A
Hero’s Death, part
5
by Shawn Carman
Miya Shoin drew his kimono
tighter about his shoulders and shivered in the cool mountain winds. It was his
heaviest robe, one that had always been almost uncomfortably warm in court, but
even though winter had faded, the mountains were still very cold indeed. It had
not been a particularly pleasant journey from the Crane lands, but Kijuro had
sworn to Shoin that the Ox Clan could protect Rezan. The normally jovial
samurai had been so sincere in his assurances, so uncharacteristicly somber in
his demeanor that Shoin had believed him.
And so the party had been on the road for nearly two weeks now,
traveling the long miles through the foothills toward the northern edge of the
Dragon Heart Plain. The lands of the Ox
Clan.
Even now, Shoin could hear
Kijuro’s laughter (by the Fortunes, was that man ever quiet?) echoing across
the peaks even though he and Toritaka Akemi had ridden ahead to check for
seasonal obstacles in the road. In retrospect, perhaps the burly warrior’s
offer of fur coats hadn’t been quite so barbaric as Shoin had first thought.
A
soft clucking sound came from Shoin’s left. He glanced over irritably at Agasha
Chieh, who seemed impervious to the weather despite her silken garments. No
doubt her magic kept her from suffering the effects of the cold. She was
regarding him with that half-amused, half-condescending expression that
irritated him so. “You would really stoop to wearing the flesh of dead animals
to overcome your discomfort? I would have thought better of you, Shoin-sama.”
The
young herald scowled, his discomfort giving fire to his anger. “I told you to
stop that, Chieh. I am in charge here, and you will do as you are told. Stay
out of my mind.”
The
Phoenix gave an exasperated sigh and threw her hands up. “What am I supposed to
do? I cannot read the thoughts of
anyone else in our party! It’s as if I were blind!”
Shoin
looked surprised, both by her reaction and her strange confession. “What do you
mean? The others’ minds are closed to you? Why?”
“I
don’t know!” she snapped at him. “Akemi’s mind is full of shadows and spirits I
cannot comprehend. Yu-Pan has little else besides violence in her thoughts. And
Rezan…I simply cannot sense anything from him at all! You are the only one whose thoughts I can sense, and so I do it
purely out of habit.”
“What
of Kakau?” Shoin asked.
Chieh
grew very quiet. “I do not wish to discuss it.”
Shoin
thought carefully for a moment. “His thoughts are shielded from you, aren’t
they? He is too well trained for you to read his thoughts.”
“He
is a Mantis!” Chieh hissed, the disdain in her voice very clear. “They are
little better than pirates and bandits! It must be something else that shields
his thoughts from me.”
Shoin
mulled over her words. It was clearly a point of contention with her, the first
weakness in her seemingly impregnable armor. He would have to remember this in
the future, but now was not the time to press the issue. “Surely you can read
Kijuro’s thoughts, Chieh. They are blatantly obvious to everyone within the
same province.” He gestured northward, where the group’s outriders rode far
ahead of the group.
Chieh
looked disgusted. “I assure you, you should be very glad that you are unable to
read the Ox’s mind. I could find nothing of any importance before being
rebuffed by a wall of filth. I shall not attempt such a thing again.”
Shoin
made a show of stroking his chin thoughtfully, but in truth he was simply
concealing a wry grin. Kijuro, while overbearing and infuriating, was
nonetheless strangely difficult to dislike, and the thought of the ample,
honest man thwarting the arrogant Agasha Chieh was pleasant indeed.
He
was still trying to decide how to respond to Chieh when he heard Kijuro calling
his name from the road ahead. “Forgive me, Chieh-san,” he said, smiling. “It
seems the Ox needs my attention.”
Shoin
found Toritaka Akemi still astride her horse, impassive as always. Kijuro had
dismounted, however, and was pacing the ground along the side of the road. His normal jovial expression was gone,
replaced by a look of smoldering rage.
It was a look Shoin had seen only once before, and did not wish to see
again. “What’s happened?” he asked
without preamble.
“There
is a dead man in the woods just off the edge of the road,” Akemi said.
“His
name,” growled Kijuro, “was Isuto.” The
Ox samurai’s face was flushed with outrage.
Each word threatened to erupt into a shout. “He was a warden commissioned with patrolling this road. He was a just and honest man. If you care so much for spirits,” he glared
at Akemi, “then you will honor his.”
Akemi
bowed her head slightly. “There was no
disrespect intended.”
“Kijuro,”
Shoin said softly, redirecting the surly Ox’s attention back to the matter at
hand. “What reason would anyone have to
kill an Ox sentry? Why would this have
been done?”
The
broad samurai clenched his fists in anger.
“Isuto was…fond of drink. He was
a good man, but on cold nights he would drink sake to stay warm. Most times, he was hopelessly drunk by
midnight. Anyone who wanted to get past
him could easily have moved through the woods or simply have crept past him in
the night.”
Shoin
pondered this for a moment. “You think
this death was unnecessary?”
“It
was a senseless murder,” Kijuro said flatly.
“Our
prey does not think as we do,” Akemi said.
“Violence is its first and natural response. If it is a human, it has a twisted and diseased mind.”
Frowning,
Shoin asked “What else might it be, Akemi?”
The
phantom hunter only shrugged. “There
are more things in this world than we can comprehend, much less give a name
to.”
“I
do not care what it is, man or beast,” Kijuro said through clenched teeth. “I will not allow anything to treat my
clansmen with such callous disregard.
Bad enough that the clans look on us with such blatant, hypocritical
disdain, but to allow some depraved beast to casually tear my brothers apart
senselessly? No. No!” Kijuro was literally seething with
rage. To Shoin he seemed on the verge
of an explosion.
“You
shall have your revenge, Kijuro. We
will find the culprit.”
“Oh,
yes we will, Shoin-sama,” said Kijuro with an odd, dangerous smile. “I know where he is going.”
“What?”
Shoin gasped. “What do you mean? Where?”
“The
eastern provinces of lord Morito,” the Ox answered. “Yasuki Kaneko lives there, as a guest of Morito.”
Shoin
was speechless. “Do you mean to tell me
that you knew where one of the Heroes of Rokugan was ever since our mission
began? And you have just now decided to
tell us?
Kijuro
stared at Shoin expressionlessly. “And
risk others hearing? The less people
who know of her location, the safer she is. I told you enough to bring you
here, and I was going to take you there in any event. Keeping you ignorant was simply a safety precaution.”
The
herald frowned. Kijuro was right. If he had told them of Kaneko’s whereabouts
in Otosan Uchi, someone would no doubt
have discovered the truth. There were
no secrets in that city. Realizing it
was true did not make accepting it any easier.
“You still should have told us,” he said. Shoin reached up and adjusted his topknot absently, thinking
about the logistics of their situation.
Finally, he asked “How long will it take us to get there, Kijuro?”
“Two
days.”
“And
how long would it take you to get there?”
“Just
under a day,” Kijuro answered flatly.
“Very
well,” Shoin nodded. “Take Yu-Pan,
Akemi, and Kakau. They can keep pace
with you. Chieh is not a skilled rider
and would only slow you down. If Isotu
is any indication, we are already behind the killer. I will take Chieh and announce our party to Lord Morito. We have no wish to offend your lord by
moving through his provinces without his knowledge.”
“Send
Yu-Pan and Kakau on.” Kijuro quickly
mounted his horse with a deftness that belied his size. He glanced once at Akemi. “Keep up if you
can.” Without another word, he spurred
his horse to a gallop and disappeared to the north. The Crab samurai-ko glanced at Shoin, who nodded.
“Keep
an eye on him, Akemi. Do not let his
passions overwhelm his sensibilities, whatever they may be. Yu-Pan will doubtless catch up with you very
shortly.”
Akemi
nodded. “As you wish, Shoin-sama. I must ask you, however, if you think it
wise to have only you and Chieh protecting Rezan?”
Shoin
grimaced. “Chieh could probably do the
task alone, but to leave her by herself would be a wound to her humility. No
doubt she will take little offense if I leave the most dispensible member of
the party along with her. Myself.”
For
the first time since he had met her, Toritaka Akemi favored Shoin with a slight
smile. Then she quickly disappeared
over the next hill in pursuit of Kijuro.
Many
hours later, the four riders slowed to a trot to allow their horses a moment’s
rest. Kijuro and Yu-Pan were accustomed
to the habit, as both their people had a great reverence for the welfare of
their steed. Akemi and Kakau simply
followed their lead without question.
None of them had spoken since they left Shoin and Chieh miles behind them. It was Yu-Pan who finally broke the silence.
“Why does this Yasuki Kaneko live in the Ox lands rather than with her own
family?”
Kijuro
shrugged absently. “She and my lord
Morito became allies during the War of Spirits. When war broke out in her family’s lands,” he glanced sidelong at
Akemi, “she chose to leave. I suppose she
felt uncomfortable fielding questions about the Yasuki family’s ancestry.” He shrugged again. “Here, she is left to her own pursuits and treated as a welcome
guest, not a living legend. I would not
wish a burden like that on anyone.”
Yu-Pan
frowned thoughtfully. It was not
something she had considered, but Kijuro’s words rang true. She thought of Utaku Shiko and the burden
she must bear. It was not a pleasant
thought at all.
“Akemi,”
said Kijuro suddenly, “if our quarry is a spirit, how do I kill it?”
“That
depends,” said the dark maiden. “There
are many kinds of spirits, and no two are the same. The spirits that came through Oblivion’s Gate, for example, can
be killed by anything that would kill a mortal. Many can be dealt with in ways other than violence. If, for instance, our killer is one of the
vengeful ghosts I am familiar with, we can banish it from this realm simply by
aiding in the reconciliation of whatever…”
“I
asked how to kill it.” Kijuro stared at
her, his gaze withering.
Akemi
lapsed into one of her odd silences, so Kakau answered the question in her
stead. “Most spirits, though certainly
not all, are vulnerable to crystal. Its
balance and purity cause great pain to such entities.”
Yu-Pan
looked at Kakau questioningly. “What do
you know of spirits, Mantis?”
The
Moshi met Yu-Pan’s gaze without flinching.
“When you have sailed the Sea of Shadows as I have, battle maiden, then
perhaps I will discuss it with you.”
Kijuro
cut the two off before yet another argument could break out. “I recall such stories from my youth. I did not know if they were true or merely
peasant superstition. Thankfully, we Ox
are a simple people who follow our instincts.”
“What
do you mean?” Yu-Pan asked suspiciously.
Kijuro
did not respond. “The horses have
rested. We should be able to reach
Kaneko in the next gallop.” He spurred
his steed on once more, leaving the others to follow.
It
was after nightfall when they finally reached the town where Yasuki Kaneko had
made her home. Only one road led into
the town, and Yu-Pan could see the torchlight of a watch station. Kijuro rode slightly ahead of the group, and
when he pulled up at the station, Yu-Pan could make out the friendly calls of
the guards over the hoof-beats of her powerful warhorse. Kijuro shouted something to them in return,
and although she couldn’t make it out, Yu-Pan could not help but respect the
sudden change in the guards. Each grabbed their weapons and fanned out from the
station immediately, clearly searching the ground for a trail or any sign of
passage.
Kijuro
swung down from his horse. “The guard
will rouse the others and search the village.
I will go to Kaneko’s home. Come with me if you wish.” With that, he dropped into surprisingly
quick run through the village streets toward a large building near the center.
“I
am growing weary of playing catch-the-Ox,” snarled Yu-Pan as she dismounted.
Akemi
leapt down easily from her horse. “He
believes the killer might hear our horses,” she offered as she broke into a
run. “Kijuro still thinks of our prey as a man, even though all signs point to
some sort of creature. He will need us
if he is to survive.”
“Kijuro’s
long term survival is not something I would wish to gamble on,” muttered Kakau
as he dismounted.
The
four warriors crossed the village in mere moments, moving silently through the
poorly lit streets. Kijuro led them to
a wealthy home near the center of the village, one that did not appear
particularly lavish at first glance, but upon closer inspection appeared to
have been constructed of the finest materials.
It was likely that the interior was equally as luxurious.
Yu-Pan saw Kijruo draw his blade
and creep toward the door.
Instinctively, she did the same, covering his back. He was crass and nearly unbearable to be
around most of the time, but the past day had proven him a skilled and
dedicated warrior. Yu-Pan found herself
respecting him, however grudgingly. She
looked around for Akemi, but the phantom hunter was nearly invisible in the
darkness of the courtyard in which they stood.
Kakau, however, was right behind her.
Kijuro slid the door open silently, gesturing that he would take the
eastern corridor and for Yu-Pan to take the western one. She nodded and veered to the left, noticing
that Kakau followed Kijuro.
The inside of the house was only
barely illuminated by stray light from a lantern or two somewhere within the
seemingly endless internal rooms. Yu-Pan moved fluidly through them, her eyes
accustomed to the darkness from years of drills on the moonless plains of the
Utaku lands. A flicker of motion in the
corner of her eye sent the battle maiden spinning low and away to the right
even as her blade flashed out toward her unseen foe. Expecting to feel the tug of resistance as her blade sliced
through flesh, Yu-Pan was unprepared for the hand that caught her sword arm by
the wrist.
Toritaka Akemi held Yu-Pan’s
wrist, staving off the blow that would have cut her down. There was neither fear nor recrimination in
the woman’s eyes, however; she merely gestured silently down the hall in the
direction Kijuro had gone. Feeling
shame for nearly killing her ally, Yu-Pan nodded wordlessly.
Together, the two women crept
down the hallway, retracing the steps of their burly companion. There were at least a dozen rooms on this
floor, and moving cautiously it might take them longer than Yu-Pan liked to
secure the house. Stealth was not her
forte, however, and so she allowed Akemi to take the lead.
There was a great shout from a
room farther down the hall, followed by a crashing noise and the sounds of
fighting. Both women, seasoned
warriors, immediately launched themselves down the hallway and crashed through
the doorway from which the sound had emanated.
It was like some sort of twisted
nightmare. A woman lay against the wall as if thrown by some great force. She held a wakizashi in her hand and there
was jagged, bloodied streak across the surface of her kimono. In the center of the room was Kijuro, katana
fallen from his hand. He seemed to be
wrestling with something, but Yu-Pan could not tell what it was. It was as if a patch of the night had come
to life and crept into the house. Kakau
stood across the room from the woman, his face pale and his sword clearly
shaking in his hand.
Akemi reacted instantly, leaping across the
room in a single bound to place her own body between the wounded woman and the
thing Kijuro fought. She held her
katana out with a single hand while retrieving something from within the folds
of her kimono with the other. She withdrew some sort of seal with an attached
ribbon and held it to face Kijuro.
Her momentary daze broken, Yu-Pan
screamed with all the fury of a thousand battle-crazed cavalry and hurled
herself across the room toward the patch of darkness. She caught a momentary glimpse of something within the shadows,
something almost human, and she lunged for it.
The room seemed to slow down around her as she corssed the room into the
darkness. Although the darkness
enveloped her, she could feel something as she slammed her body into the patch
of night. There was a grunt of pain
from Kijuro, followed almost instantly by a ruthless, victorious laugh as the
Ox landed a counterattack. A horrible
hissing sound came from the blackness, and Yu-Pan found herself being thrown
back across the room and out into the hallway.
She could see Kijuro being similarly tossed aside.
The blackness suddenly flowed
toward an open window away from the others.
Akemi, who had attached the strange ribbon she carried to the hilt of
her blade darted across the room to launch a single attack, but their bizarre
opponent was simply too fast. It
disappeared through the window and into the courtyard beyond, leaving Akemi to
bolt out the room’s other door to circle around toward the rear of the house.
Yu-Pan tried to follow her
companion, but the aching in her ribs told her that to move might cause serious
damage. Instead, she slowly got to her
feet and limped back into the room where Kijuro had also regained his footing. The battle maiden assessed the room quickly
and pointed to the unmoving woman clutching her sword. “Is she dead?”
“No,” said Kijuro. “We were just in time. I managed to wound it.” He held out his hand. In his palm was a sliver of crystal the size
and thickness of a large man’s finger.
“I found this years ago during one of my first assignments for Lord
Morito in the mountains to the north. I
brought it with me when Shoin came to take me to Otosan Uchi.”
Yu-Pan nodded. “Then it was a spirit after all.”
Unbelievably, Kijuro
laughed. He reached to the room’s low
table and brought a candle closer to the pair.
“I think not, Yu-Pan.” In the
light of the candle, she could clearly see that the crystal shard was covered
in blood. “Do you know of any spirit
beings who bleed this color? I do not,
and I will wager our friend Akemi will say the same. Kakau?”
The Mantis looked up at the Ox
shakily, his face still empty of color.
“I have seen none that bleed red, no.
I…I am sorry, noble samurai. I
was gripped by some unfathomable terror when I entered the room. I could not move. It was as if I were enchanted somehow.”
Akemi reappeared suddenly in the
doorway. With a simple shake of her
head, she confirmed what Yu-Pan had already suspected: once in the open night,
there was no way to find whatever they had fought. It simply blended in with the darkness too well. “That was no spirit,” she said simply. “I can sense spirits, and that was not
one. And even if I could not, no spirit
strikes its victims with claws such as these.”
Akemi dropped a crude knife on the floor. It was clearly made of what appeared to be jagged obsidian and
stone. “A weapon such as this would
leave ragged wounds, much like those an animal might make.”
“And any shugenja could enwrap a
man in darkness such as we saw,” added Yu-Pan.
“Our prey is no spirit.”
“No,” added Kijuro, his grin finally reappearing, albeit with a darker edge than the others had seen before. “It was a man. And there is no man in the Empire that Kijuro cannot kill.”