by Guy Antibes
“We are to learn more at the Yomomai academy of the Pearl Mist?” Tanner asked.
“You will be tested again in Aimaru by Iraishi Ranturo, our leader,” Namori said.
“Will our rankings increase?” Helen smiled.
“Not officially, but you will be assigned classes that will lead to official rankings. That is what I intend to do. I don’t need Iraishi’s permission to go to Yomomai.”
“Even if your mother is held hostage in the city?” Grigar asked.
Now that was a good question, Jack thought.
Namori colored. “I’m not going to worry about that. Father is not permitted, but I am.”
~
Aimaru was a city, the largest they had entered since Taiyo. By the third day after the bandit attack, Namori was able to ride, but Jack still drove the cart. He was fine with that, although he was the highest-ranking person in the group. He still smiled as he thought about the fact, but he didn’t feel highly ranked at all. Even Namori joined in the others good-natured kidding.
They arrived at the city gate and went through the now-routine card inspection ritual. The constables still raised their eyebrows when they read Jack’s ranking. Let them, he thought. Jack still spent most of his time riding through villages, and now this city, absorbing the feeling that Masukai gave him.
Namori knew the city well as she navigated through the streets, lanes, and alleys of Aimaru. They ended up at a nondescript business selling horse feed. After riding through the entrance, the open gate was quickly shut, and a wall swung open that led to another stable where Namori dismounted.
“We are here,” she said.
Jack had already figured that out. He climbed off the cart. Since there didn’t appear to be any stable boys, he went to work removing harnesses and taking care of the horses.
A few men emerged from the closest door. “We can do that.”
Jack stepped away and let them. He distributed the bags and followed Namori through another door.
They entered into a foyer. Everything looked more like an inn than a business building.
“We will stay here tonight,” Namori said.
Two women and a man approached them. “We will show you to your rooms.”
The male led Jack, Grigar, and Tanner up two flights of stairs to a room with six beds. “It is auspicious that you have arrived today since our occupancy is at a lull.”
Jack had to ask the man to repeat himself. He spoke with an accent and might have used a few unfamiliar words. Their host didn’t seem to take offense.
“Put your bags away, and I will take you back downstairs.”
In a few minutes, they returned to the foyer. Kiro Ganshi stood talking to another man about the same age.
The other man looked at Tanner, Grigar, and Jack. “They made it here intact. That is in their favor.”
Kiro introduced them. “This is Iraishi Ranturo, the leader of the Pearl Mist who are your hosts for tonight.”
They bowed to each other. “He will join us now for a meeting and a meal,” Kiro Ganshi said.
Iraishi led them past the foyer into an area with small groups of tables. They walked past those and entered a room with a long table. They sat on cushions. In a few moments, Helen and Namori entered.
“Your trip was uneventful?” Kiro asked his daughter.
“I wouldn’t say that. We had to fight off bandits, twelve of them hiding in Golden Needle Forest. The constables in the next village could do nothing. The cart driver hired in Taiyo didn’t survive.”
“And you?”
“A nick or two,” Namori said. “An arrow pierced Jack’s arm.”
“Another nick,” Jack said. “Grigar is a healer, so I am almost okay.”
“Twelve,” Iraishi said. “That is impressive. The driver didn’t put up any kind of fight?”
“We couldn’t protect him,” Namori said, bowing deeply. “I am sorry.”
Jack didn’t know what she was sorry for, but that was a cultural nuance that Jack had missed.
“You may sit,” Iraishi said.
They waited for Kori and the Pearl Mist leader to sit first, and then they did the same.
“Your ranks?” Iraishi asked.
Jack was ready to pull out his ranking card, but no one else made such a move, so he sat and waited. Grigar told the man his ranking, followed by Tanner and Helen.
“I am a Warrior-Six and a Wizard-Eight,” Jack said.
“Ah, and he is so young,” Iraishi said. Kiro must have told him their rankings. “We will do a little testing here, but knowing your current rankings will allow us to be a bit more precise. Kiro said you accepted to receive further training in Yomomai.” Iraishi looked at Grigar and Jack. “We have an academy better suited for you two if you qualify.”
At dinner, Iraishi told them of the Pearl Mist.
“Secret societies abound in Masukai and have been around forever. The Pearl Mist is an ancient society ostensibly created by Akkora, goddess of the mist. We are dedicated to the positive attributes of Masukaian life and honor our emperor. Things like honor, integrity, and noble deeds. We eschew the darker side of existence: pride, position, power, and greed.”
Jack looked at Kiro. He was wealthy enough, but Jack couldn’t evaluate Kiro on greed. Iraishi went on. It was obviously a subject he felt passionately about and had probably stated countless times.
“We are Akkora’s soldiers,” Iraishi finally said, and to Jack, that said it all. The disguised headquarters, the mysterious academy in Yomomai. But Jack wondered what the Pearl Mist really did if they couldn’t help Kiro retrieve his wife and son.
For all the time spent studying at the Ganshi manor in Taiyo, Jack still didn’t feel comfortable enough to be on his own away from Namori. Additional training was, unfortunately, what faced him. Jack let Iraishi go on a bit until he said, “Let’s get tested. I want to learn more.”
“If you want training from this point, you will have to become a Pearl Mist,” Iraishi said.
“And what does that entail? I don’t intend on living in Masukai for the rest of my days,” Grigar said, “such as they are.”
“A few missions for us will be sufficient, but they will be important missions to justify what we will invest in you.”
“Less than a year?” Tanner asked. “We have our own errand to perform.”
“I talked to Kori Ganshi about that,” Iraishi said. “Taking the Battlebone, if it really exists, out of Masukai will count for one, certainly, and may be enough all on its own, depending on what it entails.”
“Do you know where it is?” Jack asked.
Iraishi shook his head. “It is lost. No one has any idea where it is.”
“You will help us?” Helen said.
“Perhaps. Once you are better trained, you can travel Masukai trying to find it. I am sure the Pearl Mist can be employed to gather intelligence.”
Jack wondered if the Pearl Mist was better at that than fighting. Time would tell. “Then it is testing time?” Jack said, trying to focus the conversation back to see if they even qualified.
“Tomorrow before breakfast,” Iraishi said. “I suggest you get plenty of rest.”
Jack wasn’t going to disagree about that. He nodded, said his good nights, and was the first to go to bed.
~
Two women and two men stood behind Iraishi in the inner courtyard where they had dismounted the previous afternoon. Jack figured they would be the testers. Their expressions were grave and disciplined. Another woman, as old as Namori’s father, dressed in a purple robe with thick dark gray stripes shuffled into the courtyard. Jack could see the pain in her eyes as she ambled toward the Pearl Mist leader.
The dour Masukaians handed real swords to all of them, even Grigar.
“This is our own test. We won’t worry about your language skills at this point, just martial arts and sorcery. Sometimes the Taiyo testers play games with their ranking. It has often been the case that a warrior with a higher-then-deserved
rating has died fighting someone at their same level.”
Jack didn’t know if he should have taken offense, but he looked around and didn’t see any indications from others, so he stood and waited for instructions. He moved his wrist, getting a feel for the Masukaian sword.
His opponent, one of the men, stood in front of him and bowed. It appeared this was going to be a sparring match. Jack bowed back, but before he had straightened up, the man attacked. Jack teleported back two feet and found his stance.
He had to fight as if his life depended on it, and it just might with all the near misses he avoided. Jack didn’t know what to do, so he concentrated on holding his arm out and flicking the blade in a purely defensive mode.
Jack noticed the older woman point a wand at him. This was getting unfair. He shuffled around so that his opponent’s back was toward the woman, who had to be a wizard. The man moved too easily, so Jack suspected a trick of some kind. He heard a grunt from the woman, and his opponent suddenly bowed, giving the woman a clear shot. Jack realized what was happening as the man began his bow. He tapped the man on the head with the flat of his blade and brought his sword up to deflect a wizard bolt in the next second. He ducked and rolled before pointing his sword at the woman and shot a weak wizard bolt that splashed against the woman’s chest.
“Enough,” Iraishi said.
The Masukaians took a few steps back and bowed, nearly in unison.
Tanner and Helen were breathing as heavily as he was. Grigar was sweating but smiling. Jack had no idea how his friends had fought.
“The warriors will leave us,” Iraishi said. “You may eat breakfast together.” He looked at the woman. “Okiku is a wizardess trained at Deep Mist.”
“Let me hold your hands,” the woman said.
She took Grigar’s hands and looked into his eyes. “Strong, still, old man.”
“Not as strong as when I was younger, not-quite-so-old woman.” He bowed deeply to the woman.
She patted Grigar on the head. She turned to Jack. “Now, you.” Jack gave her his hands and shot a tiny sip of power into her. “Akkora’s blessed! Your feel surprises me. It is very different.” She looked into his eyes. “You control wizard bolts better than I,” she said. “But I still sense a rawness. You are unfinished.”
Whatever that meant, Jack thought.
“And a warrior besides. The touch on Amiru’s head,” Iraishi said.
“If he cleaved his head, this young man would have been dead from the bolt,” the woman said. “I wonder if he knows that.”
“I do,” Jack said.
The woman frowned and turned to Iraishi. “Does he have no manners?”
“Not yet. Unfinished, as you say.”
The woman frowned. “I did, didn’t I?” she said irritably, “he should spend time at Yomomai, and then I will send them both to Deep Mist. The old man tries to hide his power, but he will learn what he can and can’t shield from me. Both of these wizards are surprises sent to us by Akkora.” The woman’s stomach rumbled. “It is time to join the others.”
Jack looked at Iraishi and gave him a little bow and maintained it. He was totally lost about manners at this point. “Is that it for wizardry?”
“We are finished. Okiku assesses potential. That is all we needed. The academy at Deep Mist will do the rest,” Iraishi said. “You will eat while we prepare ranking cards to present to the Yomomai academy.”
The woman, Okiku, seemed to have shed her anger when breakfast was served. The dourness of the testers had turned to laughter while Tanner provided them with his own version of their trip to Aimaru.
“I will accompany you to Yomomai,” Okiku said. “The boy needs some talking to before he reaches the capital.”
“Not me?” Grigar said.
Okiku’s eyes narrowed, but even Jack knew she wasn’t angry. “Especially you, old man. You are the rascal, not him.”
Jack didn’t believe that, but she intimidated him by her presence and the respect shown by the other Masukaians at breakfast. Kiro and Namori weren’t around, and Jack wondered if the Corandians were still under evaluation by the Pearl Mist. If that were the case, they would continue to be tested, perhaps for the entire time they associated with the group.
When breakfast was finished, they found that their belongings were stacked in the cart. A cushion was placed on the driver’s seat. Okiku needed some assistance climbing up, but she didn’t drive. One of the men who tested them earlier would drive the cart. Jack was obviously going to be back on his horse.
“Move your horse next to me when we leave the city,” Okiku said to Jack quietly.
Jack didn’t know why it had to be a secret, but he gave the woman a small bow and mounted his horse.
Namori led them out of Aimaru in a winding route. Jack guessed it was standard procedure for the Pearl Mist going into and out of their headquarters. They reached the gate and handed the constables their papers. Their new ratings weren’t listed on the ranking cards, but they were told that those would be updated after a week or two of training and verification at the Yomomai academy.
Houses and shops lined the road leading from the city walls. Roadside vendors clamored as they rode past, making their exit noisier than Jack had expected. Once the merchants and residents were left behind, Jack directed his horse to Okiku’s side of the cart.
“I wondered if you didn’t hear the voice of an old lady,” she said, bowing slightly.
Jack had no idea how to bow from a horse, so he nodded his head. “I waited for the clamor of leaving the city to subside,” Jack said, exercising his vocabulary.
“That is nicely put.” She looked at the passing foliage at the side of the road. “Sometimes, it is refreshing to see what Akkora has planted in our world. Look at that orange flower. It is a rare sight in this forest.” Okiku looked directly at him. “Are you a rare sight, or are you a young babe that is barely aware where light, food, and shelter are. It is good his mother knows such things. Is he a rare flower who will wither and die at the side of the road or a babe to be nurtured?”
Jack frantically tried to figure out a Masukaian style response. “I live to learn,” Jack said. He had read that somewhere in his Masukaian textbooks.
“Then listen and listen well. I will be direct. You and your male companions are too light-hearted for Masukaian sensitivities. Your nurturing will improve if your words and acts are more measured and less impulsive. Masukaians do not, as a rule, indulge in frivolity, except among family—close family.”
Jack thought for a minute. “I understand.”
“My comments will spread as the honeybee distributes its pollen, eh?”
Jack nodded. “Is that all?”
“Is it? Do you wish your schooling to end with a reproof?”
“No, I don’t,” Jack said. He didn’t know if the woman was joking with him or not. Neither Namori nor her father talked in metaphors like this, but they weren’t jokesters, that was clear enough. This had to be a serious warning. Would Grigar understand? Tanner might be harder to convince.
“Good. A forest is friendlier when you know the way. I would like to know what you have done as a wizard and as one of Akkora’s blessed since you came into your magic.”
“Will I need to demonstrate?”
Okiku shrugged. “Am I to walk the way without seeing?”
He took that for a yes. If he had to listen to all this indirect speaking all the way to Yomomai, he might want to turn around and leave the country. Jack took a deep breath. That wasn’t the right attitude. He needed light, food, and shelter to survive Masukai, as Okiku said.
“How do we get started?” Jack asked.
“From the beginning of course, but keep it brief. My brain is as old as the rest of me,” she said.
Jack began with Penny’s death and continued on. By midday, when Jack had just entered the capital of Tesoria, Okiku swished her hand. “We can continue your story tomorrow, but I will do more testing tonight.”
Chapter
Eleven
~
T hey stopped at a seven-ranked roadside inn, but it was better than any other so far. The inn spread out through a thin forest with pavilions that nearly matched those of Kiro Ganshi’s manor. Okiku’s party was assigned a modestly-sized pavilion with three-room wings along with an eating and lounging wing, all facing a fancy courtyard, complete with a stream.
A swarm of servants took care of their every need. Jack strolled through the courtyard and found a bench, which he found much more comfortable than sitting on the floor, even with a cushion.
“I see you like to sit a bit higher than the typical Masukaian,” Okiku said, shuffling into the courtyard.
“That is because I’m taller than the typical Masukaian.” Jack got to his feet and presented Okiku with a welcoming bow to an elder.
“Very good. It is almost correct,” Okiku said. “Let me show you where you went wrong.”
The woman had dropped the metaphors. Jack nearly sighed with relief. She had Jack bow again and corrected his mistakes. “Now for some tests. How far can you teleport, from here to the other end of the courtyard?”
“No,” Jack said.
Okiku frowned. “I was hoping for more.”
“I can teleport at least five miles, but I have to have been to my destination, or I have to see it.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“Remember the orange flower?” Jack teleported.
He stood in the middle of the road across from the same plant that Okiku had pointed out to him. Jack’s legs gave out. The distance had taken much power. He clutched Eldora’s box and drew magical energy into himself. He should have had his hand on it when he teleported. He dug out the plant and teleported back to the courtyard.
Okiku was gone, so Jack transplanted the orange flower in the courtyard. Before he had finished, the woman returned.
“I went looking for you,” she said and then stopped abruptly when she saw the plant. She sat down on the bench. “I must believe my eyes. You didn’t pluck the flower but gave it a chance to flourish.”
“Neither the babe or the flower must be allowed to wither and die,” Jack said. “I must join you on the bench. The task I gave myself sapped my strength.”
