The Undead Hordes of Kan-Gul Read Free

thrilling as he’d hoped. Certainly not as much as his final test before graduation. But the end result of that test had been that Ran had passed and simultaneously violated one of the school’s rules. His punishment was to embark on a shugyo where he would test himself and his skills while journeying abroad. This wasn’t so unusual in itself: the school normally dispatched its agents all across the lands near and far. It was how they kept tabs on what everyone else outside their secluded world was up to. The masters at the school could then decide if certain events required their intervention or not. Sometimes interventions took the form of subtly applied misinformation. Other times the actions were much more direct.
    Ran’s best defense while he was outside the protection of the school was to never let anyone know that he was a shadow warrior. Certain rulers offered a huge bounty for the death of anyone found to be from the school. Others sought to employ them to their own ends, despite their distaste. So Ran simply adopted the manner of a wandering warrior looking for opportunities to sell his blade to whoever could afford him. To help his disguise, Ran had stopped shaving and now sported a stubbly growth all over his face. His hair had grown longer, but he didn’t pull it back off of his face the way the warriors of his homeland did. Despite his obvious youth, the overall effect of the ruddy, unkempt appearance gave him an edge that made people slightly wary when he approached.
    Which was exactly what he wanted.
    “Where are you headed?” asked Malkyr.
    “West. To find work.”
    “What—there aren’t enough lords in Nehon who could use your blade alongside theirs?”
    Ran shrugged. “Perhaps I’d like to see the world.”
    “Indeed,” said Malkyr. “You’re young enough, and adventure awaits. Is that it?”
    “Perhaps.” Ran eyed the clouds. “This storm doesn’t seem to be helping matters, though.”
    “We’ll get through it,” said Malkyr. “The current is being a bit troublesome, but the Aqaria is strong enough to handle it.”
    Ran nodded. “You keep water below?”
    “Yes. Try not to drink too much, though. We’re only a few hours into this journey, and we won’t see landfall for another day.”
    Ran ducked belowdecks and found the barrels of water. He sipped at the ladle. As the cool water touched his throat, it removed the sting of bile. He found a berth near the other travelers and settled himself as best he could. In seconds, he was asleep.

    Hours passed before he heard heavy footfalls clomping down the ladder. He cracked an eye and saw Malkyr looking around at his passengers. “This damnable storm is worse than any I’ve seen. We’re not going to make the port of Chulal.”
    “Where are we headed?” asked Ran.
    “Hopefully to Naran.” Malkyr spat on the deck. “But I wish we weren’t.”
    The old drunk sat up at the mention of Naran, but quickly tried to hide his attentiveness.
    Ran was fully awake now. “Why?”
    “Because it’s a lawless place. Smugglers, thieves . . . they dominate the area. There’s no real ruling warlord. And the reefs nearby are deadly to ships like the Aqaria .”
    Nearby, the female warrior grunted. “Kan-Gul.”
    Malkyr whipped his head around and frowned. “I’d prefer you not speak that name, Neviah.”
    Ran sat up. “What is Kan-Gul?”
    “Not a what,” said Malkyr. “A who.” He frowned. “I need to get back up on deck.”
    Ran watched him leave and then turned to Neviah. “He doesn’t seem too eager to talk about things.”
    Neviah cursed and then yanked one of her throwing knives out of its sheath, running her eyes along its honed edge. “I’d hoped to give that area a wide berth.”
    “What’s the problem?”
    She eyed him. “You’ve never heard of Kan-Gul?”
    “No.”
    She shrugged. “Some say he’s a sorcerer. That he employs the undead to do his bidding. He controls that area, and the land is said to be rife with