"You have a lot of courage accusing me of treason within my own walls. How dare you suggest such a thing."
"You are in no position to give orders," Azuma taunted. "Let us be done with this. As you know, I am a man of action, not words. It's time to fight. For me to prove to you, and the whole Empire, that you are not the rightful ruler. This room that houses your throne will house you now, and become your tomb."
Saemon bared his teeth. His left knee spasmed, yet he forced himself to remain standing. "I have already spilled the blood of that Qiang's former owner. The same fate awaits you, your servants, and your allies. My Karu, let us show no mercy to these betrayers. Attack!"
With shouts of bravery, the Karus advanced. The Nari soldiers fanned out behind Azuma, protecting his flank, while the Karu unit did the same for Saemon.
Despite their weakened legs and bodies, the Karu soldiers heavily engaged the Naris. Saemon kept his eye on Azuma as he circled slowly around the bodies of those who had fallen.
Azuma smiled as he hefted the Qiang in one hand.
"You think you can win, old man?" he mocked.
"I will indeed," the Sheng promised.
At that moment, the double doors leading into the ballroom flew open, and at least fifty Nari soldiers spilled into the room.
Saemon drew in a sharp breath. He and his men were surrounded on all sides – and there were only forty of his loyal soldiers to their one hundred. He turned back to Azuma, who grinned at him in a lopsided way.
"We fight," Saemon said. "And you will die first."
Saemon lifted his sword. Azuma advanced with a guttural yell.
The clash of their weapons joined the rest of the war chorus.
Swords still crossed, Azuma used his strength to push Saemon back. Unable to summon up his usual reserves of strength to overcome Azuma, Saemon deliberately bent at the waist and whipped his sword away. Caught by surprise, Azuma proceeded forward, toppling over the Sheng’s back and onto the ground. Just as Saemon swung his katana, the younger man sprang up onto his feet, avoiding the bloody blade by a mere hair.
Saemon struggled to straighten up as Azuma laughed maniacally and mocked, "Your body is not strong, old man. You will not win here today."
Azuma slashed at the Sheng with his sword, but Saemon blocked the blade with his. Azuma whipped it back and darted it forward again, but Saemon spun and parried the blow yet again.
They whirled about, attempting to fell each other their swords until Saemon tripped over the body of a fallen Hiwan. Saemon fell to the ground, barely managing to throw his shield up in time to block the descent of Azuma's Qiang. The Sheng rolled away quickly, but Azuma advanced, plunging his weapon into the ground a hairsbreadth behind Saemon.
Every moment his shield felt heavier and heavier.
Every breath he took cost Saemon energy he didn't have.
Saemon ducked behind a fallen Ameya soldier to evade another attack by Azuma. As he did, his shoulder hit something hard, something that stopped him in his tracks.
The wall to the room.
Azuma strode over and raised his sword. "Here is where you die, Emperor."
Saemon threw up his shield just as Captain Jurobei threw his body into Azuma's, knocking him to the ground. He drew out a short blade and swung at Azuma’s face. An angry cut opened in Azuma’s forehead as Saemon staggered to his feet.
Moisture poured down his face as he stood. Another wave of weakness washed through him.
He wanted to lie down on the floor of the room, close his eyes and go to sleep.
But if he did, it would be the sleep of death.
Azuma parried the Captain’s blade easily, then plunged his Qiang into Jurobei’s chest.
Saemon's nostrils flared when he saw his captain die, but that was all the energy he could spare to mourn the loyal soldier. He'd have to save all his reserves for killing Azuma.
Once Azuma jerked the Qiang out of the Captain’s chest, bloodlust ran through his eyes. Behind the two leaders, the Karus fought, attempting to form a protective circle around their Emperor .
Saemon shook his head, his vision blurred.
"Ah, the old man can't see very well, can he?" Azuma murmured, flicking a body away with his foot as he prepared to pounce. "How sad," he sneered. “The Dhul powder is a powerful thing, isn’t it?
Saemon shuffled back, listening to his instincts that demanded he keep moving away from his enemy. Azuma followed, carefully moving one foot, then the next.
"What you have in youth, you don't have in wisdom, Azuma. Folly will kill a man," Saemon said through gritted teeth. He sucked in long breaths of air, but it wasn't enough.
He couldn't breathe.
Azuma shrugged. "So says you, who is about to die."
A bloodcurdling cry came from Saemon's left as a Nari charged straight through the circle of Karus right towards him.
"No!" Azuma screamed.
Saemon ducked behind his shield at the last moment. The soldier collided into it with a thud, but his weapon speared Saemon in the thigh. Saemon didn't feel the pain at first as he pushed the tip of his shield into the soldier's belly and ripped his leg away from the sharp blade.
"You fool!" Azuma yelled, lifting his sword and driving it into the soldier’s neck. "He is mine to kill. Mine!"
Saemon moved further away, blood pouring from his leg. He took a deep breath. He'd felt pain – and worse – before.
"Stand, Emperor!" Azuma shrieked. "Stand before me and face me in your final fight. Or do you concede?"
Saemon planted his hands on the slippery tile floor and pushed himself up. He fought off dizziness as he straightened in place.
New resolve flowed through him as he focused on engaging each of his muscles. He would fight. And he might die.
But he would fight.
He lifted his katana, pink with his own blood now, from his side when he was fully erect.
"You," he said to Azuma, "are mine to kill."
Clutching his katana in both hands, Saemon lifted it above his head and advanced on Azuma with a warrior’s battle cry. Azuma fended off his first attack, and Saemon summoned up the strength to continue striking without pause.
Azuma parried, ducked, and stumbled away. Then defended himself again. And again.
Saemon fought on, and lived, for only one thing. Azuma. No one existed but Azuma. And taking his life.
Saemon swung the katana up, but Azuma countered and spun, slamming into Saemon's chest with his shoulder. Then there was a sharp pain, a piercing pain that penetrated deep between Saemon's rib, and he gasped. Azuma sneered as he pulled his knife back out of Saemon's chest.
Saemon dropped to his knees as Azuma spread out his arm.
"Look at your throne room, Emperor. Every one of your precious Karu is going to die if they haven't already. All your soldiers. All your people."
Only ten Karus still stood. The rest were lifeless on the ground.
Unexpectedly, two Nari soldiers attacked an Ameya, driving swords into and through his neck from either side.
The rest of the Naris began to strike everyone in sight who wasn’t one of their own as the Ameyas shrieked with rage.
“Betrayed!” one screeched. “You’ve betrayed us!”
In moments only a few Ameyas remained standing in the throne room, their backs to each other as they faced at least twenty advancing Nari soldiers.
The betrayers had become the betrayed.
The thought tumbled through Saemon’s mind like a leaf in a windstorm.
Not even the Ameya clan would be left standing. Only the bloodthirsty Naris – willing to defile and betray anyone they wished – would pull through. Chaos ruled supreme now.
The world spun before his eyes. A river of hot liquid ran down his arm.
Saemon tried to take in another breath, but couldn’t.
Azuma crouched down next to him with a triumphant sneer. "The mighty Emperor has fallen."
Saemon tried to look beyond Azuma, but he was barely able to see his throne through the fog in his eyes. With a bloody hand, he reached forward, then began crawling.
Azuma stood, furrowing his brow in puzzlement, but he did not interfere or strike Saemon again.
On and on Saemon crawled….
Over a fallen Nari.
Past a shield.