by Baen Books
He reached the tower entrance and paused, sinking down low and easing just enough of his head around the corner so he could see what lay before him with one eye.
Torches burned in braziers high on the wall, their dancing flames throwing weird shadows all over the smooth interior. The staircase corkscrewed up to the next level. Able to move from shadow to shadow, Ran silently crept up the stone steps, keeping his back to the wall, hands spread to the sides to aid his balance during the ascent.
He heard the guard a moment before he saw him. Ran froze, sinking into the shadow he stood in—almost willing his body to become part of the wall. At the top of the stairs, a single guard loitered, looking out of the high window. If he’d been there a few minutes earlier, he might have seen Ran creeping over the wall, but only if he’d been paying attention to the spot where Ran had climbed over. The scrolls had taught Ran that most sentries did not pay attention when their castle stood towering over the rest of their world. It was this sense of impregnability that Ran and his Shinobujin brethren exploited.
But Ran still faced a problem: how to get past the guard? He had waited until the hour of the ox before starting his infiltration. If he was delayed too much, he risked exposure when the first rays of dawn broke the horizon.
With another cough, the guard suddenly moved off. Ran counted to ten and stole up the steps. He paused for only a moment and then nodded to himself when he saw the guard slumped in a chair nearby already settling himself down to sleep. Ran was relieved to discover this was not a roving guard; a guard walking on patrol was a much greater danger; they were much more alert and more likely to notice something out of the ordinary. Ran had assumed any guards on duty inside the fortress would also be at stationary posts, and he feared his assumption would be his undoing. Ran counted to sixty and then crept past the guard, hands ready to silence him if something happened. The guard never stirred.
Ran crossed the walkway and paused next to the entryway to the main castle.
* * *
Back in the safety of the shadow warrior stronghold, Tozawa had revealed a floor plan of the castle. Ran had studied it.
“Don’t you want to know how we acquired this?” Tozawa asked.
Ran frowned. His teacher was testing him. “Did we pay someone off for it?”
“Perhaps.”
Ran shook his head. “Purchased information is always suspect. The seller may feel regret afterward and inform the authorities thereby possibly leading to an ambush when we act on the information.”
“Correct,” said Tozawa. “The task of gathering this information was the graduation assignment of another student. It is reliable.”
Ran felt a measure of relief. One of his brothers or sisters had crept into the craftsman’s offices and copied the floor plan without being discovered. There was no risk of compromise from using the information.
* * *
Now, as he huddled in the shadow of the heavy door that was deeply recessed into the thick outer wall of the keep, Ran kept the image of the floor plan in his head. Once he got through this door, he would need to move quickly.
He sensed the presence of the guard a moment before he heard the shuffle of footsteps. Ran froze and allowed his ears to pinpoint the location of the sentry, rather than risk turning his head and having the movement seen. The guard was off to his left and moving toward the door Ran huddled by.
There were no easy options: Ran couldn’t move away from the recessed door without the guard spotting him. He had to get through the door and fast.
The latch on the door was locked. With his heart hammering in his chest, Ran bent close and examined the simple mechanism. His ears were still attuned to the movement of the sentry and Ran knew he had precious little time to make his entry.
From his sleeve, he drew out a fine sliver of metal bent at an odd angle. Fitting this into the lock, he twisted twice and then applied pressure. The lock held.
The shuffling guard drew closer. Ran risked a look over his shoulder and saw that while the shadows he hid in were keeping his presence concealed, they soon would not as the guard moved closer. He turned back to the lock and reapplied the pressure.
The guard coughed and Ran could swear he felt the wind on the back of his neck.
But then the lock slid open. Ran felt the door give and he slid inside and closed the door behind him.
Barely a moment later, he heard the sentry pass by.
Ran allowed himself a sigh of relief. He’d avoided the guard just in time.
Now he had work to do.
* * *
For perhaps a minute, Ran stayed motionless in the narrow recess to the side of the door he had just entered. He watched and listened, trying to determine if he had somehow disturbed the tranquility of the fortress and prompted a guard to come investigate. But as he counted down in his mind, he saw nothing and heard nothing to indicate his presence had been detected. Ran scanned the area again, but this time with the intent of figuring out which direction he needed to travel.
A few more torches burned in this chamber, leading out to the main reception area. Ran disregarded the wider passageway and headed left toward the narrow side corridor. Further down, he paused and listened. The interior sounds of the castle were different from those outside and he needed to give himself some time to acclimate.
Ahead of him he saw a single winding staircase that looked old and rickety. Ran eyed the wooden steps and wondered if they would squeak when he put his weight on them. He had little choice but to risk it. As he stepped up onto the first tread, he made sure to put his foot closest to the wall where the stair was strongest.
No sound betrayed his presence and Ran moved up the stairs in this manner, testing each step for noise before placing his full weight upon it. Despite all of his intense physical training, his legs were burning from the strain of the slow climb to reach the door at the top of the stairs. Beyond it, he thought, there should be the room where the sword would be. At least that was what Tozawa had told him. Ran saw no guards and frowned. Odd that such a priceless relic would be kept in a room with no sentries. But he moved closer and then tried the handle to the room. It was also locked.
Ran frowned. He was exposed on the staircase and the longer it took him to get through the lock meant greater chance of compromise. He felt reasonably certain this staircase would be a priority for any guards given that it led to the sword room.
He knelt in front of the door and peered into the opening. He saw little in the flickering torchlight, but judging by the keyhole, this lock was much more complex. Ran removed his picks and took several deep breaths. A calm state of mind was imperative for successfully picking any lock. If he allowed his anxiety to intrude, he would fail.
Ran slid the first pick into the lock and began working, aware that each click and clink sounded like an thunder clap of noise in the still corridor. He eased his breathing further and visualized the lock opening. Twenty seconds later, his patience was rewarded with the dull clunk of the bolt sliding back into its recess.
He crept into the room. A candelabra overhead dripped wax as the candles burned low. But there was enough light to see around.
Ran stood in a room about twenty feet by fifteen feet. It looked like a library of some sort, and Ran saw books and scrolls piled high on elaborate tables carved with ancient runes. What drew his attention most, however, was the stone altar in the middle of the room. He moved over to it and saw grooves running all around the rectangular flat top that descended toward a recessed basin, presumably used to gather liquid.
Blood.
Ran’s eyes grew stony. No doubt, the altar was used for sacrifices.
He glanced around the room and saw the elaborate tapestries depicting scenes of bloodshed and carnage. In each of the garish depictions, a wizard seemed to be sacrificing an animal, woman, or child to some sort of ebon demonic overlord.
Black magic.
Ran frowned beneath his mask. He’d heard whispers and legends, of course. But to
see the implements of evil in this manner. It caught at his gut and twisted him up.
He took a breath and shrugged off the feeling of doom that hung over this room. The sword was supposed to be here somewhere. He crossed to the back of the nearest table and froze.
Someone was in the room with him.
In an instant, the shorter curved sword he wore flashed out at the ready. Ran’s eyes darted around the room, but he saw nothing. Was this more sorcery at work?
And then he turned and saw something he’d missed earlier upon entering. There was a smaller door leading off of this room. And at the top of the door, there was a metal grate covering a window into the room that lay beyond.
Ran crossed over to it and peered inside.
A slave girl lay on the simple plank bed that had been covered in straw. She was asleep and it was her breathing Ran had heard.
A heavy lock hung on the door and Ran looked at it. The girl was being kept prisoner, presumably to be sacrificed.
He turned away. He didn’t know what gods they worshipped here, but he had a tough time believing that any decent god would want an innocent life taken in his name.
Enough. Ran was annoyed with himself and his lapse of discipline. He was there for the sword, not to debate theology. But where could it be? Was there a chance that the wizard had it moved to another room? Ran didn’t have time to search the entire castle.
He started to move away from the door when a small voice, but one tempered with strength, broke the quiet of the room.
“You’re here for the sword, aren’t you?”
It was a whisper that sounded like an explosion. Ran wheeled around, his sword already at the ready.
But no one stood behind him. As Ran calmed his nerves, he realized the sound had come from behind the prison cell door. He resheathed his blade and moved toward the door. A shadow moved behind the bars. And peering closer, Ran could see the pretty face the voice belonged to. He smirked. So, she hadn’t been asleep after all.
“I know where it is,” she said. “I can tell you where he keeps it hidden.”
“Why would you do such a thing?”
She looked at Ran like he was an idiot. “Does it look like I want to be here? You’ve got to free me, obviously.”
“And risk my mission? I can’t do that.”
“You’ll never find it then,” said the girl. “He keeps it well-hidden. No doubt because he’s afraid that the likes of you will come looking for it.” She sighed. “But if you’re going to be stubborn about it, then be my guest and keep searching. I suppose by the time you find it, he’ll be back already and then you’ll have to fight your way of here.” She eyed Ran. “You might do well for a short time before you’re outnumbered. Then you’ll either die quickly or else you’ll join me in here and become a sacrifice as well.”
Ran frowned. “Do you always negotiate like this?”
She shrugged. “Are we negotiating?”
Ran sighed. If he let the girl go, his mission could be compromised. He was supposed to leave no sign of his presence. Only the missing sword would ever point at the fact that someone had infiltrated the castle.
Freeing a captive girl hadn’t been on his agenda. Worse, the likelihood of discovery went up immensely if he had to drag her around. On the other hand, the girl had already seen him, and if he tried to leave her, she might call for the guards, hoping to bargain for her life with his.
He glanced around the room. How much time did he have to search? Every moment in the castle meant a greater chance that something else would go wrong. Ran’s eyes narrowed as he thought through the various scenarios and then reached a decision.
He drew close to the prison cell. Even with her tangled hair, he could see the slave girl was beautiful. She drew away from the door and Ran saw she was dressed in a gauzy tunic with a rope braided belt about her waist that accentuated her slender form.
“Tell me where he keeps it and I will free you.”
Her green eyes danced. She hesitated only a moment. “If you don’t free me when I tell you, I will scream and have the whole castle down on you within moments.”
Ran nodded. He could kill her, of course, but he disliked the idea of taking a life for no real purpose. Besides, it would be nearly impossible to kill her quickly and quietly with heavy door between them. “I will do as I said. Tell me.”
She pointed. “Behind that furthest tapestry lies a hollow brick in the wall.”
Ran crossed the room and drew back the fabric that depicted a particularly garish scene of a demon suckling blood from a woman’s breast. Trying to ignore the image, he ran his hands over the bricks and found one that moved. He slid it out of its resting place and reached into the dark hole, wondering if this might be a trap. But his hands wrapped around the silken bag and he drew out the sword.
Carefully, he replaced the brick and then slid the tapestry back into position. It should not have been obvious to anyone that anything was amiss.
He turned and bowed to the slave girl. “Thank you.
She kept her voice a whisper. “I’ve kept my end of the bargain. Keep yours.”
Ran crossed to the prison cell. “And how will you escape once I free you? You’re not coming with me.”
“Let me worry about that. Just unlock the cell.”
Ran bent and examined the lock. It was a fairly simple mechanism and he opened it with ease. When he drew back the door, the slave girl passed so close to him she might have brushed his body.
“Thank you.”
Ran nodded. “Our arrangement is now complete.”
Her gaze roved over him and he could see the wonder in her eyes. “You are one of the ones they call the shadow warriors.”
He paused only a moment. He could have lied, but what was the point? “I am.”
“I could come with you.”
“No.” Ran hefted the sword. “This is all I have come for. I must leave now. And so should you. Judging from the paintings, you will not have long to live.”
“He worships an evil god, you know. One that crawls from the deepest pools of filth and depravity.”
“That doesn’t matter,” said Ran. “But how did you come to be his prisoner?”
“He kidnapped me from my lands far to the west of here. I was a princess there.”
Ran frowned. “And how do you know of my kind?”
She smiled. “I take the time to study the legends of various lands. My name is Cassandra. What is yours?”
“I am known as Ran.” He regarded her. “How will you leave the castle?”
“I will find my way.”
Perhaps, he thought. But without help she would have little chance of getting past the guards. He sighed. The way he saw it, he had three options. He could kill her right then and there. Fast and quiet before she could alert the guards. He could hide her back in the cell and be away before anyone discovered her body. But was murdering her out of expediency for his duty to his clan elders much different than sacrificing her to some dark god? He smirked. Akimoto, one of his instructors back in Gakur, would have no doubt slit her throat without a second thought. But he wasn’t Akimoto.
Ran could simply turn her loose. While her escape attempt might distract the guards in a way he could exploit, more likely it would raise the alarm, bring lots of reinforcements, and make Ran’s own escape that much more dangerous.
Or he could help her escape. He mulled it over. There was no risk of alerting the guards with a potential struggle, corpse, blood trail, or any other signs. If they succeeded and went on their separate ways, any pursuers from the fortress might think Cassandra had the sword and chase after her. Regardless, Ran would take steps to mask his own trail, so they would undoubtedly follow Cassandra.
He had to act.
From inside his jacket, he drew out a a single-edged battle knife, its blade blackened steel but otherwise unremarkable. It might have come from any forge around, but it had been crafted by the smiths in Gakur and would never break. He handed it
to Cassandra.
“Take this and you may indeed have a chance.”
She hefted the blade and took a few slashes in the air. He appreciated her skill. Someone had taught her to wield a knife.
“I must leave now.”
Cassandra held his arm. “If you ever find yourself in the lands to the west, inquire at the court of Valrus and tell them you are the one who freed me from the wizard they call Seiryu.”
Ran held her gaze for a moment and then turned away. “I will guide you as far as the castle entrance and then we will part ways.”
He relocked her cell and then checked the room. It would pass a cursory inspection, but he suspected within an hour she would be discovered missing. Then the sword disappearance would be noted. Both of which would make his exfiltration more difficult if they closed down the passes leading from the valley. Time was of the essence.
“Follow me.”
They left the room and Ran relocked the door. They encountered no one on the stairway, but at the main entrance, they had to pause while two guards walked dangerously close. Ran pressed a hand over Cassandra’s mouth to keep her from crying out and she responded by pushing her body into his. Ran may have waited an extra few seconds before moving again.
They slid through the shadows and despite his reservations, Cassandra was fairly adept at moving in silence. Ran found himself admiring her more and more. He wondered what sorts of things they taught to princesses in the strange faraway land of Valrus.
He led them down toward the entrance and past the guard that had fallen asleep on duty. Each step they took made Ran’s heart beat faster and he could tell from the way Cassandra breathed that she was terrified. But never once did she utter a sound.
Near the lower rampart, Ran brought out a length of black silk rope. It was strong enough to hold him, but not two of them at once. He frowned and then whispered to Cassandra. “You go first and I’ll lower you down.”
Cassandra smirked, took one end of the rope and wrapped it about herself in a way Ran had never seen before and tugged once to make sure it held. From what he could see, the harness was expertly tied.
