by Ryan Kirk
“Who is the girl? Is she the one I heard about in your last letter?”
“She is. She shows great potential to follow the same path as me.”
Akira nodded appreciatively. “That is impressive. If her skills are anywhere near yours she will be a formidable ally as she grows older.”
Orochi was all business. “What brings you here? During this season you should be closer to the Three Sisters.”
The King dismissed the Abbot with a casual gesture. Moriko couldn’t believe her eyes. She had never seen the Abbot ordered around by anybody, and the fact he accepted it without argument strengthened her convictions about where the true power in the room lay. She knew she would treasure these moments for the rest of her life.
“May we speak in front of her?” Akira gestured to Moriko.
“Yes. She knows my skills. She should know this as well.”
Akira laughed. “So, you plan to create a true disciple in her, don’t you? The Abbot must not like that.”
“He can piss off. His grabs for power in the region are sickening. You should watch him. He and the girl have come to blows in the past. The Abbot believes that by loaning her to me he can curry your favor.”
Akira’s enjoyment was apparent. “I should have known. I imagine you came around here brandishing my seal implying this was somehow business of the Kingdom.”
“I let the fool draw his own conclusions.”
Akira’s laughter subsided. Moriko didn’t know how to interpret what was happening. Was this what power meant?
“No matter. I’m glad you found a disciple worthy of your training, and if she serves as well as you have, I will be more than delighted to have her be part of my work.”
“When the time comes, she will choose her own path, just as I have chosen mine.”
Akira’s expression became hard to read. He had been hoping for a stronger response from Orochi, but he respected the decision. Moriko concluded that although the two of them had a friendly history, it was one rooted in a mutually beneficial business relationship.
“To the business at hand. I bring news.”
Orochi sat down cross-legged in front of the King and closed his eyes. It was apparently a signal to begin.
“One moon ago, General Nori’s son was killed and several guards were killed and knocked out.”
Orochi didn’t open his eyes. “Akio was rumored to be a strong swordsman. His death is a tragedy for his house, but I do not see how my skills are required.”
“Patience. There is more. Previous to Nori’s departure for the pass he had arranged for a whore for his son in New Haven. A young girl, untouched. Apparently she was one of the most beautiful young girls in the city. Akio went to introduce himself and encountered the girl with a young man whom Akio assumed was a spoiled noble or merchant’s brat. Akio gave the youth a beating and took off with the girl.”
Orochi didn’t move a muscle. If Moriko didn’t know him as she did she would have assumed he was asleep. She knew though he was committing everything to memory. He had asked for all the details and was getting them.
“Akio took the girl with him on campaign, apparently used her pretty roughly, but that is of no matter. They were camping two days march from the pass when the assassination happened. A guard on the perimeter was knocked out, and Akio and his attendant were killed. The body was found early the next morning, but no sign has been found of the assassin or assassins. Needless to say, the entire army is disturbed someone was so easily able to infiltrate camp to kill the general’s son.”
Orochi responded. “It sounds like a skilled assassin. Was the girl involved?”
“This is where I think you will find yourself interested. The girl disappeared, and no trace has been found of her. The scouts in the camp assume she left with the assassin. Nori sent a group on horseback to New Haven to interrogate the whores where the girl was bought. They found some interesting details. The girl had been visited in the past by the same young man Akio found her with. The boy was in the company of an older man named Shigeru.”
Orochi’s eyes shot up. “Did you say Shigeru?”
“I thought you would find that interesting. You never did manage to track him down, did you? I expect there is a good chance he is the one behind the assassination of Nori’s son. I’m not sure why, but perhaps you could ask him when you find him.”
“So, Shigeru has a son.”
“It seems that way. Your fee will be the same as usual.”
Orochi nodded. “You know this might be the last mission I take for you.”
“I understand.”
Moriko didn’t understand. There was a whole history here she had no clue about. These men had known each other for a long time.
Akira indicated the conclusion of the meeting. “I don’t harbor the hatred for this man you do. However, the army is nervous. Rumors circulate about the camps and soldiers do not feel safe even in their tents at night. If the situation isn’t resolved they will be wiped out on the other side when they meet the Azarians. I need a symbol to keep this Kingdom safe. I need their heads. Shigeru, the boy, and the girl. Everyone needs to know justice reigns in this land. Make it happen.”
Orochi was more animated than Moriko had ever seen him before. “I’d be delighted.”
With Orochi's declaration of intent, Akira's reason for visiting the monastery was at an end. He shared the rest of the details of his intelligence with Orochi, but even Moriko could tell they had no leads. They weren't sure how the assassination had happened and they had no idea where the assassin and the girl had gone. Their search through the countryside had been as thorough as they could manage, but they hadn't found a trace of the fugitives.
Akira's camp left Perseverance as quickly as they had arrived. Moriko found it difficult to believe such a large group of people could appear and disappear with so little fanfare. Orochi bid Akira farewell and Moriko thought it was the goodbye of two friends who wouldn’t ever see the other again.
Orochi was ready to depart just a few watches after Akira left. Moriko had never seen his emotions take control of him. It was reassuring to know he was human. It took her a little pressing, but she was eventually able to get some answers out of him. He had always just been her instructor. Moriko had been trying to piece together his back story for some time. She hadn’t imagined it would be so interesting.
"Shigeru was a man I knew in a previous life. We grew up together even though he is several cycles older than me. I looked up to him in my childhood, but he betrayed me, he betrayed our family, he betrayed everything I knew. I was the one who was assigned to hunt him and to kill him and my failure to do so is why I still remain here on the mainland. I had worried he might be dead by another’s hand. It will be a pleasure for me to track him one more time if Akira's information is accurate."
"Are we going to be leaving soon?" Moriko knew she was making an assumption, but hoping it would be true.
Orochi shook his head. "I will be leaving soon, but you must stay here."
Moriko’s heart dropped through her stomach. Everything she had been through the past few seasons had been related to Orochi. She was still scared of him, but he represented the far lesser of two evils. He did not strike her or abuse her. He trained her and demonstrated respect for her abilities. To leave her here by herself meant life would return to the way it had been before his arrival.
Orochi continued, "For what it's worth, I apologize. Under other circumstances I would have you come with me. However, Shigeru is the only warrior on the mainland I'm aware of who could defeat me. I don’t know what his training has looked like since we last met. He may be stronger than me and I won’t risk you too.”
They were the kindest words she had ever heard from Orochi.
“Have no fear. I will speak to the Abbot before I leave. You will be safe. If I'm successful I'll return. If I don't you must find your own path. In the monastery or outside of it, you are now one of the strongest people on the mainland. You must use th
e power as you see fit."
Moriko held on to every word, seeking strength and comfort from them. She did not feel like she was ready to face the Abbot and Goro again even though even she believed she'd be able to defeat them in combat if it happened again.
Orochi didn’t offer any further comfort. It wasn’t his way. In his world an individual survived on their strength. Nothing else mattered.
When he left Moriko felt more alone than she had before, trapped in a life she didn't understand, held in one place by a system designed to control what she could be. She knew what Orochi had done in his time at the monastery. He had made her into a nightblade, one who was capable of tracking, hunting, and killing other nightblades and dayblades. Ironically, she had become the very person the monastery had hoped to train her not to be.
She thought about leaving. She knew she’d be able to avoid any search parties sent out for her. But there was nowhere to go. Orochi was her only connection with the outside world. She would wait for him.
Moriko memorized the walls that surrounded her in the monastery. She paid particular attention to where she had been tortured, tried to hold onto all the hate generated by that spot. The spot focused her determination. She would give Orochi until spring. If he didn’t return from his trip or if she expected the worst had happened, she would take off. There would be no deception, no sneaking on her part. She would simply leave, and if it meant another challenge with the Abbot, she would have to be ready. She had to be stronger. By spring her decision would be made.
Surely she could last for a couple of moons.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The days got longer as summer set in over the Three Kingdoms. While both Shigeru and Ryuu maintained constant vigilance, it was clear the search for them had been called off, or they had moved beyond the scope of the search. There were posters distributed throughout the land detailing the three of them which offered a reward for information, but they were little more than a nuisance. They lived in the wild and only went into villages when necessary. They never went into town all together. They went unarmed and dirty and a wandering peasant did not attract attention.
For Ryuu the days were pleasant. They were up in the mornings hiking through territory he had never traveled through. He was accompanied by the man he regarded as his father and the girl he was obsessed with. Their relationship had been difficult, but Ryuu accepted it with patience. Takako had seen her entire world taken away from her not once, but twice. He could see she still blamed herself and him for the death of her family.
The unspoken accusation troubled Ryuu as well. He worried she was right. He had known Takako had been sold into prostitution. It was one reason he felt her life had been so unjust and had been part of his decision to come to her aid. It never occurred to him innocents might suffer and die because of his actions. Most days his gut told him it wasn’t his fault. He had done something just, and the world had responded by doing something evil. But there were nights where he couldn’t shake the simple fact that if he had not rescued Takako others would still be alive.
Though he couldn’t understand women, it was clear Takako was feeling the same conflict. She would often sit next to him at meals and walk near him if he wasn’t scouting ahead, but occasionally her mood would change and she would avoid both him and Shigeru. Fortunately, it seemed to Ryuu that Takako was a natural optimist. Although life was difficult, and she was struggling with what had happened, she seemed determined to make the best of her circumstances. He wasn’t sure he would have had the same strength in the same circumstances.
The nights were much the same. Almost all nights she at least slept close to him, for warmth as much as emotional connection, but it never went beyond that. It tortured him, but Ryuu did not press his luck. Although his desire was strong he didn’t know what to do and so it was much easier to do nothing and let events take their natural course. The long summer days made him believe he had all the time in the world. He made himself available to talk and was always kind, even when Takako complained about their conditions. He never gave up hope they could become more than whatever they were now.
It would have been easier without Shigeru, who was always nearby. Their safety largely depended on the three of them being together, but even if Shigeru slept in a location not visible to Ryuu and Takako, Ryuu was very aware Shigeru could sense everything he did. Ryuu wanted to bring up the subject, but didn’t know how to approach Shigeru. He didn’t know if Shigeru had ever loved anybody, if he’d ever been married or been loved. It was the first time in many cycles he didn’t know how to talk to his master.
Shigeru didn’t seem willing to help either. Their conversation had been minimal since they had picked up Takako. The dynamic was off and Ryuu couldn’t read Shigeru’s emotions, which were cryptic even at the best of times. Shigeru was tense, but Ryuu didn’t know if it was just the circumstances they found themselves in or if something more was bothering him. Shigeru had closed himself off and Ryuu couldn’t work up the courage to try to chisel away at his stony exterior.
They continued traveling north although they had no particular destination. Shigeru and Ryuu talked about their plans from time to time but neither could decide on a course for certain. Ryuu hadn’t thought of the reality of being chased throughout the Three Kingdoms. They could try to leave through the Pass, but with the army entrenched there and hunting them it didn’t seem safe.
The only other viable way out of the Three Kingdoms was by sea, which was north. However, Ryuu and Shigeru weren’t sure leaving the Three Kingdoms was the best plan. Ryuu wanted to stay. He argued he and Shigeru had been in a state of hiding for as long as Ryuu had been with him. They could find another isolated place and settle there. Shigeru would respond he hadn’t ever killed the son of the most powerful general in the Three Kingdoms.
Ryuu understood the logic Shigeru was using, but he felt there was something else, an undercurrent of fear unspoken driving Shigeru’s decision. He wanted to leave the Three Kingdoms and travel as far away as possible, but wasn’t telling Ryuu why.
Ryuu didn’t dare confide in Takako. He wanted to, but he was concerned that if he expressed worry or frustration with Shigeru she would become more worried than she already was. He couldn’t bring himself to do it.
His indecision grew for almost a moon before he took action. One afternoon as they were walking, Ryuu moved ahead to where Shigeru was scouting. Shigeru noticed his presence but didn’t say anything.
“Sensei, what is wrong?”
Shigeru glanced at Ryuu. He looked about ready to come back with a short retort, but thought better of it. They walked forward in silence but Ryuu waited him out. He knew when Shigeru needed to think.
“I don’t like the situation we find ourselves in. It. . . reminds me of a situation that happened to me many cycles ago, and I worry that fate will repeat itself.”
“What happened?”
“That’s not a story for today. Perhaps someday, but maybe not. I would also be fine taking it to the grave with me.”
Ryuu lost a step. In the many cycles he had known Shigeru, he had never admitted to having a story he didn’t want to share. Ryuu knew Shigeru rarely talked about his past and over time Ryuu had learned to stop asking. But it seemed so close, so essential now that he burned to know the past of his master, the man who had raised him and introduced him to his incredible gifts.
“Shigeru, we are both here. There is very little in the Three Kingdoms that can stand up to both of us.”
Shigeru released a grim chuckle. “If only that were true. You are stronger than almost any man I have ever met, but there are still plenty out there who could kill both of us. Please remember that.”
Ryuu started to get angry. Whatever was bothering Shigeru dealt both with his past and knowledge he seemed unwilling to share.
“I can’t help if you don’t tell me what you’re hiding from me.”
Shigeru also responded sharply. “There is much I haven’t told you. Your skills ar
e fantastic, but don’t let it get to your head. This world is still a much larger and more mysterious place than you know. I don’t know if I’ve done the right thing in raising you like I have, but I have hope, which is more than I hold out for myself.”
“Why won’t you tell me what’s going on? I want to help. I can help.”
“Not in this, Ryuu. I want you to be happy, to lead the life and be the person I couldn’t. I worry that if you learn everything that dream will slip away.”
With that, Shigeru increased his pace and pulled away from Ryuu. Ryuu, lost in thought, allowed him to do so. He needed his own time to think things through.
Two days later the issue was forced. Ryuu was ahead scouting while Shigeru and Takako followed well behind. Ryuu was high in a tree, allowing his sense to spread out far and wide. They were in new forest, but thick enough that vision was almost useless. The day was hot and his robes stuck to the sweat on his skin. It was a dry heat carried from the prairie to the west.
Ryuu was immersed fully in the sense and didn’t notice what was happening to his body. He felt something coming from the south. It felt like a small group of soldiers. They were still a long ways out and difficult to sense. Ryuu took a deep breath and focused his attention in their direction.
There were ten of them. They advanced purposefully, heading almost straight towards where Shigeru was back with Takako. Ryuu’s heart began to pound a little faster. It could be a random coincidence they were on the right track, but as Ryuu continued to focus he could tell their path was curving slightly, always pointed towards Shigeru. Somebody in the group was capable of tracking them. Ryuu tried to clear his head to focus. He could feel it, the tentacles of the sense which spread out towards them.
Whoever was sensing Shigeru was better. It wasn’t the pattern of the monks in the monastery. The monks used spherical techniques. This was someone trained like Ryuu and Shigeru. He was focused on Shigeru, but he was trying to sense Ryuu too. Ryuu breathed a short sigh of relief. His sense was superior, which gave him a slight advantage. But he couldn’t believe someone with the sense was tracking Shigeru. It shouldn’t be possible. It put fear into his heart, freezing it and his mind in place.
