Nightblade (41 page)

Nori looked at Orochi with open contempt. Orochi had half expected this sort of reaction. Nori knew nothing about Orochi whereas Orochi knew almost all about Nori. Orochi suspected Akira would have described him as little as possible to his general to keep his secret. It gave him yet another advantage over the decaying man.

Orochi kept himself at a relaxed attention. He didn't approve of Akira's orders even though he understood his motivation well enough. He would follow them out of respect for his word, but he didn't have to like Nori or show this man any more respect than he deserved.

The moment Nori opened his mouth, Orochi knew for sure he was drunk even though the sun had recently risen over the tops of the trees.

"So you are the man Akira sent after the murderer of my son!"

Orochi raised an eyebrow in surprise. To refer to Akira without his title could be considered treason in some areas. To show contempt for a man of Orochi's size was downright foolish. Either the man had a high opinion of his abilities or was more drunk than Orochi suspected. Either way, he kept his silence.

"Our Lord has sent me here to finish the job you could not. I'll need all the information you have on the whereabouts of our targets. Once we have found them, I will show you what it means to be a warrior."

In other circumstances, Orochi would have removed his accuser's head. But Nori was in such a pitiful state it would have dishonored his blade.

"Yes. May I ask what your plan is?"

Orochi grinned at the anger on Nori's face. The general did not appreciate Orochi's lack of manners. He didn’t come here expecting to be treated as an equal. Nori was a man used to deference, used to fear. He wouldn’t find either in Orochi.

With effort, Orochi swallowed his pride. Killing Nori would gain him nothing and potentially lose him everything. His arrangement with Akira had been beneficial to this point and a drunken general wasn't worth losing it.

"I'll prepare my notes and bring them to you by first light tomorrow."

Nori nodded. “Good.” His attitude made it clear their meeting was over.

Orochi shook his head as he turned around and walked out of the tent. He preferred his life simple. He did not care for court intrigue or desire power. He had wanted revenge, and with that complete he found he wanted peace and to be left alone.

It had been so warm in the tent Orochi had forgotten the blizzard outside. The cold wind cut right through his robes and for a moment Orochi relished the sensation. It felt more real and more right than anything happening in the tent behind him.

He scanned the surrounding area. There had to be someone around worth talking to. He saw the man standing guard at the perimeter of the camp. Despite the freezing temperatures and wind, he stood relaxed but firm in his post. His insignia marked him as a higher ranked infantryman, not an officer. But Orochi guessed besides himself and a sober Nori, this man was probably the best swordsman of the bunch, as well as the most intelligent. Just what he was looking for.

Orochi walked up to the soldier, remaining in the soldier's field of vision so as not to give any indication of stealth. He noted the soldier slightly shifted his stance so he was facing Orochi. Although he didn't bring his hand any closer to his sword, it was clear he was ready for combat.

Orochi saw the shift, and the soldier saw that Orochi had seen it. They both broke out in a small smile and Orochi bowed his head slightly, a token of respect to the other man.

The soldier was eager for company. "So you're the assassin?"

Orochi grinned. Such forthrightness was rare but appreciated. "Yes."

The soldier’s eyes took in Orochi. "Good?"

"Yes."

The soldier nodded. "I thought as much. You're certainly intimidating, even from a distance. Would you care to spar sometime when I'm not on duty?"

Orochi liked this man. "As time permits, yes."

The man lived and breathed swordsmanship because from the man's glances Orochi could tell he was about to ask about Orochi's blade. He spoke quickly to interrupt the process before it started. He jerked his head at Nori's tent. "How long as he been like that?"

The man glanced around, although no one was anywhere near earshot with the blizzard howling around them. "I'd rather not say, sir."

"I need to know if I can depend on him when the moment comes. I'm not out to ruin his reputation.”

The guard thought for a moment. "You can always depend on him. Just needs a little action to remind him why he's alive. Moping around like he is now, he can only think of his boy and that causes him to drink. All this traveling, with nothing to do, he's only gotten worse. But get him out hunting and he'll be back sure as the sun will rise."

Orochi digested the advice, trying to determine if he trusted this opinion. To be a member of an honor guard meant loyalty, an unwavering devotion to a lord. But most men were not fools, biased they may be. Nori had been formidable before. Perhaps if the alcohol were to leave his system he may be again.

He was surprised to find he wanted to believe it. The man had lost a son and that would impact any man's soul. For the son to be so near when it happened, to be protected by the very army that defined the man had to bring a unique pain. There was no honor to be found in the bottom of a wine cup, but it was a cold man who wouldn't mourn the loss of a son.

Orochi shivered. Such dark thoughts depressed him although they came more often since his fight with Shigeru. It was if Shigeru's blade had struck him not to kill, but instead to fester, thoughts of remorse and loss crawling their way to his heart.

He shook his head. Thinking such thoughts would get him nowhere. Better to act than to reflect. He strode to his tent, already looking forward to his routines. One could never practice forms too much, and the purity of movement often burned away the thoughts of his own past.

When the sun rose the next morning Orochi was prepared. He woke light and refreshed. His kata the night before had stripped him of his fear and concern.

Orochi stepped out of his tent to greet the new day. The blizzard had passed through in the night and a virgin snow lay all around him, undisturbed except for the path of footsteps left by the few sentries overnight. The air was crisp and chilled his throat, but there was no wind, and his robes kept him warm enough.

He walked to Nori's tent to let the guards know he would request another audience as soon as the General was prepared. They let him know they would pass along his message, but in a confidential tone, one whispered to Orochi it may be some time before Nori was prepared to entertain visitors. Orochi nodded his understanding and looked around for something to do.

In the center of the camp, a group of soldiers was beginning to mill about, warming up their bodies by practicing their martial arts. Orochi walked over to observe their movement. He had heard Nori trained his soldiers with some unique skills and he was hopeful he might be able to observe.

If the soldiers were disturbed by his presence they didn’t show it. They went about their daily routine in the manner of those who have gone through it hundreds of times before. Few words were exchanged as a captain of the guard led his men through their initial stretches.

From the stretches they moved to techniques, choosing sparring partners based on equal ability. Orochi watched and was impressed by what he observed. Honor guards were skilled, but even among the skilled there were levels of ability. Everyone here was good.

As Orochi observed, he began to notice patterns in the soldier's movements. The strikes and cuts they practiced were very directional, with moves tending to favor quick stabbing motions and close blocks over swinging cuts and blocks. It was a style suited to fighting in the close quarters of the passes. Orochi approved. It was a dangerous style because the guard was closer to the body, but a group of skilled warriors could use it in enclosed spaces without fear of striking an ally. Orochi had never fought as part of an army before, had never been in combat without a wide freedom of movement, and so the moves were different than the ones he preferred. None of the soldiers would be fast enough to deflect his blade, but they were good.

He sensed Nori approaching behind him, but took care not to display the knowledge. He didn’t trust Nori and did not want him knowing he was a nightblade.

"Are you impressed by my soldiers, assassin?" Nori did not bother to hide the disdain in his voice.

"They are skilled."

"Do you wish to test your skills against them?"

Orochi considered. Sparring would be a good stretch and relaxing. A part of him burned to demonstrate to Nori just how good he was, but he restrained himself. He held to the belief that the less potential enemies knew about him, the safer he was. The belief had guided him well thus far despite temptations. He shook his head. "Perhaps some other time."

Nori nodded as if some long held suspicion of his had been confirmed. Orochi shrugged it off. Let the man challenge him and he wouldn't be alive long enough to be surprised.

Nori invited Orochi into his tent. Orochi noted Nori wasn't drunk this morning. Hopefully it would last. Orochi wanted to respect this man who had accomplished so much.

The tent wasn't as warm as it had been the night before. Nori was moving with a vigor Orochi hadn't seen before, which was good to see. In front of him was a detailed map of the South Kingdom. Orochi ran his eyes over it, impressed despite himself.

Nori had mapped out all the places where conflict had arisen. Where his son was murdered and where the monastery Perseverance was attacked. Nori observed Orochi looking at the map and knelt down next to it. "Where did you fight the nightblades?"

Orochi knelt down as well and pointed out the location. "They had been hiding in an abandoned farm house near here."

Nori marked the spot and then looked over the entire map. "I've been trying to determine patterns which might help us find them. But there aren’t enough sightings of them to determine a pattern."

"True, but we don't need a pattern. Sometimes all you need is a story, a story which explains the facts and helps predict the future."

Nori looked at Orochi skeptically. "But any number of stories could be made up to explain any set of facts."

"Also true, but certain stories will make more sense and are more likely to be correct."

Nori continued his look of disbelief.

"For example, we know why your son was murdered," he looked up at Nori, who was doing his best to control himself. "And tracking them out of the pass wasn't too difficult, which led to the fight in which I killed the older one. After I was wounded the boy took off with the girl heading to the north. I suspect the direction was chosen because it was the way they had already been traveling. However, that path would have taken them close to Perseverance."

"This is where I start to guess, but I would suspect the boy attacked Perseverance because he was looking for me."

Nori looked at Orochi quizzically.

"Perseverance had an Abbot who was very strong in the sense. The boy may have thought I would take shelter there with my injuries. He would have investigated, and he would have found the Abbot and killed him."

Nori's uncertainty was still plastered on his face. "Why would the boy believe you were hiding in a monastery?"

"The boy is a nightblade. He knows the monasteries serve the kingdom and they would be the safest place for someone to hide from a nightblade."

Orochi kept his face straight. The boy would have gone to Perseverance because of the stuck-up Abbot releasing his powers there. It would have attracted him like a moth to flame. Orochi would have given up much of his gold to know what happened to Moriko. He hadn’t heard anything.

Nori finally nodded his agreement. "That make sense. Why didn't you?"

"Because I knew he would be looking for me there." The lie came easily to Orochi, but it was a story that made sense, and the truth behind it remained. The boy would be coming for him. The knowledge resided in the core of his body and he didn't deny it. He ached for the challenge of a new opponent, especially one as strong as the boy might be.

Nori again pored over his maps. "So if your story is correct, what do we do next to track them down?"

"We do nothing. We find a defensible position and wait for them to come to us."

"How is the boy supposed to find you?"

"You underestimate him. If he is a nightblade he will find us. There is no place in the Three Kingdoms we could hide."

Nori brought his gaze to bear on Orochi. "I want you to know that killing them isn't enough for me. I want them to suffer for the pain they have brought. If we can take any of them alive, my orders are to do so. They will live to regret their decisions."

Orochi's stomach twisted at the man's suggestion. Torture for information was one thing. Torture for pleasure was without honor. He did not approve, but gained nothing by fighting it. He would have to find them first and kill them cleanly. If his hunch was correct, they were fighting because of the situation they had been put in, not for any malicious reasons. It was survival.

Orochi left the tent discontent. He had offered service to Akira because he had believed it would lead him to Shigeru. Over the passing of cycles, he had come to realize Akira was a ruler equal to the task put before him. He knew how to lead men and he was just, and Orochi had seen him make decisions over and over again which protected the people of his land. Orochi respected him.

Nori was a different man, weaker, addicted to power and the abilities that came with it. Akira's decisions were based on the greater good while Nori's were based upon that which brought him pleasure and respect. It was unacceptable.

Orochi wandered the campground, lost deep in thought.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN