“Sir, did we come at a bad time?” Richard asked.
“No, of course not,” Lees said in his thick English accent. “But I am rather busy at the moment. Perhaps you can come back later.”
Richard shook his head. “I’m afraid this can’t wait.”
“Well, you better jolly well get on with it before I strap this parachute to your back and throw you off the tallest pagoda I can find,” Lees said.
Richard caught himself staring at a picture of Lees standing on the deck of a ship. “You sailed with Sir Shackleton on the Endurance?”
Lees pulled the cigarette out of his mouth as he looked up at Richard. “Do you want my autograph or did you come here for something else? Because I really don’t have time for games, lad.”
“I need help climbing Mt. Fuji,” Richard said.
Lees chuckled as he continued folding the parachute. After he stopped, he looked up at Richard.
“Oh, you’re serious,” Lees said. “I thought you were being funny.”
“I'm very serious.”
“In that case, you’re a nutter.”
“A what?” Richard asked.
“He thinks you’re crazy,” Hisako whispered.
Lees stood and stared at Richard for a moment. “You appear to be a sane chap, but anyone who wants to climb Mt. Fuji this time of year has some mental deficiencies.”
“It doesn’t look impossible.”
“There’s a reason why even the locals don’t attempt to climb Mt. Fuji during the winter.”
Richard shrugged. “I don’t have much choice.”
“Is someone forcing you to do this?”
“No, but—”
“Then you can wait.”
Richard shook his head. “Actually, it can’t.”
Lees took another long drag on his cigarette. “Who told you about me?”
“Harold Newton from the U.S. consulate.”
“Oh, blimey. Another spy,” he said, falling back to his knees again to work with the parachute.
“The Japanese are building a cipher in a monastery up Mt. Fuji, and I need to get my hands on it before they circulate it.”
“If you steal it, that won’t do you any good,” Lees said.
“That’s why I’m going to take pictures of it so we can duplicate it.”
Lees nodded. “I had a friend who was murdered by a Japanese spy. So, I’ll help you. But you must know that this will be a treacherous expedition. The wind, the ice, the sudden storms that can appear around Mt. Fuji—it’s unlike anything you’ve probably ever seen.”
“Have you ever attempted to summit Mt. Fuji this time of year?” Hisako asked.
“Once,” Lees said as he snuffed out his cigarette in the ashtray on his desk. “Let’s just say things didn’t go well. That’s why I’m trying to dissuade you.”
“If it wasn’t so urgent, I might exercise some restraint,” Richard said. “But that’s not a luxury I have right now.”
“Then come with me,” Lees said. “I’ll get you everything you need but luck. Because if you’re going to survive up there, you’re going to need more than just the right equipment.”
Lees marched across the room and opened up a closet packed with ropes, spiked boots, winter coats, tents, lanterns, and walking sticks. But the first thing Lees grabbed was an axe.
“If all else fails, swing this,” Lees said. “It’s the most important tool you’ll take with you.”
“More so than a rope?” Richard asked.
Lees nodded. “A rope won’t help you when you’re falling down the side of a mountain.”
After a few minutes, Lees finished stuffing a backpack for Richard and then handed it to him.
“Wish me luck,” Richard said.
“Like I said, you’ll need more than that,” Lees said. “You’ll need the climb of your life.”
Richard cinched the straps down on his shoulders and smiled.
Mt. Fuji awaits!
Chapter 14
RICHARD AND HISAKO arranged transportation to get closer to the base of Mt. Fuji after collecting all the supplies from Lees. And by dawn the next morning, Richard struck off for Taiseki-ji’s secret monastery with Hisako. She had agreed to accompany him for a short distance before turning back.
Between the howling wind and the snow crunching beneath their feet, conversation was a struggle. They walked for a few minutes along the banks of Lake Shoji before taking cover in a cluster of trees.
“Don’t forget what I told you,” Hisako said. “But if you do—”
“Relax,” Richard said. “I can bluff my way through anything.”
“These aren’t the kind of people who will forgive you just because you can make them laugh. Take everything very seriously.”
“I will,” Richard said. “And if I’m successful, this trip could be historic.”
She smiled. “That’s what you’re hoping for, isn’t it?”
“I admit it’d be nice to be part of something like that. But if not, the adventure will be satisfying enough. Just stay out of sight until I get back. Once I capture the cipher, we’ll talk with Newton about how to help you escape Naruhiko’s death sentence.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Richard gave her a hug before turning toward the mountain and continuing his hike.
For the next hour, he worked his way through a grove of cypress trees. The wintry mix pelting him combined with the slick conditions on the ground resulted in slow plodding. If it had been possible, Richard would have sprinted through the forest and raced to the top. But the weather didn’t afford him any such opportunity. Instead, he methodically picked his way through the woods before reaching a clearing near the base of Mt. Fuji.
A light snow started to fall on the already icy ground. He dug his boots into the fresh powder and began to climb up the slow incline. According to Hisako, the climb up to Taiseki-ji’s secret monastery would take around three hours, depending on the conditions. As much as Richard wanted to reach the temple faster, he realized that his journey was likely to take much longer. The slick surface coupled with the windier conditions higher up the slope meant he needed to exercise extreme caution.
After a half-hour, he ventured above the tree line, increasing his degree of difficulty. The flat light created even more challenges, making the contours of the rock almost impossible to see. More than once, Richard slipped after thinking he’d secured his footing but dug into the ice to stop the slide.
As Richard continued to work his way toward the monastery, he remembered the date and tried to keep his composure. It was five years to the day that Richard’s life was turned upside down when his brother Wesley died suddenly from a short bout with rheumatic fever. He was only fourteen and had plenty of life ahead of him.
Wesley’s death was the driving force behind Richard doing his best to turn his favorite phrase from Latin class—carpe diem—into a mantra for how to spend the rest of his life. Four years Richard’s junior, Wesley was a bundle of energy, fearless in so many respects. He embraced challenges, charging into them without any concern as to what might happen should he fail. Even as he was battling the illness that eventually took his life, Wesley wrote Richard a letter regarding plans to travel to California together to see the Pacific coast. He intended to go there soon to honor his brother’s wishes, but Richard decided the best way to remember his brother would be to live life to the fullest, never having any regrets. At least, any more regrets. Richard already shouldered the burden of lamenting how he should’ve spent more time with Wesley. But that was in the past now, unable to be altered. However, Richard fully intended to move forward in a way that would make Wesley proud.
Richard pressed through the freezing temperatures as he continued his slow ascent. After another ten minutes, he reached a small relief in the mountain, enabling him to take a short break. Richard sat on his haunches while gulping down some tea Hisako had given him in a thermos. He found the drink soothing, using the respite to plot his way u
p to the spot Hisako pointed out was the way into the secret monastery. The nook seemed small while he was at the base, but it was substantially larger than he first thought. From Richard’s perspective, he still didn’t think it was more than five feet tall and less than a meter wide. But it didn’t appear nearly as tight as it did earlier in his climb.
Rested and ready, Richard repacked his thermos and continued his climb. He had barely put on all his gear again before he slipped on the ice. Falling face first, he started sliding down the slight incline. He attempted to dig his spikes into the ground but couldn’t get them in deep enough. He continued to drift toward the edge, which was a dramatic drop down a sheer cliff face.
Richard’s backpack pulled him to the side, inhibiting his ability to take control of the situation. He reached for his pickaxe while still heading feet first toward a plunge to sure death. Relentlessly trying to slam his shoes into the ice, he fumbled for his pickaxe. When he pulled on it, he noticed the loop had twisted, preventing him from yanking the tool free. He worked furiously to rip it out before it was too late.
He took a quick peek below to see he was rapidly running out of room. With one last gasp, he jerked the handle free from his pack and wielded the device, slamming the point into the ice. At first, it didn’t do much and he continued sliding. However, just as his legs slid over the edge, the blade caught on a rock, halting Richard’s descent as his legs dangled over the side.
After taking a deep breath for composure, Richard carefully pulled himself to the solid surface and walked gingerly back up the slope toward the rock face. He adjusted his pack then wrapped his hands around the axe handle.
But before he could make another move, he heard the sound of ice crunching beneath feet behind him.
Richard spun around to see a half-dozen men dressed in Samurai garb pointing their swords at him. He threw his hands in the air as the men fanned out in a semicircle around him.
“Can I help you with anything?” Richard said.
One of the men nodded as he stepped forward. “An American?”
Richard nodded. “I hope that isn’t a problem for you gentlemen.”
“Depends,” the man said as he waved his weapon back and forth.
“On what?”
“How badly you want to continue climbing Mt. Fuji.”
Richard shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I don’t want to give off the wrong impression. I’m not here to intrude on your territory. I just—”
The leader laughed heartily before the other warriors joined him.
Richard watched wide-eyed at their display of amusement. “What? What did I say?”
“You will only do what we tell you to, or you will die,” the leader said. “Is that clear?”
“Of course, sir. I merely wanted to say that—”
“Silence. We don’t want to hear your explanation or your excuses.”
“Then what do you want?” Richard asked.
“Payment for your passage.”
“I’m afraid I didn’t bring a large sum of money with me on this journey,” Richard said. “I was trying to pack light to make my climb more enjoyable.”
“Are you enjoying things right now?”
Richard shook his head. “Things could be better.”
“Of course they could. And you’re going to make them better for us.”
“And how am I going to do that?”
“You’re going to kill someone for us.”
“Kill someone?” Richard asked. “I’m not a murderer for hire.”
The leader paced in front of Richard. “What is your name?”
“Richard Halliburton.”
“All right, Mr. Halliburton, how much do you value your own life?”
“I rather enjoy being alive,” Richard said, cracking a smile in hopes that levity might soften the hardened man.
“If that’s true, you’ll murder the man I’m assigning you to kill.”
“And if I don’t?” Richard asked.
“When you come back down the mountain, I’ll murder you in his place.”
Chapter 15
RICHARD SWALLOWED HARD as his gaze shifted between the samurai warrior and the edge of the blade that appeared to get closer with each statement he made. He turned the blade sideways and used the flat portion to lift Richard’s chin.
“I’ve thought about it,” Richard said, “and I’ve had a change of heart. I’ll agree to do your favor.”
The man lowered his blade as a smile spread across his face. “Finally, an American I like.”
Richard sighed but remained uneasy, despite the lightened mood.
“My name is Hattori Mitsunari,” the warrior said as he slid his weapon through his belt. “And I’m the leader of the only active order of samurais still operating.”
“I thought samurais were a thing of the past,” Richard said, feeling more relaxed with each passing moment.
“Technically, we don’t exist. But we are all direct descendants from other warriors who have walked these same hallowed grounds on Mt. Fuji,” Mitsunari said. “Despite what the leaders of today want, we will not go away quietly. And they know better than to try and banish us. Japan was built on legend and has an ancient past that can’t be ignored. It’s part of who we are.”
Richard nodded. “I understand you want to continue to practice your art, but—”
“Being a samurai isn’t an art. It is a way of life.”
“My apologies,” Richard said. “I understand you want to continue your way of life, but is it necessary to murder someone?”
“You have no idea what that traitor has done to us,” Mitsunari said as he glanced around at his men who were nodding. He said something in Japanese, and they all joined him in the gesture.
“What did he do that warrants a death sentence?”
“Bhodi Daido used to be a samurai,” Mitsunari said. “He was fierce and loyal. But something happened: his brother died. Instead of turning his pain into becoming a greater warrior, he turned to Buddhism.”
“We all deal with grief differently,” Richard said.
“Part of the samurai code is that we allow our fellow warriors to grieve. That was never the problem. It was how he decided to impose his newly discovered religion on all of us.”
Richard furrowed his brow. “Bhodi became a monk?”
“Not only did he turn to the monastery, he decided that the way of the samurai needed to cease. The Japanese government had stated that samurais no longer existed, but only as a way to calm fears that our country was too savage to visit. However, many people who visit Japan want to see samurais, so the authorities never enforced the laws banning us.”
“But Bhodi didn’t see it that way, did he?” Richard asked.
Mitsunari shook his head. “Bhodi thought every samurai needed to be outed. He met a reporter who was hiking up Mt. Fuji and told him where our secret Mt. Fuji hideout was. Once that news went public, hikers left trail and invaded our den. After a couple weeks of pressure from organizations all over the world to make Japan safer for tourists, the government seized our hideout.”
“Yet, here you are,” Richard said.
“Don’t mistake our presence for the process being easy,” Mitsunari said. “We have all endured great hardship to maintain the samurai way. While I don’t care if Bhodi decided to turn his back on his brothers, we will not allow such an act that threatened to eliminate us altogether go unpunished.”
Richard eyed Mitsunari carefully. “But with death? Is that a just punishment?”
“He knows what he did and how harmful it was. There is no better alternative.”
Richard shrugged. “Apparently I don’t have much of a choice, but I want you to know that I’m not fond of this idea.”
“Complete the task, and you will be allowed to go free,” Mitsunari said. “Should you fail, you will die in his place.”
Richard took a deep breath and put his hands on his hips. “I’m glad we could establish the ground rules. Any
thing else I need to know?”
“I want proof that he’s dead,” Mitsunari said.
“His head, perhaps,” Richard suggested.
“I’ll settle for an ear.”
“An ear it is,” Richard said.
Mitsunari eyed Richard closely. “We’ll anxiously await your return.”
Richard gathered his belongings and turned toward the rock face behind him. He swung his pickaxe into the ice before tugging on the handle to make sure the tool was secure. Satisfied that he could proceed, he resumed his ascent. Twenty minutes later, he looked back over his shoulder where he’d met the samurais. They were gone.
Richard plodded along for the next hour until he neared the space that Hisako had identified as the entrance to the monastery. A short plateau allowed him to rest for a few minutes before approaching the opening in the mountain.
The sky grew dark and the wind picked up, blowing twice as hard as it had near the base. Richard headed toward the opening, unsure of what he might do if he was denied access.
The small entrance into the mountain seemed so natural that Richard hardly believed the monks carved it out of the rock as Hisako had explained. He cautiously ventured inside. The narrow opening felt more like a maze, weaving back and forth in a series of sharp turns. However, when Richard reached a small clearing, he noticed a large wall lit by a series of torches positioned along the outside. He couldn’t help but enjoy the warmth provided by Mt. Fuji’s interior, heated by a scant measure of volcanic activity deep below the surface. With the mountain’s last eruption occurring more than 200 years ago, scientists remained confident that Mt. Fuji wasn’t in danger of erupting again any time soon.
Richard heard monks chanting behind the wall, affirming that he was in the right place. He strode up to the door and knocked. Eventually a man slid open a small portal and peered outside. He said something in Japanese, but Richard didn’t understand.
“Can you help me?” Richard asked.
The man scowled and shook his head.
“Do you not understand me, or are you telling me no?”
The Quest for the Fuji Cipher (A Richard Halliburton Adventure Book 4) Page 9