by Jon F. Merz
As the father continued to beat his son, Ran’s own temper flared, and he found it harder and harder to restrain himself. Just as he thought the poor boy could stand no more abuse, one of the Murai stationed with the warlord’s troops came striding out of a wine house. As Ran watched, the Murai drew his sword and cut down the father right then and there. Then he helped the boy up and carried him off to a local doctor.
The father’s corpse lay where it was until one of the undesirables came by and collected it later.
Ran stayed another day and then returned to Gakur.
A trio of teachers awaited his report. “What did you see?” asked Noguchi.
Ran told them about all the troop movements he’d noted. He also told them about the father who beat his child.
“Did you want to help the boy?” asked another teacher named Muramatsu.
“More than anything,” Ran had said. “I could hardly hold myself back.”
“But you did. And that is admirable.”
Ran had frowned. “But the boy suffered. I could have helped him.”
“No,” said the final teacher, Oguri. “You would have helped him and saved a single life. But by waiting, you instead now have information that can save many more lives. Had you waded into that conflict, the Murai that killed the father would have noticed you, and the mission would have been compromised. At the very least you would have been noticed. At worst, you might have ended up fighting that Murai. Neither outcome would have given us the desired result.
“But instead of giving in to your ego and the desire to mete out justice, you held yourself in check. And as a result, we now know that a certain Murai warrior is in that town. We’ve been tracking him for some time. And because you kept yourself from getting involved, we know his exact location.”
It had taken Ran a long time to reason out that line of thinking. In the end, he came to an uncertain peace that while he might have acted properly in the eyes of his teachers, he wasn’t so sure he was pleased with himself. Had it truly been ego that made him want to get involved? Or was it some long-forgotten memory of abuse at the hands of his own father that had made him so angered?
If the same situation happened again, Ran made a promise that he would carefully weigh the mission’s importance with the well-being of the child. He had no love for anyone who harmed a child and could see no reason why such people should be allowed to walk the earth. He sighed, realizing that the sense of loyalty he felt toward his clan would often conflict with what he desired to do, or what he thought was the right path. He felt a small tinge of guilt for not leaving the others behind in order to more easily make his escape. He knew he’d done the right thing—he simply couldn’t have abandoned them to have their souls devoured—but he had put them above the needs of his clan. He wondered how many more times in his life such a dilemma would arise? And how he would deal them? Would it always be so easy a decision to make? He doubted it.
“What troubles you?”
He opened his eyes and saw Jysal looking deeply into them. He smiled. “I wasn’t aware you could also read minds.”
She shrugged. “Some things are easier to see.”
Ran stretched and placed one hand on her face. “Your tattoo, where does it come from?”
Jysal covered his hand with hers. “All the women in my clan wear one. Ours is a proud heritage. I was marked from an early age. I’ve never enjoyed it, however.”
“It’s exquisite,” said Ran. “And it only enhances your beauty.”
Jysal smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips. “Thank you. But you’re dodging my question again.”
Ran smirked. “I was remembering an old lesson. One I never felt comfortable with, but understood at the same time. If that makes any sense at all.”
“It does.” Jysal continued to look into his eyes. “It still plagues your conscience?”
Ran shrugged. “Not really. Although I worry about the consequences of rejecting the lesson.”
“You never divulge details, do you?”
“Not if I can help it.”
“Whoever trained you has done an admirable job. You are incredibly opaque and yet simultaneously very apparent in your role as a warrior.”
Ran smiled again. “I’m not even sure I know what you mean by that.”
“It’s a compliment.” Jysal kissed him again. “You should sleep. Our time here will be over soon, and we will be moving on down the tunnel. And we may all find that sleep is a forgotten luxury soon enough.”
“You’re making predictions now?”
Jysal shrugged and moved away. “One never knows what the future holds. I only see what I see. Nothing more. At least not yet.”
“I’m not the only one being vague,” said Ran. He settled himself back against the cave wall and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled it long, fully emptying his lungs before taking another breath. Just as he was about to drop off to sleep, he heard Kancho’s weakened voice.
“Does she kiss well?”
Ran opened his eyes. Kancho sat before him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“I only ask because it certainly seems like she has taken a liking to you.”
Ran grinned. “Nice to see you back in the land of the living.”
“Such as it is,” said Kancho. “Where are we?”
“A tunnel that led out from the cavern we’d been in. We thought it prudent to move beyond there in case Kan-Gul showed up and was somehow able to gain entrance through his magic.” Neviah began to stir at the sound of their voices.
Kancho nodded. “Is there water?”
“Neviah, bring over the waterskin.” Ran looked at Kancho. “How are you feeling?”
Kancho shrugged. “As well as could be expected, I suppose. The fever appears to have broken, although I still sweat.”
Neviah came over, looking sleepy, and handed the skin to Kancho. “It’s good to see you awake at last.”
Kancho sucked down the majority of the water and handed the skin back. “Thank you.” He looked around. “How did you manage to get me here? More magic?”
Neviah chuckled. “Not even close. Ran and I carried you the entire way. My arms have never felt heavier, thanks to lugging you around, you old coot.”
Kancho bowed his head. “I owe you both a tremendous debt I fear I can never adequately repay. Ran, you saved my life. That is no small matter, and I am indebted to you.”
Ran frowned. Obligation was one of the core tenets in the Murai code of honor. Once in someone’s debt, a Murai would take incredible steps to repay the kindness he’d been shown. And since Ran had healed Kancho, the debt was greater than if he’d done him a simple favor. Having a Murai indebted to you wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, Ran decided. But it could complicate things if Kancho ever decided that being indebted to a Shinobujin precluded his adherence to his code of honor.
Still, Kancho had pretty much broken that vow already by going against his lord’s wishes. Perhaps there was some good to this, after all. Ran could cultivate Kancho as an asset and use him for information. Provided Kancho was able to extricate himself from the death sentence that would no doubt be hanging over his head if he ever set foot back in Nehon. Of course, there was the small matter of escaping Kan-Gul.
Ran chuckled and placed his hand on Kancho’s shoulder. “We’ll deal with that when we come to it, all right? For now, the biggest favor you’ll be doing for both Neviah and me is to be able to walk on your own.”
Kancho hefted his sword. “I am well enough to do just that.”
“Good,” said Ran. “We’ll continue farther then.”
“You haven’t had a chance to rest fully yet,” said Jysal. “You should wait until you’ve slept.”
Ran shook his head. “No need. I won’t be able to sleep. And we’d just be wasting time. Better to use this opportunity to move on ahead. And just in case Kancho’s recovery is temporary, we’re better served moving on.”
Kancho frowned. “I don’t think
the recovery is temporary, but I’ll go along with your decision. As long as you feel well enough to go on.”
“I’m fine,” said Ran. “I’ll take the lead for a while. Kancho, you come next, and then Jysal and Neviah. We’ll keep you in the middle until we’re certain that you’re better. That was a nasty wound to your shoulder, and I’m not sure if your body is finished purging itself of the poison.”
Kancho rubbed his shoulder and winced. “It’s still very tender.”
“And likely will be for some time come,” said Neviah. “The wound was grievous. I’ve bandaged it as well as possible, so it should be fine for now. But you should try to change the dressing every day if you can.”
“Thank you,” said Kancho. “I will.”
Ran led them away from their resting place and crept down the tunnel. He rounded a bend carefully, checking first to see if there was anyone waiting to ambush them. As soon as he came around the corner, a new smell greeted his nostrils. He paused and then sniffed in and out quickly a few times. But he was certain he knew the briny smell of the ocean. Despite heading northeast, they appeared to be close to the ocean once more.
The others smelled the ocean as soon as they came around the corner. Neviah frowned. “I thought we were heading inland.”
“I thought so, too,” said Ran. “But perhaps this tunnel has led us back in the other direction. I regret my sense of direction is not as keen as it would be if we were outside.”
“It’s not like we had a choice on where the tunnel led,” Neviah said.
Jysal interrupted. “Is that light up ahead?”
Ran turned and looked. Perhaps a thousand feet down the tunnel there seemed to be a faint light source coming from somewhere close by. The light flickered and made Ran think of a torch.
“Malkyr?”
Neviah sniffed. “I doubt it. Knowing his luck, that little troll is no doubt halfway home by now, astride the wheel of a new ship.”
“I don’t think he would abandon us,” said Kancho. “Malkyr’s destiny is tied to ours, I think.”
“We should proceed carefully,” Ran said. “If there is light, and it’s not Malkyr, then we could very well be walking into a trap of some sort. Let me scout ahead and see what I can find out.”
“You want one of us to come with you?” asked Neviah.
Ran shook his head. “Me first. If there’s trouble, you’ll soon know about it.”
He turned and crept down the tunnel. The light at the end would prove problematic, but Ran could work with it. He’d dealt with torches before and knew that they would throw his shadow behind him as he approached. But in a roughcut tunnel, he hoped there would be shadows to exploit.
As he moved down the tunnel, he held himself close to the tunnel wall, feeling the cool rough rock pass under his palms. He used the same cross-stepping technique he’d used back at Kan-Gul’s castle, and it enabled him to look back at the others and up ahead. If the light source was some sort of trap, he could wave the others off quickly and deal with the trouble himself.
As he drew ever closer, Ran changed his stepping technique and faced forward, shrinking down until he was low-crawling along the tunnel floor. He could clearly make out the fact that the light came from a torch. But he couldn’t yet see the torch. The smell of the ocean grew stronger with every step he took. And now he felt a breeze upon his face. It was as if someone had left a window open.
Fresh air, he thought. Being able to get out of the tunnel would be an incredible joy. As long as he wasn’t in for a rude surprise.
He saw now that the tunnel ended and the torch must have been outside of the opening. Perhaps the opening was on a cliff of some sort? He couldn’t yet see the ocean, but he supposed it would have to be somewhere up ahead. He kept moving, drawing his sword some length out of his belt keeping it close to his chest so that it didn’t bump into the walls. Ran knew enough ways to draw the sword in confined locations like a tunnel.
His knees scraped the tunnel floor, but he kept moving forward. The presence of the torch made little sense to him. If the tunnel ended in some sort of cliff, then why would there be a torch there? He drew closer and then stopped right next to the entrance.
And understood.
The tunnel did not end in a cliff over the waves of the ocean. It opened up into an underground harbor. From his vantage point, Ran was able to look down and observe the scene before him. What he saw surprised him. Ships. Lots of ships. They were large and of the type he’d seen being used to carry troops around the waters of Nehon. But these ships weren’t filled with troops. And there appeared to be only a few sailors down at the harbor proper.
Ran went back to the others and guided them forward. At the tunnel mouth, he spoke quietly and pointed out what he’d seen.
“Those large ships are used for carrying troops, right?”
Kancho nodded. “I’ve seen them before. But where are the troops?”
Ran shook his head. “No idea. It seems as though there are only a few sailors on duty down there. I don’t understand what sort of place this could be. Does Kan-Gul control this harbor as well?”
“I would assume he controls everything in this region,” said Neviah. “And that would include those ships. Remember what he said back at the castle? About the visitors from the north?”
She was right. Ran frowned. Combined with the presence of the barracks in the castle, it made perfect sense. Kan-Gul was allying himself with some large invasion force from the north. Presumably, when they first arrived, they would stay in the castle in the barracks area. From there, they would conquer the surrounding lands. And when they were finished wreaking havoc there, they would use these boats and sail for Nehon across the Dark Sea.
“This is worse than I expected,” said Ran.
“Indeed,” said Kancho. “If they are preparing to invade Nehon, then we will need to get word back to the lords across the Dark Sea. Since it is an island nation, they will never suspect they are being targeted for invasion.”
“They’ve been invaded by a maritime force before,” said Ran.
“True, but it was repulsed.” Kancho frowned. “And that was long ago. I suspect they have grown complacent and think another such attack would never occur. These ships prove otherwise.”
“Time will be of the essence,” said Ran. “If an invasion is coming, then we will need to marshal some type of defense.”
Kancho frowned and peered down at the harbor. “Do you see that ship? It’s different from the others.”
Ran looked where he was pointing. “It looks much smaller than the transport vessels. What do you make of it?”
“It’s a coastal raider,” said Neviah from behind them.
Ran turned. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I’ve seen plenty of them in my time. My family hails from a region known for piracy. The sight of those vessels always struck fear into my heart growing up. And when my parents were killed by raiders, the image of that kind of ship burned itself into my memory forever.”
Kancho’s frown deepened. “Your parents were killed?”
Neviah nodded. “It’s not something I like to talk about. But when the raiders came ashore, my father and mother tried their best to keep the raiders from taking us prisoner.” She took a deep breath. “They could not stop them, and they were killed for protecting us. Then the raiders took my brother and me anyway.”
“What happened to you?” asked Jysal.
“They took us back to their land, where we were forced to be little more than slaves. My brother was strong at first, but fell ill and died during the first winter. I managed to fight off the illness, and, in the spring, I found a way to escape. That was when I made my way to one of the protector temples. I was accepted as a student and stayed for ten years.”
“You graduated, obviously,” said Ran.
Neviah nodded. “I did. And the first thing I did was head back to the town I’d escaped from. It was still a raider stronghold, but even the most impressive f
orts are not immune to a woman’s wiles. Once inside, I found the men who had murdered my parents, and I killed them in their sleep. Then I laid waste to the entire town using pitch and fire.” She exhaled as the memories played across her face. “I exacted my vengeance.”
“Is this ship from the same clan that killed your parents?” asked Kancho.
Neviah shook her head. “No. It is from Nehon, judging by the flag it flies on its rear mast. See there?”
Ran looked and saw the simple black cloth emblazoned with a the image of a shark. “Raiders from Nehon? And they’ve found refuge here?”
Kancho tensed. “Look there.”
Ran looked at the spot he pointed and saw several well-armed men leaving the raiding vessel. They came down the gangway and strode down the pier as if they were in command of the area. Why would Kan-Gul consort with raiders? At first it seemed unusual, but then Ran figured that the raiders were no doubt a convenient source of information for the sorcerer. If they were constantly operating near Nehon, they would have lots of information that could prove useful, especially if Kan-Gul was planning an invasion.
“They’re definitely from Nehon,” Ran said. He could clearly see the sloped eyes that marked his countrymen.
Kancho nodded. “These are men I want to talk to. They may have knowledge that would prove useful to me.”
“Your daughter’s whereabouts?”
“Yes,” said Kancho. “If I can get them to talk, it will make my job easier.”
“I could try to get down there,” said Ran.
