Nightblade (33 page)

Moriko took the hint and wished Aina well and left as soon as possible. Hopefully the other girls would look after her despite Moriko’s introductions. The girl seemed intelligent, so perhaps she would be able to make her own way. It took time, it always did.

Moriko was lost in thought as she wandered back to her own quarters. She wasn’t sure of anything anymore. Even Orochi’s training made her feel a little sick to her stomach, now that she looked at it through the lens of her childhood dreams. She wondered how she had become part of the system she had feared and hated so much as a child. Was she any better, or any different than the Abbot, or even Goro?

She had seen children taken and had done nothing about it. She hadn’t even cared. She had been too wrapped up in her own problems and her own pain. She had become that which she sought to destroy. She fingered the scar on her abdomen. She couldn’t lose her hatred of the monastery even if she knew nothing else.

Never again, she vowed. She had to think, to find her purpose. Orochi and the monastery had given her the training to harness an incredible power. Now she had to figure out how to use it. While she didn’t know her final decision, she was certain she would make Goro and the Abbot pay for their sins.

Late that night as the candles burned low, two men huddled together in the Abbot’s quarters. Goro was ecstatic. The incident with Moriko brought him closer to the Abbot than ever. Goro had long ago realized he did not have any special powers or abilities and consoled himself with the fact that no one else in his cohort did either. He believed the way to rise above was to befriend and be close to the Abbot.

For so many cycles he had tried, patiently listening to every command, every teaching, seizing every small opportunity to prove his worth to the Abbot, but the Abbot had never seemed to recognize him, never seen him as anything more than a loyal servant. But Goro maintained his vigilance and his dedication.

It all changed the day Moriko had bested him. It was strange that such an obvious, incredible failure would have been the gateway to the fulfillment of Goro’s dreams, but it was. Ever since then Goro was the person the Abbot confided in. Their conferences grew in frequency and duration, culminating in regular nightly sessions when Orochi arrived.

Tonight was no different. They thought Moriko was sleeping, but no longer trusted their own senses, even the Abbot, whose command of the sense made him unique among monks. So they huddled together, whispering about the day’s events, peeking around to ensure they were alone.

“Master, did you sense what happened today? Moriko, she . . .”

The Abbot interrupted. “Yes, Goro, I sensed the entire thing.” He didn’t feel the need to add he had lost his sense of Moriko when she went to sneak behind Goro. “What she did was unacceptable.”

“What will we do, Master?”

The Abbot flinched at the use of the word “we,” but kept himself calm. “I cannot allow this behavior to continue, but she is the favored student of Orochi, who has the ear of Akira. I cannot slay her for any minor transgression as much as I might want to.”

Goro hung on to every word. Perhaps he would have some role to play, something that would cement his worth in the Abbot’s eyes.

As he hoped, the Abbot looked at him, realization dawning as a plan began to form in his mind.

“Brother Goro, what we need is for her to commit a transgression, an act so heinous that we have no choice but to kill her.” He looked meaningfully at Goro. “I think that you will have an important role to play in this, Goro.”

“In the meantime, this will take me a while to put into place. Until then, Goro, I’d like you to individual take over the training of Aina. I believe she has incredible promise, and you are the only one I trust in this matter. Train her using whatever methods you deem appropriate.”

Warmth flooded through Goro. After all of these cycles, being treated just the same as everyone else, not being unique or special, here was a task he could do. Someday, when the Abbot was ready, he would help get rid of Moriko as well. He left the Abbot’s company feeling excited and thrilled.

As he left the Abbot laughed softly to himself. With his hand free to train how he pleased, Goro would attract Moriko’s attention. She would kill him quickly and then the Abbot would be left with the perfect excuse for killing her himself. Then he would be rid of Goro and Moriko. Two heads would roll with one strike.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Ryuu, Takako, and Shigeru did not stay much longer at the farmhouse. After Shigeru finished his story they prepared to leave the next day. They no longer bothered to travel at night. All time was valuable to them now. The one who was hunting them could track them day or night.

Shigeru rested and healed for one last night while Ryuu kept watch. Through the entire night all he did was stretch out his sense to detect anything that felt like Orochi. It was a new experience. For the first time in many cycles he felt powerless, naked without the protection his sense afforded him.

That someone could track him, use the same gifts he possessed, and he couldn’t do the same, was humbling. He knew what fear was. Enough knowledge to realize what he was up against and how dangerous his opponent was, but not enough knowledge to do anything about it. Ryuu was unable to sleep the entire night.

He came to two decisions through the long hours of the dawn. The first was that if he was ever given the chance he would visit the same terror on those who sought to harm him. Orochi was teaching him how to hunt man, a skill Shigeru had never taught him. Shigeru was a man of honor and principle. He fought in a straightforward manner, always attacking his opponents and challenges head on. But now Ryuu knew a different way. A man who survived and thrived based on his ability to hide, to blend, to be non-existent.

He also vowed that he would continue to train, study, and be diligent. He needed to seek out all kinds of warriors to become a complete fighter. He felt like Orochi was better equipped, better trained and more dangerous than him. He needed to learn more so he could fight Orochi on equal terms, to never be caught off-guard again, to understand everything about the world.

They traveled and they trained. Despite their best efforts they made slow time. Takako was weak and Ryuu was all too happy to plead her case. When they rested Shigeru healed. They were good days. They hiked while the sun was up. Ryuu pestered Shigeru with hundreds of questions, trying to dig out every last piece of knowledge Shigeru held. At night he learned how to prepare food from Takako. Shigeru had taught him, but Takako’s skills surpassed both of the men she was traveling with. They would sit around the fire and tell stories.

For a while it felt like they might it out alive. But Orochi found them again.

Ryuu had been sitting watch all night. It had been his practice as Shigeru continued to recover from his injuries. He couldn’t do it every night, but he could and did more often than he should. As the dawn began to brighten the sky Ryuu knew. He couldn’t sense anything, but he knew.

Shigeru awoke and saw the look on Ryuu’s face. There wasn’t any need for words to understand Ryuu’s expression.

"You could have woken me."

Ryuu stood up, stretching his stiff legs. "I wouldn't have slept anyway. You needed the rest to recover."

Shigeru didn't deny the truth of the statement. "Did you sense anything?"

"No."

Shigeru arched an eyebrow. He knew there was more.

"I know he is on his way here. I can’t explain how I know, but I’m certain.” He glanced over at Takako, “I'm afraid we can't outrun him."

Shigeru nodded. It seemed to Ryuu that Shigeru had already made a decision and was just waiting for the right time to tell him.

"We aren't going to run from him. He's got our scent. We might evade him for a day or two or experience another narrow escape, but he will never stop. There is no point in trying to prolong the inevitable. We’ll wait here and take turns on watch. With his retainers dead, I suspect he will have collected reinforcements, and is on his way back. Fighting him is our only way out of this."

Ryuu wanted to protest, to claim there had to be a better way, but deep down he knew Shigeru was right. This close to his target, a man like Orochi would never stop, would never give up pursuit. Ryuu wished he had never rescued Takako. That he hadn’t brought this upon all of them.

Shigeru, as always, seemed to be looking right into him. "Don't blame yourself. It’s true these are the consequences of the actions you took. But it’s more important that what you did was right. You stood up for someone who needed help. It’s more than I can say I’ve done. If we die, it’s as proud warriors. There is no dishonor in that."

Ryuu wanted to scream at Shigeru for talking that way. All he wanted was to go back to the old cabin, to run in the woods and spar with Shigeru. He imagined the spring breeze on his face and the freezing beauty of the nearby waterfall. It felt like he would never go back again.

"What if I'm wrong? What if Orochi isn’t on his way and we just sitting here instead of being on the move?"

"You're not wrong. I've trained you well, and honestly, you are and will be a much stronger nightblade than me. I've known for a while now. I can only teach you two more lessons. The first is to trust your instincts. Your mastery of the sense is superb, and if your instincts are telling you something, believe them, because I can guarantee they are right. Second, don’t let consequences deter you from what you feel must be done. Saving Takako was the right thing. I won't sit here and lie to you and tell you life will be better for you doing the right thing, but you will be a better person, and that's all I've ever wanted."

Ryuu was flooded with questions and things he wanted to say. There was so much that he wanted to let Shigeru know, how important he was and how much he meant, but there was just nothing that would come out. He nodded and stared into Shigeru’s eyes. He knew. It was enough.

Shigeru embraced Ryuu tightly, completely catching him off-guard. Ryuu felt like he was losing his father all over again.

After a few beats of silence, the two separated and got on with the daily chores of living. They went through their morning exercises together and spent some time sparring, both to warm up and for Shigeru to test his recovery. He wasn't quite at his best, but he was strong.

Takako woke up refreshed and Ryuu was delighted to watch her as she set about cooking them a lunch from the food she could scrounge together. The three of them sat around, sharing stories of their lives and laughing. Takako welcomed the rest day. They didn’t have the heart to tell her the real reason for the rest.

Ryuu realized Shigeru thought of this as the end. He saw the way Shigeru was trying to squeeze all the enjoyment, all the memories he could out of these last few moments of life, the same way you would twist a rag to get the last few drops of water out of it.

Ryuu couldn't bring himself to accept it. Through all his training, Shigeru had pounded it into his head that warriors needed to embrace death, to be ready for it every day. But Ryuu wasn't. He wanted to live and spend every moment with Takako and Shigeru. He knew Shigeru was right, but it didn’t change his feelings. He wasn’t ready to die, and couldn’t picture a future where he would be.

The sun was setting when Ryuu sensed them. They were on horseback moving fast. Ryuu tracked them with great interest. On the edge of his sense, as far as he could push it out, they had not been heading straight for them. They had been following a meandering course. It was only when their course brought them a little closer that all the horses and men turned to come to them.

It was valuable information. Ryuu’s sense extended further than Orochi’s. He noted the distances. If they lived through this day it may come in handy.

They came directly for the hut without slowing down. It was another five men plus Orochi. Ryuu turned to Shigeru.

“Why does he only bring five?”

Shigeru shrugged. “He may not have access to more. I suspect though he doesn’t intend to overpower us with the other men he brings along. He knows he can only kill us himself. The other men are a distraction so he doesn’t have to fight both of us at the same time. He may or may not be stronger than either of us individually, but he isn’t stronger than the two of us attacking together.”

Ryuu nodded. He supposed the why wasn’t really important. A lecture from Shigeru sprang to his mind about not worrying too much about how events had come to be or how they would play out. Both were unknowable and not worth wasting time over.

They directed Takako behind the cabin. Ryuu had to give her credit. She took the news with a surprising calm. The cabin was large enough no one could sneak behind it without notice, but also left her room to start running if she needed. The two of them stood out in front of the farmhouse, waiting patiently.

They didn’t have to wait long, and it was clear from the outset their attackers weren’t interested in a fair fight. A small flurry of arrows came at them as soon as they were in range. Ryuu and Shigeru could sense them coming and sidestepped the dangerous ones without a challenge.

Then the battle was joined in earnest. As the approaching men became more visible Ryuu saw they had the same armor and insignia as the soldiers they had fought and killed earlier. The observation passed through his mind like water as he moved to defend against the horses bearing down on him.

The men were well trained and their intent was clear. The five soldiers who accompanied Orochi were all bearing towards him and Orochi was going after Shigeru. It was the first time Ryuu had seen Orochi and the sight of him was enough for Ryuu to lose his composure for a heartbeat. He had never seen anyone so intimidating. The man was huge and muscled. It was just a glance, but enough to make Ryuu’s heart sink down to his stomach which was tied up in knots.