by Baen Books
Cassandra winked at him and disappeared over the rampart, easily rappelling down to the ground below. Ran looked after her and then shook his head. She was full of surprises. He quickly doubled the rope up and rappelled down after her, tugging the rope loose immediately afterward. As soon as he coiled back up inside of his tunic, he pointed out their direction of travel and they headed away from the castle.
Ran led them into the copse of pine trees a half mile away. The night had grown long and he knew dawn was perhaps an hour off. A breeze blew through the boughs and he felt it cool the sweat the had accumulated on his brow.
Cassandra glanced around and then peered into Ran’s eyes. He could almost read her thoughts.
“It is safe to talk.”
She exhaled in a rush and pushed herself into his arms. “Thank you, thank you.”
It was as if the weight of her predicament had been lifted. But Ran knew she still had a long way to go before she could truly think of herself as free.
Her hand came up and touched the silken cloth that wrapped around his face. “I have no right to ask given what you have already done for me, but may I see your face?”
Ran hesitated and then unwrapped the mask. The cloth came away in his hand and he could feel her eyes boring into him. Ran had never given much thought to his appearance before, thinking it only another tool that might enable him to complete his missions. But as Cassandra’s fingers slowly traced his jawline and then touched his cheekbones, he suspected there might be other ways to appreciate this asset.
Before he could break contact, he felt Cassandra’s lips brush his and then press themselves fully upon him. He tasted her fear, her excitement, and the salty brine of sweat that showed the measure of her exertion. She pressed her whole body into his and he felt himself respond.
They stayed there for perhaps a minute before Ran’s mission once again intruded on his consciousness. He broke their seal and allowed himself a small grin. “You must go now if you have any hope of making your escape.”
Cassandra smiled at him. “I would thank you even more, but for our current situation.”
“I will consider it a debt to be repaid at a later time.”
Cassandra laughed. “Make sure you come to collect.”
“Valrus,” said Ran. “Its name is locked in my memory. But not nearly as much as you.”
“Good luck, Ran.”
Ran looked once more into her eyes. He gave her a deep bow and then turned toward the trees. To Cassandra, he was there one moment and the next it was as if he had simply dissolved into the darkness.
* * *
In the glow of the torches, Tozawa, the elder master of the Nine Daggers clan, unsheathed the two hundred year old Daisuke sword blade and allowed the light to gleam off its edge. He smiled and then returned the blade to its scabbard. He turned to Ran. “You have done well.”
Ran bowed. “Thank you.”
“And how did you find the mission itself? Surely it was not easy.”
“It was not without its challenges.”
Tozawa helped himself to some more tea, cradling the delicate porcelain cup in withered hands that belied any indication of strength. “Please elaborate.”
Ran looked at him. “What do we know of the sorcerer they call Seiryu?”
Tozawa sipped from the cup and then placed it off to his left side. “Seiryu is said to be a master of black magic. It is no surprise that he holds most of the Chibu valley under his sway. From the reports we have gathered, he is intolerably cruel.”
Ran sipped his own tea. “Why then have we allowed him to remain in power?”
Tozawa looked at Ran a moment. “What happened in his castle?”
“The sword was not where it was supposed to be. It was hidden. Had there not been a prisoner in the same room, I doubt I would have been able to locate it. Seiryu had disguised its resting place well.”
“A prisoner?”
“A kidnapped princess from the court of Valrus to the west. She was to be sacrificed to whatever master claims Seiryu as his servant.”
“Indeed.” Tozawa sipped his tea again. “And what became of this prisoner?”
“I do not know. She revealed the sword’s hiding place. And in return I gave her freedom.”
Tozawa eyed him, a vague frown creasing his forehead. “Did you?”
“Yes.”
Tozawa sighed. “And did you first think about the repercussions of such an action?”
“I did indeed. I would have been forced to kill the girl to keep her from screaming and revealing my presence. But then her death would have also alerted the castle to my presence. The best way to continue the mission was to make a bargain and then part ways as soon as possible. That is exactly what I did.”
Tozawa was silent for a time. Finally, he reached into his robes and brought out a small scroll, unrolling it before them both. Ran recognized it as a coded dispatch from one of the clan’s informants. They had eyes and ears everywhere, such was the vastness of their network of spies.
“Would you like to know what has happened since your mission? Since you freed the girl?”
Ran frowned. “What?”
Tozawa turned the scroll so Ran could read it and pointed. “Seiryu was furious about both the theft of the blade, but especially about the escape of the slave girl. He has exacted a heavy toll on the villages closest to his fortress. Instead of killing that one girl that you freed, he had his troops march into the villages and kidnap twenty women, all of whom were put to the blade early this morning.”
Ran took a breath, but Tozawa cut him off. “Your action in saving one life resulted in the death of twenty.”
Ran flushed the memory of Cassandra’s face and the sensation of her lips from his mind. “My action was not motivated by anything but the success of the mission. I did what I deemed necessary to preserve the parameters set forth by you.”
Tozawa took another sip of tea. “Do not blame this on me, Ran. You were successful in acquiring the sword of Daisuke. But in so much as the mission itself, it was a failure.”
“I disagree,” said Ran. “The mission was as successful as it could have been under the circumstances. Further, I achieved each of the goals set by you in order to earn my graduation scroll. I have earned my place in the clan; I have earned my rank.”
Tozawa regarded him for a moment. “And what have you to say about the twenty villagers put to death because of your actions?”
“Regrettable,” said Ran. “And their deaths may well be on my conscience forever. But Seiryu should not be allowed to live another day.”
“That is not for you to decide, Ran. Such decisions are above you.”
Ran bristled. “I would have my scroll.”
Tozawa nodded. “You are correct, of course. You did fulfill your mission objectives. You have earned the right to graduation.” From the small table beside him, Tozawa brought forth a tightly bound scroll and unfurled it. “This will serve as your documentation of what you have achieved with us. The clan will be in touch regarding your first mission.”
Ran slid the graduation scrolls into his robe and stood. “I already have one.”
* * *
Seiryu had clearly learned from his mistakes.
Often times, a boastful enemy would not change their defenses, such was their arrogance. But Seiryu obviously did not suffer from such vanity. Where once he might have been exploited, now he was immune to attack. The entire castle was lit up with blazing torches that hung off the ramparts casting light into every nook and crevice that Ran had used previously to infiltrate the castle.
The number of guards had also dramatically increased. Ran counted three times the number on the ramparts and towers. They were mercenaries, most likely, bought with promises of gold and power over the terrified local villagers.
No, Ran would not be entering the castle the way he had the first time. He smiled and walked back into the depths of the forest. Fortunately, his teachers had been thorough. And there w
ere many ways to infiltrate a fortress.
While Seiryu might have thought himself invulnerable from attack now, he had also inadvertently given Ran the opportunity he needed.
The next morning, Ran showed himself in front of the castle gates. He was dressed like a wandering traditional warrior, with his curved long and short swords thrust through his belt.
The guards at the gate regarded him with a mixture of amusement and disdain. One of them approached Ran with a swaggering step. “And what do you want?”
“Tell your master that his new chief of guards is here.”
Ran spoke using the Fudo Kiai, the immovable voice. Judging by the way the guard glanced at his partner then quickly went inside the castle grounds, clearly Ran had gotten the tone just right. Apparently his years at training had not been for naught.
When he reappeared ten minutes later, Ran was standing in the exact same spot. He had not moved a muscle during the entire time the guard was gone, knowing that he’d been under observation for at least five minutes.
The guard waved him up the steep ascent and into the castle. Beyond the gate, the actual captain of the guards, a hulking behemoth of a man whose hands looked like they could crush stones without any effort at all, met him. He looked Ran up and down and then burst out laughing.
“You must be joking.”
“Are you the lord of this castle?”
The captain of the guards looked surprised. “No, I am not.”
“Then I have nothing further to say to you. Tell your master that I am here and would like an audience with him immediately.”
The captain chewed his lip thoughtfully. “And why would I tell him that and risk offending him?”
“Because if you do not, he will be even more upset with you.”
The captain turned as if to go, but in the next instant, he had unleashed a thundering punch aimed directly at Ran’s face. Ran waited until he was certain the captain had fully committed himself, and then stepped inside, delivering an elbow to the man’s solar plexus. The captain buckled to his feet. Ran looked down at him, disdain clear on his face. He heard a gasp from somewhere close by and saw another squad of guards staring in amazement at what they had just seen. Ran was almost a head shorter and easily fifty pounds lighter than the captain, yet Ran had dropped the huge man with seemingly no effort.
Ran let the wonder hang there a moment before waving at one of them. “You there, go and find the lord of this castle. Tell him he now has an opening and I am here to fill it.”
The guard needed no further encouragement and vanished into the castle. Ran folded his arms and waited while the captain gasped at his feet. Certainly, he was battle-hardened once before, but years in the service of Seiryu had softened him.
“What is your name?”
Ran looked up. On one of the balconies, he saw Seiryu for the first time. He was a shrunken wrinkled weasel of a man with beady eyes that betrayed his true intellect.
Ran frowned and pointed at the captain who was now trying to get to his feet. “Your captain is no longer employable. I’m here to take his place.”
Seiryu looked at the man who was now standing, albeit shakily. “He has been with me for years. Why would I replace him?”
“Because he’s incompetent.”
“Is he now?”
Ran sighed. “You recently lost something. It is this man’s fault that happened.”
Seiryu narrowed his gaze. “And how would you know that we lost something recently?”
Ran shrugged. “Men gossip worse than any garrulous woman. News of your loss is widely known. It is why I am here.”
Seiryu was silent a moment. Then he pointed at the captain. “And what of him? I cannot have two captains. That would confuse the rest of my men.”
Ran shrugged. “It is easily solved.”
In a blink, Ran’s long sword shot out and flashed through the soft tissue, hard muscle, and bone of the captain’s neck. Ran had flicked the sword over, hit the back of the pommel to further clear the blood, and then resheathed the blade in the briefest time it took the captain’s head to fall to the ground and loll to one side. He fought back the lurch of his stomach and the excitement that coursed through his veins; this was the first man he had killed. On the other hand, this man served an evil and corrupt master, and undoubtedly the blood of innocent villagers were on his hands.
Seiryu’s eyes widened. “Impressive.”
Ran tossed a small bag of gold to one of the other guards. “Take him into town and see that he is buried properly. If I find that you’ve spent any of that money on anything but this man’s burial, your head will join his.”
Seiryu waved at Ran. “Come inside and we will speak of your employment with me.”
Ran strode forward, aware that the eyes of every sentry in the compound were on him. He acted as though they mattered less than the dirt on the soles of his boots and went to meet Seiryu.
* * *
“Where…did you learn swordsmanship like that?”
Ran let his gaze wander the breadth of the reception room. On the walls hung elegant tapestries woven with gold thread depicting landscapes, and decidedly unlike the horrid ones he’d seen during his infiltration. Pedestals held silver jewel-encrusted vases overflowing with long-stemmed roses and orchids while elaborate sculptures bracketed the room. Before Ran and Seiryu, a low table dressed with a silken cloth held platters of fresh strawberries, melon, and grapes. Seiryu himself had already plucked several of the dark grapes from a bunch and plopped them into his mouth.
“My father,” said Ran simply. “He served under a master to the far north. In Kageyama.”
“Kageyama is beautiful, untamed country. The winters there are nature at her fiercest.” Seiryu smiled. “I used to study there. Perhaps I would know his name?”
“Doubtful,” said Ran. “Nor is it a name I wish to share. My father was a horrible man who beat his family mercilessly. I still bear the scars of his wrath after his drunken nights of debauchery.”
Seiryu nodded. “Understandable. No doubt we all have things we wish not to see the light of day.” He clapped his hands. “Still, it couldn’t have all been bad if he taught you how to handle a blade as well as you seem to.”
Ran smiled. “When I was old enough to fully appreciate his teachings, I used the skills he had shown me to kill him with my own blade.”
Seiryu paused in mid-gulp and then smiled wickedly. “An interesting summation of your life thus far. Still, to see such skill in one as young as you are… You cannot be more than twenty-eight summers old.”
“That’s a fair approximation. However, I’ve found that age and skill do not necessarily go hand-in-hand. Certainly there are many older than I that could never grasp the subtleties of combat.”
Seiryu nodded. “Granted. And yet you have experience. You must have gotten it from somewhere. Who else have you served under?”
“Matsumune was my first lord. He fell during the battle of Sekigomo. I took my leave and went to serve with Junkoniwa. He died from dysentery after a winter campaign to Hanayabe. After that, I decided my wallet would be better served if I wandered for a time and found employment to the south. A few days back I was in Nyoha drinking by myself when I chanced to overhear about your recent misfortune. Your name was whispered as if you possessed the might of a thousand suns and I thought that perhaps I would see for myself if I might improve both our fortunes.”
Seiryu smiled at the subtle compliment, but waved his hand around. “I would think that my fortune has been doing well enough as late.”
There seemed to be more wealth in the reception room than in all the rest of the surrounding area. But Ran merely smiled. “One could hardly argue that you have not been most prosperous. You are surrounded by such wealth as I have never seen. That said, you are not immune to the prospect of thieves trying to rid you of your hard-won possessions. I would suggest that with my appointment, theft would never occur within these walls.”
Seiryu clapp
ed his hands and a pair of eunuchs brought tea forth. Ran waited for Seiryu to sip first before he sampled the sweet jasmine tea. After several moments of silence, Seiryu’s eyes narrowed on Ran and a small chuckle escaped from him. “The might of a thousand suns? Is that truly what you heard?”
Ran shrugged. “Am I your new captain of guards?”
“It would appear that I have a vacancy in need of filling.”
Ran smiled and bowed. “I may have perhaps embellished the thousand suns part of my tale.”
Seiryu hoisted his cup and Ran did the same. Seiryu smiled. “It was a good embellishment. And one that I happen to appreciate.”
They drank and then Seiryu leaned back on the thick cushions of the lounge. “For someone who has traveled far, you don’t seem to have much in the way of possessions.”
Ran drank the tea and shrugged. “I left my bag hidden in the woods. I wasn’t sure what sort of reception I would receive. And while I am confident in my skill, there’s no point appearing haughty.”
“I suppose that would depend,” said Seiryu. “Confidence is not such a bad thing.”
“Arrogance is never attractive,” said Ran. “And the ground is filled with the bones of men who could not back up their words with action.”
Seiryu said nothing for a moment and then nodded. “Tell me where your bag is located and I’ll have someone fetch it for you. There’s no sense is making you walk all the way back for it.”
“Under a towering pine that tilts to the left, not far from the main road leading into the valley. Have your man go a quarter way round the trunk and he’ll find a large stone. Dig down there.”
Seiryu called one of his guards and relayed the information to the man. The guard only bowed and then vanished. Seiryu stretched his arms overhead as if he was exhausted. “You must be tired after your journey.”
“Some rest might be welcome,” said Ran. He lifted his tea cup. “And this is especially soothing.”
“It should be,” said Seiryu. “It’s been treated with a special botanical distillate to induce paralysis in whomever drinks it.”
