Free Echoes of a Shattered Age by R. J. Terrell

dissipated. The group skidded to a stop and turned to see Akemi standing behind them amidst the dissipating black mist. She had Sekimaru at her side and ready. And then Kenjiro was there, and the two warriors were on them.
    The Kalistyi quickly morphed their arms from the elbow down into steel wavy blades, identical to the ones wielded by the shadow Akemi had killed earlier. The ninja came in at the Kalistyi at the back of the group with a horizontal slash at the demon’s throat. It leaned back, then countered with a forward stab with its right sword arm. Akemi sidestepped, at the same time blocking a right-handed sweep aimed at her back. She then stepped into the shadow’s reach and punched it in the face. It took a step back and looked at Akemi as if wondering why she would even bother. That split-second pause was the instant Akemi needed to thrust Sekimaru deep into the shadow’s midsection. It hissed as it began to dissipate, and she turned and deflected another sword-arm coming for her neck. She then hopped over a low swipe at her legs. This new threat came in at her in a fury of stabs, thrusts, and swings in unusual and fast combinations that drove the ninja back on her heels.
    * * *
    Kenjiro fared well against the shadow that challenged him. Although the beast came at him with well-placed thrusts and swings, they were telegraphed, and the samurai had learned its patterns. The Kalistyi stepped forward inside of Kenjiro’s defense and attempted to use an upward thrust straight through his chin. The samurai spun to the right and slashed down with his sword. The fiend rolled forward to avoid the blade, then sprang back in Kenjiro’s direction and executed a series of one-two stabs. Kenjiro’s sword was a blur as he deflected the stabs each time, winding and twisting his blade to meet every thrust. As the Kalistyi pressed him backward, another fiend ascended from a shadow on the ground and stabbed at his back. The ever-alert samurai sensed the presence behind him and in the last instant, brought his sword around in a powerful two-handed parry, causing a ricocheting effect in both weapons.
    The Kalistyi in front of him was temporarily stunned by its vibrating weapon. Anticipating the force created from the parry, Kenjiro used the ricochet to spin him around to block the new attack at the rear. The force knocked the new attacker off balance just as the stunned demon recovered. Kenjiro leaped into a roll, and came back to his feet in a counterclockwise spinning block with his sword, deflecting all four of the sword arms directed at his upper torso. The two demons tried to overwhelm the samurai with their two to one advantage, but Kenjiro’s sword flashed fast and true.
    * * *
    Akemi glanced over her shoulder and smiled as she saw her brother gracefully dance with the two demons who looked as if they could actually be breaking a sweat, if that were possible. She returned her full attention on the unfortunate Kalistyi in front of her that must have begun to realize it was outmatched. It ducked a high swipe by the ninja and countered with a thrust with both its sword-arms that was becoming repetitive to the ninja.
    Akemi snickered as she jumped over the attack in a forward flip and kicked the demon in the back of the head as she passed. As it stumbled forward, Akemi’s feet touched the ground and the hard muscles in her legs flexed and propelled her backward toward the fiend. The shadow demon’s head fell back and it hissed in agony, then looked down at its dissipating torso. The last thing it heard before it succumbed to oblivion were two sweetly spoken words. “Good-bye.”
    * * *
    Kenjiro had no such luck in seeing his younger sister’s amazing skill, for he had his hands full holding off these two shadows while devising an attack. The shadow to his right jumped to the side and moved in diagonally in hopes of catching the samurai off guard. Its partner came in with a series of low swipes at his feet, forcing him to