The Ninja Apprentice: The Lost Scrolls of Fudo Shin

by Jon F. Merz

  Jimmy landed in a parallel alley and then Vanessa dropped down next to him. “We can’t stay here. Let’s get cracking.”

  The Thamel nightlife still bustled as they exited the alley. From the other side of the wall, Jimmy heard the muffled shouts. “Looks like they just discovered we’re not where they expected us to be.”

  Vanessa grabbed his hand. “We’ve got to move!”

  They ducked down past the pushcarts and the vendors hawking their wares. A moped went buzzing past them, blaring its horn. Vanessa wheeled and Jimmy got momentarily dizzy.

  He heard the gunshot erupt over the din of the chaotic nightlife scene. He ducked instinctively but knew that by the time he heard the shot, the bullet was already well past him.

  They’d missed.

  That time.

  “Looks like they’re not taking chances this time,” said Vanessa. She huddled near the wheel of one of the pushcarts. “We’ve got to find that temple. It’s the only place that will help us now.”

  “Any ideas?”

  “None.”

  “Well, let’s go that way.”

  Vanessa eyed him. “What makes you say that?”

  Jimmy smirked. “Because all the bad guys are behind us. This is the only way we can go without running into them.”

  “You lead,” said Vanessa. “I’ll follow. If we get separated, don’t stop for me. Just get to safety.”

  Jimmy frowned. “I’m not leaving you.”

  Vanessa shoved him forward. “Keep your head down, Jimmy. And I’m not asking you to do what I said. I’m telling you. I’m not the important one here. You are.”

  Jimmy shook his head. She was being crazy. But he kept his head down and wove his way through the legs of tourists and peddlers. An intersection beckoned ahead and he knew he had a choice.

  Left or right?

  He closed his eyes hoping to hear Goro’s voice telling him which way to go.

  But Goro wasn’t anywhere around him now.

  Jimmy frowned.

  And chose left.

  Another gunshot rang out, splintering bits of masonry off the wall closest to Jimmy’s head. He ducked his head and winced as a piece of concrete lanced his cheek scoring a line of blood down his face.

  Where was the temple?

  Jimmy zigzagged his way down the street, trying to put as many obstacles between them and their pursuers as possible.

  He heard another gunshot now.

  They were closing in.

  From behind him, he heard Vanessa’s voice. “We can’t keep this up, they’re going to triangulate our position and get us both.”

  Jimmy looked back at her, but then Vanessa wheeled away to the left suddenly. He caught the expression on her face. For the first time since he’d known her, he saw a sliver of fear cutting across her usually calm demeanor.

  She glanced at him. “Go that way, Jimmy. I’ll catch up. Promise.”

  Jimmy started to shake his head. But Vanessa cut him of. “Do as I say! Go, Jimmy, go!”

  He turned back and sprinted down the street now. He didn’t care any longer about staying low. Speed was his best option.

  More car horns blared as he ran. He dashed across the street and almost got nailed by a rickshaw. He whirled and then threw himself into the closest throng of people.

  He didn’t risk a look back now. Vanessa was experienced enough to look after herself.

  He hoped.

  It was the first time he’d been separated from her. Fear wound its way up through his entire core. He took a series of deep breaths and settled himself down, ducking in for a brief respite in a small indentation in a wall.

  The temple. He had to find it.

  Goro had told them they’d know it by sight, which meant that it would presumably have the same symbol on its walls somewhere. All Jimmy had to do was search the city and find it.

  Easy.

  He frowned.

  And amid the craziness of the bustling nightlife, he felt the danger coming next. He glanced around and saw the two men striding straight at him from across the street. One of them had a pistol down by his side. The other was holding a wicked looking curved knife that looked more like a machete.

  Time to go.

  Jimmy ran down the nearest alley.

  Behind him, he could hear the running footsteps of his pursuers. Off the street, they no longer cared if anyone saw them tearing after a boy of fourteen. Another bullet splanged off the wall close by Jimmy. Brick fragments blew off into the air and Jimmy felt another cut on his cheek.

  He reached the end of the alley and turned right.

  And then ran straight for twelve feet.

  Before the alley ended.

  Dead end.

  He turned back but then froze.

  The two men stood thirty feet away. They’d stopped running.

  But they were still heading right for Jimmy.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  There was nowhere to go.

  Jimmy felt the wall pushing into his back, his hand scrabbled over the bricks but found nothing he could use. He had his hanbo and that was it.

  So he was surprised when the alley exploded into a bright flash of white smoke and a thunderous boom and then he found a rope dangled in front of his face. A harsh whisper in his ear said, “Grab the rope and be quick about it.”

  Jimmy felt for the rope and the instant he gripped it, he felt himself lifted skyward. He crested the wall and then vanished over the other side.

  Instantly, a black hood was yanked over his eyes and he felt himself bundled up and tossed into the back of a rickshaw. There was plenty of hurried movement and whispered muttering. Then he felt the rickshaw jerk as it started forward.

  The clacking wheels rolled over the streets and then made turn after turn until Jimmy was thoroughly confused about where he might possibly be. But whoever had just yanked him out of the danger he’d been in had to be friendly. He still had his hanbo. Unless, of course, they didn’t consider the stick too much of a threat.

  But he didn’t think they’d leave him with anything if they were hostile.

  So he decided to see where this all ended up before he thought about trying to take off on his own again.

  The rickshaw navigated through throngs of people. They were out in the busiest part of Thamel by the sound of it. Mopeds sped past them and he could hear shouts, laughter, and the general din of the street life.

  But no gunshots.

  He relaxed and tried to stretch out some in the back of the rickshaw.

  “Stop moving.”

  Jimmy froze. This was the first time he’d heard a voice so close to him. Something about it seemed familiar, but then he decided that it was probably just the cloth material over his ears - which were still ringing from the thunderclap in the alley - that had distorted his hearing.

  The rickshaw turned down another street and then Jimmy thought he heard the sound of something opening in front of them, like some hydraulic garage door. The rickshaw ran toward that noise and then everything changed.

  The portal closed behind them and the sounds of Thamel seemed distant and far away.

  The rickshaw slowed but continued forward until at last it drew up to a stop. The rickshaw man put the carriage down and Jimmy felt himself rolling forward…

  …into waiting hands.

  “Easy.”

  The cloth was taken off of his head and Jimmy blinked. The first thing he saw was a large statue of Buddha and then the carefully manicured gardens that seemed almost copied from those in Japan.

  “You okay?”

  He turned and then broke into a smile. Hideaki stared at him, concern on his face. “Jimmy?”

  Jimmy wriggled a finger in one of his ears and then heard Hideaki better. “I’m glad to see you.”

  Hideaki grinned. “Sorry about that flash-bang. We didn’t have much time to be gentle.”

  “Flash-bang?”

  “The flash and boom in the alley? That was us.”

 
; “Who’s us?”

  "Me," said a softer voice. Jimmy turned and saw Merlin's face staring into his own. His heart ticked up a notch.

  Merlin put a hand on his shoulder. “You okay?”

  Jimmy nodded. “Uh...yeah. Where are we?”

  “The temple that Vanessa asked us to find.”

  Jimmy frowned. “When did she ask you to find it? I didn’t hear her make any phone calls.”

  Merlin grinned. “Told you the kid was sharp.”

  Hideaki smirked. “Vanessa texted us when you guys were coming back down from the mountain. We were already at the airport and caught an earlier flight over.”

  Jimmy glanced around. He saw no sign of Vanessa. “Where is she? We got split up.”

  Hideaki held up his hand. “She’s okay. Got nicked by a gunshot and she’s being stitched up right now inside.”

  “I want to see her.”

  Merlin nodded. “I don’t blame you. This must all seem a bit weird.”

  Jimmy shrugged. “Not that I don’t trust you guys, but…”

  “But you don’t quite trust us,” laughed Hideaki. “We understand. The paranoia tends to come with the territory. We’ll bring you to Vanessa.”

  “Thanks.” Jimmy tried to resist staring at Merlin. How was it she was so beautiful even during times like this? He kept his eyes lowered and followed the two of them.

  They led him into the temple’s interior. At the entrance, Merlin pointed to their shoes and they all removed them before filing inside. They passed down a wide corridor with gleaming wood planks that seemed to have been polished by the socks and bare feet of thousands.

  At the end of the corridor, they broke right and escorted Jimmy down through a set of screened doors. Inside, Jimmy saw Vanessa and breathed a sigh of relief.

  “We friends again, Jimmy?” Merlin eyed Jimmy.

  Vanessa waved at Jimmy and he exhaled. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

  “Forget it.”

  Jimmy went over to Vanessa and squatted next to her. “You all right?”

  She nodded. “One of those buggers tagged me is all. In and out, fortunately. I’m just getting patched up and I should be as good as new.”

  A monk with a gleaming bald head tended to Vanessa’s arm, wrapping it in sterile white gauze. “What you should do is rest, miss.”

  Vanessa smiled. “He’s been trying to get me to do that since Hideaki brought me in here.”

  “How’d they find this place?”

  Vanessa sighed. “Benefits of having some extra friends around. With Kotogawa’s people busy looking for us, Hideaki and Merlin were able to find this place. Just in time, too, by the sound of it.”

  “What happened after we got separated?”

  Vanessa’s face clouded. “I had to go on the offensive. I figured if I jumped them, it would give you more time to escape. I didn’t expect that they had another team in the area. There were too many of them and I got shot in the process. I barely made it out when I spotted Merlin and Hideaki. We hustled out of there quick.”

  “Hideaki grabbed me out of a tight spot.”

  Hideaki spoke up. “He had two of them closing in on him. I haven’t seen them before. Real pros by the look of it.”

  “Kotogawa has escalated things,” said Vanessa. She tested her arm and the bandage and nodded. “Feels good.”

  The monk eyed her carefully. “You are not in pain?”

  Vanessa laughed. “Nothing I can’t handle. And it’s certainly not the first time I’ve been injured.”

  “But you should rest.”

  She frowned. “I’d love to. Nothing sounds better, in fact. But the truth is, this place won’t be immune from Kotogawa if they discover it. They’ll burn this place to the ground and everyone in it if they find us here.”

  Hideaki nodded. “So what now?”

  Jimmy looked around. “If this is the temple then we ought to see about finding out where we’re headed to next.”

  The monk looked at him. He seemed only a few years older than Jimmy. “And what is it you search for?”

  Jimmy glanced at Vanessa quickly, but she only nodded. “It’s okay, Jimmy. They can be trusted.”

  “The scrolls.”

  The monk bowed his head. “Then you must speak with Khampa. He will know the location of that which you seek.”

  Jimmy stood up and looked around. “Okay, where is he?”

  Vanessa held up her hand. “Jimmy, take it easy. I didn’t mean we had to leave right this very moment. Besides, these are friends and it would be rude of us to use their hospitality and then run away.”

  “But-“

  “We will speak with Khampa shortly.”

  Jimmy looked at Hideaki and Merlin, but they only shrugged. They took their cues from Vanessa and would do what she said.

  Vanessa flexed her arm one more time and then nodded to the monk. “Thank you for your excellent care.”

  He bowed his head and then collected the bloodstained cloths, gauze, and bowl of water. He stood and then looked at Vanessa. “I will inform Khampa that you would like to have an audience with him.”

  “Thank you for your assistance.”

  The monk exited quietly, disappearing down the shadowy corridor. Vanessa looked at Jimmy. “There’s a certain protocol we have to follow here, Jimmy. Don’t be in such a rush. It would be considered rude.”

  Jimmy sighed. “Sorry. I just thought that it would be even more rude if Kotogawa finds us here and kills all these guys.”

  Merlin smiled. “He’s got a point.”

  Vanessa frowned. “Duly noted. But we will observe tradition and await our audience. Otherwise, they may suspect us of not being the proper ones to go after the scrolls.”

  “You mean they wouldn’t tell us where they are?”

  Vanessa shrugged. “I don’t know what the deal here is. I have no way of knowing if they are true allies or not. A lot of these temples are content to simply inform and then watch how things play out, believing that whatever happens is the will of the universe. Goro was a little shy on details.”

  Jimmy chewed his lip. “If that’s so, then what’s to stop them from telling Kotogawa’s people where the scrolls are?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Which makes it even more important that we hurry up and get out of here,” said Jimmy. “A race to the scrolls is the last thing we need right now.”

  “You aren’t going to find the scrolls if you keep being rude,” said Vanessa. “Just let things play out.” She sighed. “Besides, I don’t think the monks here would tell Kotogawa’s henchmen where to go.”

  “No?”

  “No. I think they would only tell that secret to Kotogawa himself.”

  Jimmy smiled but felt a jab of fear lance through his stomach. “Which means what? That Kotogawa would have to come here himself?”

  “Something like that.”

  More fear broke over Jimmy. He’d never even met the man but just the thought of that much evil almost seemed too much for him to think about handling. He felt slightly dizzy and then took a breath. He had to keep it together. The chances of Kotogawa coming here seemed remote.

  The monk that had helped Vanessa returned. “Khampa is most ready to see you now.”

  The four of them started forward, but the monk held up his hand. “I am sorry, but only the youngest of you is invited to converse with Khampa.”

  Vanessa’s eyes widened. “This is somewhat unexpected.”

  “Nevertheless, it is Khampa’s wish that only one of you be permitted to speak with him.”

  Vanessa nodded. “All right then.”

  Jimmy frowned. “Wait a minute, don’t I get any say in this matter. These are my friends….”

  The monk bowed his head. “I am sorry that is has to be this way, but Khampa was most insistent in this regard.”

  Vanessa nudged Jimmy forward. “It’s okay, Jimmy. We'll wait here for you.”

  “You sure?”

  “There doesn’t seem
to be much choice,” said Vanessa. “Just be sure to mind your manners in there, all right?”

  “Yeah.” He looked at Vanessa, Merlin, and Hideaki and felt a pang of loneliness wash over him. Why was he being singled out for this audience? He didn’t know what to say to some monk.

  “Are you ready?”

  Jimmy looked back at the young monk. “I guess so.”

  “Then please follow me.” The young monk turned and sped off down the darkened hallway.

  Jimmy looked back one final time and then hustled after him.

  Into the unknown.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Jimmy followed the young monk down the hallway. Small candles flickered in their holders, casting dancing shadows about the corridor. In the dim light, it was tough to make out the direction they traveled in, but Jimmy felt that they were getting deeper into the temple.

  Finally, they emerged from the corridor and stepped into a small sitting room. Jimmy saw two tea cups set up next to a small brazier that heated a tiny pot.

  “We are just in time,” said the young monk. “The water is just about ready to boil.” He sat down and motioned for Jimmy to do the same. Jimmy crossed his legs and watched as the young monk lifted the pot and poured the steaming water into the two cups. Tiny crushed leaves caught the hot water and turned it a dark green.

  “It will be hot when you first drink it, so please be careful.” The monk handed one cup to Jimmy and then lifted his own to his lips, blew a few times and then took a sip.

  Jimmy glanced around. “Uh, I don’t mean to be rude, but will Khampa be joining us soon?”

  The young smiled. “He is already here.”

  Jimmy whirled around almost spilling his tea. But there was no one else in the room with them. Jimmy looked back at the monk and frowned. “Is this some kind of joke?”

  “No joke.”

  “But it’s just us here.”

  “Indeed.” The young monk took another sip of his tea. “You should try the tea. It’s quite good. I grow the leaves here and then dry them before they’re suitable to use in this brew. But they do wonders for the relaxation of the spirit.”