Batman: Knight of the Hunt

Issue 7

The Betrayer

The fierce jungle sun is directly above them by the time the stench of the skinned aliens is left behind. The somber mood of the scene does not fade as easily. Robin isn't sure what weighs more heavily on the Batman's mind: the death of his former mentor, or the grisly display in the clearing. Or perhaps he's just being Batman.

The Dark Knight keeps both eyes on the trail ahead, but his mind drifts back. Back to the ring of mutilated corpses hanging from the trees. Back to the grave that he, Oliver, and Slade had dug that morning. And back even further to his final mission with the man who had trained him the ways of the League, the last time he would go by the name Al-Sabh, the Shadow. The Black Ninja.

The spring rains were falling outside the temple in Nanda Parbat. Al-Sabh circled warily, his curved shamshir held in a low guard. He couldn't help smiling as he watched Talia, daughter of the Demon, flourishing her sword opposite him.

She chuckled, arching her weapon back over her head. "Pay attention, Al-Sabh. Its about to get interesting."

"One can only hope." His sword leapt forward, slicing through the air in a sweeping cut.

Talia was the greatest swordsman in the League, second only to Ra's himself. As such, she made the perfect sparring partner for his successor. She nimbly sidestepped his attack, dropping low and driving her sword up in a counterstrike. Al-Sabh parried, his many lessons with Ra's and Talia paying off.

Talia laughed, a hint of mischief playing in her eyes. "Well done. How about this, though?"

She danced forward, her sword twirling in deadly arcs around her. And when she closed the gap between them, her attack was in earnest. Back and forth across the temple floor, this way and that in ever faster and deadlier motions, the two champions battled. Every skill, every trick of the Assassins, every secret technique Ra's al Ghul had passed on after 900 years came into play. Al-Sabh was the stronger fighter, Talia was just a little bit faster.

Ultimately it was a move Al-Sabh should have seen coming that was his downfall. He moves to parry an attack. Too late, he realizes the attack was only a feint. An almost imperceptible movement, a flick of Talia's wrist, and he feels her blade graze his cheek. His own weapon was turned the other way, Talia's came to rest next to his throat. The playful fire in her eyes turned to laughter.

Al-Sabh stood back and wiped the blood from his cheek. "Perhaps we should use blunted weapons."

"Perhaps you should improve your skill."

Further banter was cut short by the arrival of David Cain, the Master Assassin. He chuckled. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

"Oh no," Talia replied coyly. "Al-Sabh finished sooner than he thought he would."

Cain didn't even bother to hide his amused smile. "Well, if he no longer amuses you, perhaps he would like to join his brothers and I on a crucial mission."

Talia waved dismissively for them to leave. Then, returning her sword to her sheath, she turned and strode from the room. Al-Sabh, the Black Ninja, picked up his own weapon and faced Cain.

The laughter faded from the Master Assassin's face. "We've learned of a mystical artifact, a weapon that traps the souls of its victims. Ra's al Ghul wants to study it."

"Where is this weapon?"

Cain smiled. "My favorite place on Earth. Japan."

The mission was relatively simple. The weapon had belonged to the Yamashiro family, and was housed in their family shrine. Through the generations, it had been passed down from father to son, until the last wielder of the weapon had fathered twins. When the boys came of age, the weapon was given to Maseo. His brother Takeo, feeling cheated, had vowed revenge, and so he had gone to the League for help. Ra's would retrieve the weapon, but Al-Sabh knew it was unlikely he would just hand it over to Takeo. The fool was betraying his flesh and blood for nothing.