Fan Fiction ❯ Six Years ❯ Chapter 18

Lucifer brought his horse to a halt and sniffed the air. Ironclaw had traveled that path some hours before but his scent was still remotely fresh. The half-demon general narrowed his eyes as the scent grew stronger. He would have his revenge on the full-blood general. The glory and reward for finding the demon prince would belong to him. He closed his eyes and mumbled a prayer to the fallen body of Ironclaw. He would make all the full-bloods pay.

*********************************************************

Kana sat up straight, his ears twitching intently. It was late in the morning, almost afternoon he noted as he glanced at Izo, whose body had not moved an inch since he had laid down the night before. Ryo sat by his horse studying the scrolls Karu had given him and Kana allowed his skin to harden. He reached back to braid his hair into the style he was known for then drew away having remembered that he had forced Izo to cut his hair again not too long ago.

"Ryo get your bag ready," Kana said and Ryo looked up.

"What?" he asked.

"Get your bag ready. There isn't much time."

"What's going on?"

"If anything happens, I want you to ride as fast as you can and remember everything we've taught you."

"What do you mean if anything happens?"

"Just do it! Don't question me. I know what I'm talking about," Kana said. He turned and laid a hand on Izo's face. He stroked his cheek for a moment then drew away. He would do everything he could to protect them, especially Izo, who was too ill to move. He scanned the area intently then stopped when he saw a glint of armor.

"You killed one of my best men," Lucifer growled as he rode into the clearing.

"It's the way of war," Kana replied.

"You're dead."

"Perhaps, but why don't we let our weapons be the judge of that? That is why you came here after all."

"Polite to the very end, aren't you? That will be your fatal mistake."

Lucifer dismounted and Kana raised a hand. Lucifer gazed at him in annoyance as he took a step forward.

"Wait just a moment, please. This is a campsite with horses and an injured person. This area is not suited for a battle. I propose that we move this dual away from here to provide the most enjoyment for both of us," Kana said.

"Fine. Just don't hold anything back when we get started," Lucifer replied as he followed Kana to another clearing.

They stood about ten feet apart and both stared at each other, mentally making notes about the opponent's strengths and weaknesses. Ryo watched them with interest. He stood next to a large tree and watched as Lucifer made the first move. He swung his sword horizontally and Kana blocked it with ease.

"That better not be your best attempt," Kana said and Lucifer grinned.

"It's not," he replied and reversed his swing. He brought his foot up against Kana's right leg but Kana had already changed directions. Kana winced in pain when Lucifer slashed the tip of his right wing then turned and jabbed his enemy with the hilt of his sword. Lucifer's eyes grew wide in pain as he blocked another swing from Kana.

Ryo watched the melee that followed, trying to see if either one was weakening, but he couldn't tell. They broke apart again and Lucifer wiped away the blood on his face. He grinned and licked the blood off of his hand then pointed the tip of his sword at Kana.

"Give up," he hissed and Kana narrowed his eyes.

"Not likely," Kana replied then held his sword up to the sky.

"This is going to be interesting," Izo said and Ryo spun around.

"Are you supposed to be up?" he asked.

"Probably not, but I am. I'm ignoring all the signals of pain my body is sending. You know how you can control fire, kid?"

"Yeah..."

"Well Kana can control electricity. That guy's in for a shock. I didn't mean it as a joke, you know."

"What do you control?" Ryo asked as Izo yawned.

"Me? I guess my element is wind," Izo replied as a bolt of lightning came out of nowhere and struck Kana's blade.

"You guess? You mean you don't know?"

"It's wind. I would use it to scatter leaves across the yard when I was a kid. It drove the gardener nuts."

Kana swung his sword and Lucifer watched in shock as his blade broke in two. Kana grinned fiercely as he did a vertical slice and Lucifer clutched his chest in pain.

"I think it's over," Kana said as he turned his sword over. Lucifer pulled a hunting knife from his belt and plunged it into Kana's chest. Kana shoved his sword through Lucifer's body then pulled the knife out of his own chest. A sudden breeze blew around Kana's hair as he retrieved his sword. Kana spun around and glared at Izo who stood leaning against a tree, talking to Ryo.

"Why are you awake?" he asked and Izo yawned.

"I don't know, sir. I feel pretty terrible if it's any consolation to you," Izo replied as he continued to hang onto the tree for support.

"Go back to your bed."

"Let me take care of your wound first, sir."

"Major for that antidote to work, you need your sleep."

"And I'll get it right after I take care of your wound."

"Your placing my own health over yours."

"Celcian did the same thing, sir. It's what you do when you care. Something for you to think about when you get older, Ryo."

"I can help too, you know," Ryo said. "I'm not like I was when I first met you."

"Let Ryo do it. You need your rest, major," Kana said as they walked back to the campsite.

"I want to make sure it's done right," Izo said and Kana laid a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll walk him through it. You trust me, don't you?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then go back to sleep."

Izo yawned widely and lay back down on his pallet. He pulled the blanket up over his body while Kana began his explanation on how to properly dress a wound.