Tension drained out of Shizu's face, leaving behind the earlier peaceful expression. Sword still raised above his head, he said, "It appears I've lost. What now? Will you let me surrender? Or am I to die here?"
“Neither." As the word left her mouth, Kino knew this was the moment. She had not chosen it; it had chosen her. She kept her smile carefully in place, but knew from the sudden flicker of wariness in Shizu's eyes that her gaze had gone cold.
With her left hand, Kino pulled down on the rod beneath the Cannon's barrel, using it to position the chamber that held the explosive bullet.
Shizu's eyes flickered to the movement of her hands. "What... are you doing?"
But they had been immobile for too long. The restless crowd exploded with blood-frenzy.
"Finish it! Kill him!" came the screams. They soon settled into a simple, primal rhythm, "Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Her expression frozen, Kino edged a little to the left, the Cannon still aimed at Shizu's head.
Shizu took a tentative step to his right. "What are you doing? If you're going to kill me... "
Kino lowered the Cannon, pressing the cold muzzle into Shizu 's throat. She glanced up into his eyes. "Who's behind you in the stands?"
"What? Oh... you... my God!"
"I'm no one's God," Kino murmured, then shouted, "Duck!"
Shizu's knees folded, and Kino pulled the trigger.
The hammer hit the percussion cap and the bullet leapt from the barrel. It passed harmlessly over Shlzu's head, but the discharge created a shockwave with enough force to knock him flat on his back.
Kino was thrown backward as well, pain coursing through both arms. Cannon, indeed, she thought, as she hit the ground and rolled.
But the bullet's aim was true, and it headed straight for the private box seat in the center of the stands. The epoxy-packed head of the bullet hit the glass, which was not all that thick, and passed through it. The glass shattered in its wake, tumbling like a waterfall behind it.
The force of impact peeled back the four sections of the glass case. The remainder of the bullet continued onward into the face of the man who wore the crown. Piercing his skin, tearing through the muscle, and shattering his skull, the bullet entered his head. Its metal rim was torn away, crushed by the impact. The percussion cap fired; a small spark was born; the concentrated liquid explosive ignited.
The king's head exploded.
Shizu saw the glass shatter as the shockwave from the Cannon's blast threw him backward. From the ground, he witnessed the scarlet explosi on – watched as everyone in the box was showered with the debris of a life suddenly snuffed out.
Then, the stands erupted in chaos.
As the red mist cleared, Shizu realized that the king was dead. He clutched his head, looking dizzy and sick.
"Long live the king," he whispered, then pretended to be unconscious.
Kino watched pandemonium sweep the stands, spreading from its bloody epicenter like a tsunami wave. It is, she thought with detachment, just like a child's game of Telephone.
As she watched, she put the now-useless Cannon back into its holster and picked up the Woodsman. She checked to make sure it wasn't damaged and then holstered it as well. Then she folded her hands demurely at her waist and waited.
When the wave of realization had completed its course, and people's attention had begun to return to the arena, Kino held her arms wide, stepped forward, and shouted, "Everyone! The king is dead. Killed by a stray round meant for my opponent! I share your grief!" She paused, then added, "But I have won! I am one of you now! And as the victor, I claim my right to make a new law!"
Stunned and falling silent, they were listening now, even those wearing the king's blood.
"Without a king," Kino told them, "this land will have no order! So I will decide the new king! Here is my law: starting now, you will compete to decide the next ruler! Let any adult citizen who wishes to take the throne come forward and do battle for it. The last one left standing will be king or queen! Those of you who will not fight must leave this city and forfeit your rights of citizenship! This is now law!"
For a second, the coliseum fell totally silent as the crowd worked through the logic of Kino's Law. A few were quick to realize that if everyone fought to the death there would eventually be a king or queen with no subjects but children, the aged, and the infirm. And were everyone to choose not to fight, again, there would be a ruler without a kingdom. And among those few, some came to the conclusion that their city would remain intact only if they did not fight to the death.
Most did not think, however. They merely reacted with fear, or anger, or relief, or anyone of a thousand emotions, all expressed loudly.
The renewed roar of the crowd in her ears, Kino moved toward the entrance where Hermes waited. On the way, she stepped over Shizu, accidentally kicking him.
"Ow!"
"I beg your pardon. I'm pleased to see you're not dead. I assume you're not concussed. I'm leaving now. If you want to be a citizen of this hole, go right ahead."
Kino left Shizu to look after himself. She returned to Hermes, sweeping her coat from his seat.
Hermes simply said, "Welcome back. That was even more terrifying than usual."
The guard standing next to Hermes nodded at Kino and said, "You're something, little girl. Clever, that's what. How about we team up? You ought to be king or queen, I guess, right? I could be captain of the guard.”
Kino put her coat on, looking disinterested. "No thanks. I 'm out of here as fast as his little wheels can carry me." She flung her leg over Hermes' seat and mounted.
The guard looked at her quizzically and then swept his gaze over the rabble in the stands.
"If you don't want to get killed, you should probably leave too," Hermes suggested.
"You think?"
"You have a family?" Hermes asked as Kino started his engine. The rumble echoed from the concrete walls.
The guard nodded.
"Then, I think you really ought to leave. Your family will thank you."
"He's pretty wise for a piece of machinery," said Kino, and put Hermes in gear.
In a second, they were gone, disappearing into the corridor beneath the stands.
Shizu climbed through the stands one step at a time, moving slowly, his expression blank. Many people had fled, but among those who remained, brawls had broken out, and arguments both raucous and philosophical were in full swing. He ignored them all.
A man recognized him and tugged at his shoulder. "You're pretty good, swordsman. Join me in this fight – we can show them who's boss. What do you say?"
Shizu ignored this too, shoving the stranger's hands away.
"Hey, show some respect, loser!" the man snarled. His beckoning gesture brought several other men to his side. They came at Shizu from every direction, wielding pieces of iron railing they had ripped from the rusting stands.
Shizu turned and drew his katana. He stabbed the man behind him over his left shoulder, and, on the return swing, left a long cut in the face of the man in front of him. The other would-be attackers fled.
Still holding his sword aloft, Shizu kept climbing until at last he reached the field of shattered glass. As he stepped into the box, he tried to ignore the squish of the bloody carpet beneath his feet.
He regarded the king, still slumped in his chair, a head shorter than he used to be. The royal jewels were gone, stripped by scavengers. Even his outermost robe had been plucked bare of any prizes. The crown was nowhere to be seen. Shizu did not imagine it had fared any better than the head it sat upon.
He smiled, ever so slightly, and let out a long, slow breath. "We meet again."
Some distance beyond the walls of the city, Kino and Hermes found themselves on the shore of a broad, glittering lake. It was beautiful, serene, a scene begging to be savored. Kino, who had enjoyed so little of late, brought the motorcycle to a halt to watch the sun sparkle on tiny ripples.
"I'm in no hurry," Hermes said.
She glanced down at him, then dismounted wordlessly and plopped down on the grassy bank. Kino took a deep breath, held it a moment, then exhaled as if to expel the last breath of the Coliseum and its stagnant city.
"Beautiful," murmured Hennes, gazing at the peaceful surface of the waters. The ripples mirrored the sun, the blue of the sky, and, along the water's fringes, the fresh green of the forest.