by Guy Antibes
“And what is your personal picture?” Torii asked.
Jack was tempted to tell the man he could figure it out for himself, but they still needed the Pearl Mist to become more active in the current political games.
“It is vital for you to ally yourself with the Pine Bears and any of the minor factions that you can come to terms with. I also think that everything needs to come out in the open, and quickly, or the Red Herons will make deals with even more nobles. Promises can be made with incentives that will change minds,” Jack said. He learned that way back when he was in extended school learning political geography. He hadn’t seen anything that contradicted what he learned then.
“Change minds,” Torii said. He took a moment to think before saying anything.
Evidently, that comment had hopefully struck a chord within the leader. Jack didn’t look at Torii as an enemy, but as someone who might be drifting off the right path. He hoped Yoki would help him get going in the proper direction; the right direction being to prepare for a conflict with the Red Herons.
“You think the current path will lead to war?” Torii asked.
“Maybe,” Jack said. “But it may lead to a change in your imperial dynasty. If the emperor is vacillating, then more nobles will scramble to back a stronger successor. It has happened many times before in different countries.”
“Impossible,” Torii said.
“No, it isn’t,” Okiku said. She had been silent up to this point. “In the last thousand years, there have been seven dynasties. What is to say a year from now that number has increased to eight?”
“You support the emperor?” Tanner asked.
“He is my cousin, after all,” Okiku said. “Of course, I support him. I’ve also taken the liberty of emphasizing the dire nature of the situation to Ruki Sinda.”
“That makes you a biased council member,” Torii said.
“We have had this discussion before. All are biased one way or another,” Okiku said, “except for my cousin, and that is the problem. He has let this situation fester for much too long.”
Okiku’s revelation was unexpected to Jack. He looked at Namori, who shrugged. She might not have known either. Jack had wondered if Okiku’s role wasn’t as a plant for the Pine Bears, but she was an active representative of the emperor within the Pearl Mist. No wonder she wouldn’t be assigned to Deep Mist where her ability to influence events would be hampered by her distance from the capital.
At least Okiku’s situation was cleared up in Jack’s mind. He wondered what other surprises were coming.
~
Jack and Grigar were invited to the Pearl Mist/Pine Bear meeting, after all. They met in a different room, but it was arranged the same as Torii Ishoru’s audience area. Iraishi Ranturo was in attendance, but Lord Kaseru didn’t appear to have been invited. Yoki walked in with Takatai Minza, and Simaru, the Deep Mist wizard-warrior, attended as a representative of Ruki Sinda, who was in telepathic communication with Simaru.
“All the interested parties are assembled,” Iraishi Ranturo said.
The Pearl Mist leader made introductions and then summarized the Pearl Mist position. It was exactly as Jack had found out. The Pearl Mist was dedicated to the preservation of the empire and the current dynasty.
Yoki spoke next, but where Iraishi emphasized the dedication to the preservation of the empire, Yoki talked about the current dynamic situation, ending with the statement that preservation was no longer a passive option and brought up the threat headed by the Red Heron faction. Takatai then took over and explained how the Pine Bears perceived expansionary activities. According to him, every expedition north to Lajia and Bornan had ended in failure. Jack was surprised there was no one to dispute Takatai’s claim.
“If there has been nothing but failure, then why are the Red Herons gaining influence among the nobility?” Jack blurted out the question.
“Some people always want change,” Iraishi said, “even if it isn’t in their country’s best interest.”
“Some people will sponsor change for power and wealth,” Torii said, almost contradicting his fellow Pearl Mist leader.
“We aren’t against change as much as the Pearl Mist,” Yoki said. “I will admit that, but a dynastic revolution isn’t in Masukai’s best interest.”
The talking continued, but Jack didn’t see any positions changing until Iraishi asked Simaru to relay Ruki Sinda’s opinion.
“You are getting change if you want it or not,” Simaru said. “The Red Herons and their allies are forcing it on us. We don’t have a choice. There will be a civil war one way or another. I would prefer it to be a war among the nobles in Yomomai. Once it spreads out into the countryside, innocent people will die. I can get three hundred Deep Mist graduates and candidates in Yomomai within a week,” Simaru said.
“I agree,” Grigar said. “As a Deep Mist graduate,” he smiled, “and as an interested party, my opinion is that you two ally with each other and put your factions on alert.”
“Your opinion is noted,” Iraishi said. He looked at Torii. “I think we need to spend the rest of this meeting debating the rules of our alliance.”
Takatai slammed a fist into his palm. “Yes!” he said. “I have taken the liberty,” he looked at Yoki, “of mobilizing the number of troops we can commit. We don’t have Deep Mist graduates, but we have special members who can join them in any operation.”
Torii cleared his throat. “I’m not as well prepared as you, but at the least, we can establish a chain of command.
The discussion was over as far as Jack was concerned. “We can’t add any more to this meeting. I can contribute two experienced warriors, a wizard and a wizard-warrior to your cause,” Jack said. “We will operate as a group, as long as we can secure the services of a servant to watch a bouncing baby girl.”
Okiku chuckled, but the others merely nodded. Grigar and Jack left to tell their friends.
“Can I be part of your group?” Namori asked.
“I don’t have an objection,” Jack said.
The others didn’t either.
“If the Pearl Mist can’t provide a servant, we can hire one,” Helen said. “We can start training in earnest again.” She looked excited to get back into action.
“We didn’t talk about the Battlebone,” Grigar said. “I don’t know about Jack, but I didn’t want to clutter up that very important meeting with our errand. If needed, we will go off on our own once the fighting starts.”
“If we don’t get assigned another mission that takes us out of Yomomai,” Namori said. “We will see whose command we are under.”
“Maybe I won’t sleep so soundly tonight,” Jack said.
~
Jack was relieved to find out they would be put under Ruki Sinda’s Deep Mist contingent. Torii would command those Pearl Mist members currently in Yomomai except for the Deep Mist graduates. Jack asked for and received permission to put Namori into his group.
He had a chance to be by himself for a few hours and felt it time to bring Fasher Tempest up to date.
After he explained the situation and the critical meeting, Fasher finally gave his opinion.
You are still subject to being diverted from your goal. If that happens, be prepared to ignore orders. The Battlebone is more important than the Pearl Mist or the Deep Mist think. Lord Kaseru’s view is likely the most accepted one. I am wondering if the Black Finger society is stirring up trouble in Masukai, so if you have an opportunity to question a Red Heron leader see if they are poking around, subtly, of course, Fasher said.
I will, Fasher. How is everything in Raker Falls?
Does it ever change? Fasher asked. You will come back the changed one. Good luck and keep me informed if anything significant happens.
Jack’s conversation didn’t last as long as he expected, so he tried contacting Penny.
Jack. Is that you? I have been hoping you would contact me.
Have you ever attempted to start a session? Jack asked.
I keep trying
, but that never works. I think we are too far apart. What is going on in Masukai?
Jack gave her a very brief description, making sure to leave Namori out of his discussion. He didn’t want any complications to arise from either woman.
Going into danger? Penny asked.
I’ve always been in danger, Jack said. Are you learning more?
I am, but I now know all the basics, and I am working in a few clinics in the First Ring away from the Healer’s institute to get experience from more experienced healers. I am improving quite a bit and will be able to return to Raker Falls in a few months if I don’t elect extended training.
Jack nodded to her, but she couldn’t see him do that. Perhaps I’ll be there to see you return. Anything else notable?
It would be nice to be in Raker Falls again, Penny said. I think I am under some kind of observation. I look behind me when I feel I’m being followed, but there is never anyone there. I’ll be glad to leave Dorkansee.
Don’t take any chances. Make sure you aren’t out alone, especially in the dark. If something happens, make sure you let me know, so I can tell Fasher. He has people he communicates with in the capital.
I will. Thank you for keeping me up to date!
Jack let Penny cut off the communication. Why would anyone want to follow Penny, he thought? He was surprised she was anxious to return to Raker Falls. His thoughts turned to Fasher’s warning about the Black Finger Society. If they were behind the Red Heron push to invade to the north, it didn’t bode well. Jack was certain the Black Fingers wouldn’t care about any Masukaians if they took control of the country.
When he found his friends, he told them about Fasher’s warning about Black Finger involvement. He kept his conversation with Penny secret.
They established a training schedule that included Helen, while Tanner watched Jackie.
They had been at it for a week when Ruki Sinda walked into a training session.
“You are staying prepared?” Ruki asked Jack.
“And bringing my two companions up to Deep Mist standards,” Jack said. “They are approaching Deep Mist warrior level. Their training at Yomomai was lacking.” He didn’t mention that both Helen and he were bringing Namori’s capabilities up as well.
Ruki nodded to that.
“I have a mission for you. I need four or five to capture and interrogate a Red Heron leader. It will involve leaving Yomomai and traveling to Botishi, which is a day or so away. They have an academy there, not unlike what Torii has here.”
“What kind of information are you looking for?” Jack asked.
“None,” he said. “It is a provocation. You will make sure to show your Deep Mist blade, but no killing, if you can help it. Any information you glean from the encounter will be appreciated.”
“When do we leave?”
“Tomorrow morning. I already have three candidates to watch the mercenary woman’s child. She can pick the one she wants.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
~
J ack sat in the tiny room he hired at the inn half a day away from Botishi, the Red Heron controlled town. Tanner and Helen shared quarters while Grigar and Namori went over wizard things. Grigar agreed to assess her magical ability for qualification as a wizard-warrior.
His sword was bare on the floor. He looked at it, wondering what to imbue it with. He had put off doing it for long enough.
Jack closed his eyes and felt himself sinking into a trance. He tried to force his eyes open, and when he did, he faced Akkora, sitting in front of him in his room, or a representation of his room.
She raised her eyes from the sword and met Jack’s. “We meet again,” she said.
“We do. Is there a reason for this visitation or vision or whatever it is?”
“You are in my place, but I made it familiar, just for you,” she said. “I wanted you to know that you are finally headed down the final path.”
“Finding the Battlebone?” Jack asked.
Akkora shrugged. “That is an excuse. You are here to save my people. Zukori is a stubborn fool of a god, but he won’t impede your errand.”
Jack’s mind caught at her words. “What is my errand?”
“To keep Masukai from doing something foolish.”
“I will succeed?”
Akkora laughed. Jack thought it was more like a very feminine chuckle.
“I can’t determine your fate. I can only help a little. All the saving is up to you,” she said.
“But what about the Battlebone?”
She laughed again. “It has never been a Masukaian object of power. It was stolen from a foreign wizard as powerful as any Akkora’s blessed in Bornan two thousand years ago during one of my people’s ill-fated expeditions. It wasn’t even a spoil of war since there was no victory. No Masukaian has been able to use it.” She looked at him with a smile on her face. Jack didn’t know if it was a condescending smile or not. “You can, though.”
“You know where it is?”
“Of course I know,” Akkora said. “There is a religious building on the grounds of the Imperial Palace with two temples, side by side.”
“One to you and one to Zukori?” Jack asked.
“Smart boy,” Akkora said. “It is in proximity to Zukori’s statue. I don’t know exactly where, nor do I know how to retrieve it. I have only limited sight into his temple, just as he has restricted sight into mine. It is the ways things are.”
“I have a question. What should I imbue into my sword?” Jack asked.
“Oh, that? I can do that as long as you want mist.”
Jack nodded. “I would like a mist, a dark mist.”
Akkora frowned. “Not a dark mist,” she said. “A deep mist, so thick that no one can penetrate it.”
“How will I find anything, then?”
“I’ll make it so the one who generates the mist will only see a faint softening of their eyesight. Would you like me to key it to you?”
Jack thought for a moment and nodded his head. “Give me a proper visualization to initiate the spell.”
Akkora’s face brightened. “You have learned how to be a Masukaian. The visualization will be snow blowing off a mountain peak. To eliminate the mist, visualize the sun breaking through clouds or just drop the sword. The power is supplied by the wielder.”
“Thank you. Now I really feel like an Akkora’s blessed,” Jack said. “I suppose it is a good thing to be on speaking terms with such a lovely goddess.” He bowed to the woman but gave her a sly smile as he did.
Akkora clapped her hands. “Thank you. Just as I was told, talking to you is fun. Goodbye.”
A mist clouded Jack’s eyesight for a few moments, and he was back in his room as if he never left. He stared at the sword and picked it up, visualizing a mountaintop with blowing snow. Immediately the room’s light became a bit occluded. He visualized the sun emerging from a bank of clouds, and the mist disappeared.
Jack tried to make the mist again and dropped the sword, ending the spell. He smiled and imbued his short black sword with the ability to shoot wizard bolts. That had always been his most reliable offensive weapon, but Jack took out his pack and pulled out Takia’s Cup in the iron framework he had fabricated. He might need that before his errand was over.
Jack yawned and slid his weapons aside as he stretched out on the quilt that served as a mattress over the thick woven straw pad. Grigar stepped in.
“Namori tries hard,” the Lajian said, sighing.
“Not wizard-warrior material?”
Grigar shook his head. “Not wizard material, but she has enough magic in her to do the basic things. With her ability to enhance her actions, she is nearly a match for Helen.”
“So she will help in a fight?”
“Oh, yes,” Grigar said. “The woman has at least as much determination as Tanner’s wife.”
“I have something to report,” Jack said. He told Grigar about Akkora’s visitation.
“Prove it to me,” Grigar said.
> Jack unsheathed his sword and invoked Akkora’s mist and then eliminated it.
“I’m sure there is a use for that, Jack, but you could have asked for something stronger,” Grigar said.
“I don’t think Akkora will help us that much,” Jack said. “At least it is another gods-given object of power.”
“You and your gods. I don’t understand what they see in you, boy,” Grigar said good-naturedly.
~
They rode into Botishi and entered an inn. There were plenty of Red Herons walking around. Jack thought they wore a lot of red, just as the Deep Mist graduates gravitated to black clothes.
“Where are you from?” the innkeeper, a woman, asked.
“We landed at Taiyo,” Grigar said, “and use a Taiyo woman as a guide.”
“You speak our language nearly as well as a native.” The woman’s eyes landed on Namori. “Are you Pearl Mist people?” she asked.
“We have been in contact with them,” Tanner said. “We have been touring Masukai and have ended up here.”
The woman looked at them suspiciously. “I don’t have any rooms for you,” she ended up saying. “I doubt if anyone will let you rooms. Except for the older man, you all look dangerous.”
“By intent,” Jack said. “We decided if we looked menacing, we wouldn’t be bothered.”
“You will be bothered here,” the woman said. “This is a Red Heron town. If you stick around, you will be challenged, and the Red Herons are expert fighters.”
Tanner shrugged. “Pity them for thinking that.”
He turned around and left the inn. Jack shrugged at the woman and gave her a smile as he followed the others out into the street.
“So all we have to do is walk around for a bit, get into a fight, and then ride back to the place we stayed at last night,” Helen said. “This mission may not be so hard.”
“I still want to know if the Black Finger Society has contaminated Masukai,” Jack said.
“You won’t have to worry about that,” Grigar said and pulled on Jack’s arm to turn him around, looking at a group of eight Red Herons. A taller man walked with them. Jack immediately noticed the black fingernails.
