by Jon F. Merz
“I’m really part of the Matsuda-ryu?”
“Indeed," said Goro. “That is why this gorge feels familiar to you. You are part of what we all share. Our knowledge is your knowledge. Our blood, your blood. Our spirit, your spirit.”
Jimmy frowned. “Vanessa mentioned that I had killed Kotogawa three hundred years ago. But how is that even possible?”
“As I said, you are a part of this clan. What each of us does is carried on by the next generation. You, yourself, did not obviously kill Kotogawa, but your ancestor did kill one of Kotogawa’s ancestors. It was at a point where the battle between our clans had escalated into much bloodshed.”
“And since then?”
Goro nodded. “Each successive generation has made it their goal to try to destroy the other. But neither of us has succeeded completely yet.” He sighed. “Perhaps that is the way it shall always be. Perhaps we need each other for there to be a balance. After all, without evil good cannot exist. Without the dark, there is no light.”
Jimmy stayed quiet for a few moments. Goro watched the waterfall but he seemed to be waiting for something.
Jimmy marveled at the information Goro had just shared with him. For all of his life, he’d never known what a family meant. And now, all of a sudden, he finds out that not only does he have a family, but that he part of a mighty warrior lineage? It seemed almost too awesome to be true. And yet the danger was real enough. He’d seen that first-hand.
Jimmy looked around the gorge and at the mighty waterfall. Such power. Such beauty. Finally, he looked at Goro.
“I want to help my family.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
“There are a few things I still don’t understand,” said Jimmy a few minutes later.
Goro nodded. “You will have many questions. That is why I am here. I will answer what I can, but you must also realize that there will questions I am not able to answer. Not because I don’t want to, but because you will learn more about yourself by discovering the answers on your own.”
“Are you real?”
Goro smiled. “Are you sure that’s how you want to phrase that question?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, is that the best way to ask it? What have you concluded from our discussions in your head? What have you reasoned out from all of your experiences to date? Asking if I am real is not much of an exact question when you already have theories.”
Jimmy frowned. “How is that you’re able to talk to me in my head? Are you telepathic?”
“Better,” said Goro. “But no, I am not telepathic in that way that you would imagine it.”
“Then how is it I’m able to talk to you when you’re not there?”
Another smile splashed across Goro’s face. “But I am there. That’s the point.”
“But not always.”
“True.”
Jimmy pursed his lips. “I thought I saw you back at the house the day after I’d met Vanessa.”
“Did you?”
“Yes.”
“Then perhaps you did.”
“But…”
“You know the answer, Jimmy. You are only afraid to give it a voice. Trust yourself.”
Jimmy chewed his lip for a moment. It seemed almost too corny to say, but in the end, he decided to. “A ghost.”
Goro shrugged. “I prefer the term spirit, but if ghost is the label you wish to apply to it, then so be it.”
Jimmy leaned back. “Wow. So I’m talking to a ghost right now.”
"Indeed."
"And the samurai? Is he a ghost, too?"
"Yes. He is another member of our clan long since departed."
"Amazing."
“You seem to be taking this rather better than most people your age would. I am impressed.”
Jimmy shrugged. “I am not sure how much else could possibly surprise me.”
Goro grinned. “Oh, there is plenty yet to discover. Trust me. Beware venturing through life thinking it does not have the potential to shock you in both good and bad ways.”
“But how is it that I’m able to see you now?”
Goro gestured around them. “This place is the spiritual seat of power for the Matsuda-ryu clan. I can manifest myself here so that I appear to you in physical form. In most other places I am unable to do such a thing because the level of power it takes is far too great." Goro rose. “There are times when I can appear briefly. It is exhausting to even someone like me to stay that way for long.”
Jimmy got to his feet. “Incredible. I’m talking to the dead.” He winced, aware of how rude that might have sounded. "I apologize."
Goro seemed unfazed by the statement. “Death is but another stage of life, Jimmy. It is neither an ending nor a beginning. It is a continuation. But you will discover that for yourself one day, hopefully far into the future from now.”
“Hopefully.” Jimmy watched the waterfall. “So, talking to me in my mind is easier for you?”
“Easier is not the correct word for it. It is less…taxing to my spirit. But even that is not always available to me. I must be sure to abide by the rules that govern the world I am in now. For example, I am unable to offer too much help to you in this world.”
“Why so?”
“Because those who are living have their own tasks to carry out, their own discoveries to make. Just as I have my own tasks to accomplish where I am.”
“You have things to do there?”
“As I said, death is but a continuation.” Goro spread his arms. “But I am able to exert some influence over things here still. And fortunately, I can still see the beauty of my old home.”
He turned back to Jimmy. “You, however, have a great many things to accomplish in this place and time. And for that, you need help from those who still inhabit this plane with you.”
“Vanessa, Merlin, and Hideaki?”
“Perhaps,” said Goro. “The Matsuda-ryu is not alone in the struggle against the forces that Kotogawa marshals. He has his own allies as well. Be aware of them for they will not always be easy to spot.”
“All right.”
“Our time grows short. Staying this long is already pushing the limits of what I am permitted to do.” He closed his eyes for a moment and a minute later, Vanessa dropped down next to Jimmy off the rope.
“Hi,” she smiled. “How are you?”
Jimmy shrugged. “Oh, you know, just having my mind blown wide open.”
She laughed and then bowed when she saw Goro. Jimmy looked at her. “So you can see him.”
“Of course.”
“Interesting.”
Goro held out his hand. “Show me the paper that Hanzo gave you, please.”
Vanessa handed the slip over to him. Goro’s face creased for a few moments and then he handed it back to Vanessa. “As you suspected, Goro-sama, the paper is a code developed by my clan many years ago.”
Jimmy noted the honorific term Vanessa used. “Can you teach us, Goro-sama?”
Goro shook his head. “There is not enough time for that right now. But I will tell you that the paper directs you to journey west to the country you call Nepal. The scrolls are apparently hidden there. You will find help at the temple that bears the seal of our family.”
“In Nepal?” Jimmy took a breath. “How come no one got them before this?”
“Hanzo himself devoted his entire life to uncovering the whereabouts of where Kotogawa’s ancestors hid them. He discovered things even Kotogawa could not." Goro frowned. "That is the reason he was killed.”
“How come he just didn’t tell Kotogawa what he wanted to know?”
“Hanzo believed, as many others do, that evil must be checked at every opportunity.”
“Was he part of the Matsuda-ryu?”
Goro shook his head. “He knew of us, but no, his bloodline did not intermingle with ours. He did have the blood of warriors in him, though and his sense of honor was without peer.”
Vanessa bowed her head. “I’d gotten to k
now him a few times. He will be missed.”
“He was a valiant ally in our struggle,” said Goro. “But he is honored where he is now.”
Vanessa nodded and then turned back to Jimmy. “It’s time we were on our way. I want us out of the country before Kotogawa’s people pick up our trail again.”
“All right.” Jimmy turned back to Goro. “Thank you, Goro-sama.”
“It is I who should be thankful. And I speak for the rest of your ancestors when I say that we are grateful to you for your service to the clan.”
Jimmy shrugged. “Sure. I mean, it’s all pretty weird, but it’s kinda cool at the same time.”
Vanessa put a hand on his shoulder. “All right. Say your good-bye, we’ve got to get out of here.”
Jimmy nodded. “Good-bye, Goro-sama.”
Goro bowed low. “Travel swift and safe. Remember that our strength goes with you.”
“I will.”
Goro turned and walked toward the waterfall. Jimmy watched as his form began to shimmer and then become translucent. Jimmy could see the waterfall through his body and then Goro Matsuda simply vanished.
“Wow.”
Vanessa smirked. “It is kind of a ‘wow’ moment, isn’t it?”
Jimmy turned back to her. “How long have you know him?”
“Your grandfather-?”
“My grandfather?” He tuned back to the waterfall. “You mean he’s my father’s father?”
“Not quite. He’s probably more like your great-great-great grandfather. I just find it easier to call him your grandfather.”
“But he’s that close to me? I mean it’s not like he’s this guy I never knew or some long-lost uncle or something. He’s a direct link for me.”
“He is.”
“I wish I’d known that before he left.”
Vanessa grabbed the rope. “He said what he had time to say to us, Jimmy. And as heartless as this sounds, right now the most important thing is to get to Nepal and try to find those scrolls. You’ll have time to ask him more questions at a later time. Provided we come through our mission intact.”
“Intact?”
She winked at him. “We’re wasting time. Come on.” She climbed the rope and then disappeared over the lip of the gorge.
Jimmy took the rope in his hands and took a final look around at the waterfall and the pool. It was so peaceful here. To think of Kotogawa and all the evil he was causing outside of this place made Jimmy sad. And angry. Part of him wished he could simply stay there and forget that Kotogawa even existed.
He frowned. But then eventually Kotogawa would find this place and destroy it as well.
No, he decided. He had a role to perform. And now he had something even more important than he’d thought before.
He had a family.
He smiled. He used to think that having a family meant that he’d never be alone again. That he’d be loved forever more.
But he had a responsibility now. Not just to the clan, but to himself as well.
And if Kotogawa was after the scrolls, then it was up to Jimmy to find them first and restore them to their proper owner.
He frowned. Was that him?
Or was it Goro?
Nah, how would he give the scrolls to a ghost?
That doesn’t make sense.
Then what?
He took a breath and started up the rope. Like Goro had mentioned, there would be some questions he’d have to figure out for himself. Part of the process, he’d explained.
Jimmy shimmied up the rope and clambered back over the edge of the gorge where Vanessa stood.
“You took your time.”
“Couple of questions occurred to me.”
She nodded. “I imagine you’ll have about a zillion of them before this all over with.”
“I don’t suppose you can answer any of them for me?”
She smiled. “Maybe some. But you’re supposed to find your own path here. And frankly, I don’t have time to think about answering them right now. I’ve got to get us out of Japan in a hurry. You can bet that Kotogawa’s people are hard on our trail. If we’re not careful, they’ll be waiting when we come back down the mountain.”
“I don’t suppose you have access to a helicopter?”
“Nope.”
“That’s a bummer.”
Vanessa clapped him on the back. “Part of the job. Let’s get going. I want to be down the mountain before dark.”
Jimmy nodded and they started across the grass back toward the tree line. Jimmy paused and took one final look back at the gorge. He closed his eyes and tasted the air, smelled the fresh cold water, and smiled.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Vanessa hustled them back down the mountain within ninety minutes and they hoofed their way back to the tiny village. By the time they got back to the ryokan, Jimmy was covered in sweat and exhausted. Fortunately, Vanessa found a taxi and they were back at the train station thirty minutes later.
“Where to?”
“Osaka first. We can catch a flight from there to Katmandu.”
Jimmy frowned. “Isn’t this awfully last minute?”
“Usually it might be challenging, but if you’ve got enough money, they’ll be happy to help you out.”
True to her word, by the time they got off the train in Osaka and managed to get to the airport, Vanessa had already phoned the airline and secured them two first class tickets on the next flight leaving twenty minutes after they got to the airport. They had to run to make their connections and Jimmy felt certain they'd left a bunch of curious onlookers in their wake, but Vanessa said it couldn't be helped.
"This is one of those times when the need for speed outweighs the need for stealth."
Once they boarded the plane, Jimmy collapsed into the leather seat and let out a breath. “I feel like we’ve been running a marathon.”
“We have been. Trying to stay ahead of our enemies is always something of a race.”
“Can’t imagine they’d be able to track us down so quickly,” said Jimmy. “How about you?”
“I try not to assume anything,” said Vanessa with a wink. “Helps me stay alive longer.”
Jimmy fished his sketch pad out of his bag and flipped the page open to the castle. Vanessa leaned over and nodded. “You’ve been putting a lot of work into that. It looks amazing.”
“Thanks. I wish I knew where this place was. It feels so familiar to me, but I can’t seem to place it.”
“It’ll come,” said Vanessa. “Sometimes all you need is some small piece of information and it will all click together.”
Jimmy set his pencil to the roofline and nodded. “It’s a good way to relax after rushing around so much.”
“Just don’t forget to get some sleep. When we reach Katmandu, we’ll be off to the races again.”
Jimmy put his pencil down. “You ever get tired of it?”
“What-the rushing around?”
“Yeah.”
She smiled. “Not really. I’ll take a holiday every now and again and usually by the third day, I’m just itching to get back into the action. It’s in my blood too much for me to ever be sedentary.”
“Your father would be proud.”
"Well, I'd make a horrible sniper - those guys have to be able to sit still for days on end." Vanessa smiled. “But, I hope that’s true.”
The Royal Nepal Airlines flight shuddered and thundered down the tarmac before lifting free. Jimmy settled in for the flight and found the flight attendants all incredibly attractive women who spoke what sounded like at least four languages. When he’d asked for his fifth can of Pepsi from the same attendant, Vanessa leaned over and nudged him.
“This is just a suggestion, but I’d shy away from being so obvious about the fact that you think she’s a looker.”
Jimmy felt his face go hot. “I don’t think that.”
Vanessa pretended to study her magazine. “Really? It must be me then, but every time she walks by you seem especiall
y fascinated by the styling of her rather tight skirt.”
Jimmy took a sip of his soda and mumbled, “Just really thirsty is all.”
“Of course you are.” Vanessa turned her head but Jimmy could see she was trying hard not to laugh. "I wonder what Merlin would say about that."
"I'm not so sure she'd care," said Jimmy. "After all, she's more interested in Hideaki."
"Is she?"
"Isn't she?"
But Vanessa went back to reading her magazine. Jimmy waited another moment, frowned, and then turned his attention back to his drawing with even more intensity.
* * *
By the time they landed at Tribhuvan International Airport some hours later, Jimmy had slept for a while and spent the remainder of his time trying not to be so obvious about his fascination with the flight attendant. Or the memory of Merlin, for that matter. When he and Vanessa finally exited the plane, he felt a measure of relief.
They passed through Customs quickly and Jimmy marveled at the throngs of people clustered in the airport. He spotted so many races and cultures that his head felt dizzy.
“Where are they all going?”
Vanessa steered him toward the luggage carousels. “A lot of them are here for holiday. Others work in the country.”
“I didn’t think Nepal was that big.”
“It’s not, but it’s got an amazingly diverse geography. In the north, you’ve got the tallest mountains in the world scraping the sky. And down south you’ve got lush tropical rain forests and all sorts of animals. It’s an amazing place.”
Jimmy looked at her. “You’ve been here, too?”
Vanessa leaned closer. “The Crown sent me pretty much everywhere, hon. Not too many places your Aunt V hasn’t seen.”
“Jeez, I hope I get to see a lot of the world, too.”
“I’ll be shocked if that’s not the case.”
“Really?”
Vanessa smiled. “Let’s concentrate on finding our bags for right now. Later on we can discuss your plan to see the world.”
Jimmy fished his luggage out first. It took another twenty minutes before Vanessa’s bag trundled off the conveyor belt. She frowned. “You’d think that a small bag with very little inside would guarantee that it would be first off.”
