by Guy Antibes
I’ll give you a think if I do, Grigar said.
“You communicated with him?” Tanner asked.
“I should probably teach you how to do it,” Jack said. “Yes, I did. He is now warned. Grigar also knows he can call on us if anything goes wrong.”
Tanner shook his head ruefully. “What can go wrong?”
The cart went through the gate into the mansion’s grounds and Grigar along with it. Jack got up from his position and walked away from the crown of the hill, worried about leaving Grigar so exposed, but he couldn’t risk Namori on an information-gathering mission since no one had the memory she had. Grigar admitted that she was much better at absorbing and retaining short-term information.
The prospect of this not being a mansion but a training facility for rebel soldiers was also a nasty surprise if it turned out that Namori was correct about the uniforms. He wondered if that would be enough information to justify their mission if they were unsuccessful in retrieving the book. To Jack, now that he saw the size of the place, the mission was like finding a needle in a haystack, and now he had Namori’s confession floating in the back of his mind.
“Something is happening,” Namori said, calling from the vantage point.
Jack crawled back up the hill and could see people converging on a cart. That had to be Grigar’s. His friend was caught, but what could those below do with him? Grigar hadn’t done anything wrong. The Red Herons had let him into their enclave.
“Now who is going to go in and rescue him?” Tanner asked.
Jack was going to go in by himself. “Let’s hope Grigar will tell us what happened.”
“If he is still alive,” Namori said.
Jack hadn’t considered that the Red Herons would execute him for hitching a ride on a cart.
“Nothing to do but wait for dark,” Tanner said. “Then you can work your magic, figuratively and literally.”
Jack turned over onto his back and looked up at the sky. There were hours before the sun set.
“We should move away from here,” Tanner said. “You can still try contacting Grigar from a safer place.”
“Is it because you want to help by holding the horses?” Jack asked.
“Of course, it me. I get afraid when I’m all by myself.”
Namori even laughed at that. They moved down the hill and into the woods, finding a small clearing without any trails leading to or from it.
Jack grabbed some of the barely-edible travel rations and chewed on a dried strip of meat from some kind of animal.
Tanner took one of the strips and began to suck on it. “Goat, probably. What do you think, Namori?”
The girl shivered. “I hate those and refuse to eat them. I have too good an imagination to put one of those in my mouth.”
Jack was going to say an insensitive comment, he had come up with, but decided to keep his mouth shut and kept sucking.
Jack, I am safe enough, for now. There has been a surprising development. Grigar said.
I’m planning on waiting for tonight, so I can get you out of there. I can do it easily unless you are chained to a wall, Jack said. We have retreated from the hill.
It doesn’t matter since they know we are here and what our mission is, Grigar said. I’m sure nothing is kept secret at the Yomomai academy.
Do they know specifically about us?
They do, and now I know where my old friend at the port in Taiyo ended up. He is an advisor to the lord here. He asked me to invite you two for dinner, Grigar said.
Two? Jack asked.
They don’t know Tanner is with us. Think about who you told Tanner was going with us, and we can get an idea who the leak isn’t.
Jack thought for a bit. The servant?
Could be. Did you tell Okiku that Tanner came with us? Grigar asked.
Not me. I didn’t want Torii Ishoru to say no.
No reason to speculate. Namori and I will ride in after I try to teach Tanner telepathy. Will you be released to fetch us?
I will, with minders so get Tanner out of there when I next contact you. Be prepared for anything. It has been so long that I can’t trust my friend.
Jack shook his head with frustration. “I won’t be rescuing Grigar tonight.”
“He is tied up in a cell?”
Jack pressed his lips together. “We were betrayed, just as we thought we might. It was someone who didn’t know Tanner came with us. We have been invited to dinner, and I intend to accept the invitation. Will you come with me?” Jack said to Namori. “They know you are here as well.”
“How does Grigar know all this?”
“The friend who had left Taiyo is a high-up retainer to the lord of this manor.”
“He is a Red Heron?” Tanner asked.
“I have no idea. I need to teach you how to communicate.”
Tanner blinked. “Me? I can’t do that.”
“Don’t say you can’t when you haven’t even tried,” Jack said. “It will be very helpful if you know.”
“Can I try to learn too?” Namori asked. “Few Masukaians possess that kind of talent. I would like to be one of them.”
Jack nodded. “Before I came to Masukai, I would have said it would be impossible, but magic doesn’t behave according to the Corandian manipulation levels. I think someone tried to make sense of magic and came up with those, but the Masukaians have proven that false. Even Helen can do a little fifth-level manipulation magic.”
“Then stop talking, and let's get started,” Tanner said.
“I have to talk to tell you how telepathy works,” Jack said.
“Fine. That means we are getting started, doesn’t it?” Tanner said, smiling.
“It does,” Jack said. They spent an hour working through trigger words for Tanner and visualizations for Namori.
The girl made her breakthrough first. Jack was able to connect with her and explained how to direct her thoughts to people she had known. Jack knew, at the least, that she could communicate with him.
He continued to work with Tanner who had finally connected with “poof” as his trigger word. Jack had no idea how that related to telepathy, but he could communicate with Tanner, but the mercenary was not successful in contacting Grigar.
“He is getting ready to leave the compound. I gave him an idea where we are,” Jack said.
“Then let’s take care of this place,” Tanner said.
They spent the next few minutes making sure there wasn’t any clear evidence Tanner had been in the clearing.
“Make sure the horses aren’t hobbled,” Tanner said as he left. “I won’t even be close enough to observe, now that I can use telepathy. Helen will be so jealous.” He grinned as he left them.
“So it is you and I,” Namori said.
“For a little while,” Jack said as they shared a fallen log.
“Anything you’d like to know about me?” Namori asked.
Jack sighed inside. The girl was much more aggressive than he would have imagined.
“How would your father think about you having a relationship with a Corandian?”
Namori frowned. “I’m not sure. He loves me too much to deny me anything.”
“Do you have any siblings other than your brother?” Jack said, knowing that would be a safe question.
“My other brother and sister live in Taiyo. My sister has three children, all boys. I am the youngest. Does that answer your question?”
Jack managed a smile. “Does your father approve of Corandians?”
Namori giggled. “More so than most. He worked with your friend’s father while trade was still permitted.”
“What does he think of the Pearl Mist?”
“He supports them. He does even though the emperor has taken Mother from him.”
“I know the government is unstable, but no one has been willing to let us know how it is unstable,” Jack said.
“Enough questions. Do you want to spar?” Namori asked. She looked a bit disappointed. Perhaps their conversation wasn’t on the to
pic she wanted. “We haven’t done so since we were at the family compound.”
Jack shrugged. “Sure. You have the advantage of seeing me spar with Masukaian speed.”
She took a deep breath. “I want to experience that speed for myself.”
They stepped away from the horses and bowed to each other. Jack had to watch it with Namori. She was very good with her sword, but she didn’t know what her new speed was like. Jack had let her spar with Tanner after he had helped them discover better trigger techniques.
He didn’t know if it was proper to give ladies chances, so he decided to lay off just a little, but not too much. If his speed were greater than hers, Jack would have the time to give her a match that would help her get used to her new level of capability.
He held his sword down ready to bring the blade up when she attacked him. He touched the void, and everything slowed up for him. She attacked slowly. Jack couldn’t remember how fast she was in Taiyo, but she was faster than Helen with enhanced speed, he knew that.
She continued to press as Jack gave her ground before he tapped her wrist as she spent too much time bringing her blade back for a slash. Namori stopped.
“You could have taken my hand off,” she said.
Jack laughed. “Aren’t you glad I didn’t?”
She laughed nervously. “You were playing with me.”
“Do you want me to use my full speed?”
Namori took a deep breath. “I do.”
Jack nodded. They bowed to each other again. Namori looked nervous, and that wasn’t good for a sparring match. He didn’t give her a chance and stepped in to grab the wrist of her sword hand and pressed the blunt edge of his blade against her long neck.
She looked into his eyes. Jack didn’t see the fear he expected as she put her other arm around him and pressed close to him, kissing him on the lips. She withdrew, breathing a bit more heavily than she should have.
“You really didn’t give me a chance,” she said. “But I felt you needed a reward.”
She stepped back, her face flushed with embarrassment or something else. Jack withstood the shock of attraction. He took a deep breath.
“You stole a kiss without warning,” Jack said, with an unbidden smile.
Namori gave him a seductive look. It was the same kind of look he had experienced in Corand. He wouldn’t say he liked her, but the attraction between them must have blossomed when Jack had used his speed.
“And you defeated me with one incredible move,” she said. “There can’t be many at Deep Mist who are as fast as you.”
Jack laughed. “I haven’t sparred with everyone there, but Simaru is nearly as quick as I am, if not faster. He is a much better swordsman too.”
She nodded and sighed. “I can’t compete on that level. I can see that now.”
Jack shook his head. “Hidori isn’t close to being as fast as Simaru, and the Deep Mist graduate I fought when I first arrived was slower than Hidori. I would say you would be competitive with him,” Jack said.
“You are saying that to make me feel better,” Namori said.
“Not at all. When we get back to Yomomai, test yourself with people you know. I am sure you will be surprised.”
Namori nodded. She sheathed her sword and stepped closer. “Can I thank you again for showing me how to fight and how to communicate.”
Jack was tempted to reject her, but the feeling of attraction persisted through their conversation, and they kissed a few times before Grigar’s voice interrupted them.
“It is plain you need a chaperone, Jack,” the wizard said, leading three others into the clearing.
“Do you want me to saddle your horse?” Jack asked Namori, suddenly needing something to distract him. It had been a few years since he had been caught with a girl in his arms, but it felt like yesterday. He was almost worried about word getting back to his father.
“Please do,” Grigar said. “I’ll talk to Namori while you work.”
Grigar was still chatting with Namori when the horses were ready.
“Time to go to dinner. I’m sure whatever we have won’t sit well in our stomachs,” Grigar said out of his escorts’ hearing.
When Jack rode through the gate to the mansion, it had the feel of the fort Fasher and he had entered on the way from the coast to Raker Falls. There was a tension in their air that wasn’t apparent from their distant vantage point. Men and women walked around with a purpose, obviously following orders. The mansion was run like a military camp, that was what Jack thought.
“Is your friend in charge here?” Jack asked.
“No. He is an advisor, but we will be dining with the lord tonight. Our meal will be a learning experience, even for Namori.” Grigar nodded at the Masukaian woman.
The gate closed behind them. Jack thought about ways to break out, but they hadn’t been captured yet. He looked around at the buildings in the manor to get his bearings. They dismounted at the stables and walked through a gate into the men’s courtyard. The lord’s quarters were straight ahead as was the custom in Masukai.
They took their boots and sandals off as they walked up the steps. One of their escorts tapped on the door.
An order to let them in resulted in their stepping into severe quarters. There were no art objects, but there were weapons and armor displayed. The lord sat facing the door, just like Torii Ishoru’s meeting room. Four other men sat in two rows perpendicular to the lord. One of them stood and greeted Grigar.
“These are your friends? Impressive. A Deep Mist wizard-warrior. The sword is a giveaway.”
Jack touched the pommel, realizing they had let them enter with their weapons. He was surprised they weren’t treated like enemies.
“Let me introduce Sakoru Sinda. That is his Masukaian name, and this is Namori Ganshi. Her father is Kiro Ganshi of Taiyo. You might know him, Yoki.” He turned to Jack and Namori. “My old friend is Yoki Tirashima. We met each other nearly twenty-five years ago when both of us were much younger.”
“You, maybe,” Yoki said with a smile on his face.
Jack thought he didn’t seem sinister. This kind of situation was always unpredictable. He had been tolerated, like at the Black Finger monastery, but generally, he ended up in a cell. Jack wondered if the manor even had cells.
Yoki waved his arm toward the man sitting at the head of the room. “Your host is Takatai Minza. He leads an independent faction called the Pine Bears.”
“I didn’t make up the name, unfortunately,” Takatai said from his seat. “We have been organized for over ten generations. You were told we were Red Herons?”
Grigar nodded. “We were. We came for a ledger.”
Takatai laughed. “I know what they want, and I will let you look it over. You won’t have to use that fancy sword of yours, Sakoru Sinda.”
Jack was thoroughly confused. “Do you have any idea why you were identified as Red Herons? Are you their allies?”
“We aren’t associated with the Pearl Mist if that is what you are getting at.” Takatai rose, making the others rise. “Let’s talk about this while we eat. We have spent enough time on introductions.”
Jack found he liked Takatai, from what little he saw. The man was no-nonsense, but Jack wondered if the man had any kind of a sense of humor. He didn’t know how to take Yoki Tirashima, but dinner might give him a better idea. He would like to know what was going on. However, it would be nice to know what others thought of the Pearl Mist, and why The Pine Bear faction was fielding an army.
They sat down in the adjacent dining area. Uniformed servants delivered platters while they sat.
“Are all your servants part of the army?” Jack asked.
“All,” Takatai said, “including the informant. We have a few people in the Yomomai academy to keep watch on the Pearl Mist.”
“You don’t trust us?” Namori said.
“Why would I? Torii Ishoru doesn’t trust me. He also doesn’t trust any of the Red Herons either. The Pearl Mist is solely aligned with
the emperor.”
That made sense to Jack. He wanted Namori’s opinion, but he couldn’t use telepathy in front of Takatai without him noticing.
“So we aren’t enemies?”
Takatai nodded. “I don’t believe so. If we were, you would be treated much differently than you are now.”
“And what do you think of the emperor?” Namori said, continuing her questioning.
“Currently, we are neutral. The Red Heron faction has become bolder in their dissatisfaction with the emperor’s indecision. They want Masukai to return to stricter rules, but the emperor wavers.”
“Does the Pearl Mist want looser rules?” Grigar asked.
Yoki laughed. “They are only interested in being able to play their games. They want to be a shadow force that maintains the status quo. The Pine Bears are interested in expanding Masukai’s horizons.”
“Through war?” Namori said. “You seem to be on a war footing.”
Takatai looked bemused. “Through trade. We have thought of recruiting your father, but his Pearl Mist ties are built from generations of Ganshi members, coupled with his hostage situation. The Pine Bears think there is a strong chance of civil war. It is better to be prepared to defend yourself than be batted back and forth by factions that you can’t really trust. And that brings us to you.”
“Us?” Grigar said.
Yoki nodded. “The time to dither is rapidly coming to a close. The Pearl Mist leaders are expert ditherers, but you can take a copy of the ledger that they seek. We have nothing to hide, and I will come with the ledger.”
Grigar’s eyebrows rose. “You my friend?”
“We have tried to talk to them in the past, but have always been spurned. We have a few people at the Yomomai academy, but it is better that they aren’t exposed yet.”
“I’ve always assumed you are allied with the Red Herons,” Namori said.
Yoki smiled. “And the Red Herons think we are allies with the Pearl Mist. They are more correct in their thinking than Torii Ishoru.”
“But what about Iraishi Ranturo?” Jack asked. “Doesn’t he run the Pearl Mist?”
Takatai shrugged. “He doesn’t run the Pearl Mist as much as coordinate the different academies in Masukai, and that includes Deep Mist. In Yomomai, the capital, Ishoru is the leader.”
