt-Ork, blood-spattered and weary, still clung to her back. And Xio, muddied and stained, was right next to her. Sankra and a few healers, bloodied and torn and holding hands, were at the front as well.
"Harpis frippin' Hooleeti," Ari muttered. "What happened in here?"
Jack did not answer her. Instead, he walked over to Yazzi's body. The wooden staff glowed warmly on her stiff, cold hip, belying its insidious purpose. Just as he plucked it off her belt, someone retched.
"I smell death!" Sankra announced frantically, looking around with useless eyes. "Oh no!" she shrieked. "Where is he? Did he make it?"
"He's fine, he's right here," Ari answered, and smiled at Jack. "Digger's dead. The Empress ate it, too." That caused a murmur. Then she spotted Kiki, sitting on the settee, her lap covered in vomit. "Gui-Gao!"
Ari splashed through the general's blood and ran over to Kiki, dragging Sankra and a few healers along in her wake. Jack watched the reunion for a moment, as Kiki began to babble rapidly and Sankra translated, before turning his attention back to the wooden staff he held.
Xio jogged over with a slight limp. He bowed. "You did it. You freed the soldiers, friend!"
To emphasize this, he pointed to a nearby clump of muddy, bloody warriors. They all looked distinctly the worse for wear, but were definitely in their right minds. One had a black eye. He gave Jack a smile that looked like an open zipper and waved.
Xio peered at Yazzi's wooden staff and scratched his head. "So … wait. If you destroyed the Empress's staff, then what the heck is this thing?"
Jack smiled grimly. "It was Digger's. Xio?"
"Yes?"
"Stand back!"
TBC