The Wind and the Void by Ryan Kirk Page B

feet, and she retreated to the shadows of the bushes and trees. If the hunters were meeting with someone who possessed the sense, it had to mean they were meeting with a monk. The more Moriko focused her sense on the third person, the more convinced she became. The sense manifested differently in different people, but all monks had the same training, using the sense in a very particular way. Moriko had grown up around such abilities, and now that she was focused, there was no doubt the man was a monk.
    Moriko's mind raced through the possibilities. She tried to remember every memory she had of the monasteries. Never in her knowledge had a hunter visited, and she had never had any indication they were united in purpose. But she had been young. Perhaps she had missed the signs in the ignorance of her youth. Memories ran though her mind, but she couldn't come up with anything to make her believe the monasteries would work with the hunters. The evidence, however, was right in front of her.
    The consequences frightened her. The monks were weak compared to nightblades, but they were still fearsome opponents, and the common citizens of the Three Kingdoms held them in reverence. If the monks cooperated with the hunters, the Three Kingdoms would fall. There wasn't a doubt in her mind.
    The urge to jump out and strike was stronger than ever. Moriko had managed to move past the harms done to her while she was in the monastery, but she had never managed to forgive. The monks were as good as dead to her. But reason held her back. She was strong, but fighting three powerful opponents in the daylight was courting disaster. She would follow them until nightfall. Then she would strike and take their lives.
     
    The hunters and the monk spoke for some time. Moriko waited patiently. Every moment they tarried was a moment the sun fell closer to the horizon, and the closer their deaths came. She hunted the hunters, and she was in no rush.
    Moriko was disappointed when the hunters and the monk separated. She had hoped they would stay together so she could kill them all together. Unfortunately, their plans didn't coincide with hers. The monk turned to take the path south and the hunters turned to take the path north. Moriko was faced with a decision. She couldn't follow both of them. She suspected the hunters would be on the way to destroy another village, but the monk seemed important. He had been speaking with the hunters for some time, and they had treated each other as equals. The monk was carrying a bag, and if the bag held important information, it might be worth the price of several villages.
    Moriko's hesitation lasted only a moment. She wanted to pursue the hunters, but alone, the monk was an easy target. She would kill him and track down the two hunters again. If she was fast, it wouldn't be difficult at all.
    Moriko raced after the monk, staying well off the road. She wanted to get ahead of him and ambush him. She would have his bag and be away before the hunters got too far.
    Eventually, Moriko cut towards the road. She found a tree that was easy to climb that stood near the path. She clambered up the branches, finding a perch about five paces above the trail. From her branch she would see the monk coming and surprise him. She wasn't well hidden, but no one ever looked up.
    When the monk came into view, she thought she saw him slow down for a moment, and she was instantly suspicious. There wasn't any way he should be able to sense her, but if the past cycle had taught her anything, it was that she still had a lot to learn about what the sense could do. But the monk kept walking and her nerves were calmed.
    The monk stopped a few paces ahead of where she sat. He looked up, and Moriko almost fell off her perch. There was no way it could be true, but the evidence was right there in front of her.
    The face that looked at her was smiling, a ghost from the past, a smile that held no warmth. "Hello, Moriko. Come on down." His name was Tomotsu,