The Mogwi gave Tov a weak smirk. “So when should we start?”
The strange emptiness that Tov experienced before throbbed in his throat again. “Now. You will start today.”
“SO LET ME GET this straight,” Apisa asked. “Your mother is the head of the city militia in Onista and your father is an Oni historian?”
Nori said, “Yep. During the day, my mother would make sure that I received combat training and physical exercise. She didn’t make it a secret that she wanted my brother and me to join the city militia when we became adults. At night, my father would put us to bed with wild and fantastic stories about ancient Onistan heroes and heroines.”
Apisa’s amusement fell away and she let out a small sigh. “It must have been nice to have grown up with both of your parents in your life. My siblings and I didn’t have that luxury.”
Nori’s innards tightened as he glanced at her. “I’m really sorry to hear that.”
Apisa waved him off. “Oh, it’s okay. We got through it just fine. Don’t get me wrong, it was still pretty sad. It does help to remind myself that my parents were good people though.”
“What were they like?” Nori asked.
She slumped in her saddle a bit. “Oh, they were both amazing, hardworking people who loved life. I was seven when they died. My brother was nine, and my little sister was only a baby. Let’s change the subject, okay? I don’t like dwelling on …that period of my life.”
“Okay,” Nori said. “So what brought you to Jadai?”
Once more, a joyful expression covered the blond’s face. “My granny runs the farm, and she thought I needed to get out and see the world beyond the rice fields. I’m really glad she did. Even though I only came north a couple days travel, it’s still been a great experience. I’m not the simple girl I once was.”
Rayko scoffed behind them. “Simple doesn’t even begin to cover it. To be quite honest, your transformation has been quite remarkable.”
Apisa gazed over her shoulder. “I wasn’t that bad!”
“Trust me, darling,” Rayko said. “You were. It’s not that you were bad, per say. You were just ignorant of the many wondrous ways of expressing yourself through the medium of style.”
Apisa rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I got to Jadai and it was really eye opening. Granted, I was seen as a bit …”
“Unsophisticated? Uncouth? Raw?” Rayko asked. She gave Apisa a playful wink.
“I was going to say charmingly rustic. If I remember correctly, you also had a hard time when you first came to Jadai. At least I made more friends than you did at first.”
Rayko giggled. “That’s because these would-be nobles were intimidated by my incredible sense of taste. It’s not my fault the west coast is so far behind the east.”
Apisa turned her attention to Nori. “We arrived on the same day, and little Rayko made a few unkind remarks on one of the girl’s outfits.”
A vexed expression covered Rayko’s face. She covered her arms over her chest. “If you’re going to tell the story, you had better inform him of all the details. I swear, you revel in any chance to make me look like a monster.”
Apisa chuckled. “Okay, okay. Granted, the girl that Rayko insulted was insulting me on the way I was dressed. She sorta came to my rescue at first, but then I came to hers second.”
“Oh?” Nori asked. “So what happened?”
“Must we go in to this with him?” Rayko gestured toward Nori. “Why are we spilling out our secrets to one of the help?”
Flara looked up from her scroll. For most of the day so far, she had been engrained in reading. Nori had doubted that she heard anything that was said.
“That’s mean,” Flara said. “Even considering your disposition towards his people, you shouldn’t be so cruel. He didn’t do anything to you.”
Rayko glared hard at Flara. “Well excuse me for having feelings! It’s not that I can just turn them off whenever I want. Am I just supposed to forget it ever happened?”
Rather than shy away, Flara rolled up her scroll and returned Rayko’s intensity. “I’m n-not saying that. I understand how you f-feel, but lashing out isn’t going to make this trip any less bearable.”
Rayko let out a huff and slowed her horse considerably. She still followed along, but she dropped back about twenty feet.
“I’ll go talk to her.” Apisa turned her horse around and trotted up next to Rayko.
Rayko said something, but Nori didn’t quite hear it. A thick, deep aura of unease gravitated toward the center of his stomach. No amount of repositioning made his saddle any more comfortable. Acid pooled up in the back of his throat, and the urge to throw up enticed him over and over.
Flara rode up beside him. She resumed using her meek voice. “I’m s-sorry about Rayko. It’s not about you exactly. I know it won’t make sense now, b-but it’s kind of not her fault she’s acting this way either.”
Nori’s brow creased. “She seems to hate Onistans a lot more than the regular citizen. Why is that?”
Flara replied “I-it’s not my place to say.”
“Can I ask you a question?” Nori asked. “How is it that you didn’t get a Qu-Tar when you first came to Jadai? As a member of the royal family, you should have been better protected.”
Flara averted her eyes and fumbled with the reins of her horse. “I b-begged my mother to let me come to Jadai as a normal p-person. I didn’t want everyone to know I was the daughter of the empress. I thought that would prevent me from making good fr-friends.”
“So that’s why you came up with the silk merchant alias?” Nori asked.
“Actually, it was my eldest sister Cestise who came with that idea,” Flara said. “She agreed that I needed to get out and be free to explore the magic of friendship without having titles affect people’s reactions to me.”
Nori asked “So do you regret having a Qu-Tar now?”
Flara wilted in her saddle. Her voice came out in a barely audible mumble. “No offense, but yeah. I’m g-glad that you’re coming with us on this j-journey, but your presence reminds me of my imperial obligations.”
“I promise that was never my intention,” Nori said. “I never want to make people feel uncomfortable, but it’s what I seem to be the best at doing.”
“L-like I said, it’s not you.” Flara brushed some loose strands of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes. “It’s who you represent. A-at least this time it doesn’t have to do with your racial origin.” She let out a weak chuckle.
Nori smiled too.
Apisa and Rayko rode back up to the group. Rayko sat straight in her saddle. She reviewed Nori with a sense of poise and arrogance. Just seeing her demeanor made Nori’s skin expand and contract.
“It had been brought to my attention that my behavior toward you has not been lady like,” Rayko said. “For that, I apologize. Though you need not know what ails me, just be certain that it has little to do with you.” She slowed her horse again and rode several feet behind him.
Flara said “E-excuse me.” She slowed her horse to match strides with Rayko while Apisa caught up with Nori.
“Alright,” Apisa said. “I have a string of jokes for you. I know you’ll just have to laugh at one of them.”
After the fifth joke, Nori cracked a smile. As soon as Apisa saw it, she celebrated for the rest of the afternoon. They continued to talk about the differences between Onistan and Buka. Nori had to admit, it was quite enjoyable.
Within an hour of sunset, Nori and the group came upon a forest on a peninsula.
“That’s the f-forest from my dream!” Flara said. “We have to go inside.”
Nori asked “Do we know what dangers wait for us inside?”
“No,” Flara replied. “As soon as we s-set up camp, I’ll describe my dream to you. Apisa and Rayko have already heard it before.”
It didn’t take long to set up the tents. Nori had just finished creating a small camp fire when Rayko stood over him.
“In case there is dan
ger in the forest, I’ll make us less appetizing.” Rayko raised both hands above her head. Her tattoo flashed brightly.
The air all around the camp shimmered, as if coated in glitter. Ripples of energy moved about, and structures formed from the empty spaces. A large military style tent formed over the three tents that Nori and the women had set up. The smoke from the camp fire floated up into the sky from a hole that had been created at the top of the military tent. Nori moved outside the perimeter of the military tent and gaped in wide wonder.
A wooden fort with tall walls stood erected around them. Soldiers patrolled the tops of the walls, and they wore shiny and somewhat fashionable armor. A large blazing bonfire sat in the middle of the fort, and several soldiers gathered around it. A large gatehouse with metal portcullis existed at the far end of the fort. After doing a quick count, Nori noted there were over three dozen soldiers talking, guarding, or doing other fort related activities. Some soldiers roasted meat on the bonfire. The tasty aroma of cooking ham made Nori’s mouth water. His stomach growled loudly. Nearby soldiers talked about the recent rainstorm they just had.
Nori’s voice came out as a whisper. “Is this…all an illusion?”
Rayko placed her hands on her hips. A smug smirk beamed at him. “Well of course it is, darling.”
“Will it remain active when you’re sleeping?” Nori asked.
Rayko’s smirk grew in width.
Nori approached one of the guards and tried to reach out and touch him. The guard reacted and moved out of the way.
A cross expression painted itself on the guard’s face. “Watch it, you brute. Keep your paws to yourself.” The guard moved away from Nori and resumed patrolling the interior of the fort.
Nori watched him go with his mouth agape.
“I told you before,” Rayko said. “I’m the best damned illusionist in all of Jadai. To answer your question, yes. These works of art will not only remain active while I sleep, but they’ll keep an eye out and wake us if anything troubling happens.”
“That’s incredible,” Nori replied.
Rayko examined her nails. “Of course it is, darling. I’m the one who created it. Now stop looking at the background. Flara is going to tell you about her dream.”
By the time that Nori made it back into the real area of their camp site, Apisa and Flara had already seated themselves beside the fire. They both appeared entirely satisfied.
Apisa said “I just hope you’re in awe when we do magic too.”
Flara giggled into her hands. “We’re around magic so much that we’re used to seeing fantastic things like this. It’s always jarring to be around someone who’s not used to witnessing arcane effects.”
Nori plopped down beside Flara. “I’ll admit, this is not what I expected when I was first assigned this duty.”
“What did you expect?” Flara asked.
Nori winced. “To be honest, I thought I would be doing really boring stuff, like attending parties and going to events.”
Rayko gasped. “How exactly are going to parties and events boring?”
“Well, when you’re the guest and you get to have fun, parties and the like are great. When you’re a bodyguard, you don’t get to relax.”
Apisa chuckled. “I can’t imagine going to a party and not having a good time. I love parties. Anyway, let’s get down to business. Can you describe your dream?”
Flara swallowed hard and settled herself in a relaxed position. She closed her eyes and remained quiet for a few moments.
“Everything in my dream is so sudden and a-abrupt. I see some kind of ruin in the middle of the forest. I’m standing in a kind of spacious courtyard and I see three buildings. I always go to the one on the left. Inside that building, I find a l-library full of scrolls. It’s dark inside there. There’s a little office toward the back of the library, and it’s closed. I can’t get inside, but I always stand on the outside of the door. A great d-desire to go inside always washes over me. Whenever I look over my shoulder, I get the uneasy feeling I’m not alone. Every time I have the dream, I feel the urgency increase.”
Nori asked “Does anyone know what kind of ruin was in the forest?”
“Yeah,” Flara said. “As soon as I had the dream, I went to the library at the university and did research on all the possibilities it could be. I think the ruin in the forest is a monastery called Wing Fai.”
Grim expressions painted themselves on Apisa and Rayko’s faces.
“Why do I get the feeling that this is bad thing?” Nori asked.
Flara swallowed hard. “Wing Fai Monastery was lost over four hundred years ago. The information on it was kept in the ‘restricted section’ of the library. A-apparently, the monks at Wing Fai researched d-dark lore.”
Nori gripped the handle on his tetsubo. “When you say dark lore, what are you referring to exactly?”
“I d-don’t know, but I suppose we’re going to find out,” Flara said.
“So are we going to do watches? Or are you going to summon another kami to watch over us?” Nori asked.
Rayko leaned forward. “I already told you. My illusions will watch over us. You may be inexperienced with magic, you sim …I mean, you delightful fellow, but we are not. We are well cared for.”
Apisa stood up and stretched. “Yeah, trust us. We know what we’re talking about.”
She moved to the girl’s tent and ducked inside. Flara stood up and moved to the tent entrance too.
“Goodnight, Mr. Nori,” Flara said. “I hope you can rest better than l-last night.”
Rayko sat with him for a few moments before she also went to the tent.
Before she entered it, she called out to one of the guards. “You there! Attend me.”
The illusionary soldier ran up her. “Yes, oh beloved and beautiful creator?”
She gestured to Nori. “This …man is still nervous about the safety of the camp. Make sure if anything odd occurs, you wake him.” She peered at Nori through the corner of her eye. “Does that make you feel better?”
“A little,” Nori said. “Sleep well ‘oh beloved and beautiful creator.”
Rayko frowned at him. “Don’t be snide, it’s unbecoming.” She entered the tent and closed the tent flap behind her.
Nori turned his attention to the rest of the camp. Even with Rayko out of sight, the illusions still kept doing what normal soldiers would do. Rather than go to his tent, Nori made his way around the fort.
As he passed by soldiers, he eaves-dropped on some of their conversations. To his surprise, they sounded organic and real. All of his senses told him he stood in a real fort, and yet, his mind knew otherwise. Or did it? At one point, he tried to climb the stairs that led to the top of the wall. When his leg passed through the wood, several of the illusionary guards turned on him.
“Did you forget we’re not real?” one guard asked.
Another guard said, “What do you expect from an Onistan? All of this must be overwhelming for him.”
A flash of anger pulsated behind Nori’s eyes. Instead of responding back, he made his way back to his tent. Despite the supposed security of the area, Nori kept his battle armor on and rested his tetsubo beside him within reach. As his eye lids slowly closed, he placed his hand on the handle.
A sea of blackness swept over him. Curious images bubbled up in the blackness, but they were swallowed up moments after appearing. Blood red mountains lined the horizon. A crumbling building caved in on itself. An Oni walked through a familiar-looking city street. Why did that street look so familiar?
A loud shout shattered the blackness and shook him awake. Nori’s eyes opened wide, and he grabbed the tetsubo. He hopped to his feet and swung the tetsubo in front of him. The war club passed through the illusionary soldier, but the man didn’t appear offended in the least.
“Sir, there’s trouble. You’re needed outside!” The guard said.
Nori followed him out of the tent.
THE COOL NIGHT air caressed Nori as soon as he ex
ited the tent. A crowd of illusionary soldiers stood near the front of the gate. They shouted at something and waved their weapons about, but whatever they stared at remained concealed.
Flara, Apisa, and Rayko had gathered by the unlit camp fire site. Nori positioned himself in front of them, and he held his tetsubo in front of him. Several odd figures passed right through the illusionary soldiers. Each had gaunt faces and grim smiles. Their arms hung at their sides, and they appeared overly stretched. They moved with unnatural grace and calculating silence.
Nori’s senses sharpened, and he darted his attention all around them. His stomach churned with a sense of wildness. Every nerve ending flared with energy. To Nori’s left, a pair of identically creepy men moved through the fort walls. With each step, the men got closer to the women.
“There’re all around us!” one of the illusionary soldiers yelled.
Nori turned around. One of the figures had traipsed into the military tent and moved ever closer. He stumbled into Nori’s tent and paused.
The man spoke, and it sounded as if a dozen voices vibrated all together. “I’ve found their real camp!” The figure said. “How very interesting.”
Nori tightened the grip on his tetsubo. “Rayko, can you dismiss the illusion? It’s going to hinder us more than help at this point.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Rayko said.
Her diamond tattoo glowed brightly, and everything aside from their real camp faded away. Twelve gaunt men surrounded them. They wore peasant clothes that hung off their bodies. Each of them had madness-induced smiles on their faces.
Apisa stepped in front of Flara and her tree tattoo glowed. Dark green scales covered her hands and forearms. Vicious claws grew from each of her fingertips.
Nori reached into his side pouch and pulled out a knife. He handed it to Rayko. “Take this. No offense, but I don’t think you’re going to be of use here.”
“No use? What do you know, you wretched mountain creature?” Rayko’s tattoo shimmered again. She crouched down a little and waved her arms about. “Be prepared to be proven wrong.”
The Wrath Of the Forgotten Page 9
