World's Edge by Ryan Kirk

stayed for a full day and night, not leaving camp until another day had passed. Her sense of urgency had clashed with her need for rest. Her time on the horse had left her sore and stiff, and she spent the day of rest stretching out her sore muscles. She knew she should learn to ride better, but her mind was made up. Horses were not her favorite mode of transportation.
    Moriko threw out her sense as far as it would go, even though it was a pointless exercise. In the wide open plains, with so many people surrounding her, sight traveled further than her sense, and there was nothing hiding in the bushes she wouldn’t have expected anyway. The plains in front of the fortress were as deserted as they looked. She had grown up in the forest and between the walls of a monastery. She wasn’t used to open spaces, but even accounting for that, this space felt dead to her. It wasn’t that there wasn’t life. There was the usual assortment of small creatures living off the land, but they felt almost lethargic, as though their energy had been sucked from them.
    When the sun rose the next morning she felt better. She found her horse again. As much as she didn’t want to, Azaria was huge. If she was going to have any chance at all of making good time she would need to take a horse. Like it or not, she needed to make friends with the beast. With help from some of the stable hands she was able to load up the horse with supplies in only a few moments.
    She met with Toro on her way out. She was surprised to discover there was a hint of regret in Toro’s voice. His attitude towards Moriko had changed over the past day. She could tell he had started to think about the advantages of having a nightblade attached to his army. “Be careful out there.”
    Moriko nodded.
    “Is there anything else you need?”
    Moriko took a moment and thought through her supplies. She had enough food to last for a while, even longer if she hunted. If hunting was good she could stretch it out well past a full moon if she needed to. She carried her sword and a folded cloth which she could use as shelter. It was all she needed. She shook her head. “Thank you for your kindness.”
    “Let us know anything you find out. I am more worried by the day.”
    Moriko offered a short bow. It was more than she often provided, a mark of respect from her.
    Toro seemed to recognize it and gave her a slightly deeper bow. Several soldiers surrounding them were surprised. Moriko held her mirth. Rumor in the camp the first day had been that she was a mistress of Toro’s, but that rumor had been quickly dismissed when they found out she was heading further south. It was obvious they didn’t have any idea what type of woman she was. Maybe they thought she was some sort of special whore who could succeed where soldiers had failed.
    It was a problem for Toro to deal with, but she trusted he would keep her secrets. Akira had no doubt left orders as such, but even more so, Toro knew the chaos it would cause in the camp if they found out nightblades were alive and well among them. Technically, it was also punishable by death. Moriko had been impressed Akira had trusted Toro enough to even let him know. If Toro had wished, it would have been a justifiable reason for a coup.
    She left the camp with little fanfare, but she could feel thousands of eyes on her as she began her journey to the south. She knew they would watch every step until she got far enough away to be hidden from sight. She was a creature of the woods, used to being able to hide within a couple of footsteps. The plains were not friendly to her. But there was little to be done. She continued onward, stopping randomly to throw out her sense. She wasn’t expecting anything near the fort, and she wasn’t surprised.
     
    If there was one word Moriko would use to describe her surroundings, it would be “empty.” She had grown up within woods and walls, and open spaces weren’t to her liking. The spaces here were so vast, so