by Guy Antibes
“I’d like that,” Grigar said.
“So would I.” She smiled at Grigar and saved a better smile for Jack.
~
“Most times, testing results are not discussed,” Namori said as they sat down with their trays of food, “but the Zuri Mountain episode was leaked from Deep Mist. Do they really practice human sacrifice?”
“We could easily be fooled given the circumstances,” Grigar said.
“You were,” Namori said. “The mine is a Deep Mist mine. I know because my father handles the contracts to refine the ore.”
“But what about the village at the bottom of the mountain?” Jack asked. He had a hard time believing he had been so thoroughly duped.
“Where do you think the miners live?”
Grigar looked at Jack before saying anything. “We could have fought our way out and killed a lot of people. Jack considered removing the Zurians.”
“Then Jack would have removed them. They really are a cult at the top of the mountain, but as far as I know, they don’t practice human sacrifice,” Namori said.
“What else is a lie? Is anything real here?”
Namori nodded. “We have to be ready for anything,” Namori said. “The graduates of Deep Mist are the best of the best. I wasn’t even allowed to qualify.” Her lower lip turned into the tiniest pout. “I have other qualities, however, and am very glad I can be used for your mission.”
“Just how good is your memory?”
“Show me a page for a moment, and I have it committed to memory. I’m one of the best at it in Yomomai,” she said with a grin. “I was able to show my father that I was good for something.”
“Your martial art skills are good,” Grigar said.
“My abilities have improved, but not as much as Jack and his friends. I’m not as good at the visualization part.”
“And that is what separates the fast swordsman from the very fast swordsman,” Jack said.
She nodded with an exasperated expression. “So Deep Mist was out of the question, or I would have seen you there.”
Jack could tell her failure hurt. “Well, the Deep Mist’s loss is to our advantage.”
Her expression brightened. “That is how I try to think of it. Tell me what you can of Deep Mist.”
Grigar did most of the talking. Jack inserted a few of his exploits, but just enough to spice up the Lajian’s story.
“Maybe I should be thankful I wasn’t chosen,” Namori said. “Perhaps it is better to be content with what I have.”
“Not too content, my dear,” Grigar said. “One needs enough resistance in their life to grow, but not so much that you break.”
Namori laughed. “I suppose I get most of that. I’m glad I met all four of you. I guess five, now. Helen’s baby is increasingly cute. I nearly want one of my own, but a Pearl Mist can’t be too attached to their family.”
“Why not?”
Namori’s smile turned upside down. “We have to be prepared to die at any time.”
“Why?”
“For the cause, of course.”
Jack turned his head. “Just exactly what is the cause? No one has explained what that really is. We know that you are rivals of the Red Herons. They want to take over Masukai and run the country, but what does that mean?”
Jack really hadn’t gotten into the rivalry any deeper than that. Fasher was worried the Red Herons would take the Battlebone and begin to create a worldwide empire, but past that after months and months in the country, he still didn’t know the detailed difference between the two.
“The Red Herons are against the empire. Not a worldwide empire, but the Masukai government as we know it. They want to enforce their vision of Masukai on us all.”
“What is their vision, Namori?” Grigar asked.
“The Red Herons want to re-establish the feudal system that plagued Masukai for centuries. Nobles and peasants. Our current emperor has moved the country out of that. I mean we still have nobles, but people have more freedom.”
“Are you a noble?” Grigar asked.
Namori blushed. “I am. My great-grandfather was the ruler of a domain not far from Taiyo. My father was not the first son, so he would not have been able to open an independent business as a merchant. He would have worked for my uncle, who is older. The Red Herons want a return to that. Many of them are nobles who have fallen on harder times. They have the support of many in the government who would like to increase their power just because of their birth. It has put a great deal of pressure on the emperor.”
Jack thought for a bit. He knew there was a streak of ruthlessness embedded in the Masukai culture, feudal or not. To him, it wasn’t simply a matter of good versus evil. If Namori’s admission was correct about the human sacrifice being a ruse, he didn’t know if it was bad versus worse.
“Well, we aren’t pro-feudal,” Grigar said. “Nobility has its place as long as they let others pursue their own destinies. Right, Jack?”
Jack nodded. “Right.” He looked at Grigar. “I wonder if they will let us out of the compound for an afternoon?”
Namori brightened up. “Can I be your guide?”
“I still have a few items on my list for Penny’s father,” Jack said. “Do we need permission?”
“I can ask. Tanner and Helen have been out before.”
“It’s not that we haven’t been on our own,” Jack said. “We traveled from Yomomai to Deep Mist and back on our own.”
“Then we should at least let someone know we will be gone,” Namori said. “You can even wear your Deep Mist clothes.”
“Won’t we be targets for the Red Herons?” Grigar asked.
Namori shook her head. “Attacking a Deep Mist graduate is not something the Red Herons do.”
“But Helen and Tanner were nearly killed in a clash,” Grigar said.
“Their mission had no Deep Mist graduates.”
Jack would have to accept that. “Then Grigar and I will change. Where shall we meet?”
“Here would be as good a place as any,” Namori said. “Make sure you have your rank cards.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
~
J ack fingered his rank card. His Masukai name was inscribed in silver while he waited in the dining hall. Grigar showed up with Namori.
“Hail, Gigaru Zinza!” Jack said, brushing non-existent dust from his formal Deep Mist robe. It had wide stiffened silk wings that made his shoulders look impossibly broad.
“Ah, Sakoru. So good to see you again.” Grigar held up his rank token.
“Silver names,” Namori said. “That is proof enough you are of Deep Mist.” She pulled out her own. She had moved up two grades since she first met them in Taiyo. Her name was painted in black with a white dot before and after her name.
“The white dots mean?” Jack asked.
“Pearl Mist. Guilds have similar embellishments. Silver names are unique in Masukai, and that is embellishment enough.”
Jack hadn’t bothered to ask when given the card in Deep Mist. He only noticed the lettering was a different color.
“We can go?”
“From here to the palace grounds and back,” Namori said. “I know the ways of Yomomai as well as any. I see you are both armed.” She handed purses to each of them. “Yomomai-minted money. Stipends are benefits of your rank, and it is better to use the money made in the capital.”
Grigar patted the wand at his waist after he tucked the purse in his robe. Jack had the sword he chose when he returned to Deep Mist from Zuri Mountain and the wand that Fasher had imbued before Jack had gone on his first errand. He wore his bracers, and Eldora’s warded box was around his neck, as always. He hadn’t retrieved the other objects of power he had left with Tanner and Helen.
“Wear your hoods up. I will do the same. Red Herons have red trim on their clothing. I will point one out if we run across any.”
“And Pearl Mist members?”
Namori smiled. “We don’t advertise unless one is a Deep Mist graduate.”
“But this is a Pearl Mist wizard robe, isn’t it?” Grigar asked.
“Wizards who are Ranked Eight and above are exceptions,” Namori said smiling. “All Masukai honor high ranking wizards.”
“I am pleased to be honored, but I didn’t notice being treated differently when we traveled from Deep Mist,” Grigar said.
“Did you wear your robe?”
“No.” Grigar smiled wryly. “Now, I will see if there is any difference.”
“We will walk, this time,” Namori said.
They emerged into an alley that ran into a wide thoroughfare. The street was the straightest Jack had seen in the capital.
“This is the parade route. The emperor leaves and returns from Yomomai along here. I was told to come this way so you could see the mansion we will be entering tomorrow night.”
“When it is dark?” Jack asked.
Namori nodded. “And everyone is sleeping except dogs and guards,” she said smiling.
How could a dog know Jack was on a practice mission? He shivered and shook his head to clear it of unpleasant thoughts. How long had it been when he was so free, if only for an afternoon?
The parade route was lined with shops, and street vendors filled the edges of the wide street. Horses, carriages, rickshaws, and fancy litters moved up and down the center of the street. Jack thought the smells should be exotic, but he had been in Masukai for so long, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
He stopped at a shop displaying merchandise that seemed to be on his list. He consulted Namori to make sure before he began to dicker for each piece. Jack bought a soft cylindrical bag that he could throw over a shoulder to carry his purchases.
Namori smiled. “You probably made that merchant’s day,” she said. “He probably doesn’t sell his wares to high-ranking warriors very often.”
“Deep Mist wizard-warriors don’t buy souvenirs?”
She giggled. “They have servants do such things.”
“No one has mentioned servants,” Grigar said. “When do I get mine?”
“If you didn’t live at the academy, you would be paid enough to hire a few.”
Jack shrugged. He would have been happy to pay in Corandian gold, but he had no feel for what kind of behavior his new position required. “I am finished with the trinket-buying. Where should we go? What should we do?”
“Strolling should be good enough. We will walk to the palace and back. The food vendors are better the closer we get to the emperor’s home,” she said.
Jack absorbed the language, which he understood perfectly and the antics of the citizens. He did notice that lower-class citizens bowed a lot lower to better-dressed people. The nobility-peasant thing wasn’t fully eradicated in Yomomai now that he analyzed the behavior of the people more closely than he had before.
“Those are Red Herons?” Grigar said, pointing to three young men wearing red-trimmed robes on the other side of the thoroughfare.
One of them noticed Grigar’s attention and urged his companions to cross the street.
“You were pointing to us, honored wizard?” one of them said, looking up at the much taller Jack Winder.
Grigar grinned. “I was. We recently arrived in Yomomai from the south, and you were the first Red Heron members we have seen in the capital today.”
“There are plenty of others,” another said. “Wizards too.”
Jack assumed a look of mock horror. “Wizards? I am shocked.”
“Why are you shocked?” the first Red Heron asked.
“I thought all Red Herons were wizards. Gigaru and I speculated on what rank the first Red Herons would be that we met in your fine city.”
The last Red Heron to speak had looked on impassively at their conversation. “It isn’t done to mock us.” He gave Jack a shallow bow. “A person masquerading as a Deep Mist wizard-warrior shouldn’t make fun of my fellows.”
The first Red Heron’s eyes grew. “Deep Mist?”
Jack noticed the fear in his voice. “Forgive me. I am a recent graduate. Our escort,” he nodded to Namori, “said it would be proper to walk the streets of Yomomai in our new robes.”
The last Red Heron looked at Jack with narrowed eyes. “May I exercise impertinence and ask to see your rank token?”
Jack smiled. “Of course, as modest as my ranking might be.”
He handed his token over to the Red Heron. The man sputtered. “This rank. It isn’t possible.”
Jack retrieved it. The rank hadn’t changed. “It certainly is. I had to go through a lot to achieve it. May I see yours?”
The Red Heron turned red and handed his over. He was ranked six as a warrior.
“Oh. I assure you my rank is correct,” Jack said, returning the token. He turned to Grigar and Namori. “We must be on our way. Thank you for chatting with us.”
Jack gave them a much deeper bow than they deserved and walked on ahead. Namori and Grigar had to hurry to follow. Jack had to resist looking back to see if his act had any effect.
“That wasn’t very nice,” Namori said. Her smile betrayed the scolding.
“I wasn’t too arrogant, was I?” Jack asked.
“I wouldn’t call berating them as arrogance,” Namori said.
“He was being playful,” Grigar said. “Jack is prone to bouts of playfulness. He hasn’t had much chance since we arrived in Masukai.”
“Oh, that is what it is. Just don’t be playful to those ranked higher than you.”
“That is something I wondered about,” Jack said, somewhat seriously. “Who is ranked higher than me? How can I tell?”
“Not many warriors or wizards, and they will all be much older than you. Nobles are on a different level. An eighth rank noble would be equivalent to your ranking. Some people discount warrior rankings since they involve violence. Wizards, on the other hand, are afforded more respectability. Grigar’s equivalent is a nine, but within Pearl Mist, your rank is looked upon as higher. There is only a handful in the Yomomai academy that outranks you.”
“Torii and Okiku?” Jack asked.
“Torii Ishoru does, but you are a little higher ranked than Okiku as a member of the Pearl Mist. Okiku has other qualifications that make her one of our leaders.”
Grigar laughed. “Then why does she push us around with such impunity?”
“Because she does.” Namori shrugged and walked on.
Jack watched her walk away. She turned and raised her eyebrows.
“Are you coming?” she said.
Jack and Grigar looked at each other.
“I guess that line of questioning is over,” Grigar said.
“I guess so.”
They walked into a much nicer district as they approached the palace. Buildings touching one another gave way to mansions behind walls, separated by alleys. Namori stopped.
“The one across the street will be the target tomorrow night. It is Keneto Kaseru’s mansion.”
“Who is he?”
“A friend of the Pearl Mist and one of the emperor’s counselors.”
Grigar rubbed his chin with the back of his hand. “How many counselors does the emperor have?”
“Twenty-four, officially. They are aligned into two groups, a left faction, and a right faction.”
“Let me guess. The Pearl Mist is on one side and the Red Herons on the other,” Jack said.
“Obvious, isn’t it?”
“Very,” Grigar said.
“Can we walk around Kaseru’s place? Will we be too obvious?”
Namori shrugged. “Not particularly. People are free to walk around the mansions, especially if they are from outside the capital and want to visit the emperor’s city.”
“I think Grigar and I qualify being from outside the capital. Shall we saunter around?”
“Try not to be too obvious,” Namori said with a smile.
“I didn’t intend to be, but…” Jack plucked at his Deep Mist robe and stayed on the same side of the street and took the first alley to his right,
away from Kaseru’s mansion.
“Are all these built the same way?” Jack said, looking up at the wall.
“I suppose,” Namori said.
Grigar chuckled behind them.
“Jack is unconventional,” Grigar said as he followed Jack.
“Sometimes a direct approach is best since it is the simplest, but when facing the unexpected, it is more fun to be unexpected yourself.”
“Fun?” Namori asked.
“We even had fun when we escaped from the Zurians,” Grigar said.
“You agree with Jack?”
Grigar laughed. “Of course. At heart, we are both pranksters.”
Jack turned back and glared at Grigar before he examined the set-up of each mansion. They were pretty much identical on the one side. He moved across the parade street to the other side and walked up the alley. The alleys were busier than the mansions in the front.
“Is yours like this?” Jack asked Namori.
“A little,” she said.
The way she replied indicated that it was very similar. They reached Kaseru’s mansion. An alleyway linked the back alley to the thoroughfare. There was an uncharacteristic jog in the wall.
“This is where we will enter and where you will wait for us,” Jack said. I will make an invisibility object when we return. It will work if anyone walks by, but if they carry a torch, they will be able to see your shadow on the wall, so you will have to crouch down.”
“Invisibility?”
“A little something I can do,” Jack said. “You might have to practice a bit.”
“But that is cheating.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Breaking into someone’s house isn’t like cheating?”
Namori nodded. Jack guessed the woman had bouts of naiveté. It was probably a cultural thing and might have been a disqualifier for sending her to Deep Mist.
“This is different. We are going to practice finding out what is in the book,” Namori said. “We have to follow the rules.”
“What rules?” Grigar asked. “The only rule we need to follow is to get the information in the book without anyone finding out. Is there a list of how we are to do that?”
“No,” Namori said.
“Then let’s discuss our own rules on our way back to the academy,” Jack said.
